Family Vacation Happy Fun Times!

We had the last of our big summer trips this past weekend.  Shortly after Sylvia was born, my mom came down with a weird and sudden case of homesickness for Norris Lake, the spot where our family used to vacation every summer when I was in middle and high school.  I think she really just wanted an excuse to have her new grandbabies all to herself, but we ran with the "homesick" excuse and jumped right in!  She and Jay reserved a condo for three nights, and rented a pontoon boat for a whole day.  Aside from the fact that babies still wake up in the middle of the night, even when you're on VACATION, and the fact that the pontoon boat was, to say the least, a total BUST, we had a marvelous time relaxing with the family.  The only person missing was Aunt Jenny, who is on her way to Montana.  We missed her, but we had a whole lot of fun!

Here's where Sylvia sat during dinner.  She's finally big enough to join us at the table, even if she is lounging in her bumbo!

Uncle Jordan - always up for a good time.

Grandpa Bird lets the Nugget drive.  She's an avid boater.

She loved riding on the boat - even when stalled in the middle of the lake and we had to flag down a guy on a wave runner to go for help.  While the rest of us went into a frenzied panic, Sylvia remained cool, calm and collected.  Thanks to some good samaritans from Dayton, me, Mom, Jen and Sylvia were all taken back to the docks while the boys waited for help to arrive.  Needless to say, we won't be renting from that marina EVER AGAIN.

And then there was this guy...

 

Cousin Charlie!!!!

He is so much fun to play with and such a great kid.  He loved crawling over to Sylvia's playmat and "patting" the baby.  He's still learning how to be gentle when it comes to playing with newborns, but I think he's getting the hang of it.  Sylvia only had some minor scratches and dents after Charlie played with her; and I think she enjoyed the rough housing anyway.

Here's the whole crew of kids and grandkids, minus Aunt Jenny.  This picture looked very different ten years ago.  It was probably Matt and his buddy Steve, Jordan and his buddy Jeff, Jenny and her friend Dana, and me and my friend - a book.  I like the addition of spouses and a couple of babies; they really spruce the place up! 

Now we're all home and doing our regular everyday things, which include, but are not limited to, putting the Nugget down for her morning nap.  This is my new favorite time of day.  I realized today that very soon this job will be shared with someone else and I will only be around for morning naptime on Saturdays and Sundays, so I'm trying to savor every last daytime second I have with my little Nugget.  I hold her a little longer, rock her a little slower, and sing an extra lullaby whenever I can.  I'm holding on to this summer for dear life, and it's slipping through my hands like a rope from a dock.  I can tug on it for one more minute or two, but eventually that boat's gonna have to sail!