Mini-Vacation at the Lake

The last time we were able to make a trip to Connecticut, Morgan had just turned two and Gwen was still a big lump inside Ariella's belly. So we were very excited to pile into the car on Thursday night and get away for an extended 4th of July holiday at the Lake.

Friday morning started off with the girls playing in the sand. But, to no one's surprise, neither of the girls were content to sit on the beach where there was a big, crystal clear lake just steps away. So after a quick change into their swimsuits, we hit the water.

Morgan had a good time splashing in the water. But her biggest splash came later when she accidentally tripped on her towel and -- SPLOOSH! -- went head-first into the Lake. She came up scared, and cried that she wanted to go home. But after a nice long nap Friday afternoon, she got over her fear and was back in the water as if it never happened. (That-a-girl, Morgan.)

After a good night's rest on Friday, the girls were up and ready to go early Saturday morning. The fun started with Morgan giving Gwen a lesson in how to draw with sidewalk chalk. (Lately, Gwen has been very interested in coloring with Morgan.)

Later Saturday morning, we headed over to the playground at Owen Bell Park. Gwen had a good time crawling through the tunnels, while Morgan took advantage of the swings, slides and scaling the climbing walls.

While Gwen took a morning nap, Ariella and Andy took Morgan for her first ride in the canoe. Morgan seemed to enjoy being out on the lake, but confessed to Ariella later that she was "a little afraid."

After lunch (yes, we did all that stuff above BEFORE lunch) the girls went swimming. Gwen was a little unsure of herself, but eventually got the hang of floating.

After dinner on Saturday, we told the girls that we were going out to get ice cream at We-Li-Kit. It's still not clear who was more excited: Morgan or Ariella.

Ariella and Gwen split a big scoop of Ape's Delight (banana ice cream with chocolate chips and walnuts), while Morgan opted for straight-up chocolate.

Can "Yum!" count as a baby's first word? If so, Gwen's first word was "Yum!" She said it clear as a bell when she tasted her first bite of ice cream.

After slurping every last drop of ice cream, Morgan headed over to the chicken coop to see the chickens -- and a rabbit???

Morgan: "Mayie, P-Pa... there's a rabbit living with the chickens!"

After such a jam-packed Saturday, it was a relief that the weather was crummy on Sunday, so the girls could rest-up for Independence Day on Monday.

Once again, the girls spent the morning drawing with their sidewalk chalk. (Have we mentioned that Gwen really likes to color?) Meanwhile, Morgan discovered that it's fun to climb on the security fence.