These are a few of my favorite things...

My all-time favorite activity at the lakehouse is going out on the jetski.

 With so many little kids it didn't happen when everyone was there, but we were able to go out twice with my parents. We need them so we can have an adult to drive, spot, and watch kids on the beach, and we love that they are so willing to go. The kids are old enough that the older three were all excited to go. They take turns riding in the tube behind the jetski and riding between the driver and the spotter, so two can get a ride at a time. All the kids love their rides, and want to ride the "bumps".

I love to be the spotter and watch the kids, I love their grins! You can't see them in the pictures my camera can get from shore. We have signals for 'faster', 'slow down' and 'doing ok', and Grace would keep signaling 'faster' over and over. The signals require taking a hand off the tube handle, so she'd be signaling over and over (since we couldn't go any faster). My anxious side worried she wasn't keeping a good enough hold since we were maxing out how fast the jetski could go, about 35 mph, so we stopped and made a new rule that she can't signal faster, only slower, and we'd go as fast as we could.  She got the most air of the kids, but only stopped when she got tossed too much and had to get her position again. She has no fear out there.

We persuaded Aubree to go for a ride with RD and I, we went slow and went to see the swans, but the next time I asked if she wanted another ride, she said she was 'kinda freaked out' on the ride, so didn't want to go again.

 She loved swimming at the great beach while the other kids rode, exclaiming in delight and laughing at how the air bubbles in her swim shorts made them float up, and copying Cameron's dives into the water (minus head submergence).

 RD and I got a ride together each day, which is my favorite. I clutch him tight and shriek as we go over wake and waves; we only got sprayed once, and not as bad as he sprayed my mom (sorry mom :D)

 RD also got to go out once, and I got to spot for him; I laughed so hard I cried. For like three whole minutes. I feel slightly guilty for finding it so funny, but the tube has effectually no steering, so it often gets pulled over the really rough water right behind the jetski instead of the bigger waves. I've been in that tube, and watching his grin trying to avoid the churning water that punches you several times a second in the knees/groin, it was just too funny. The somewhat dorky goggles maybe played a part too, (you get sprayed so much you wouldn't see anything if you didn't wear them). He got some air too, and had a great time. We could have stayed there all day. Mom and Dad maybe think we did :) It's probably better leaving wanting more though. Next year!