Sailing Away!

Our family had the opportunity at the end of September to go sailing on a lake near us.  The yacht club was offering free sailboat rides to the community.  Because there were 7 of us, we had to split up and go on 2 different boats. I had 2 of the girls with me and my husband took the 2 boys and our other daughter.

It was a gorgeous day with a gentle 10 mph wind that was perfect for sailing.

Aye, Aye, Captain!

There was a stowaway aboard!  She got to use the tiny toilet & sink.  My 2 yr. old also got to try out the facilities, which is always the first place she wants to investigate when she visits a new place.

My middle child loved standing at the very front of the bow as we sped across the water.  I was glad she held on tight to the thin "safety" cable.  She loved the thrill and the wind in her hair.

There were several sailboats on the water preparing for a sailing regatta (sailboat race) that afternoon.  It was a beautiful sight!

My toddler loved sailing and wasn't content sitting here for long.  She crawled to the very front of the boat and dangled one foot at a time above the water.  It was scary for me when she tried to slide under the cable to put both of her feet in the water. I held her back while she screamed in protest.  It would have been a chilly day for a swim.  She's a little daredevil!

I had a blast sailing!  When I was a child, my mom went to sailing classes.  She had a 14 foot Hobie Cat (catamaran.)  I loved going out on the water with her.  She started giving me sailing lessons when I was a teenager.  My mom won several races because she was so light (only about 100lbs) and she was a great sailor!  Going out on the water brought back a lot of great memories for me.  When I was 16 years old, I was sailing with my mom on the lake when we got surprised by an afternoon pop-up thunderstorm.  The waves were over 3 feet high and we capsized (tipped the sailboat over) in the high winds and driving rain.  There is a technique you learn while tipping over to land safely in the water, mainly avoid getting hit by the mast as it comes down and avoid getting tangled in the sail and pulled under the water.  My mom & I both jumped/fell to safety and were rescued by a motorboat that my stepdad was following us in.  About 30 minutes later, the storm passed and we headed back out on the lake in the motorboat to find the sailboat and try to recover it.  We found the sailboat almost 2 miles away with rescue boats circling it.  We let them know that everyone made it to safety.  The sailboat was upside down with the mast pointing directly down, with the sail still attached.  The resistance from the sail makes it almost impossible to turn upright in the water.  With lots of help and brute strength, we were able to get to sailboat upright again and into the cove.  I don't remember ever going out on the boat again.  Even though it was a scary day, I have been itching to get back on the water ever since!  The little sailboat we had looked a lot like the one pictured below.  Oh, the memories!

The Air Show

In mid-September, we took a family trip to watch an airshow at an air force base. 

My toddler was very interested in her conversation with the pilot.  He has a daughter her age and enjoyed visiting with my girl.

The inflatables were the highlight of the day.  They were free of charge to bounce in and slide on.  The kids spent hours playing in the hot sun bouncing and sliding themselves silly

I am a people watcher.  I was intrigued by the variety of people. 

Family photo, minus middle child who was pouting, and oldest son who was marching in a parade that day.

Photo above was taken on the way home.  The perfect sunset at the end of the perfect day!

Football

This was the first year my son played football.  He is in 7th grade.  The positions he played were nose guard and center.  He really enjoyed it.  He wanted his dad's football number which was #67, but that number wasn't available, so he got to wear a number that two of his uncles have worn, #57.  The photos might look a little funny because I blocked out the school name on his jersey with a photo editing program.

Below, my son as nose guard.  He is #57 in white jersey in center of photo.

GO, FIGHT, WIN!!!

Resort Fever!

My husband attended a conference in early September at a lake resort.  Sweet Grandma P. stayed with the kids so I could tag along with my husband.  Sadly, I became ill with a high fever the morning we arrived and was sick in bed 2 of the 3 days.  It was a blessing that I had a nice room, cable TV, a great view of the lake, and no kids to take care of while I recovered.  Photo above was the lake view from my room.

Above, the pool I never swam in, maybe next year :)  Below, lounging on the "beach," with a good book.

It was a nice relaxing time for both of us.  My husband learned a lot of things that will help him in his new job in January.

Raising Hamster Babies

Five newborn hamster babies!  August 2010.

They were only pink and gross looking for about 2 weeks then they became cute, fuzzy miniatures of their parents.  See below, same hamsters, approximately 2 weeks old.

Once they reached 2 weeks old, we were able to return them to the classroom (my daughter's science class.)  We were baby-sitting them over the summer.  They were born one day before we had planned to return them so we got to keep them for 2 more weeks until they were no longer in danger of being eaten by their parents.

First Day of School 2010

August 2010

Mission Dog Rescue: Accomplished

The kids "rescued" this stray dog that wandered through our yard.  She was a really sweet, older dog. The kids quickly constructed a crude A-frame dog house out of scrap lumber.  Living in a small town has it's advantages.  We told a few people about the sweet dog we found.  The owner was found within an hour.  Word travels fast here!  We were happy that the dog belonged to a family with 2 children that love her very much and were overjoyed to find her!

Grandma's 6th Birthday!

On August 14, 2010, the kids got to visit with several of their cousins.  Uncle B. & Aunt E. were visiting from Utah.

Grandma celebrated another birthday, we'll call it her 6th birthday because that is the number of candles on her cupcakes!

The Zoo!

August 11-14, 2010.  We had the best time visiting our good friends and going to the zoo!  My husband and the boys stayed home while the girls took a road trip.  I took my 3 girls to visit our friends with 4 girls.
Seven energetic girls +  2 awesome moms = fun, fun, fun!

 

....and more zoo....

 

 

 

.....and more.....