We seriously had a fabulous time last Saturday (July 30th) at Lake Ida with the Matherns' and Hansens' jumping off a platform and swinging into the water. Here is Kippy in my version of a stop-action photo sequence. And it wasn't just the kids who were swinging. Steve also took several trips into the water.
Our Godchild, Brac, was an expert on the rope swing. Just look at his form!
I absolutely couldn't miss out on the fun either. You Tarzan, me JANE!!!
I love this sequence of Denise on the rope swing because it looks like she is running across the water. Plus her form is spot on!
There were 6 adults and 6 kids and every single one of us took at least one turn swinging. Some landing better than others (right Tracy?), but hey - it was great fun to act like a kid again!
Each summer, our family looks forward to our annual weekend at Maple Lake with the Matherns'. I was trying to remember how long we have been enjoying this tradition. As best as I can tell, it has been an annual tradition since the summer of 2004, since I have the digital proof dating back to that time. So that means it has been at least 7 years. Here Kippy was 3 years old and Abby was 7 in this pic. I love flashback photos... they make me SO nostalgic!
July 22-24, we were blessed with fantastic summer weather so got in lots of water activities. It was great to watch Brac as he showed off his newly acquired water skills on his ski trainer. He is definitely a performer and we just love his expressive personality! Although getting water in his face was not the thing he enjoyed when he and Kippy tubed together. Luckily, we had a great solution... water goggles! Both Lindgren girls tried to get up on skis this year, but weren't quite able to make it happen. We are hoping next year will be their year. Lance spoiled Denise & me with pina colada's from scratch while we took a sunset pontoon tour around the lake. Of course the girls couldn't miss the tradition of celebrating Denise's birthday with a homemade cake. This year, Kippy was the baker and made Chocolate Surprise cake, which had cream cheese and choc chips in the center.
It really is a special weekend with great friends, lots of laughs, a beautiful lake and many memories. Other notable weekend moments:
Couple time at the Green Aguana
Denise & I being rescued by Steve from a VERY long walk around the lake
Kippy & Brac doing endless "canyon ball" dives from the end of the dock
Lance training for his next triathlon
Abby's meltdown about being splashed
Brac's fantastic negotiation skills
Bella puking on the carpet after eating all of Bailee's food
A 5:00 AM thunderstorm which blew open the front door and soaked the carpet yet Denise somehow managed to sleep through
Being together is a RIOT! And already looking forward to next year's weekend.
One of our favorite summer traditions is the weekend we spend at Maple Lake with the Mathern family. We have scheduled this time together one weekend during the summer for the past 6 years and we always look forward to it. It is during this weekend that we throw a personal birthday party for Denise, who is also Abby's Godmother. Since the weekend for our gathering is not set in stone, Denise sometimes blows the candles out before her birthday {gasp} but many times it is weeks after her actual birthday. She is always a great sport about this and it is a MUST.DO event for my girls. This year the weekend of August 27-29 was no exception. We celebrated Denise's birthday 6 weeks late with tiramisu cake complete with candles. The girls also presented Denise with some bright orange mums for her front door. Brac thought the frosting was extra yummy and kept sneaking little tastes of it. And with his charming smile, I was tempted to give him the entire cake to lick! The great thing about digital is I can quickly find flashback photos from our weekends at Maple Lake. Here is 3 year old Kippy with Denise on the jet ski and 7 year old Abby on the tube on July 24, 2004. Seriously, were they really that little? The theme on Saturday was to do different dives off the dock. Brac had interesting names for each one including "Bumper Blaster", "Seaweed Booger Blaster", "Volcano Blaster", plus many more that I can't even remember. Steve, Lance, Abby & Kippy were willing participants in Brac's many creative dock dives.
It was hot and sunny the whole weekend, which was a relief since earlier in the week, we had some very cool 70 degree days. This weekend was the first time that we had brought Bella with us to Maple Lake. One thing that really surprised us was how much she liked being on the boat. I just assumed she would be a shivering, quivering mess, but she was more than willing to be up front with Baily enjoying the wind in her face. Kippy put in a couple tries to get up on water skis on Sunday afternoon, but in the end she "wasn't feeling it" because she said the water made her too cold. We didn't push it since the skis were adult-sized and she could barely keep the tips out of the water. Maybe next year. Brac and the girls did a lot of tubing. We laughed at Brac's unique tube-riding-style... he rides facing backwards so he won't get the water mist in his face! We shared a lot of laughs, played games, enjoyed the water, soaked up the sun and got caught up on one other's lives. Wouldn't trade this summer tradition for the world!
We left early Saturday morning ("early" being relative because 7:45 AM is challenging for at lease 2 members of our family) to head to Buena Vista to meet the Mathern's for a day of skiing. We were right on time despite confusing directions from "Amy" (Steve's GPS) who tried to tell us to drive 6 miles out on frozen Lake Bemidji. We finally had to put her in time-out. The weather was INCREDIBLE with absolutely no wind, clear sunny skies and temperatures up to 35 degrees. The snow conditions were great and never got slushy at all. The ski area was smaller, but had 5 lifts and lots of nice runs. The chalet wasn't too crowded even though there were a lot of people there. Lance had called us the week before and invited us to come up skiing with them and we are so grateful that it worked out. We got a great promotional discount, which allowed our family of 4 to get lift tickets and rentals for just under $100. Hoot-hoot!! This picture was taken early in the day, because by mid-afternoon, we were hats free and I was actually sweating! On one lift ride I had with Kippy and another unknown skier, I noticed she wasn't even wearing her mittens! I asked where her mittens were and she said they were in her pocket because her hands were too hot. I said, "I would never go without my mittens!" and she glibly replied, "Well, mom, that is because you are cold-blooded." The man next to her busted out laughing. It is true, I normally spend a lot of time warming up in the chalet. Not this time! I only went into the chalet because my legs were getting so darn tired and I needed to rehydrate.
Brac went to ski school for about an hour and did so great after that. Lance & Denise took turns guiding him down the slopes with his harness and reins.
Speaking of harness and reins... Denise and the three kids all got to go for a sleigh ride before we left. They had about a 15 minute ride and Kippy was sharing all kinds of information that the owner/driver was sharing with them. It was nearly dark when we got back to the Hampton Inn, on Lake Bemidji, but the kids quickly got into their swimming suits and headed to the pool.
The hot-tub was actually half inside the building and half outside the building. It was so refreshing to breath in the steamy air outside while experiencing the super hot water.
Brac was on-the-go at the water park. Abby watched the kids, while the adults had a wonderful meal at the attached Green Mill restaurant. Lake Bemidji Pond Hockey Classic was also being held this weekend. We could see the 6 hockey rinks from the hotel window. As it turned out, the Hockey Classic was the reason for another great surprise... We were eating supper when a huge fireworks display started over the lake. We had a great view out out our booth window while the kids were still at the water park. When we picked the kids up, I asked Kippy if she got to see the fireworks and she said, "Mom, I had a front-row seat 'cause I was in the hot-tub outside!"
And this morning, after a huge breakfast, we spent another 2 hours in the water park and boy were Steve & I grateful to soak our sore muscles.
if it aint got that SWING....
We seriously had a fabulous time last Saturday (July 30th) at Lake Ida with the Matherns' and Hansens' jumping off a platform and swinging into the water. Here is Kippy in my version of a stop-action photo sequence.
And it wasn't just the kids who were swinging. Steve also took several trips into the water.
Our Godchild, Brac, was an expert on the rope swing. Just look at his form!
I absolutely couldn't miss out on the fun either. You Tarzan, me JANE!!!
I love this sequence of Denise on the rope swing because it looks like she is running across the water. Plus her form is spot on!
There were 6 adults and 6 kids and every single one of us took at least one turn swinging. Some landing better than others (right Tracy?), but hey - it was great fun to act like a kid again!
