MN: Tubing

We thought this calm lake would be a great opportunity to introduce Ryan to tubing.  First, we put him on the tube in the shallow water by the dock, practiced saying 'hit it!" and then Brandon pulled him through the water (making a pretty impressive boat sound).  When we got out on the lake, Ryan was more than ready to go! He tried it first with Adam and was soon giving the thumbs up as a sign to go faster! 

 This video is not exactly riveting but Ryan likes watching himself and it's fun to have captured his first ride:

He went out again with me later. I appreciated that he let us go a little bit faster because turtle speed for an adult means you're dragging half the lake with you!

 He was also a big help when it came to hauling people back to the boat!

MN: Boating

 Ryan was such a pro at driving the speed boat, you'd almost thing he'd done it before.

Ryan 2010

Uncle Chuck let Ryan drive them around (mostly in circles) and it didn't seem to matter that Ryan couldn't see over the front of the boat!

Video of Ryan driving the boat (in circles):




Adam and Ryan also took the paddle boat out both evenings for a little fishing. Since Ryan's feet didn't reach the pedals, I think we know who did all the work.

MN: Golden Retriever

Ryan loved playing with Chuck and Connie's dog, Hannah.  This isn't the first time they've met.

Hannah and Ryan 2010

They played frisbee and tennis balls and Ryan also loved throwing her toy in the lake for her to retrieve. Cohen liked her soft hair. She is a great dog and very tolerant of kids. The funny thing is that she was spooked by the fireworks and kept jumping on Chuck and Connie during the night until she finally went and hid in the bathtub!

Here's a video of Ryan and Hannah playing catch:

MN: The Dock

 Who's this cutie chillin' on the dock?

It's Cohen!

 

 

We had great weather on Friday and it was perfect for just sitting outside.

Ryan used the dock for practicing his David Blaine levitating trick.

But mostly he just used it for this.

Here's a video of our 3-year-old and his mad casting skills. Daddy is pretty proud!

MN: Fishing

Ryan woke up at 4:00 the first morning at the cabin, asking if it was time to go fishing yet. He was out on the lake by 6:00 with Adam and Adam's Uncle Chuck and had a great time fishing the whole weekend. He even caught the first fish of the day on Friday morning! He was patient in the boat and entertained himself catching the minnows in the minnow bucket.

They caught bass, walleye, northern and sunfish. I don't have a picture of all the lunkers they cuaght at dusk, but here's one of Brandon (Adam's cousin Ashley's husband). Ryan looked straight down this large mouth's gullet and commented that it was *gulp* very big and full of bones!

Successful fishing means a really yummy supper and we all enjoyed a fish fry on Saturday night. Ryan even gobbled up his fish!

Here's a video of Ryan's exciting catch off the dock ("Woo!"):

MN: Alexandria

I was blessed to have a four-day weekend from work, so we decided to take advantage of the time and make a trip to Minnesota. Leaving early on the 4th, we made it to Alexandria by early afternoon. We stopped to visit my childhood best friend, who was also Adam's neighbor. It was awesome to see her house and family and the boys had blast playing together!

Ryan and Gavin are only a few months apart and quickly bonded over a love of Jake and the Neverland Pirates, turtles and worms! Anne's parents and brother were also there and Ryan had no qualms wrestling with Grandpa Dykstra!

 Ryan and Adam also had fun taking out the kayak for a spin around the lake in their backyard. 

We had an amazing supper with Anne and Chad and their family and are so grateful for their hospitality! What a great afternoon to start our vacation!  We could tell it was a great day when both boys were asleep by 7:30! We arrived at the cabin in Vergas by 8:00 and decided that fireworks might just have to be skipped this year:

Cohen: 6.5 months

At 6.5 months old, Cohen is now sitting up well on his own, rolling both ways, poking through his first bottom tooth, and going from a sitting position forward onto his tummy. He doesn't like to sit still and will rock, bounce, jump, or just bang his head if he sits on your lap, so watch out!

 His peach fuzzy hair has a mind of its own and his ample thighs make shorts and Bumbos a bit uncomfortable. He thinks grass is interesting to touch with his hands but doesn't like the feeling on his toes.

 We love his dimple, his kissable cheeks, and his sweet smile!

 

 He has a brother who loves him very much!

 

Sometimes maybe too much!