Season Opener

We took full advantage of the long holiday weekend and kicked the summer off to a great start at the Lake! We spent the whole weekend there with Jeff's parents & his sister's family. The kids all had a fabulous time together with their cousins. The weather was gorgeous all weekend with a shower here & there, but no real rain until Monday. That worked out well because we needed to get the house cleaned up & laundry done, so we weren't tempted to be out on the water! Boy, I can't tell you how nice it is to come home from vacation with all clean laundry! Can I get an Amen?!

I was thinking on the drive home in the pouring rain that one of the very best things about the lake is the time we spend there with family & friends. Some of my best & most vivid childhood memories involve my cousins & the fun we would get into at each other's houses or on our grandparents farm. We are so blessed to have cousins that live locally. We don't actually get to see a lot of each other during the school year, pretty much just on birthdays, holidays & a few other random times...but we sure try to make up for that during the summer. Whenever we tell the kids that we are going to the lake, of course they get excited, but their first question is always, "Will our Cousins be there???" And they positively light-up when the answer is, "Yes!"

Here are a few lot of pictures of the fun we had this weekend! We are looking forward to a great season there & hope to enjoy many more lazy days on the river with our family & friends!

And, I apologize in advance for the series of posts sure to follow this summer of the kids boating, swimming, tubing, etc...I know you are probably thinking, "How many pictures of kids on a tube can she post?" Be forewarned, the answer to that question is, "A LOT!"

Sophie is ready for the sun!

Darcy with Em & Molly

Darcy likes being in the water more this year. Taking her first jet ski ride of the season with Aunt Kelly & Em.

Row, row, row your boat...

Heading out for some water sports on the pontoon boat

Drew is not happy to be in that life jacket. It rather sqooshes his cheeks! He also will NOT keep a hat on his head! We have a lot of work to do this summer! 

Drew is a bit more relaxed when the boat is moving, he gets antsy when we are getting everything loaded & there is a lot of commotion.

Jack & Molly on the tube, they talk the whole time! 

Mallory, Darcy, Sophie & Emily 

Jack is always making weird faces at the camera or hiding his face!

Drew almost liking boating!

Jack & Drew watching the girls tubing! Drew did enjoy watching them & would point like, "Hey, what are they doing out there?"

Mal, Jack, Kelly & Molly

Headin' for home! Drew is Daddy's little navigator!

After dropping Drew off to nap with Pop & Nana watching, we headed back out!

Here are Mallory & Sophie on a wild ride!

I took this photo as proof that I was, indeed, at the lake with everyone else this weekend! I'm wearing Sophie's "Race Angel" hat! I need to work on my self-portrait skills!

Emily knee-boarding. I hate I didn't get any photos of Sophie, but she learned how to knee-board this weekend & did great!

Jeff & Jack on the tube...Jack giving the thumbs-up which means go faster & zig-zag...

So we did...

And they got a pretty wild ride!

Watch the landing!

Drew enjoys swinging with Pop

We also had plenty of fun on dry land...like roasting marshmallows & making s'mores after dinner!

Darcy loves roasted marshmallows, but not the "black stuff" so she asks me to pick it off!

Drew enjoying some Nana time!

And some Daddy time! It is pretty funny because "Daddy" is his favorite word to say. He will not say "Mama", but he LOVES his Daddy!

Whenever Drew gives Jeff kisses, they do this cute little head-butt, too.

Doesn't get much better than a hammock in the shade!

Day 2, look at the gorgeous sky! It was beautiful out!

Darcy with Uncle Tom & Em

Jack & Molly on the tube again!

Darcy wants to drive the boat!

We anchored the boat near some little beaches & did a little exploring. We didn't stay too long though because the sky started getting very dark & it looked like a storm was coming in.

More swinging!

We enjoyed several great family meals together!

It rained all day Monday, but that worked out well because we weren't tempted to go back out on the water...we were able to tidy things up, do laundry & house-keeping while the cousins all snuggled on the cough watching TV.

And then it was time to go home! Ah, it was a wonderful weekend & already we are counting the days until our next trip back to the lake!