Boating Extravaganza

After a brief hiatus from blogging, I'm ready to catch everyone up on our whirlwind of a boating weekend. My parents drove down Thursday night and we literally spent most of the next three days on the boat trying out two local lakes.

Today we are sore, tired and sunburned, but I think we'd do it all again....once we're recovered. Emery and Cohen also loved the boat and surprisingly, they made it all three days without having to leave early from meltdowns.

This will be a photo bomb of our weekend capturing the highlights:

Before the boating started, we had to get some Dora action going

This dumb photo won't flip, but little buddy was HAPPY all weekend!

Emery helping Poppy clean the boat before we went out to Belews Lake

This was Cohen's first time on the boat and in the water. He loves the bath tub so much, we had no doubt he would love the lake. Although he looked like a giant marshmallow with his life jacket, he didn't fight it being on unless he was hungry. (go figure) It also helped that Belews Lake was like a warm bath. It felt amazing -- not refreshing on a hot day, but great when you don't like cold water!

He didn't like the wind in his face so he would turn himself upside down while standing

Last year Emery was timid on the boat and in the water. This year, she was BRAVE. That was her word for the weekend. She wanted everyone to watch how brave she was.

Brave accomplishments:
- Jumped from the ladder into the water (to someone's arms)
- Let herself float with no one holding her
- "Swam" between two people
- Bobbed up and down with Mimi in the water signing, Bobbin', Bobbin', Bobbin' the whole time
- Helped Poppy drive the boat
- Sat up front with Mimi most of the time to watch the bubbles (other boats' wake)
- Rode on the taco tube with Momma, and didn't cry when water soaked our heads when we hit a big bump.

Helping Poppy drive the boat "straight and very fast." (Mimi, who doesn't swim, gave strict instructions of no crazy driving by Emery)

 

Scoping thing out with Daddy

A game of Princess Memory with Daddy

Setting out on the Taco tube with Momma

John and Drew got to "skate" according to Emery (wakeboard), I attempted to ski and gave up after nearly ripping my hips apart on rough waters, and Megan and I went on the rube ride of our lives with my Dad driving nice.  By "nice" he means not driving in a complete circle as fast as he can -- just doing everything else. I am still traumatized by his antics while in high school. The memory is of me in Florida on a giant tube when I suddenly found myself flying 10 feet up into the air and landing back on the tube on my face thanks to his attempt to throw me off. While this weekend's ride was both terrifying and very fun, I didn't escape unharmed. Three broken nails, two tube burns and a black and blue pinky are battle scars I'll hold over him a little while. :)

John jumping

John wakeboarding -- Sorry Drew, I forgot to post yours!

This picture of me putting on skiis was the most graceful of my time on the lake...we'll just leave it at that.

Holding on for dear life. If there weren't sides on this tube, I'm pretty sure the would have been searching the woods for us!

Schlabach Family swimming

  We also had some good times -- fighting Cohen to take a nap! But when he did, isn't that the cutest sleeping baby?

And Emery had two new experiences. As we were getting ready to get off the boat on Day 1, Emery says she has to go potty. There are no restrooms around and we are waiting in a line of boats to get our boat onto the trailer and out of the water. I tell her we can go in the grass if she can hold it a little longer. Poppy decides she can go on the "boat potty" -- the luckily, empty hatch at the back of the boat that drains out to the water. She thought it was hilarious and easily complied.

On Day 2, she decided she had to poop during the middle of our boating trip. We were in the middle of the lake and nowhere close to being able to get off. Instead of having to leave early, Poppy suggests using Wal-Mart bags and the boat potty again. After much heated debate on the merits of this idea, I volunteered to hold the bag -- which easily caught the tiny turd and the rest of the boating day was saved.


Usually when we got boating, something traumatic happens which causes much grief at the time, but a great story later when we've gotten over it. Luckily for Dad, the trauma didn't happen to him this time. 

It all started on Day 2 when we had pulled the boat off the water and were cleaning it out getting ready to drive the hour-plus home. Drew couldn't find our keys. They weren't in his bag, where he remembered putting them, they weren't in the glove compartment on the boat, no one else had seen them.....


Since we had been rushing to get the kids' swimming suits and sunscreen on in the trunk of our Edge, I thought maybe he had left them in the trunk. Not a big deal -- as we luckily have a keypad to get in the car as well. 


He runs up to the single car parking lot and comes back down a few minutes later with a sheepish look on his face. The keys? Locked in the car. 


He should be able to use the keypad right? Nope. He had left them in the ignition when he attempted to crack the windows before we loaded onto the boat.So not only are the keys locked in the car, but the car is also dead -- and it's 5 p.m on a Saturday. Strangely enough, my brother McGuyver'd it by opening the car door through the barely cracked window with a tree limb. 


Luckily Park Rangers were performing courtesy mandatory boat inspections and offered us their cables.... 45 minutes later we were on the road with a good story to tell and a lot of rubbing in to do for Drew.


Needless to say, we had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend with a lot of sun, fun and love. Emery loved the flags Mom brought for her and taught her "You're a Grand Old Flag" -- a family tradition.

Don't believe me? Check out this old family video: 

Yes, this is my sweet little brother.... Hope you all had a great weekend too! 


Over and out --