Boat Race

We had an absolute treat today.  We had a front row seat to the 5th annual Solaire Cup Boat Race.  We lounged on the shore of Meads Bay while all the sail boats arrived to prep for the race.

Eleven boats lined up down the beach at their assigned spots. Ryland and Reed walked down to take a look at all the contenders and laugh at the silly boat names.  They played with local children that came over with their families for the day long event.  There were several food vendors set up with live music on the center stage.  It was a great big party!

Sonic was the winning crew, and we were seated at their post.  Super cool to cheer them on at the end of the race, and to watch the interaction with the losing teams.  There was a good bit of trash talking.

What a beautiful view this evening - a rare clear sunset as the boats sail away.

Getting There

The old saying "getting there is half the fun" does not apply to traveling to Anguilla with three small children and all your junk for a 10 day stay.  In fact, it isn't fun at all.  We were up at 2:00 AM to head to the airport for our very early flight.  The children were troopers even on a limited night of sleep.  We enjoyed watching planes in Miami.

Exhaustion caught up with this crew before landing in St. Martin.  A couple of kicked drinks later, John Chris and I were done with flying.

We arrived in Anguilla late afternoon by charter boat.  We were all excited to ride this speedboat across to Anguilla.  GB Express did a fabulous job of starting our vacation with the laid back attitude we needed.  As we approached the island, the sweet smell once again welcomed us to paradise.  We had arrived, and it was worth the day of travel.

Adventure

We have been talking Reed into going on a boat ride since we arrived in Anguilla.  He wouldn't even consider it a few days ago, but he finally decided to go for it.  Junior took us for a ride in his glass bottom, and we saw turtles, starfish, and tons of fish. 

The boys enjoyed snorkeling along the cliff.  Reed quickly picked up on how to snorkel, and he had so much fun with the big boys.

Ryland loved the snorkeling!

After a beautiful morning on the boat and snorkeling, we spent the rest of the day at the beach.  It is absolutely gorgeous.

Lake fun

We spent the afternoon and evening enjoying Lake Grapevine with the Bunch family.  The kids were ready to get on the water, and the parents were ready to relax! 

We played in water, cruised around the marina, ate dinner on the boat, and watched the firework show.  It was awesome! 

 

Lake Claiborne

It is summer, and time for the lake!  We spent the weekend playing on the water with the Owens crew.  Ryland and Reed loved riding on the boat right in the front.

 

One of the favorite things for the boys, was to swim between the pontoons.  This was a highlight for Reed.  Look how happy he was!  They also had fun jumping off the boat and riding on the tubes. 

 

Obviously, the fun wore these two completely out.  

 

Possum Kingdom Lake - Day 3

The perfect way to celebrate Labor Day is more time on the lake.  The dads and the children did a little fishing from the dock.

 

 

Reed and Travis were enjoying being silly.

 

Charlie picks out the other side of the dock to get a little peace and quiet to scoop up some fish.

Possum Kingdom Lake - Day 2

 

John Chris and I were first up on the tube today.

 

 After a not so graceful attempt to get in the tube without getting wet, I make it on the second try.

 

John Chris is ready to go!

 

Carl drug us around for a while before John Chris gets thrown.

 

Kelsey and Charlie get ready for their turn.

 

Ryland and Gracie decide to wait a little longer before tubing.  Maybe they are still a little nervous from yesterday?

 

Reed was into everything on the boat.  I could tell he was getting tired because the whining and crying started.

 

And Reed is out.

 

The boys assist Mr. Carl in a small boat repair.  They are very interested in the awesome tool box that came out from under the seat bench.

 

There was a ton of just chilling and hanging out in the water.  Notice Charlie in the background taking a nap on one of the tubes.

 

Travis is so cool in his big red shades.  What a great day!

Possum Kingdom Lake - Day 1

We spent the extended labor day weekend at Possum Kingdom Lake with the Bunch Family.  We all had a blast and really enjoyed being out on the water. 

 

 

Kelsey tubed with Travis, Charlie, and Reed.

 

John Chris, Reed, and Charlie took another turn on the tube.

 

Ryland and Gracie finally decided to join in the fun, but it didn't last for long.  The minute the boat started moving, the screaming started.  Needless to say, we cut their ride short and pulled Ryland and Gracie out of the water.  Charlie and Reed seemed to be annoyed by the screaming.

 

Ryland is upset.  Such a pouty face.

 

Cooper was thrilled to join us on the boat.  He wasn't a fan of the lifejacket, but he did love to swim and ride.  He was in heaven.

 

We headed to Hell's Gate to hang out and sight see.  There were tons of boats anchored, but we all were in awe to see a helicopter fly over very low.  Before we knew it, the helicopter landed at the house near us.  It must be hard to have a helicopter take you to your lake house.  We later learned that Troy Aikman previously owned the house. 

 

Just a few of the boats achored up to enjoy the day.

 

Charlie and Ryland enjoy the boat ride back to the house. 

 

They were obviously worn out and ended up falling asleep.

 

After dinner and baths, all the kiddos snuggled in to watch a movie.

 

Even the grown ups were worn out.  John Chris fell asleep sitting in the chair.