Thompson Train Comes to Town

My friend Joy came back to town last week and we got to have two play dates! We had so much fun. I hosted the first one with all the kids and most of the moms and dads. I think some of the dads were a tad bit overwhelmed but it was a lot of fun. We were only missing Megan's group, but it was the first time that the majority of us could all get together and allow the kids to play. Then the Bains, Jaime's parents, allowed us to spend the day on their lake. It is AWESOME out there! There was fishing, swimming, jet skiing and even tubing. Gage and Keely tubed for the first time and Anna even caught her first fish. The water is boiling by their pier, as Daddy would say. All you have to do is cast the pole and with in seconds you've got a bite! I love watching kids catch fish, they get so excited!

Keely, Jaime, Alexis and I, Nate, Joy, Gage, Anna, Melissa and Cole. I love having play dates with my friends. I still can't believe we all have kids! I'm so sad that I only have a month of summer left! We have had the best time and I don't want it to end!
Keely isn't one for group pictures, so this was the best I got. All of the other pictures had one adult or another putting a kid back up and making sure one didn't fall off the dock!

This picture is so sweet. Cole is making sure A doesn't fall and Alexis looks like she is having the time of her life. Anna is loving having Nate in her lap and Gage is just doing his own thing! Typical kids!

I tried out Alexis's puddle jumper for the first time and she loved it! I think I love it even more. I don't have to hold on to her and she just swims on her own. She was in the water for several hours, with me near by, of course, but she was so dependent and she can keep her face out of the water. It is perfect because it teachers the kids how to balance their torso and keep their heads up or they can lay on their stomachs and actually swim. If you don't have one and you are trying to get your child to learn how to swim, I'm telling you this is the tool! I truly believe that this helped Anna, Cole and William learn how to swim and I'm already starting A in it! It is perfect for the lake since we spend hours out in the water. Alexis even tried her first Popsicle and she seemed to love it! Cole enjoyed the driving shipwrecked boat. This boy loves his boats!

Everyone caught a fish!

We had so much fun tubing! All four of us girls got on it, but I don't have a picture. We were laughing so hard we couldn't breathe! We tried several positions, including on top of each other. I'm sure it looked even funnier than we thought it was! Of course, Peggy wouldn't let us catch our breaths long enough from laughing and that didn't help us any when she was trying to throw us off, and she was trying hard! We all ended up in the water at least twice!

Ok...So, these pictures seriously crack me up. Notice, no Keely! So we had to figure out a way to get her in the picture and have her Mommy close by. So, we made Jaime start on the right and run across the group. Sure enough Keely came running. Hilarious is all I have to say! Every time I look at these pictures, I giggle just a little!

Admit it, you are laughing! I am!

This is parenting at its finest! On this particular day, I could do nothing to please A. So, what do I do? I hand her a bag of snacks. And where do they end up? On the floor! Do I stop her from eating them? Absolutely not!! She was satisfied and not crying so I let her go to town! Again, no judgements, people.