Spring Break!

We just spent an ah-MAZING week in ah-MAZING weather in ah-MAZING Texas! Ah ... it was so good. It was wonderful to soak up the sunshine and 80-degree temperatures. It was great to sit at the campfire and look out over the lake. It was fun to watch my two kids and my brother's three to play in the sand and water for hours on end. It felt good to sink into a comfortable bed at night and wake up to the rooster's crow. Okay, maybe the rooster wasn't so wonderful, but the rest was great!

This was our view from the campfire. You can see that we had a great view of the kids and where they played. They were so busy and played so well together!

This is the view from the front of the house, through the wrap-around porch. Gorgeous!





The chairs at the top of the hill is the scene of the campfire where we congregated day and night, and roasted hot dogs and made s'mores. Ah...


There was also a pen of farm animals that the kids thoroughly enjoyed. (Remember I mentioned a rooster???) Chickens, ducks, and goats! The kids had a ball feeding them and watching them.

One day the lake house owner admitted the kids into the goat pen. They really liked that--getting up close and personal with the animals. They thought it was funny that the goats tried to eat their clothes and were butting heads with one another. Owen was telling this nanny goat something really important, can't you tell?

Those silly chickens and ducks just would not come to the kids and eat the non-existent feed out of their little hands. I just didn't understand that. (Read that last comment sarcastically, please.)

Again, Owen has important things to tell the animals. This "baby kitty" got an earful.

Then there was the fishing. Ethan went with Grandpa and Jason every day on a quest to empty Cedar Creek Lake of its fish population. I'm sorry to say, they didn't come close. The first day they reeled in several in about a 30-minute period, but overall it wasn't overly successful. But, we had enough to have a fish fry/grill Thursday night. So, not too shabby!

Owen caught a little green rubber fish over, and over, and over, and over again. He hasn't graduated to real fishing yet. Go figure; I just don't trust a 2-year-old with a hook.

And, boy, was I glad I threw in a bag full of trucks. That's what Owen spent the majority of his time doing -- moving the sand with his trucks. He'd eat breakfast and go out and run his trucks.

He'd eat lunch and go out and run his trucks.

I'd make him come in and take a nap around 2 p.m., and he'd cry for his trucks.

Then, he'd get up from nap and go run his trucks.

Then, he'd come eat supper, then go back and run his trucks. The boy needs a sandbox. He LOVED that sandy beach! Oh, and his trucks.

Then, there was the kayaking. They supplied us with 2 children's kayaks and several adult kayaks. I never knew that was so fun! Corwin, Ethan, and Emerie spent a lot of time kayaking the cove. It didn't take them long to perfect the act, either.

Here they are on the first day, preparing the fleet.

Here's Corwin fixing to captain his maiden kayak voyage. Very exciting!

It took just a couple minutes for him to become a pro!

Here he is one evening rowing, rowing, rowing. He loved that kayak! Oh, and look! There's Owen running his trucks! :)

And, occasionally they'd capsize. Well, OFTEN they would capsize. I thought they were crazy for swimming in the cold 70-degree water, but they didn't seem to mind.

Even Owen got in on the action. Daddy took him out one day, then I took him out another. He didn't like that I stayed in the cove. He wanted me to "go out to sea" and take him for a l-o-n-g ride. I was not prepared for that, nor were my upper arms, so we stayed close to home. He loved the ride, though.

Then, there was riding in Uncle Shelby's new boat. This, my boys enjoyed almost as much as the other activities. And we had amazing weather for simply taking a ride. Well, Uncle Shelby's driving was a little wild at times, but that's what made it even more fun. (And, that's why we wear life jackets.)

Good Times!