"Knees off the dinner table, please."

We are blessed to own a camper trailer that stays on a lot we lease out at Candle Lake. It has become a haven for us to get away from life’s demands and, now is a great family-time destination. We were able to get out there during May long weekend, and if this get-away was any indication, I think the lake might just be one of Jett’s favorite places in the world. (mine, too)

I’ve compiled a short list of ten things I learned this weekend at Candle Lake. (and some pics, of course)

     1.    Jetty LOVES other kids.

I’ve actually known this for a while, but it was once again confirmed to me as I watched Jett make many new friends on the beach. He might be somewhat entertained by adults, but he is fascinated with other kids. It really stirs my heart and causes me to hope that the Lord will bless Mitch and I with more children. If Jett is an only child, he will be showered with all of our love and affection, but I feel as though he’ll be somewhat short-changed.

     2.    All the other toys on the beach are MUCH better than the ones Jett has.

Perhaps, this has to do with being a very social little boy, but time and time again, Jett would wander along the beach, trying to “borrow” other kids’ toys even though he had a wagon full of his own toys!

     3.    I despise hearing foul language on the beach.

Last summer, we often went to the lake during the week so that we could give our employees the weekend off. The weekday crowd is much quieter and more reserved than the weekend crowd, we learned this weekend! There was a group of guys sitting behind us on the beach; they were probably 18-19 years old. Jett loved to watch them, and they got a kick out of his intent staring. So, obviously they knew that there were kids on the beach (dozens, actually). Why, then, do they think it’s okay to tarnish the air with their ugly four-letter, unintelligent words??? I am thankful that Jett is not yet at the age when he will repeat everything he hears. If he was, I would have marched up to those not-so-tough-as-they-think-they-are guys and given them a piece of my mind!

     4.    Sand is tasty. Food caked in sand, delicious.

One of the first things Jett did on the beach was shove a fist full of sand straight into his mouth. He made a face and spit most of it out, but for some unknown reason, tasted it again periodically throughout the day. Am I missing something here??? I HATE the feeling of sand gritting in my teeth. So, what can he find so appealing? He had some snacks to eat and of course he would not sit still on my lap to eat them. There is far too much exploring and playing to do! He dropped his snacks in the sand so that they were completely coated. This wasn’t a problem though; he finished the whole thing. I wonder if sand is a good source of roughage for the digestive system?

     5.    The cold water is no deterrent.

The weather was beautiful and hot at Candle (at least until Monday) but the lake is huge, and I’m sure the ice has only been off of the lake for a few weeks. What I’m trying to say is, the water was NOT warm! This didn’t stop Jett from walking straight into the lake, falling on his face, but then getting up like it was no big deal and splashing ecstatically. His little lips got so blue, but he didn’t want to waste time warming up in mommy’s towel.  No sir, my boy’s a little fish. (A shark, actually. His swim shirt has a shark fin on the hood)

     6.    The beach is not for napping or relaxing.

It used to be that Mitch and I would relax on the beach for hours. He would nap and I would read. Ahhhhhhh…. But those days are gone. Jett doesn’t stop going until we pry him away from the beach and he is definitely not at the stage where we can just let him go to play on his own. I suppose Mitch and I could take turns chasing the little guy while the other relaxes but, truthfully, this weekend we were having too much fun with him to sit for too long.

     7.    Any garbage on the beach is fair game.

We are lucky to have a private beach that is kept very clean, but if there is any garbage left behind by some inconsiderate person, Jett will find it. Of course as I try to steer him away from it, he only wants it more. It’s the “forbidden fruit” phenomenon, I suppose. Mommy doesn’t want me to have it, therefore it must be the greatest thing ever. Blechhh! Just put your garbage in the can, people!

     8.    The slide remains fun, even when you go again and again and again…

There is a small play center for the kids on the beach and it is a well-loved destination. Jett loves slides, as we have previously noted on trips to other parks. Jett can climb the stairs himself and he even goes down the slide by himself (feet first, on his belly) with no one to catch him at the bottom. He’s not completely independent, though. I do follow him up the stairs in case he gets side-tracked and wants to exit the top platform via an edge that does not possess a slide.  It is delightfully obvious how much Jett enjoys going down the slide, and it’s delightfully obvious again and again on the dozed consecutive times he slides down. :)

     9.    The beach does not grow old.

It could be that we just didn’t wait long enough to find the maximum amount of time Jett can last on the beach, but we were out there for at least 3 consecutive hours and he showed no signs of being done. Then, he displays his obvious displeasure at being taken away from his play time, even though his blue lips reveal that it is, in fact, time to warm the boy up.

     10. Food tastes better at the lake.

Generally, at the lake, we eat a large breakfast in the morning, snacks throughout the day, then a larger dinner in the evening. Of course, we barbeque; that’s a given. Sunday evening’s menu included BBQ chicken breasts, grilled shrimp, potatoes, corn on the cob and asparagus.  We had no salad, so we cut up orange, yellow, and red peppers as well as sugar snap peas to fill our fresh vegetable requirement for the meal. :) D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S. Jett enjoyed it, too, although we committed the rookie blunder of forgetting to bring him a booster seat to keep him contained while he ate. Oops. This left him free to stand and pace the bench as he ate off of his plate on the table, just like mommy and daddy. He was in his glory, but our furniture and clothing took the hit off his grubby little hands. Next time, we’ll remember the seat. He got a kick out of trying to climb ON to the table several times during each meal. “Knees OFF of the table, please!”- I found myself repeating many times. I think I have to work on my stern face.

All in all, it was a great weekend. I think we all love the lake.