Camping Trip

Last night we got back from a long lake trip.  As usual, it was a wonderful getaway, filled with plenty of activity as well as rest.  The first half of the trip was a new experience for me.  Ryan got Gracie and I all set up and then headed over to Bennett Springs to fish for the weekend.  My sister and her kids came down to hang with G and me for the weekend, along with our mom.  It was a total blast having us girls and the 4 kids!  We spent lots and lots of time in the water, and I even took us for a boat ride out to the Nemo Bridge.  Before heading down, my sister stopped to pick up Puddle Jumpers for the kids to wear while swimming.  If you haven't seen them before, these floaties are awesome!  All the kids were able to swim independently (although not far from an adult) and enjoy being in and out of the water on their own terms.  Such a great investment!  Even though Gracie is 5 pounds smaller than the weight minimum, she had no problems 'swimming' like a big girl in her Puddle Jumper.  Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures from our girls and kids camping weekend.  I think the fact that Team Adults was outnumbered might have been the main contributing factor.

On Sunday morning, Ryan came back to Pomme to celebrate our 6 year anniversary and to finish out our camping trip.  We all suited up and headed out to the water to enjoy our Sunday.  All the kids (minus Natalie) got a chance to tube in the cove... going very slowly.  Gracie and Kia rode with an adult.  I so wish I had taken some pictures of the experience!  Kyle took his turn first.  He jumped in the tube and from the boat, all you could see was his little head sticking up out of the center of the tube.  Then Aunt Nerned and Kyle rode out it the main channel together.  I couldn't stop giggling as I held on for dear life.  Kyle was unphased, but I was pretty sure he and I were going to get dumped!  We didn't though... which is probably why he is so eager to go again!  After Kyle was back in the boat, my mom decided she'd like a turn.  Ryan promised to take it easy on her... she jokingly reminded him that she is the mother-in-law, so he'd better be careful!  She rode on her belly and on her back and quite honestly, she did a great job!  The kids all got a kick of seeing Graham Cracker ridin' the waves!  Next was the little girls' turn.  I rode around the cove with Gracie and Kia rode with Grandma.  Gracie sat pretty quietly and just took it all in.  She liked waving at all her family back in the boat.  Kia also quietly enjoyed the ride as well, but once Uncle Ry-Ry gave it a little extra gas, she said "There we go!" as if she was waiting for him to go faster!  

After a short lunch, my family headed back to Kansas City.  It was a super fun way to enjoy a hot weekend, that's for sure!

Ryan, Gracie, and I stayed at the lake until Tuesday, so we had a few extra days of play.  The fun just continued.  We were able to swim and boat, as well as fish, take walks, and fly a kite and an airplane.  It was an all around fabulous weekend.  One night, Ryan and I even got 11 hours of sleep... simply heaven!  I was able to get out the camera for the second half of our camping trip.  Here are some of my favorite shots!

Shoveling rocks on the shore

Helping Daddy drive the boat and waving at everyone who passes by!

When we originally upgraded to our new boat, we did so because we didn't feel comfortable taking a little one out in Ryan's old fishing boat.  We also wanted to have a recreational boat for playing on the water as our family expanded.  So last year, our first year with the boat, we were stoked to enjoy fishing and playing in it.  We tried multiple times to take our then one year old out to fish, and for a variety of reasons, it just wasn't in our cards.  She always did well with fast boat rides, in fact, the faster, the better.  But fishing brought out her co-dependent tendencies and resulted in one of us fishing and the other trying to entertain Gracie in the heat.  Not fun at all.  Both Ryan and I were super sad and kind of wondered if it would be years before we enjoyed fishing together again.

We tried again on Monday night.  Ryan was pessimistic, but I packed snacks, water toys, a baby doll, and a cell phone with YouTube for backup.  We filled the live-well with water, which made a perfect water play tub for Gracie.  When we got to our fishing spot, I pulled out play pots and pans, cups, and a water baby for Gracie.  She began giving her baby a bath and making soup right away.  She went through a couple packages of fruit snacks (whatever makes you happy!) and also wanted to help me fish.  Turns out she's a lucky fishergirl!  She reeled in 4 casts, and of those 4 casts, she caught 2 fish!  She was giddy each time we brought the fish to the boat, although didn't want to touch them at all.  That's okay, I don't touch them either!  We release our fish after we catch them, which was confusing for her.  She'd say, "They go back to their tank?"  I think she was likening these fish to our goldfish at home.  It was cute!  So here she is with her first fishy!

Before we headed home on Tuesday, Gracie wanted to fly her kite.  The wind was perfect for kite flying!  We'd also bought a styrofoam airplane at Dollar General to fly on a windy day, so we pulled that out, too!  It was a really great time!

Daddy and Gracie flying the kite way up high!

Gracie likes to hold the string, but almost always lets go!
So Daddy is holding on, too!

So cute together!

Getting a flying lesson.  She looks so cute in her ponytail!

3...2...1... Take off!

Chasing after the grounded plane was her favorite part!

Daddy taking a turn

Momma and Gracie working together!
Momma wasn't so good... lots of crashes!

Another flying lesson... such a good student!

Tysie Lou Dog watching the plane go by... from the shade!

The wind was so good that Gracie could fly the kite all by herself!  

Running with her kite!  So much fun!

A girl and her dog heading back to camp.
Both looking so confident!