Magic Old Man Baby

Mobley Lake Day 2010! Look at the cousins enjoying a leisurely boat ride together, soaking up the cool breezes and working on their tans.

Andrew, on the other hand, was too busy riding the exciting and manly jet ski to frolic with the girls.


The day on the lake was really lovely ... so lovely that I think it might have actually made up for the misadventure of traveling to and from Aunt Gayle and Uncle Ron's house, and that's saying something.

The trip started off with a bang as Strider (my car) blew up about a mile from our house. He limped to a gas station parking lot where we let him cool down (not easy in 98 degree weather) and filled him with water (he was bone dry) and finally got him back to our garage where we set to work moving all our gear into Phil's car.

An hour later we're on the road again and heading straight into Friday evening traffic ... and then the rain came ... and then our road was blocked by a fallen tree that had to be bashed to smithereens by a queer little machine before we could continue. So instead of arriving at our destination with happy children ready to eat a bite and go straight to bed, we arrived 2 hours past Elsbeth's bedtime with a very sad baby and a 4-year-old who could have levitated and flown our car around with his excess pent-up energy ... ah, if only it could be harnessed for such purposes. Anyway, everyone slept soundly through the night and I got to eat a really fantastic steak, so the day ended on a high note.

As you can see from the photo, Andrew really loved that jet ski. He also had a great time splashing around in the lake and learning the ways of the swim noodle. It was a heavenly day for our boy.

The Fiery One had a different perspective. She did not at all like being contained while the boat was moving (and letting her run up and down it was challenging) and she found being in the water loathsome. Almost exactly like cousin Anna-Kate ... except that Anna-Kate was content as could be in her mommy's arms and was lulled to sleep by the moving boat, then cheerfully got into her turtle float and ... yep, fell asleep again.

TFO preferred to remain on deck where she could keep an eye on things.

Well, somebody had to! Mighty Captain Ron quickly succumbed to the warm, rocking boat and The Beach Boys playing in the background.


Uncle Ron and The Precious really hit it off this trip. He took Andrew on multiple jet ski rides (even when he would have rather been snoozing), and he let Andrew be his right-hand-man while gassing up the boat and grilling hamburgers. I even caught the two of them sneaking popsicles before dinner. How cute is that?!


When he wasn't helping Uncle Ron, he was assisting Aunt Gayle with her laundry. I think 3 cycles were completed under his watch over the weekend.


The drive home was certainly quicker, but Nib provided us with additional travel drama by having a hideous diarrhea explosion all over her car seat. You haven't lived until you've knelt on the concrete by a gas pump in Washington, GA with a poop-covered baby shrieking on a poop-covered changing pad. Seriously, try it! A majorly character building exercise. You get additional points for needing to send your husband into the gas station to buy stuff (a Moon Pie and Mr. Pibb) just for the grocery bag to contain aforementioned poopie items.

So thank you so much, Uncle Ron and Aunt Gayle, for your amazing hospitality (as always) and a glorious summer day! I'm so glad our last memories of your home are good ones since I'm never driving there again. (Just kidding!)


(Maybe.)