It was a perfect day to be on a boat in Clear Lake, Iowa. While everyone else was waving to Michelle Bachman or Newt Gingrich at the famous Clear Lake Fourth of July parade, we beat the rush of people and anchored Chris and April's pontoon in the middle of a sandbar. By noon, we were prime location, surrounded by a sea of boats, tubes, and American flag bikinis.
Since it was both Cruz and Charly's first time on a boat in the middle of a lake, we weren't sure how they'd do. And after about seven hours on the water, I'd say they did just fine! They watched the action around them, contentedly went from boat to water, and slept on seat cushions when they were tired. Meanwhile, the boating pros, Ryan and Ethan, showed us how things worked (including the squirt gun which Ryan used to repeatedly shoot Julie in the face ;)...
At first, Cruz was a little unsure of the lake water on his toes. He grimaced a little and clung to Beau, keeping a watchful eye on the water below. After he was out there awhile, however, I think Cruz forgot he was surrounded by water. He hung out in his floatie, played with Ryan's squirt gun, and made a few attempts to splash. It was funny to watch him independently float without either one of us holding him up. Such a big kid.
Cruz adapted quite well to life on a boat. He ate warm mandarin oranges out of a can, drank a bottle to the sounds of Jimmy Buffet, and fell asleep under his beach towel on a ride back to the dock. Since Charly stayed at the sandbar with Jordan while we went to pick up a few supplies, she was worried she wouldn't get her nap in. By the time we returned, however, she was fast asleep in the inner tube!
Taking a break from swimming for a snack...
As the day went on, we started asking the familiar questions: Do I look red? Am I getting burnt? Are my cheeks pink? And while we did our best to keep the littles sunscreened, we failed to
My little surfer dude. This should be an ad for Coppertone. If only I could tan with 50 SPF!
It was a great day, full of blue sky, laughter, and sweet babies. And although we laughed as we seemed to be pegged the 'mom boat' for the day (one college kid asked to borrow band-aids after he sliced his finger open with a beer can, and another asked if we had sunscreen he could borrow), I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.
Happy Birthday, America. You rock.
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