Lovely Lake Adventure

One of the greatest blessing we've seen from our move to NWA has been getting to know some wonderful families and making some great friends. Some of these friends have become more like family to us and I am so thankful that they are a part of our lives.

A couple of Friday's ago we got invited to spend an afternoon/evening on the lake with some of our best friends -- the "other" Matt Wilsons. :) They have 3 kids -- all boys -- and can certainly appreciate how fun and busy a family of 5 can be!

It's been years since Matt or I have been boating, but we were excited to do this with our kids & friends! They had rented a pontoon boat and we met up at Beaver Lake. Madeleine & Harrison were a little cautious at first, but soon learned to love it! Our kids are often very cautious, but it's important to us that they not be afraid of the water and this was such a good experience for them! We quickly found a great spot for swimming and in we all went! Adam and Drew are very comfortable in the lake & jumped right in. I think Harrison was so impressed by this (actually, he's impressed by anything Adam does -- he loves that boy!) he's still taking about it and how next time he's going to do it too! We'll see about that! :) I too was amazed at how much they enjoyed swimming in the lake. Incredibly enough, after days of no rain, a HUGE summer shower came along and soaked us. We thought it might pass quickly, but it stuck around for awhile. However, we had fun laughing about the irony of it and watching the kids try and find some cover. We snacked and talked until the rain let up. After the rain was gone, we found another great spot to do more swimming and some fishing. The rain was actually cool, but the water was nice and warm after. If felt like getting in a nice bath. :) When Matt got back in Charlotte was quick to join him. She and Matt stayed in the water for the longest time. We pulled out the fishing gear and did some fishing! Not to worry -- Drew was there to help the kids with their first fishing experience! Both Madeleine & Harrison caught their first fish that day! I still can't believe that! I don't know if it was because of the storm, but there was quite a current on the lake that afternoon. Just a few minutes after Matt & Charlotte got in to swim, I looked out and saw them far away from us. See what I mean?? Here's Madeleine with her first fish! She was so so proud! Although she was timid about getting in the lake, I really think she enjoyed being out on the boat. Toward the end of our adventure, we hooked up the tube. Adam was up first and I never got a really good picture of him, but he's quite the pro! Charlotte was pretty content to sit and watch as we pulled the tube. It's one of the few times lately that she's actually been still for more than a few seconds! After Adam, Harrison and Drew got in the tube. I was a little nervous that Harrison would get out there and panic, but he LOVED it! They did "thumbs up" if they were happy and "thumbs down" if they were not happy.
Finally, AJ & Drew took a turn. Drew is hilarious out there -- he kept laying his head down on the tube because he was "bored." Ha! Wonder what this daredevil will be like at 15??? The day came to a close to to soon! While we unloaded and got the kids changed, the boys played by the edge of the lake throwing rocks into it. It was such a fun day! One I think we're all hoping will become at least an annual event -- or more!