Vacation :)

Disclaimer: Long post ahead! I keep this blog as a family journal of sorts, so that we can look back at us and laugh for years to come. For you more casual readers that don't feel like reading it all, feel free to peruse the pics... Enjoy!

Also: I (Ang) never know when typing if I should call myself Ang, Mommy, I, she, etc. So... all of those people are me and I apologize if my lack of consistency confuses anyone.
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We left on Sunday 7/26 for a week on Lake Anna, VA. We took the boat and were super stoked to have our very own pier - no trailering and un-trailering each day - yippee! And we were even more excited that it was only a 2 1/2 hr drive... and not the 6-7 hr kind we're accustomed to but haven't enjoyed. The trip down was smooth sailing. We left at 8 a.m.,hit no traffic, and heard not a peep from the kiddos! We arrived at the park by 10:30, and Tony's parents had arrived just minutes before. What timing!
We couldn't check in yet, but we got the boat in the water and to the pier, and then went to Hubba's Restaurant (recommended to us by a park ranger). Then, we headed back to the park and got the keys to our lakefront cabin. It was super cute, very clean, and had very tricky locks... So tricky that we immediately locked Charlotte in the house all by herself :) Luckily, she was asleep in her carseat, and the ranger came to let us in within 3 minutes of our call.
Our next obstacle was trying to get Lucas to take a nap. I don't think I mentioned it here before, but in mid-July, we did the "great room-swap". Lucas climbed out of his crib once (lucky Mommom was babysitting Lucas and got to witness that), so we decided to go for it so that hopefully by the time Ang went back to work, everyone would be used to their new digs. Charlotte moved into the nursery and crib - and did great! Lucas moved into his new full sized bed... The first 2 days were stressful. He wouldn't stay in the bed and would yell and scream while trying to break out of the room. But since then, his sleep has been the same as it was in his crib. However, in a strange house and strange bed, we were back to square one. He was all hyped-up anyway, and would not lay in the bed. Got up and kept coming out of the room like it was a game. We'd get mad and put him back... over and over for 90 minutes before we gave up and began thinking of a way to lock him in the room for good!
Next, we took the boat on a little trip on the lake just to explore...
And then hung out at the cabin. Grammie and Grampie got Lucas a foam airplane that he loved for about 30 minutes until he broke it :(
It took forever to get Lucas to stay in bed, but finally he went to sleep. Charlotte had a rough time settling down and ended up in our bed all night. Around midnight we woke up to a small noise that we knew was Lucas opening his bedroom door. In 5 seconds flat, he escaped his room AND the house, and was outside on the deck! Tony slept with him the rest of the night... Little stinker!

Monday (7/27) morning...
We drove to a nearby town in search of any store. There is seriously nothing anywhere around the state park. 30 minutes later, we found a Food Lion. We had breakfast at a nearby Hardee's (Lucas was completely enthralled by a police car, fire engine, and ambulance that were tending to a fender bender across the street) and then went grocery shopping. We were hoping to find a way to babyproof Lucas' doorknob, but had no such luck... Time to get creative!

We headed back to the cabin and went out on the boat. Ang rode the tube for a while, and then to our surprise Gloria wanted a turn. We've been sorta kidding all summer about Lucas riding the tube too, but he usually says no as soon as we mention it. This time, there was no protest, so we decided to give it a shot. He got on just fine with Mommy, and Daddy drove really slow. A little too slow I guess, cause the tube submarined and Lucas and Mommy were forced to hop off into MANY feet of water. Much to our surprise, Lucas did not freak out at all. He was just mad that he wasn't on the tube anymore and demanded to go again. However, Mommy was a little too nervous now and told him he'd have to wait for another day :)
Next, we docked at the Lake Anna State Park pier and headed to the beach. It was set up really nice, with several ropes to let you know the different water depths. Lucas loved it, as we thought he would. He swam with Grammie, Daddy, and Mommy. Threw the football, did some "turtle bombs", and had a sno-cone. Lucas was a regular fish - we had to watch him closely, as he would run out in water up to his chin and we'd remind him to turn around.
Back to the cabin we went for a try at naptime...Look at these tired babies!
Much to our surprise, Lucas actually took a 75 min. nap. This was the perfect solution to our "opening the door" troubles... a string around the knob and a hinge!
While he napped, we had some burgers and Gloria and Tony went out in the lake in front of the cabin... until Gloria got freaked out by the little fish that were "biting" her legs :P When Lucas got up, we played in the slip-n-slide for a bit and then got cleaned up.


Lucas got ahold of the camera and took his very first picture!
After getting showered, we headed out in the boat to go to dinner at Lakeview Restaurant. Actually, Ang drove the boat there... scary! Tony's been demanding that she learn how to drive better "just in case", and the lake is certainly easier than the bay to learn on! Dinner was nice, except for when Lucas stood up on his chair and it slid out from under him... And he banged his head on the table and fell to the floor. Ang was sure there'd be a gash that needed stiches, but there wasn't a mark at all. He did cry and have to go outside to calm down. He kept saying, "I dooked my noodle", and a police boat at the dock did a good job distracting him. Lottie slept thru most of the meal.
Above pic - I swear we were NOT moving... at dock getting Lucas' lifevest on!

On the ride back, we enjoyed a gorgeous sunset.
Lucas went to bed just fine (thank GOD!). We played a little cards, and Ang & Tony took the boat out for it's first night-ride. It was really dark and we didn't see another soul - kinda freaky.

On Tuesday (7/28), we had waffles and fried mini hotdogs for breakfast. Lucas is wearing Tony's childhood apron:)
We took a walk around the loop of cabins and headed out on the boat again. Tony was itching to do some water activities (he usually gets stuck driving while everyone else has fun), so Ang became captain. Tony did some waterskiing. Ang gave it a try next - last summer when everyone else learned, Ang was pregnant and sat out - and failed miserably. After a few attempts at getting up out of the water, she packed it in for the day.
We sailed to a little cluster of islands and anchored in the shallow water of a protected cove. Just like at the beach, Lucas was in heaven! We had to keep a close eye on him cause he would just run out into the water until it was too deep. We played a little frisbee and football, and Lucas like pushing the raft around. We put Charlotte in the baby float and she hated it :(
On the way back to the cabin, Lucas fell asleep (Charlotte ALWAYS sleeps the entire time we're moving - it's AWESOME!), so we anchored and just let him sleep for a while. He actually fell asleep with a lollipop in hand. As he slept, it fell out of his hand and we threw it away. When he woke up, the first thing he waid was, "Where's my lollipop?"
For dinner we had ribs and salads, then played more slip-n-slide and Baggo (cornhole).

We showered and boated across the lake for some ice cream. Lucas was in heaven! He kept saying, "This is so gooooood & funny".
After Lucas hit the hay, we played a little more cards. Ang had to quit to go deal with Lottie who did NOT sleep so well on the trip.

Wednesday (7/29) was a pretty laid back day. We had more mini-dogs for breakfast and then hung out on the deck. Lucas ran back and forth with his arms out pretending to be an airplane for the longest time. Tony's parents headed back to NC. Charlotte FINALLY took a nap in the pack-n-play - 2 hours! Woohoo!!!!!
We played all morning on the porch and at the pier and then hiked 2 trails. It was the perfect day for it - overcast and not as hot. Lucas had fun reading the trail markers and helping us decide which way to go.
As it neared nap time, he slowed down a bit and kept asking Tony to carry him. Near the end, he was running and Mommy was cautioning him to steer clean of the pile of horse crap... He didn't get far enough away, trippedand fell in it! Gross! Tony took off his clothes and carried him the rest of the way. He rode on Tony's shoulders and sucked his thumb all the way back to the car after declaring, "I tackled those horse poopies!"

Upon returning to the cabin, there were 2 babies with stinky diapers :(
We had some burgers and Lucas took a nice nap. When he got up, we were planning to go to the playground, but a massive storm came and ruined that plan. We headed to Hubba's again for $1 taco day. There were pizza, portabello, cheeseburger, pork, chicken, beef, and 2 other kids I can't remember... Yummy!!!
In the evening, we had our own dance party on the deck, and Charlotte actually went to bed nicely. After Lucas hit the hay, we made a fire and hung out on the deck.

Thursday morning (7/30) we got up and were almost immediately joined by Matt, who was going to hang with us for the remainder of the trip. He got there at 7:30 a.m. - just in time for waffles and more mini-dogs.
We were on the boat by 9. We were itching to try some more waterskiing, and Matt went first. Something odd was going on though, as he kept losing one of his skis in the middle of his run. Weird??? And super frustrating for Matt. Tony did fine, and Ang gave it another shot - still not much luck. Managed to get just about out of the water a few times, but never actually got a ride :(
We headed over and anchored at the islands again. Soon after we arrived and set up camp, another boat arrived. There were 2 big tattooed guys and a girl. Come to find out, one of the guys is a Labor & Delivery nurse - go figure! I knew something was up when he came over and sais, "Hi, my name is Scott. If you don't mind me asking, did you have her vaginally or by c-section?" It was after he asked me that when he informed me of his job. Might have been less awkward to mention that FIRST! He asked a million questions about Charlotte.

We played some volleyball and more frisbee. Poor Lucas got cracked in the head by one of Uncle Matt's tosses, but quickly recovered.
Mid-afternoon when we were all famished, we headed to a nearby marina and got some carry-out. We sat in a pavilion by the lake and ate. Headed back to the cabin where ALL the males took naps :)
Enjoyed a pretty low key night - playing in field by cabin, chilling on porch, showers, and burgers. After eating, we hung out on the pier and watched the waterskiiers go by. We even saw a 7 year old doing it. Ang feels more like a loser :(
It was another fire and dance party on the deck kind of night!
We got in the car as soon as we got up on Friday (7/31). Made a pit stop at McDonalds before heading to The Grange (a cool disc golf course that Matt played at in a tournament). The place was wild - it was somebody's private property that they made a course on. It's partially in the woods and partially out in the open. Well manicured, grass cut, ponds, paths, etc. Matt said the owner is a hippy-type. When we got there, some other guy was riding around in a golf cart... said he was going to cut the back 9, and to let him know if we needed anything. Said if we had beverages, we were more than welcome to go in the basement and use the fridge... feel free to use the pool (just keep an eye on the little one)... tell him if we got hungry cause he'd fire up the grill... certainly don't get that kind of hospitality on Glen Burnie :) Matt and Tony didn't do all that great, but it was fun! Charlotte slept or looked around the whole time. And the owner's dog followed us around the entire time.
Upon getting back to the cabin, we hit the lake again on the boat. It was windy and a little rougher, so we found a different side of the island to anchor on. Lucas was kinda wild... running, jumping, frisbee... We went back to the state park and hit the concession stand for lunch. After that, the kiddos fell asleep again so we anchored out near the cabin for a while. Matt and Tony jumped off the boat, and ended up waking up the kids with their tidal wave splashes. Grrr... Then it started to rain, so we made a mad dash back to the house. Luckily, it didn't last long.
Lots more hanging out/frisbee tossing came next... Just a note - Lucas is a frisbee maniac! Awesome follow-thru, good distance, a lefty at it, and better than some adults. You've gotta see it in person!!!
Then we had to head back out on the water to cool off. Matt's waterskiing foot issue was no more, and he and Tony enjoyed a few good rides. Ang finally got up and had a little ride, but Tony forgot to take pics :( Men... He did, however, get a shot of me NOT getting out of the water.

There was pizza for dinner and then some poker with matches instead of money.

Saturday's (8/1 - holy crap how is is August?!?) breakfast was more mini-dogs and waffles. We hung out on the deck a bit and Matt taught Lucas how to play the guitar.
We headed out for our last day on the water. First, there was more waterskiing. Ang even had 2 nice rides with pics to prove it!
Tony and Matt spent plenty of time applying their "sunblocks" - does spf 6 even count? They were having a contest to see who would be the next cover model for Hawaiian Tropic!
We drove back to the islands to play, swim, and chill... Had leftover pizza for lunch. For the first time, Lucas was a little antsy... I guess 5 whole days on a boat is about all he can take!
Next, we did a little tubing and even got Lucas back out there. He loved it! Talked about going over the waves, and how he was getting pulled like a tow truck.
Back at the pier, we watched the boats go by with other tubers/waterskiiers. It was crazy how many boats were out on Saturday compared to during the week. Back at the cabin, there was more frisbee and playing on the green tractor with Uncle Matt.
After hanging out at home for a little bit and getting naps in, we went back out on the boat for our grand finale of waterskiing. Ang got in a few failed attempts and one good ride... Matt and Tony did a few runs (as many as their sore bodies would allow)...

Nachos for dinner, and time spent on deck with fire...

Sunday (8/2) we got up, said goodbye to Matt, and were packed and out in an hour. Go us! It rained like CRAZY most of the way home, which made for a nervewracking drive pulling a boat. Luckily the kids were good and slept some of the way.
It was a great trip, though not so relaxing :) It was go-go-go and with 2 kids, there's always something to do. It was nice to find an area that we really like and will DEFINITELY go back to!
As always, it's good to be home!