My mom and our family friend beat me there (that's no surprise, they have a lot less gear!) and had a beautiful spot picked out. I arrived by the picnic table with our wagon loaded up like we were pioneer settlers truckin' out west. Behind me toddled Maximus, our little ray of sunshine, and Hailley, who whimpered and whined all the way from the parking lot down the long hill to our spot. Leave it to a 3 year old to be upset about being out by a lake in the sunshine. Swaylynn, our 9 year old, had already beat us to the water.
After a few threats: "I can find a corner anywhere for you to stand in, Hailley," we made ourselves at home and enjoyed our day. The kids were all great. They didn't fight once! We spent hours there playing in the water (Swaylynn put seaweed on Hailley's head), exploring nature (Sway found a baby dragonfly- it was so cool!) and building towers in the sand. Maximus was furious because I put his corral, with him in it, right down on the sand by the water. I may have gotten a few looks from the other parents there, but hey, that boy thinks he can swim (he can't!) and I needed my heart to stop pounding after 20 minutes of chasing him around in the shallow water.
We ended our day with a long walk by the lake. I can't begin to express how fantastic the scenery was! God is good. :)
On the way home I put on Neil Diamond's best hits, my secret weapon. The kids barely made it out of the state park before they were passed out- their sandy faces slouched against their car seats. Oh yeah.
