Boating on American Lake

Summers here make you wish you had a nice boat! We don't have a boat (maybe someday) but our friends do!! American Lake is one of the nicest lakes around and it is only a 10 minute drive from our home. Our good friends, The Bakers, have a boat and invited us out to the lake to have some fun on the water. Both Andrew and Peter were so excited to get on the tube. I think they were just as excited to wear wetsuits. They were both a little nervous about going too fast but eventually got the hang of it. Andrew and Rachel were up first. They are a good match as friends but maybe not the greatest match on the tube. Rachel wanted to go faster and Andrew wanted to slow down. I am just proud of Andrew for getting on the tube because his first experience on the tube three years ago ended in him falling in the water when he didn't know how to swim (mostly due to a crazy driver). It took a lot of encouraging for him to get back on the tube last summer. Every year he is a little bit braver. Most of the ride Rachel gave us the thumbs up which meant go faster and Andrew gave us the thumbs down which meant slow down. It was quite commical really!

Peter, on the other hand, has no reservations about anything daring. He jumped right on the tube with his daredevil friend Adam and they both were a riot to watch. Adam was actually standing at times. Peter wasn't that daring but he wasn't at all timid about going a little faster.

Emma was our little flag waver. She held onto that orange flag with pride. She was happy to be in charge of something. Abby liked the speed of the boat but DID NOT like wearing the lifejacket. She cried for the first 20 minutes that we had her in it and finally she calmed down and fell asleep for a little bit. THANK GOODNESS. I have become a little less patient when it comes to screaming babies. That's right....she likes to scream these days. I hope the screaming fits don't stay too long because I might pull all my hair out.

After a couple of rounds on the tube we ventured over to a nice quiet spot to eat some snacks. All of the kids (minus Abby) fit on the tube and ate cherries and grapes. What a spendid afternoon we had on the water with some good friends! I am so glad that our kids get to experience all of these things. I don't remember doing a lot of water sports growing up. My grandfather had a boat and I remember being too young to water ski. My older brothers would ski and my younger brother and I would ride in the good old fashioned black inner tube. I remember it being fun but a little freaky to not be able to see what was underneath me. I guess my fear of the lake started way back then. By the time I was old enough to actually fit in the skis my grandfather had already gotten rid of the boat. I feel so fortunate that my kids have been exposed to so many fun things. I want them to remember their childhood as a fun time!