Lake Season is Open

Lake Season is finally upon us! Our first lake weekend was also Memorial Day weekend. For the first year since I entered the teaching profession, school actually ended before the holiday weekend. I was so excited about a relaxing two days with family, movies, sun, and naps. I should have known better. When Barry goes to the lake, there is no relaxing . . . especially when his child is involved.

I'll start with the easy stuff. Canon got to spend a little more time with his new cousin, Xan. The last time they met, Canon was a little feverish so we kept them apart. As it turns out, Canon really wasn't bothered too much by that. Now that they are able to hang out, Canon's just not that interested. I hope this isn't any kind of foreshadowing for future siblings. The rest of us still had fun with him . . .

One person Canon was VERY interested in was Aunt Lydia. She taught him all kinds of new tricks, including how to climb on a stool to sneak chips off the counter.

And though he doesn't look completely ecstatic in this picture, he really loved riding on the SeaDoo with her.

Aren't aunts the best!

We also tried a little bit of swimming, but Canon wasn't so crazy about his lifejacket. He liked it best when his dad sat on the dock with his legs dangling in the water. Barry would hold him on his legs and bounce him up and down in the water. Apparently, it was much more fun than floating.

We also tried a sprinkler toy, but apparently it was just a little too aggressive for Canon. We'll try it again soon, I'm sure.Ok, now for the scary stuff. You already saw Canon on a SeaDoo. Well, he rode that several times with various people, and I was proud of myself for not hyperventilating every time he was passed across open water from one pair of slippery hands to another. I know I sound neurotic, but even though I'm an experienced swimmer and love the water, I have this freakish fear of drowning and an even freakish-er fear of my one-year-old son drowning. I blame it on the fact that I read "The Perfect Storm" as a teenager and paid much too close attention to the step-by-step breakdown of what your body goes through when you drown. It's horrifying . . . don't read it!

So, I pulled through on all of the SeaDoo experiences, then finally gave in to Barry's plea to let Canon ride the float. Now, I know what you are thinking. "A float? How dangerous can a float be?" You're absolutely right. A float is not dangerous . . . until it is pulled behind a motorized water vehicle at 30 mph and there are babies on it! Even after agreeing to this absurdity, my stomach was in knots. I made myself let Barry go through with it because I was too embarrassed to back down in front of so many people who assured me that it was fine. As it turns out, they were right! And it really was so much fun to watch him. He loved it!

Barry and Lydia rode with him. I have a hard enough time keeping myself on a float, and I didn't want to chance falling off. Jon rode beside them on the SeaDoo, just in case.

Can I say again how much he loved it?! Poppa drove as slow as possible to keep the float on top of the water and was very steady. I don't know if it was the water splashing up or the wind blowing in his face, but he really had a great time.

I think it's good that Canon has two parents who don't always have the same idea about what's "fun."

Hopefully, it will mean that he gets to experience all different kinds of fun and will find it all entertaining. And it definitely means that I'll be forced to participate in those same experiences so that Barry doesn't overestimate the abilities of a toddler. But that's ok. I've got plenty of "fun" quiet nights at home that I intend to force upon Barry and Canon at some point in the next fifty or so years!