Visiting Grandpa Mike

 Ramsey and I took a road trip to see Grandpa Mike on Saturday.   Grandpa had a fun surprise; he had purchased a slot machine from a neighbor who'd recently had a garage sale.   Ramsey won a few quarters, but, like most slots, they put in more than they made.  ;-)

We sat and visited for quite some time, then made our way to the park by the river (a staple when visiting when the weather is nice!).

 There weren't any kids there this time, but we had fun playing.   Ramsey's "kingdom" was the playset.  My "queendom" was the spiral tornado slide.

 Ramsey found lots of swords (sticks) and we had duels.

 It was around 90 degrees that day, but it didn't seem like it; it was a gorgeous day to be outside.

XXOO

Swimming Party

Eric took the afternoon off, as the boys had to move the boat lift.  The day was so perfect for swimming too.

Connor had invited his buddy Taye and Bridger also came along for the day (and for a sleepover).

  Since Ramsey completed his first round of swimming lessons, he is much more confident in the water.  He LOVES swimming!

Ramsey was very pleased with himself, as he swam around all on his own!

 I was jealous... I had to leave for a dental appointment and everyone else got to stay and swim.  No fair! ;-)

The next day, Connor, Taye, Bridger, and Ramsey went out again for more swim time.   

Riggs would whine incessantly if Connor would move more than a few inches away from him.  Connor found it humorous to tease him.   Listen closely to the video below... you may be able to hear Riggsy crying for his buddy.

A Little More Fishing

It was so beautiful on Saturday afternoon, we had to take advantage of the lake, with very little boat traffic.

 We dropped some cranks and planer boards and took a nice ride.   Ramsey wanted to touch the water so badly.   Eric finally complied, making for a very happy little one.

 Ramsey reeled in a few small walleye, but no keepers.   He was happy; he had some buddies to play with in the live well for the rest of the ride.

Mr. Toad

Ramsey had a "surprise" for me last night when we were playing outside, on his play set.

 The toads are thick around here lately and Ramsey was enamored with the ones he was catching!

"Snips & snails and puppy dog tails..."  I guess we can add "toads" to the list of what little boys are made of too.

Last Day of Summer Swimming Lessons

After four weeks of swimming lessons twice per week, Ramsey graduated Level 1, "Pike".

To celebrate, all of the kids in the three lower lesson levels were treated with special swim time to just play in the Family Y water park.

 It was Ramsey's first time on a kayak.  He did so well that I think he may be able to accompany me on ours, here at the lake!

The rest of the time was fun play time, splashing, and trying desperately to cover all of the holes that were spouting water.

This Fall, Ramsey has adamantly stated that he wants to start on Level 2 lessons, in lieu of soccer.  ;-)

Vacay at the Lake

Ah, our yearly vacay with the entire paternal-side family.

It started out with some crazy clouds that had the potential to cause quite a bit of destruction.  Luckily, it all passed us.

We played outside a lot.

 Lots of Corn Hole!

 Ramsey also had to play.

Sometime during the festivities Connor and Isaac had taken off in the paddle boat.

 Then, they reconvened inside with their devices.  :-)

And also to play.

We had some nice relaxing time.  Eric became buddies with Bailey.

 After the first day of turtle hunting, the kids came back with about four of the little guys. 

 There was more play time with Greyson (luckily, he likes swords and fighting too!).

 Ramsey got a ride in Bumpa's new ranger.

 Turtle races were also on the list, as it is now considered tradition!

 Here, the kiddos were anxiously awaiting one of the fireworks displays.

On Saturday, Connor and Isaac posed with the fish they chad caught (Ramsey photo-bombed!).

They had 45+ fish (plus more the next day).

Connor was the fish cleaner.  It took him four hours, but he stayed with it.

Isaac, Sadie, and Ramsey (part of the time) kept him company.

Ramsey took off to play with Hadley and Greyson more.   They had some awesome toys! 

Ramsey thought it would be a great idea to play "Dunk dunk dunk".

And to play in the cooler, as if it were a tub.

Later, Greyson and Hadley's parents took Ramsey with them to go swimming and playing (on the lily pad) off the pontoon.   (Momma was very hesitant to let him go, but he had a great time!)

One evening, the kids opened up the remote control helicopters that Nana and Bumpa bought for them.

And later while the big kids did more fishing, the littler guys chilled out and played on the lawn.

And the even bigger kids played more Corn Hole.

The next day, the kids remembered that they hadn't used the water firecrackers, so they lit them off, aiming for various items in the lake.

Throughout the weekend, there were moments of rest, play, and chilling out.

Riggs and Bailey became good play mates!  (We were a bit shocked.)

And... for the ever-so-challenging family photo prior to our departure....

Nope!!! Try again....

Eh.

Take 300:  Passable.  LOL