Lake Soccer Game

Serious game of soccer at lake.

This weekend we were at the lake (like most weekends, luckily!). The kids were a little restless because it wasn't warm enough to swim so Papa suggested a game of soccer to C. He took to it right away!

Papa and C were playing against each other to start. Then she came along...

to be the coach. C then said, "Well, she's a pretty bossy coach, ya know." She had no contest with that, which was hilarious!

Not to be left out, she soon joined the game with Papa and Daddy at the goals.

Yes, that is the goal. The chair. They had to get the ball under the chair. Not so big. It made for an exciting game!

C often thought it was a wrestling match, tackling his sister. But having been with him all her life, she's used to it!

Daddy and A getting their game face on, ready to face C and Papa...

The game continued into the evening, past the sunset behind the clouds.

C got ready for one last chance at a goal to win the game for he and Papa, but...the game stayed tied at 3-3. I'm sure this is not the last time we will be seeing a game of soccer at the lake. Perhaps a new favorite activity?!

First long rope waterski

A waterskis first with Papa's help.

 Now C's turn: ski and wave!

The New Favorite

There's a new favorite at the cabin.

Can you guess what it is? 

Ready, 

set, 

 splash!

Ready, 

set, 

splash! 

Did you guess yet? 

Of course you did! 

It's swimming in the middle of the lake! 

I have a feeling we'll be spending A LOT of time out there this summer, loving every minute of it too!

The last one of the year

It's always bittersweet to go to the cabin that last time before we "close" it. One last sleepover. One last fire. One last ski (for my dad!). One last boat ride. One last fire. There are always those last things we do. This weekend was no different.

We are so very lucky to have a place like the cabin to go to most weekends during the summer. We spend A LOT of time there as a family. The funny thing about it is that J and I didn't really understand or know how much we loved it until we had the kids. I mean we can say we did, but really, I don't know that we did. There is no other place we would rather be on a gorgeous summer weekend. Sure, we miss things along the way-gatherings, concerts, sporting events-but I'm sure we were enjoying a sunset, taking one last tube run, roasting marshmallows or swatting bugs (ok, that last one isn't so fun, but...).

As it was again this weekend, enjoying one last boat ride. Driving the boat one last time. Catching bugs (or seagulls?!) one last time. Eating snacks one last time. Showing smiles one last time. Feeling the breeze one last time. Being at the cabin one last time!

After Papa goes skiing, I'm going to ski

This was one of the first things I heard today after I got up. Yes, C announced that he was going to go skiing today. Then A soon followed. Out of the blue! Just decided that today was the day. Of course it had to be the one weekend I didn't bring the camera or the video camera...We hadn't talked about it yet this cabin season-about them going skiing. We talked about it a bit last year and they said when they were 5 (which is coming up fast!) they would try it out. Or TODAY! Let me just say that this made my dad's day. He didn't say it did, but I just KNOW it did. Happy early Father's Day, Dad!

First they started out by trying on the skis about 10 time each, just to be sure they had the form down. Here A was trying to make sure that C knew how he was supposed to be once he got into the water. Because she's the expert on everything...

My uncle was here for the weekend and came to see the kids ski for the first time. Our kids call him Florida Jim because he lives in Florida. It was pretty neat to have him there. He and my dad have been skiing together since they were about 8 or 10 years old. So seeing our kids ski when he could remember, without any problem, the first day I skied brought everything full-circle.

Our kids just adore him-especially A. 

Dad got in the water with C first to help him get the hang of what it would feel like.

Then it was A's turn.

Each of the kids went 4 times and held on to the boom each time. That's an advantage they had over how we all learned to ski. The boom allows the kids to be right off the side of the boat, so you can talk to them while they're going. No face plants today, which probably means they'll do it again! In fact, C already asked if he could try again next weekend. I loved the fact that they used my skis. Yes, those are the same skis I used 29 years ago-good old Cyprus Gardens! 

Thanks, Dad, for helping our kids do this today. It was so fun to see you in the water with them. I can only imagine how you felt doing that for them. I know you were proud. So was I. Go Elk Lake Waterskiiers!

One Last Day at the Cabin

We were lucky enough to go to the cabin today! What a beautiful day to be up there. The sun was out and all of (or most of) the leaves were off the trees. It was a great fall day. We did a lot of raking, which will hopefully help out my dad. The kids loved that, as jumping in leaves has become one of their new favorite things to do. Although it's not the greatest of help, nothing beats the look on their face when they start back by a tree and say, "On your mark. Get set. Go!" A does more of a skid when she enters the pile, while C goes full force jumping into the pile. We've had many fun days of jumping in leaves this fall, and today was definitely a bonus one at the cabin.

We love playing with Daddy! Look at this tall stick I found!
Look how high it goes!

And although the Gophers were playing today, we had to wear our Duck shirts in honor of Gayle and Jeff. Thanks for the shirts! Go Ducks! Or as Charlie said, "Go Donald Duck!"