Labour Day

We had such a lovely Labour Day! Glenn, Erika and Morgan left in the morning for their long drive home. (I do not envy them...so glad to be the one staying put.) We packed a picnic lunch and headed out to the park. It was Stellan's choice and he chose the Lake Park (aka Mercer County Park). While we were eating our lunch (I had a selection of cheeses and olives, what a delightful meal!) we noticed many paddle boats out on the lake. That was enough motivation for us, we finished lunch and headed out to rent a boat. The boys were excited (OK, Stellan needed to be persuaded to be excited) as we put on our life jackets. I wanted to be a good example and wear my life jacket too but it was just too warm and uncomfortable. Bad mommy moment.
We took our seats and James and I got to work. Now let me just say, it looks much easier than it actually is. We started feeling the burn right away. It was also quite warm out on the lake with the sun beating down on us and limited breezes. Oh well, great family time together.
We were going around the lake at break neck speed (yeah right). I liked it best when we would rest so I could drag my foot in the refreshing water. Jameson and Stellan were quite persistent and wanted to help with the pedaling. Stellan was the first to give it a try but he was much too short. He was pleased to sit and steer. His method of steering didn't accomplish much but it was entertaining to watch. He would take the "wheel" and move it all the way to the left and then quickly move it all the way to the right. Then he would repeat the action. He thought he was doing a marvelous job. So cute.
Jameson sat on my lap and decided to take a turn at pedaling. With James' help he was able to do quite well. What a great little helper.
They took a break for a while and then decided to help out again. By this point I wanted to relax a bit on the water but they were rather insistent. This time Stellan wouldn't be appeased with just steering, he wanted to pedal. James slid down in his seat and put a life jacket on his lap, this provided a suitable place for Stellan to sit while bringing him close enough to the pedals. Now it was Jameson's turn to steer. He did a bit better than Stellan but not much.
We headed back to the dock much warmer than we started out. Not quite the relaxing ride I was expecting but fun nonetheless. Next time I think we'll try a row boat, it should be easy enough eh?

After dinner we decided to head into Princeton and treat the boys to ice cream at Thomas' Sweets. Since the flavours are constantly changing we all had to wait in line in order to decide what we would enjoy for the evening. The boys have no problem deciding the flavour, it's always vanilla for them. They just have to decide between a cone or a cup. Jameson much prefers the cup but we tried to convince him that the cone would be much neater. Once Stellan made the proclamation that he would be having his ice cream in a cup, Jameson decided it was a good idea too.
I was torn between three flavours, Amaretto, Drambuie and Ginger Snap. After a quick taste test I decided on the ginger snap; an excellent choice. We sat out on the lawn and enjoyed our treats. What a delightful way to end a terrific day. :)