I am a sucker for first-time experiences. I like to go new places and experience new things. There is so much to see and do in this world that I guess I feel that I will miss out if I just spend my life repeating the same experiences over and over.
One of the great things about having kids is that not only can you have great experiences, but regardless of whether the experience is new or not, it is new to the child and you get the privilege of experience it FIRST HAND through the child. It is truly amazing.
After a busy Saturday of visiting Burt's Farm and Hillcrest Orchards, we slept in, had a late breakfast and then decided to take our canoe out on the little lake behind the cabin. We thought it would be easier to launch from a put in point up the road, so we loaded the canoe and piled into the Subaru.
This was my niece's first canoeing experience. She was so excited. She really wanted to swim and was not keen on wearing a life vest. Her mom gave her a pep talk – mostly about not tipping us over in the middle of the lake. None of the adults wanted to take a swim in October!
Then I demonstrated the vest – which ended up being too small, so we upgraded her.
Then we loaded up and were off.
The last time I was in a canoe with my brother and sister, I was in college. We went to the Spring River in Arkansas as a family. We managed to flip our boat on a rather large rapid. This was a very different experience than that!
The lake was calm and beautiful. It was a perfect fall day.
Izzy had a blast. We circled the lake, then came back so Daniel could go out. Then we swapped one final time before heading in.
I think Angela was paranoid about Izzy, because every little movement elicited a, "Don't move Izzy!" Which I thought was funny since Daniel and I take Sophie out with us and she jumps from side to side and front to back and has never flipped us. We just have to pay attention and shift our weight to compensate.
After we came in, Daniel took the boat across the lake to the dock at our cabin while I drove everyone else back.
Jack woke up from his nap and we headed down to the dock for his first time in the canoe.
He was very laid back about the whole experience {pretty typical of our little guy}.
Though he is not a fan of having sun in his eyes. Next time we will have to remember to bring his sunglasses.
His first time in our canoe was a success!
We are so thankful for opportunities like this to share our passions and experiences with others – especially our family and the kids.
If you are interested in going canoeing sometime or would like to introduce your kiddo to this type of experience, let us know – we are always up for a new adventure.
Next time we'll have to persuade Robert and Levi to go out with us :)
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