On The Pontoon

For the holiday weekend we're visiting my in-laws at their home an hour-and-a-half away.  It's been a fun trip as we've had the added family company of Uncle's Bob and Brian as well.  More family makes for more fun and we've been making the best of this great end-of-summer weather.   Daddy and Papa won their flight in the golf tournament and we've been downtown, to the park, on the beach and out in the boat as well.

Nana and Papa have a "beach" at their house.  They live on a lake and right at the edge they've made a little area cordoned off by railroad ties in which they can put bags of play sand for the children to play with.  When I first came up here, I watched my niece and nephew play in the sand.  They're a little too old for that type of fun now, but my children are just getting started in the sand era of their lives.

I watched Nana build sand castles with them.  My son loved putting water around the "moat" and my daughter loved stomping on the bridge to take out the whole structure.  I watched and tried not to cringe too much because the amount of sand in my daughter's bathing suit made me want to shudder.  Sand in my bathing suit has been a pet peeve of mine since I was quite young.  But at their age, they know very little of discomfort and annoyance, so they played on, messy and happy.

This morning after breakfast when the fog had receeded, we went out on the pontoon boat.  My son had a make-shift fishing pole he drug along in the water and my daughter jumped up and down to the music playing on the stereo.  When we got to the middle of the water, everyone jumped in while I manned the boat.  There was a large innertube and many noodles floating around and my children loved being in the water in their life jackets.

My children also loved the snacks and ate the entire time they weren't swimming.  Our dog also enjoyed being out on the boat.  After a few hours we headed in for lunch and naps for the children.  We leave tonight, and it will be sad to say goodbye to the beach, the boat and the grandparents.

The Big Boy Update:  Not so mean afterall.  I question if my son has a consience sometimes, but I realized today that he does care and he does get upset when he hurts someone or is unkind.  He shut the piano lid on his sister's hands this morning and became very upset when she kept screaming.  He said, "I take a nap" and went to the bedroom, got in the bed and lay there for a while because he was upset he had hurt her.

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  Boat Floating.  She liked being in the water on the lake today, but her comfort level could change quickly.  Sometimes she just wanted to be back on the boat and other times she was incensed that she wasn't in the water with everyone else.