Summer at the lake

We found a number of times and excuses to head up to Caesar's Creek this summer. 

We were excited to get all our kids up, even if briefly - Here is Claire

and here is Liam and Kate. We brought Drew with us, and he and Jacob were helpful in getting the smaller kids out of the water - or at least holding them steady with the super buoyant skis! Even Torin got up on skis (on his first attempt!), though the videographer (Claire) was so excited she missed a little bit of his ride! He was super proud.

 

Jacob enjoyed skiing the most out of all the kids and liked showing off a little. He always liked to tell his cousins in Wyoming how long he could water ski!

That same day, Jared sent Drew out of the tube! It was pretty funny.

While people weren't on the boat, they were paddling around the beach 's swim area

One of Jared's happy places - on the lake behind the wheel (also, Jared likes being behind the boat on a  ski)

The waterski has a super tight binding and was hard to get on! By the end of the season, we were smart enough to bring dish soap, which helped a lot. Jared even could relatively easily squeeze his foot into it.

When the kids are in the tube together, it becomes a game. Sometimes, it becomes a musical game!

One evening, we went out to the lake with Caitlin and Andrew and stayed as the sun started to go down.

 

They had a fun ride with Torin, and Caitlin got up and skied for a while!

 

There were a couple hot days that called for the bimini to be put up. It made a nice difference for the boat driver!

We took Sarah and Eric Brown and their family to the lake too. Eric skied and the rest of the family tubed. We brought Colin on a calmer ride than Ella wanted! But the most memorable was Sarah's ride - which I'm sure most of the lake could hear!

Another time, we got up extra early to get to the lake on a Saturday early enough that there would be smooth water before all the other boats got there. Skiing on smooth water is awesome!

 

Near the end of the summer, Jared joined Dave Pratt, Dan Brown, and William Andrews on their boat for some surfing. It was fun to be with the guys. 

Also, Jared got up on 1 ski for the first time! I think that the boat's power and the rope being on the tower made a difference!