Weekend on the Water

I am trying desperately to get caught up on my blog before the end of summer...my goal is to finish all of our summer posts by the end of August, so that I can start back to school and fall activities without feeling like I'm behind.  I'll do my best.

A few weekends ago, a heat wave hit the Portland area so we took advantage and headed out to the lake.  Unfortunately, every other boater in the metro area had the same idea and both lakes (Merwin and Yale) were full when we arrived.  Thankfully I was able to sweet talk our way into launching at Yale and Kyle was able to sweet talk a nice old man into letting us park.  It worked out, albeit with a little stress.  We had invited our friends, the Zeamers, to join us for the day so the 9 of us piled into the boat and headed out.  It was a little rough of a start, but once the kids got comfortable everyone had a wonderful time.  The day was gorgeous, perfect to be out on the water and the scenery of these particular lakes is simply breathtaking.  It is my favorite place to boat.  I definitely need some practice driving the boat (as everyone can attest too) but we survived and had a lot of fun!

time to swim!

what would boating be without some snacks

Kaitlin and Dan

My little fish - Carter had attempted water skiing a few weeks earlier and had no interest in trying again.  I wanted so badly to try to help him but tried not to push it.  He has started talking about it again, and I am hopeful that next time we go out I can get in the water with him and help a bit.

This one loves the boat and the water - she's fearless!

It was a wonderful day with fabulous friends!

The next day, we headed out to the river and spent the afternoon with the Pikes.  Shannon's parents have a house on the river, so it makes boating so much easier!  They picked us up at the house and then we headed over to the little area on the island that they had set up.

I'm not such a fan of the river, but it was a really fun day with friends. 

The kids were able to tube, Kyle wake boarded a bit and I just soaked up the sun.

the jet ski was a new toy and the boys couldn't get enough  of it

Thinking we might need to invest in a double tube next year.  It was so much for the kids to be able to ride together.

Brevin and Carter had a blast!

Kennedy and Emery wanted to go faster!!!

Shannon can drive the boat a lot better than I can and Kyle was able to enjoy some time out in the water.

all four kiddos went for a ride on the tube

silly girls playing after dinner

more time in the water

Such a fun weekend spent with friends, enjoying the sunshine and fun in the water!