7 Days: Day 3

Today we had the pleasure of going to Woodcliff Lake for some boating, swimming and fun! And fun it is! We LOVE going! We always have a really great time!

Bill and Linda (the people who invited us out) fed us some delicious lunch of grilled burgers! Bill makes awesome burgers! So yummy! Then it was off in the boat we went. The weather was perfect today!

At the lake there is a sand hill that the boys love playing on.
So we stayed a while and "sledded" down it on a zip sled.

After awhile we got back on the boat to do some skiing and zip sledding. Zach and Josh did it last year. This year Zach,
Josh
AND Alex all did it.
They loved it!

Matthew (another kid out there- not my Matthew) went skiing for the first time! He did AWESOME!!

After boating around the lake for a while we went back to the beach and played around. Things like Swimming and burring each other....

It was so much fun!!

Here is my 7 Days, Day 3 shot:

Let's Go Skiing?

Ahhh! The lake! One of my most favorite places to go!! Last time we were at the lake Alex asked if he could try water skiing. Bill said sure. So when we went out this past week we decided to give it a shot. We all piled into the boat and Susan and Bill started to give the ski lesson. It freaked Alex out and he no longer wanted to try- but Zach sure did.

Susan was kind enough to get into the water with him to try.

Unfortunately after a few tries, it didn't work. I think the problem was the skis were too big for his feet and the skis kept falling off. I guess he never had much of a chance.

Oh, well. We tried.

Alex watched Zach and then changed his mind and wanted to try.

So we let him.

And he had the same problem. His feet weren't big enough either.

I have bigger feet- so I jumped in and went skiing myself. I am totally going to toot my own horn here (cause I am proud of myself for it) but I got up on the first try and made it farther around the lake than I ever had before!!! YEA ME!! It was so much fun!! The water was PERFECT for it!! So smooth!! It was awesome!!

Later on that afternoon, Jakob thought the boys might have fun zip sledding. So we let them try that. And boy was Jakob right!! Zach LOVED it!!

Here is a video of Zach zip sledding:

Josh LOVED it!!

He would crack me up. He would wave to the boats that would go by.

Here is a video of Josh zip sledding:

Alex....Alex HATED it!! He didn't like being out in the water, away from the boat all by himself.

I guess it is kind of far. He did try, but freaked out.

Here is a REALLY quick video of Alex attempting to zip sled:

It was such a great day!! I am so proud of my boys for trying new things. I can't believe how far we have come. From me being in a state of panic when we would go to the lake to letting a boat pull them through the lake.We have come a long way!! And it's SO AWESOME!! Thanks again Bill and Linda for having us out!

My Happy Place

Josh

So I mentioned in my last post how I have been stressed and a little emotional. I seem to have come to the end of my rope with things. It feels as if life has been on hold and lots of changes are happening in some areas of life and then not happening in other areas. Its been a total roller coaster. Yesterday none of the stresses I have been feeling seemed to matter because I was able to go to my happy place!!

I find that being by water is the most relaxing thing ever!! Put a beach by the water and it makes it even better. Throw in a boat ride and a warm and sunny day- even better. Then to add in a margarita (or 2 or 3) and loved ones- I would call this HEAVEN!! You can imagine my excitement when Bill and Linda (Meg's parents) called and invited us out to their lake home. Yesterday I worked on my tan, while drinking margaritas, and laughed and played with my boys. Heaven!!

Bill and Linda had a fantastic Memorial Day party! Bob and Susan and their family came out. They have 3 boys. Jakob (a sophomore) and Ryan and Matthew (7th graders). They are Bill's brother's kids/grand-kids. I think I have that connection correct. And they are wonderful. Jakob and Ryan are so great when it comes to including my boys in things. Kim and Mitch and their kids (Sam and Emily) were out at the lake as well. Kim is Bill's daughter. Later, Linda's parents came out to join us for dinner. It was so great to see everyone. They are like family to me.

This year Alex announced that he wants to water ski. So he started practicing on a knee board. :)

I have no problems with him trying- just not on Memorial Day weekend when the lake is crowded. Bill and Linda invited us out again sometime when it isn't so busy to let him try. Bill said he would try to teach him- he taught me and countless other people- so he would be great person to teach Alex as well. And if Susan would be there too- Alex would have no problems at all!

At one point in the day we all piled onto the boat for a ride around the lake. This included Bob, Susan, Jakob, Ryan, Matthew, Sam, Emily, Bill, Linda, Josh, Alex, Zach and I. Matt (my husband) isn't into boat rides and swimming like I am- which is really quite puzzling to me. I don't comprehend that at all. What is not to love about boating and swimming and the sun? He says its hot and sweaty and unpleasant. He is wrong. :) There I said it. He is WRONG! ha ha ha He hung back at the house with Kim and Mitch drinking beer.

Part way around the lake there is this sand hill that the boys love to climb up and play on.

It is fun. Great work out too. The bigger kids are so great! They usually bring the knee board and use it as a sled to slide down the sand hill. My kids think that is AWESOME!!

As we are boating around the lake, Josh asks Bill if he needs to get gas. This is code for "I want candy." A few years ago when we were out at the lake, Bill actually did need to get gas for his boat. We stopped at the marina to get some and he bought the boys some candy as well. Ever since then, the boys ask Bill if he needs to get gas when we are boating. So, like normal Josh asks if Bill needs gas. Bill tells him "Nope, the tank is full." Zach then pipes in "Can we stop for candy then?" He just cut to the chase. Called a spade a spade. It was pretty funny.

When we got back to the beach, we had a delicious dinner of burgers and various salads. When our bellies were full we decided to play some beach volleyball.

Josh and Zach really liked this game. It was the first time they played it. They seemed to really enjoy it!!

In fact, Josh loved it so much that he played long after the game was finished! He had Matt go out with him to practice some more!

The big kids took my boys on a canoe ride. Matthew is on the knee board. Sam is in front. My three are in the middle (Zach Alex Josh). Ryan and Jakob are in the back. I am always amazed at how one year makes such a difference!! Last year Josh and Zach wanted nothing to do with the canoe. It was scary! This year all three loved it!! They are also more brave in the water as well. They would jump off the end of the dock. Its awesome to see them improve and grow!

It was a perfect day!! It was so nice to relax and have fun and not worry about the other stuff. Thanks Bill and Linda for a REALLY great day!!