Cruisin'

After the festivities were over, our immediate family had the rest of the week to have fun and relax at the lake.  One of the things we were all looking forward to the most was taking the boat out.  We had two days where we could take the boat anywhere we wanted on the lake and just have fun.

So, Monday morning, Grandpa hopped in the car and drove the kiddos, Great-Grandma, and all the gear down the hill to the dock while we walked down behind.  We all piled in the boat and had a moment of great suspense when Grandpa turned the key in the ignition and it didn't start.  I think Grandma about had a heart attack until they finally figured out that they just had to plug something in.

(The boat started, we're ready to go!)

(Great-Grandma, Jack, and Livi were excited!)

We were off.  The wind was in our hair.  Unfortunately, Evan had taken dramamine so he wouldn't get motion sick so he was just about passed out in the back of the boat for that part of the journey, but the rest of the kiddos were enjoying the scenery.  Benny especially enjoyed the wind in his face and we had to keep a hand on all of the kids to make sure they didn't go overboard.  On one pass across the lake, Audra, Ian, and Great-Grandma got a little too much of the refreshing spray from the lake and were drenched!

(Grandpa gets used to driving the boat again.)

(Benny loves feeling the breeze.)

(Great-Grandma dries off from her encounter with the wave.)

One we had sailed around for a while we found a great little rock beach, so we docked the boat and hopped out.  This was the kiddos first experience with fishing.  Evan was so excited.  He had been looking forward to this for a long time.  So, Grandpa helped them bait up their hooks with worms and learn how to cast.  Before long Evan was a pro and was standing somewhat patiently in the water waiting for his fish to bite.  He was determined to catch enough fish to make fish sticks for dinner and was a bit miffed when he heard we had to throw anything that we caught back.  All the kids had fun trying.  Even Olivia sat and fished with Tommy with her own fishing rod.

(Grandpa and Uncle Tommy set everything up.)

(Evan soaks in his instruction.)

(Livi casts off.)

(Jack is a natural.)

(Ben and Grandpa think this is fun!)

Benny didn't last too long with his fishing attempts.  Then, he was off to try swimming.  Ian had found a great wading spot over by a log.  So, Grandma and Ian and Benny went off exploring.  I hopped in the lake and enjoyed swimming around for a little while, and pretty soon we had the raft out in the water and all of the kiddos were being paddled around by Ian.  It was a great little stop and everyone had fun playing around, skipping stones, and munching on all the great snacks that we had stashed in the cooler (orange rice krispie treats, the Bitler chocolate chip cookies, and butterscotch brownies).

(Lots of fun to be had around our little boat.)

(Ian and Ben find a wading spot.)

(Cousins go rafting with their uncles.)

Our next fun activity of the day was when we got moving again about put the raft out behind the boat.  Ian was the first to try having the boat tow him around.  He even grabbed the Go Pro video camera and took it along for the ride.  He had fun, and soon Uncle Tommy and some of the kids wanted to try too.  I think Ben was the first kid to take his turn.  He rode with me.  I was sitting up, had him in my lap, and was holding on to the handles with my hands.  It was fun, but I was pretty nervous to have him out in my lap.  We made it without being dumped into the water though.

(Ian takes a try on the raft.)

(Benny and I take our turn.)

Next, Jack and Tommy took their turn and also had a lot of fun.  Even Olivia took a turn behind the boat, but she didn't last very long before she told her daddy that she was done.  We continually asked Evan if he wanted to go, but he didn't think that looked like very much fun.

(Tommy and Jack speed along.)

(Olivia's not missing out on the fun.)

What he did like was driving the boat.  That was another item on his birthday bucket list.  He really wanted to drive the boat for his birthday.  So, he sat on Grandpa's lap and took his turn.  He had a great time but was a little nervous to take the wheel for himself.  The other kids happily followed taking turns too.  I'm glad that it will be a few years before any of them have their license.

(Evan happily takes his turn.)

(Jack, hands on the wheel!)

(Grandpa better watch this one!)

(Livi, the speedster!)

We also got to take the boat out on Wednesday.  It was another beautiful day and we had a great time!  We found another beach, this time with a little pond behind it, perfect for more fishing.  We did more paddling and wading, more fishing (and this time we actually caught some little fish), and more trips on the raft behind the boat (this time with more speed and being dragged across the wake).  All of us were happy from some great days on the boat but definitely sad when we had to park it in its spot for the final time.

(Great-grandma, Grandma, and I enjoy relax and enjoy the view...)

(...the beautiful view!)

(Great-grandma and Uncle Tommy enjoy our private fishing hole.)

(My mommy and I)

A Wedding with a View

As I alluded to in the last post, Evan's swim team season was cut in half by some fabulous family trips.  For the first adventure, we hopped on an early morning plane to St. Louis, our end destination, Grand Lake, Oklahoma.  So, after the quick plane flight and a car ride through the hilly Ozarks that left Evan and I a little queasy, we arrived at our beautiful lake house.

However, we weren't there long.  We had to change into our slightly nicer clothes and head on over to Cherokee Spur Ranch for the rehearsal dinner for my cousin Courtney and her soon-to-be husband Griff.  The ranch was absolutely beautiful, with sweeping views of the lake directly behind where the ceremony would be held.  We had a great evening watching the boys who had been reunited with their cousins Jack and Olivia playing in the big field behind the patio with the beautiful lake in the background, talking with all of my fabulous family that I hadn't seen in far too long, and just generally eating, drinking and being merry.  It was definitely foreshadowing of what was to come.

The next day was the big wedding day.  We headed down for a pre-wedding BBQ lunch.  Everyone was pretty busy getting ready, so we mainly tried to stay out of the way of all of the setting up and beautifying.  The boys were playing outside to stay out of the way and discovered a tiny little fountain up near the house, not much water at all.  However, that didn't stop them from absolutely making a soaking, muddy mess out of themselves.

To separate them from the mess, we decided to walk them down a dirt hill to check out some froggies that Uncle Chip's wife Jane had found on an earlier walk.  We started to walk down the gravel path which led down a hill.  As was walked behind the running kiddos, Ian started to say, "What are our chances of all these kids making it down the hill without someone getting hurt?"  Before he could even get the sentence out, Benny falls face first and destroys his knee.  It was a pretty deep cut, but to keep Benny from completely melting down, we continue on to the frog pond.  We watch the little frogs pop up and down in the pool, and eventually we turn around and march everyone, including Ben back up to the house to bandage the bloody knee.

We headed back to the lake house after that and cleaned our messy selves up for the wedding.  We were significantly more presentable when we headed back to the ranch for the actual wedding.  It was early evening and the light on the back porch for the ceremony was just beautiful.  The wedding was lovely, and there was even a moment where two of Griff's cousins were singing one of my favorite songs and a flock of birds suddenly flew across the scene behind them.  I briefly thought that there was someone in the forest releasing birds because they were perfectly timed and it was lovely!

The reception after the wedding was held in another pavilion, so after some family pictures, we headed on over.  Throughout the whole reception, I just noticed all of these fantastic little touches like hanging flowerpots in the trees, table cards hung with tiny clothespins, painted candle holders on the table, and the wedding programs were even folded into little paper airplanes.

The whole party was lovely from start to finish.  Courtney looked beautiful, Grill looked strong and handsome, and they looked very in love.  I'm so happy for my cousin, she looked so happy, and they both looked so in love!  Their first dance surrounded by friends and family blowing bubbles was such a romantic moment.  The food was the most delicious wedding food that I have had in a long time-chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes, and little individual peach pies for dessert.  However, the most inspiring part of the meal was definitely the kids table next to ours where the kids could sit and enjoy their food together while we enjoyed our food in peace.

The kids also got to enjoy their first post-wedding dance party.  Usually we head out when the dancing starts, but this time the kids joined right in with the party, shaking their booty with all of the other dancers on the dance floor.  However, their favorite part of the night might have been running around in the field next to the reception area and collecting all of the clay pigeons that weren't hit in the target practice that morning and eventually smashing all of them on the ground.

It was a beautiful celebration and we were so lucky to be there to share with with our wonderful family!  The wedding was over, but the week of fun was just beginning, so more tales from our adventures in Oklahoma next time.

Swim Meets from the First to the Last

We already mentioned that Evan joined the swim team.  He was determined to make it through the season and get that trophy, and I've never seen him that determined.  A few weeks into practice it was time for the first practice meet of the season.  We were all nervous about how that would go.  Evan was a little disappointed when he found out that that the swim meets involved racing against other kids, but we convinced him that the only person that he was competing against was himself.  I didn't know if he would even jump into the pool let alone swim across it, but we gave it a try.  He got up there on the block and when the horn sounded for the first time he jumped in and started swimming across.  Actually, he swam straight for the rope and hung on, but 2 minutes and 30 seconds later Evan made it to the other end!  He did it!  He was so excited.

Then, a week later it was time for his first real meet against Hope Valley Country Club.  This time we were nervous because I looked at the heat sheet and Coach Maddie had him swimming three events: freestyle, backstroke, and butterfly!  Now, Evan's experiences with the latter two events were minimal at best and not very positive.  He had only done about two strokes of backstroke in his life and hated being on his back.  Butterfly, he had thrown a fit and refused to even practice it with Maddie.  So, I was concerned.

We got to the meet and he absolutely loved the team spirit aspects of everything.  The big kids came out in costume and all the kids joined together for some cheers, he loved it.  Then it came time to swim freestyle.  He made it across the pool with a few grabs at the rope in about one minute and 50 seconds.  He was thrilled that he had done it, but we had the two stressful events coming up.  He (and Benny) got a ring pop as a reward for a good swim and they were both so happy.

(the Fairfield Fins 2014 swim team-Evan is in the front row all the way on the right.)

(He concentrates on the race before the horn sounds.)

(Evan swims the freestyle.)

(The happy kid with his ring pop treat.)

Then, it came time for backstroke.  Evan gave me his ring pop to guard and headed over.  He told his coach he didn't want to do it.  She made a bargain with him to at least swim the first part on his back so he agreed that he would do it.  Lo and behold, that kid kept plugging along and made it all the way across the pool.  Maddie had to jump in at one point and cheer him on up close, but she never actually touched him.  4 and a half minutes later he was across the pool.  I was so proud of him.  Then, in butterfly, he actually did a passable butterfly across the pool only stopping a few times to rest on the rope.  The first meet was definitely a success!

(Evan prepares for the backstroke.)

(Swimming like a champ.)

(Evan leaps in for the fly.)

We were gone for a few weeks of adventures that I will tell you all about later, but when we got back it was time for the final meet of the season.  This time, it was so much fun to watch Evan goof off with some of the friends that he had met at swim team.  Since all of the swimmers live in our neighborhood, it's a great way to meet friends.  This time, we were swimming against the Duke Faculty Club, and again we had to have a conversation with Evan about how we should cheer FOR our team but not AGAINST the other team.  He was enjoying his first experience being part of a team.  In his freestyle he improved yet again even though he had to go to the rope and adjust his goggles at the start of the race and he finished with a time of 1:15, that cut his time in half from the first mock meet.  In backstroke, there was an even bigger improvement.  He finished with a time of 1:30 and he didn't even disqualify, he stayed on his back the whole time!  Butterfly, he did well again, but still disqualified because he added a little freestyle in.

(My big proud boy!)

So, tomorrow is the last day of practice, and the biggest meet of the year, and I'm so impressed by how far he's come!  He dove in the deep end and swam across, stopping in the middle to tread water for 10 seconds.  I'm so proud of my big swimmer!

Biking to Rise

Ian and I have always wanted to go on long bike adventures with the boys.  After I got my bike a few years ago we immediately bought a bike trailer with hopes of taking the boys on day long excursions.  However, there was the pesky problem of the American Tobacco Trail not being complete, so even if we wanted to go somewhere, there weren't many places we could take them that were bike friendly, especially with the trailer.  Even the little farmers market about a mile away had too many portions of the ride where we would be on skinny roads with no shoulder.  So, we waited.

Finally, a few months ago, they finished several key portions of the Tobacco Trail-the long-awaited bridge connecting the two parts of the trail on either side of the freeway, and the segment connecting the part of the trail down by us to Southpoint Mall and the shopping areas near there.

Once those parts of the trail were finished, we were ready to roll.  Ian took the boys out first and found a great biking adventure, and then I joined them on the repeat adventure.  We started at Herndon Park, which is only about a mile from our house.  It backs onto the Tobacco Trail so we can pick it up there.  We got all four bikes out of the van.  (Did I mention how much I love having a van that can hold four bikes now?!)  Then, we attached the bike trailer to Ian's bike just in case Ben got a little tired on the journey and headed out.  The trip to our destination is about 1.5 miles and Evan can ride there and back pretty easily.  Ben needs a little encouragement, but he made it there this time without having to hop into the trailer.

What destination would be suitably enticing to get the boys to bike 3 miles?  A donut shop, of course!  And we have one of the most fabulous donut shops just off the Tobacco Trail called Rise.  The boys usually just get a regular donut while Ian and I try whatever exotic creations that they have come up with at that moment.  Sometimes I'm feeling like one of their savory creations like their mac and cheese with bacon biscuit, but on that day, I tried their carmel Captain Crunch donut which was awesome!  We sat out in the sun on a bench, enjoyed our donuts, and then headed home.

The bike ride home was just as enjoyable as the way out.  Benny did have to be pulled a little bit in the trailer, but he made it an amazingly long way for such a little boy.  Plus, Evan and I decided to extend our adventure and take the back way through the forest home instead of riding in the van.  Evan thought that was very cool.

We're looking forward to more fantastic biking adventures with the boys as their legs get stronger and stronger!

(my biking family)

(our arrival at Rise)

(a pretty good treat)

(Yum!)

Swim Team First Practice

When I suggested to Evan that he join the swim team this year, I didn't know what response I would get.  But I described what it entailed and just happened to mention that there were trophies and ribbons up for grabs.  Well, apparently, Evan loves the chance to get anything like a medal or trophy, so he was all about swim team when he heard about the awards.

At that point, Evan could swim under water for a small distance in the pool.  He didn't really have much of a freestyle stroke and couldn't take a breath.  So, I emailed the parent representative and asked if she thought Evan would be a good candidate for swim team even though he couldn't quite swim the length of the pool.  She said she thought he would do fine, so we headed over to the Fairfield clubhouse on the rainy sign up day, filled out the paperwork, and bought the smallest size of little swim shorts that they offered.

As the first day of practice neared, I honestly didn't know what to expect.  Evan has been resistant to trying things that take him out of his comfort zone, and I knew that some of the things that he would be asked to do would definitely take him out of his comfort zone.  I didn't know how long he'd last, but we would give it a try.

Now, swim team started this year on May 15, so I knew the first day would be cold.  I had to take Ben to his preschool end of year picnic, so Ian had the task of taking Evan to his first swim team practice.  I packed the bag with several towels, dry clothes, and even some hot chocolate.  I was anxious to hear how everything would go.

Apparently, when he got there, they separated the under 6 year olds into two groups.  Those who could swim across the pool pretty well on their own, and those who were really learning from the beginning.  Evan started in the beginner group, but after the coaches watched his swimming, they actually moved him up to the second group.  Even though he was cold, he stuck with it and swam across the pool a few times, grabbing the rope when he needed a break.  He finished the first swim team practice, cold but feeling positive about the whole thing.  He wanted to go back the next day which I considered a victory.

Practices for swim team were every day, and so we kept heading over to the pool at 6pm every weeknight.  It was cold at the beginning, and it made Evan pretty nervous.  He would refuse to do something that the coaches asked because he was nervous, and it would make both me and the some of the coaches pretty frustrated.  However, when I asked him if he wanted to continue, he always said he wanted to keep going.  I've never seen him so determined.  So, with the help of the incredibly patient head coach Maddie, Evan plugged away at practices.

Soon, it was time for the first practice meet of the year.  I had no idea how it would go, but that is a tale for another day...

(The kids sit and listen to Coach Maddie.)

(A little stroke practice)

(Evan pauses for a picture from the pool.)

(the little swimmer in action)

(warming up after a successful practice)

(Hot chocolate!)