Canoeing

We decided to take our canoe out this week. The canoe was originally purchased on a date that Jared and I had after I had been to girls camp for a week, and he went to Japan the following week. So, I talked him into buying a canoe on our date. That first year, we had only a month or so of summer left, so we went out only a few times. The next summer, we went several times, leaving right after work and canoeing for a family home evening. This last summer, we didn't go at all, as I was too pregnant to help Jared get the canoe on and off of the van, let alone my terrible sense of balance and the fact that no life jacket was going to fit me.

So, we thought it would be fun, but realized that we probably shouldn't take Max out on the canoe, so we needed Uncle Paul to help Jared paddle and control kids.

Early on in the evening, Sam got in trouble for not listening, not a good thing when contemplating water sports with three year olds.

How on earth does he get his mouth to turn down so far? He's like a cartoon character!

The boys were SUPER excited when Lizzie and Mara showed up! Yeah for cousins!

Loading all the kids in the boat - an act of bravery by the two dads present. Especially because Jack did not want to go without his mom...

All aboard!

We brought some stale tostada shells to feed the ducks. They learn quickly where the food is! Sometimes you have to fend them off with the paddles so they don't nip little fingers...

Wading in the water was just as much fun as going on the canoe!

Ok, this picture of Lizzie makes me LAUGH - no, she's not in pain, this is her super "I think I'm really funny" laugh. She had thrown some mud at a duck, and for some reason it tickled her fancy...

Even Katie joined in the fun!

Jack was the most fearless of the waders - thus the continued presence of the life jacket. Thankfully, it wasn't necessary at any point during the evening...

Pearl lifting a boulder for some building project she had going. I had to include this picture because it shows her new missing tooth - just to the left (her left) of her big permanent tooth. The middle tooth is so big, it's really hard to tell that the one next to it is missing - how will there be enough room in her mouth for all that?

We tried out Sam's new Keens in the lake - they were great, they stayed on (unlike Lizzie's crocs, which were later used as drinking vessels for lake water... yeah, gross, we tried to stop them, they will probably all get nasty diseases now...). However, he asked to take them off a few times, and I kept telling him no, because I thought they would be too hard to get back on wet. Well, on the way back up to the car, he was walking SO SLOW and I kept telling him to HURRY UP and he was ignoring me (chanting to himself "underdog is here!") and I was slightly frustrated until we got to the car and Jared took his shoes off. Yep, a couple of pea sized pebbles were stuck in there. Poor kid!

We had so much fun! Yeah for Lake Natomas!