Buckle That Life Jacket

When Jei & I heard that we'd have family staying with us for a week... during Southern California's heat wave, there was pretty much only one thought that came to mind: water! It was Jei's older brother J.R. and his family that was staying with us, and with his three kids and ours, I knew our pool was definitely going to get some major use out of it. But the highlight of the week came when we ditched the pool one day... only to enjoy swimming in a much bigger body of water. We gathered up all the little ones, hooked up the boat, and headed out to Lake Elsinore... after all, what better way to spend a hot summers day than together with family on the boat out on the lake?!

Jei and all the men got up earlier than everyone else to be the first ones on the water... and although it was painful to get up that early on my day off, it was nice to have the lake to ourselves! Sebastian took the wheel as soon as we put in and took us for a spin around the incredibly calm lake.  

 

Another good reason we got out so early was to beat the heat! It was definitely going to be in the triple digits that afternoon, but the morning was just perfect!

It was nice to finally be back on the boat. But whether it was that, or being out on the water in the warm sun, or having family with us... or probably all of the above, Jei certainly was a happy camper!

 

Without a cloud in the sky and the sun as hot as it was... sunblock was a must! (And they call me the "Gringo!")

So besides beatin' the heat, all the other boaters, and the afternoon winds that chop up the water... another good reason we got out early was so that I could take advantage of that silky smooth water!  

We didn't have a board small enough for Sebastian, Jei wouldn't have gone in and tried it even if we had a board that fit her, and J.R. wasn't even the slightest bit interested in trying... so lucky for me, I hogged all the rope time! But unfortunately for me, I'm so out of shape that I didn't last very long.

And once I had my fill of wakeboarding,

we did the next best thing...

After all the cruising around, wakeboarding, and swimming...

it was finally time to meet the rest of the family at the beach.

Anabella was the first to meet us...

as she couldn't wait to join us on the boat! 

I dropped off one pretty lady and picked up three more!  And with a full boat, we waved goodbye and headed out to have some fun.  

Meanwhile... back on shore, Momma Soch and Allen hung-out together in the grass playing and snacking on some peaches.

Apparently Allen really wanted to throw the frisbee around...

but 'Wela' & Mommy just weren't in the mood.

And back out on the lake... 

I opened her up to see what she could do!

Idely, J.R., Anabella and Joanna all sitting in the back enjoying a nice relaxing ride together... and totally not expecting what was about to happen next...

I don't know if you can tell from seeing it full size on your screen... but the expressions that you can see on Idely and Anabella's faces are absolutely priceless! 

After having fun making Anabella & Joanna scream their little lungs out for a while... we pulled back onto shore to make another switch in personnel. It was finally Allen Jess's turn to ride in the boat for the very first time!

Allen Jess and the girls...

all set to explore the lake!

Like father... like son!

Allen gets his first lesson in driving the boat.

"Alright Dad... looks like we got another boat at our eleven O'clock. Gimme some more throttle and I'll steer us clear."

"How'm I doin' Dad?"

That sure is one happy family!

Grandma Soch joined us on the boat too,

and was in charge of all the little ones...

And explaining to Allen how exactly we got to be surrounded by water!

Even at speed it was just too hot...

so we stopped to dive in and enjoy the cool water!

"Hmmm... I'm pretty sure if I just turn these keys this puppy will get up and go! But If I'm gonna do this, I'll definitely need a partner...

"Listen here sugar-lips...

as soon as I turn this thing on, you steer and hit that throttle!"

"Vamanos Boys... we're outa here!"

Allen didn't believe any of the stories about the legendary smelly monster that supposedly lived in the lake... that is until he was face to face with it that morning! 

It was finally time for Allen to enjoy the water with the rest of us... but unlike the rest of us, he was not happy about wearing his life jacket whatsoever!

It was definitely a process...

and not as easy as I thought it would be.

Not sure if was the water, the boat, the life jacket, or all of the above... but whatever it was, he was not happy about it and totally tried to sneak back into the boat!

But after a little bit of sweet talking... and by sweet talking I mean complete coercion, I finally got the little guy into the lake.

It took him some time to get comfortable with the water and the dumb life jacket that seemed not to fit very well, but as soon as he figured out he could splash... I knew he was starting to enjoy it.

Meanwhile... back on the boat,

the girls try their best to stay dry and in the shade.  

But that didn't last long... for Joanna anyway!

 

And wouldn't you know... as soon as I got one sister out of the boat and enjoying the water, the other one had to jump in and ruin it!

Ginger, Gilligan and Mary Ann?

What an absolute perfect day! The kids had a blast and the adults relaxed and had their fun too. It was a super hot day and spending the morning out on the lake was a fantastic idea. But having family there to enjoy it with us was truly what made the day so special. With a fun little boat, great weather, and a happy family... it was hard not to feel very blessed!