Beeee-utiful Day!

Joan and Roy have told me that you only get about a dozen days a year here in Vermont like the one we experienced on Sunday. It was marvelous!

There is a joke in Vermont. What is a Vermonter's two favorite days of the year? The answer: "Summer and Christmas."

But yesterday was a beautiful summer day! 78 degrees and glorious.

After Joni did a round of water skiing, we decided to break out the tube. I informed both boys I wanted them to give it a try. I asked Isaac, as the older brother, who should go first. He informed me that the correct answer was, "Sidge. Because I want to see if it is scary or not when he does it."

Isaac. He is no fool.

So Sidge went first!

Unfortunately, when Captain Roy slowed the boat down, the tube hit a bump and flipped. Joni and Sidge went into the water. Sidge handled it well, telling me all about it when he got back in the boat:

But Isaac was not happy at ALL to see Sidge go in the water. He informed me, in no shortage of words, that this was a terrible idea and he was not happy to be trying it. Most of the time I let the kids decide whether they want to try something or not. But when I think there is something that once given a try will be loved, I tell them that I am overruling their opinion. They have to try it once. If they hate it, they never have to try it again.

Here is Isaac trying it:

Unfortunately from there, the faces only got worse. He almost tipped out, and Isaac does not regain trust easily. He was mad at the water. Mad at the boat. Mad at the tube. And mad at me. He got out and told me that he would never ride a tube again. Ever. Like for his whole life.

Oh well. I really thought he'd love it once he was on. He loveesss roller coasters and is always game for a scary ride. But tubing? Not so much.

We still appreciated Roy going to all the trouble to take his fishing motor off so that we could do some skiing and tubing:

After that, we were planning on having a kayak "war" with water guns and water balloons. But Isaac was too angry about the tubing. So instead, Joni and Sidge took a little ride together:

But if there is one thing I have learned about Isaac it is that you can "lure" him in if you do it very subtly. I didn't ask him to put his bathing suit back on. That would be too obvious that I wanted him to participate. Instead, I just got in my own kayak and told him I had to go "defend" the lake from Joni and Sidge. I took the water gun and my water balloons and started out.

Isaac was intrigued and before a few minutes had passed, I had his attention off the tube fiasco and onto  a water war with Joni and Sidge. He especially loves to organize so when I let him be in charge of hiding the water balloons in the boat to prepare for a "secret attack," he was hooked!

Here are some pictures of our "battle":

Check it out -- he is even in the boat with me! We actually went pretty far out before I decided I was pressing my luck and kept us closer to shore.

Isaac is attempting to break a water balloon on Sidge's head.

Take a look at that -- me drilling Sidge in the back of the head with a water gun! Whatta Mom!

There was tons more of fun stuff that went on Sunday on Lake Seymore! Joni beat me 4 more times in ping pong bringing our record to 5-1 her. Ugh! I also read a whole book: American Wife by Taya Kyle. It was a bit of a tear jerker but was incredibly inspiring and encouraging to the amazing sacrifices our military provides for us along with the incredible resiliency of the human spirit!

We finished the evening with delicious steaks on the grill and twice-baked potatoes. 

I am seriously so relaxed here. Sidge said to me, "Mom. The hours are just going by too fast in Vermont."

I agree little man!