Lakehouse 2011

Ahhhh, the Lakehouse! We love going to the lakehouse. We left for the Missouri Ozarks the day after Vacation Bible School was over. Both Paul and I were ready for a reprieve. We met Grandpa and Grandma down there for a relaxing week of swimming, fishing and... riding the wave runners!

Grandma and the girls on the pontoon.

The kids had a blast having Grandpa Les pull them around on the tube. Grandma Connie rode with Ellie and Grace, and even Nathan went on his very first tube ride with daddy.

This year was even more fun than the last. While Noah and Ellie were kind of nervous last year around the water, this year, all of the kids (except Nathan and Selah) were like regular water bugs. They spent most of their time jumping off and swimming around the dock which is WAY over their heads. Even if they can swim well, we require the kids to wear their lifejackets simply because they are literally treading water the whole time their swimming, sometimes for hours, except for the small amount of time they spend finding shells or rocks near the shore.

Grandma Connie got her fill of the waverunner this year. The boys love riding and they need someone older to go with them. Grandma was a willing party. Between mom, dad, Grandma and Grandpa, the kids had many trips out. When the adults were really brave, they let Caleb or Seth sit in front and drive around the cove.

Ellie is a quick swimmer. She does this cute frog-like swim and she's really fast! She loves the water, and jumps right in off the dock with the best of 'em. I think she even influenced Noah into working up some courage. He couldn't let a younger girl outdo him...

Another favorite part for the kids is fishing. Nathan had a blast walking around the dock trying to catch fish. His pole didn't have a hook, but he tried his best. If we sat one-on-one with him, we may have used a hook or lure, but if you have six kids fishing at the same time, you'd agree that "no hook" is best. I think Paul spent more time untangling lines than he did fishing... with just one hook-in-the-finger casualty. I, being that I didn't buy a fishing liscense, couldn't help at all... oh, bummer.

Seth was the catching king. I don't know why, but we'd have 3 kids fishing in the same area with the same type of lure, and the fish would choose his line. He'd stick his line in, and out would pop a fish, while everyone else agonized to catch just one. I think he ended up with 9 fish, Ellie with 2 and the others with 1 or none. Finicky fish.

We're so thankful that both Paul's parents and my parents get along so well. Since Les and Connie (Paul's parents) were going to be leaving mid-way through the week, we invited my parent's down to overlap and finish the week with us. We all enjoyed having both sets of grandparents there, and once again realized just how blessed we really are.

Thursday of that week was my dad's 69th birthday. After fun day of swimming, Grandma and Grandpa went out for dinner to celebrate with eachother... and then brought home cake and ice cream to celebrate with us! If you study Grandpa Harold, you'll realize he is a treasure chest. Once you get through the lock and open the rough box, he's full of gold and riches on the inside, well worth the effort. I've always had a good relationship with my dad, but I think I enjoy him now more than ever. I especially love watching him and the kids interact. We love him very much.

The following day, Paul and I went out for dinner sans kids. Even Selah stayed back. Every time I have someone babysit so I can shop (or whatever), I tend to take her along. I figure 6 kids are plenty to entertain without adding a busy baby. So whenever I go without her, it feels weird to have totally empty hands. Weird in a nice way, of course! I enjoy getting to talk to my hubby without all of the interuptions, but by the time the night's done, I'm ready to get back to the party. I don't dread it, I actually enjoy being home with everyone (most of the time... I know you know what I mean...)

Needless to say, we had a great time and look forward to the opportunity to go down again. Thanks Grandpa and Grandma Larson!