Tag Archives: lake

Labor Day at the Lake

As you can see, I am two weeks delayed getting this post written.  It is a sign of how things are going around here.  Busy, but good….

Labor Day weekend was amazing.  We were invited by my middle/high school friend, Mavis Wu Davis to her lake house outside of Raleigh for the weekend.  Mavis and I laugh about how we became friends in PE class in middle school because we were lined up next to each other – Wu and Wilson.  Then we were in the same youth group together at Bible Town church in Boca Raton, FL.   Like all friends, we drifted apart for many years, but have remained friends all of this time.  It helps that our parents are friends as well – together they prayed for us for many years!

We had an eventful weekend and had many, many toys at our disposal.

The first afternoon the kids played on the neighbor’s lake trampoline.  (Miller ended up swallowing lake water and threw up a few times in the middle of the night.  The Wu’s were amazing – they didn’t even flinch.)

I learned how to paddle board.  It seemed effortless at the beginning, once I got my balance, but when I finally get back to land my legs were like spaghetti.  Of course, we also used the paddle board as a shuttle and a play toy….

I was able to wake board after 12 years of not being on water.  I got up immediately, but my back hurt for two weeks.  The pain was worth it….

Mavis and Faith went for a very long tube ride.  I think they talked the entire time…

And then the kids fished….

and fished…..

and fished….  

and fished…..

They fished so much that they actually started to put the fish in buckets.   They would collect four fish, dump it out and start over again.  One morning Wilson went down to the dock and started fishing at 7:00am.  That was fine, but I was not yet in the mood to put slimy worms on the hook and then take the poor fish off of the hook and throw it back in the water.  Not  what I wanted to be doing that early in the morning, but spending that time with Wilson was worth it.

We kayaked a bit…

and at night ate huge meals prepared by Mrs. Wu, Mavis’ mom.  Delicious! 

Faith waterskiied as well.  I was so proud of her!  She is typically afraid of new activities, especially ones in a lake.  But she did it!  She got right up the first time and then did it two more times!  I was a very proud mama.

Faith and Parker became good friends.  They were very sweet together and really enjoyed each others’ company.

This is how we all felt at the end of the day….

Where was Tom the entire weekend?  He was out on the waverunner.  He would either go by himself or take one of the kids along.  They loved to drive the waverunner and Tom did a great job teaching them how to do it….
  

It was a nearly perfect weekend.  Did I mention that my parents came up on Sunday and Monday?  It was a big Wu/Wilson reunion.  The Mr. and Mrs. Wu and Mavis and Jeff were the most gracious and generous hosts.  It was a weekend that we will not soon forget and hope to repeat sometime in the near future.

Smith mountain lake

Our neighbors, Abigail and Erik, invited our family to go with them to Abigail’s parent’s lake house in Virginia. The house sits right on Smith Mountain Lake and has a beautiful view. It is very child friendly as well.

The three hour drive up to the lake was very challenging and noisy due to the three kids in the car. That is always the worst part of every trip. The time we spent at the house was great!

Miller had a sandy beach to play on, the bigger kids swam in the lake and played in the dock, and the adults relaxed and talked. Abigail’s parents were there an they were vary nice and hospitable. It was a place that I felt free to cook myself something or go take a nap without guilt and without tip toeing around. I loved it.

Saturday morning the kids jumped right into the lake with Abigail at 8:30. What a new experience for them.

20130915-092645.jpg

Miller played in the sand.

20130915-092738.jpg

We all went to the antique boat and car how for lunch. Luckily there was a beach for the kids to play on while qe were there.

The funniest part of the afternoon was Wilsons cleaning episode. He was upstairs brushing his teeth when he came downstairs with a towel covered in toothpaste, toms toothbrush and some toothpaste. He smelled very minty. I asked him what he was doing and he said that he was putting toothpaste on the floor and smearing it around with his hands. Then wiping it up with the towel. He said he was pretending to be a floor cleaner. I asked him very sweetly if he was using Daddy’s toothbrush to clean the floor. He said,”just a little bit”. Lol!! I then told him I thought that it was very nice of him to clean the floors for us and he said,”yeah, I am pretty proud of myself”. He is a true character.

After dinner we all went for a boat ride. Very fun!

20130915-093028.jpg

20130915-093105.jpg

The sun set was beautiful. So far the first day was great fun.