Water, Water... and Some More Water

Since getting back from Utah, we have been busy getting WET! It is quite a difference from last summer where I was 7 months pregnant and miserable and H-O-T, and I did indoor activities as much as possible. However, this summer I have noticed that the heat doesn't bother me quite as much as it did last summer (although I don't think I will ever get used to the random trickle of sweat going down my back, due to high humidity), and we've been having a blast!

One night the kids were swimming in their little blow-up pool and running through the sprinklers. Dad decided he was hot and got in on the action...


Another day we decided to try out a little pond at Alum Springs Park, along with some of our friends. We saw lots of fish, frogs, lizards, and snakes. And plenty of bugs. It was muddy and yucky. Not my favorite place. Although the kids have been asking to go back, I'm not sure I'll be taking them anytime soon.Jonah was pretending to be a river monster. I wouldn't have been very surprised if one actually did come out of this yucky little pond/river.

Magnus was busy finding anything and everything he could to sample in his mouth. The list includes, but is not limited to: giant handfuls of sand, little rocks, big rocks, sticks, leaves, and dead bugs. Pretty dang gross.
Oh well, whatever makes 'em happy, right? And stop screaming at me when I try to take something away.

Heading down the river to explore.

I finally relented and let this kid scoot down to the water. We decided to call it a day when M kept trying to crawl in over his head. And throwing a tantrum when I decided that it probably wasn't a good idea. But what do I know? I'm only his mother. Ahhh, babies. Fun stuff, right? Not.

The highlight of the day was definitely leaving to go and get slurpees.

Later that week, we decided to see what all the hype was about down at "The River". I hear kids and adults alike always talking about "going down to the river" and I finally asked one of my friends what that was all about. She said that there is a big beachy area down by the Rappahannock River where people go play, camp, barbeque, tube, and swim. We decided to go together so our family could check it out. It was a lot of fun. Even though I was grossed out by the actual river :)

We brought umbrellas and beach blankets so the babies could play comfortably. It was a super hot day and we spent most of it lounging in the shallow part. We took turns getting up to go and drag back stray kids who were unaware they had started going along with the flow of the river and had gotten too far away. We had a lovely picnic and enjoyed good company.

There are lots of fish and they aren't scared of people. They would swim right up and nibble on your toes. The kids caught a few little ones in their buckets.

The dads took the bigger kids on a hike up the river where they found a small waterfall and they were able to fish for a bit. Jonah caught a huge catfish and he was so excited to tell me about it.

While they were gone, Magnus decided he was ready to be done, and cried for an hour until the dads got back. It was hot and he was tired. Again, with the "not fun" stuff. Babies just aren't fun at this age for doing recreational activity type things. (PS I remember thinking last summer, while I was pregnant, that this summer just wouldn't be very enjoyable to do outdoor type stuff with an infant. And I was right. It's not :)

As soon as those Baby Blues spotted daddy from afar, a huge smile plastered his face and his little arms were going crazy waving to his daddy. He loves Andy, more than anyone. He practically leapt into Andy's arms. Hilarious :)

These two (2.5 months apart) are so funny together. Magnus is always making Aiden cry. A second after this picture was taken, those keys were in Magnus' hand and that frown on Aiden's face turned into a full-on cry. Poor Aiden. He has no chance against The Giant Baby, even if he is older.

Just last week we decided to try the beach at Lake Anna with a bunch of friends. It is so beautiful and the water is always warm (due to the nuclear power plant in the center of the lake. The lake is actually man-made, specifically for the purpose of cooling the plant down. That's right, we live within 25 miles of a power plant. So, if you ever see me glowing, let me know... ;)

They have a little man-made beach area with lifeguards and roped off areas where it's safe to swim. They have a little playground in the grassy area and even a concession stand. We had SUCH a blast. It was even fun for me because Andy had a sinus infection and was home from work, so I was able to leave Magnus with him and really enjoy myself! Marvelous.

There weren't any boys Jonah's age (which ususally seems to be the case, poor kid), so he made up a game where he would bury his goggles, spin around in circles with his eyes closed, and then try to find where he had buried them. It was really funny until.... he couldn't find where he had buried them last. He spent about an hour digging 10 different holes trying to find them. He is really bummed that his new goggles he receieved for his birthday were lost. Oh well, live and learn :)

Daphne finally learned to swim without floaties. So proud :)

We have had such a wonderfully fun summer. Only 1 week and 3 days to go until school starts! I'm not ready (back to a schedule, alarm clock, missing my kiddos during the day), but at the same time, I am (no more fighting! Yay!). Bring on the pencils, books, and homework! (wait, not the last one...) because summer has come to an end...