Boating

Today was our first boating day of the summer.  The weather was beautiful and the water was nice and smooth.  The kids all tried out their new wetsuits.  They were a pain in the butt to get on, but they made the 68 degree water feel nice and comfy.  We had to get back for scouts and Activity Days, so we only had a few hours on the lake.  We were having so much fun that it was hard to leave.  The two big milestones of the day were Abby kneeboarding by herself and Elise skiing.  Abby’s part was pretty easy.  She is light enough that she can kneel on the board without it tipping over even when we aren’t moving.  Nate basically just strapped her in, hooked the rope onto the board, and pulled her in a straight line behind the boat.  It took absolutely no skill on her part, but at least she was brave enough to get out there by herself.  She was very proud of herself when her turn was over.  Elise skied for the first time last year, but she was only up for about 4 seconds before she wiped out.  She was really excited to try it out again.  She popped right up on the skis.  The look on her face was priceless.  She was completely shocked that she was doing it.  She was doing great until Nate turned the boat and the water was a bit bumpy.  She kept her balance over the first couple of bumps and then fell.  She was pretty mad at Nate . . . “Dad, I told you not to go over any bumps!”  Really it was my fault.  I told him to turn around so her face would be more in the sun so the pictures would look better.  Hopefully she will get over it and want to try again next time we go out.