Summer Fun!

We have been enjoying getting out and about to enjoy the water as the summer comes closer to ending and the back to school commercials are saturating the airwaves.  The last weekend in July, after I rounded at the hospital newborn nursery, we were able to meet up with family boating on the St. Croix.  Sarah absolutely hated it when the boat was moving and sobbed the entire way from the dock to the spot where we met up with Jenna and Michael's boat, which was already anchored for swimming time.  Once we got there, she eventually calmed down and was really happy to sit on the edge of the tubes and kick her feet in the water. I didn't take many pictures because I was trying to get her to keep her happy most of the time, but she did spend some fun time with Uncle Brian, so I got some pics of them.  Too cute!

Austin "driving" the boat.

It was lots of fun and the kids had a blast (except for Sarah when the boat was moving - she sobbed the whole way back to the dock too!).

At home, we've had some fun hanging around and snuggling up inside when thunderstorms rolled through.  Austin has been building forts out of blankets and pillows.  This is how I found him one day when I told him he could watch one of his TV shows while I got Sarah down for her nap. He was all covered in pillows with only his eyes peeking out to see the TV. Goofball!

We have had a bit of struggle with the planning process for re-doing our landscaping lately. We've been working on plans all summer, but things are coming along slower than anticipated and there have been some frustrations and miscommunications along the way.  Basically, the existing landscaping is incredibly poorly planned and the plants are totally overgrowing their spaces. We want to basically redo the front landscaping and move some trees that are planted way too close to the house.  I'm looking forward to getting it finished and getting the house looking great out front.  Until then, we do have some nice blooms coming out here and there.  We've got some beautiful hydrangeas blooming and Sarah and Austin were interested in checking them out.

Don't forget to stop and smell the flowers.

Austin has been having lots of fun riding his bike lately. He likes to ride back and forth between our driveway and our neighbors' driveway across the street where 2 boys close to his age live.  The only problem now is that one of his training wheels on his bike keeps bending at an odd angle and keeping him from being able to ride it until I bend it back. I'm thinking we either need to buy new training wheels or maybe throw some knee pads on him and try to teach him how to ride without training wheels.  We'll see...

Sarah got to try a big kid cup the other day and was really proud of herself for using a glass.

With Nanny out of town and Daddy in Rochester for a "game night" with some buddies, Grandpa took Austin, Sarah, Mommy, and Auntie Michelle out on the boat for the afternoon today.  We figured we'd see how it went with Sarah since she freaked out about going on the boat a couple weeks ago.  First, Austin and Sarah tried out the horn and the steering wheel while the boat was parked in the driveway.  We got 1 smile out of Sarah before she fussed and cried.

Austin driving his Kettcar while we got ready to go.

Once we got the boat in the water, Grandpa drove the car with the boat trailer up the hill to park it.  We hopped in the boat and held it next to the dock waiting for Grandpa to come back.  He came running down the hill when he realized he had forgotten to put the plug in the bottom of the boat and we were taking on water.  We threw stuff out onto the dock and got the kids and I out of the boat, alarming nearby boaters putting their boat in the water.  Michelle and Grandpa took the boat out to drain some of the water and get the plug in...and then we got going.  We got a couple smiles out of Sarah...

...but overall, she fussed much of the time and was still pretty freaked out whenever the boat got going. I was able to distract her with snacks and keep her occupied for a few minutes at a time.  By the end, she got used to it a bit more and stopped crying, but was still not particularly happy.

Austin had a BLAST!  Here he is driving the boat.

And riding in the tube with Auntie Michelle! 

The water was definitely cold, and when we pulled them in so they could come in the boat and warm up a bit, Austin was having so much fun that he denied being cold while shivering and cried when we told him he had to come in the boat and take a break.  Some goldfish crackers convinced him a break was a good plan, but he excitedly got right back in for another ride after that.  As evening approached, we saw some dark clouds coming and looked up the radar on our iPhones. When we saw a storm was headed our way, we headed back.  We got caught in a rain storm for a bit, but the rain stopped by the time we got the boat back on the trailer and headed home.  I'm not sure we'll take Sarah out of the boat too much for a while, since she seemed pretty miserable most of the time, but Austin sure loved it!

In a few weeks, Austin goes back to school for his next year of preschool and hopefully things slow down a bit at work (after the back to school rush for sports physicals).  Until then, we'll be squeezing in some more fun, a few projects, and a trip to a lake resort for some family time.  Have a great rest of the summer!