Sailing weekends!

Over the Labor Day weekend we had the privilege of going sailing on Jon’s Mom’s sailboat again (one of Missy’s absolute favorite things!). We also went earlier in the summer, but it was close to camping time and I never blogged about it. I thought it was about time to change that, especially since we always have such a good time on the boat, and since Elijah seems to have inherited the sea-faring genes of the Viking ancestors from Grandma Amanda, and the Dutch ancestors from my side of the family. The boat is a little less baby-proof than last year since Eli’s gotten bigger and more mobile, so Eli had to wear his “boat coat” more often and we had to watch him more closely. He quickly learned how to go up and down the steps to go below pretty much by himself, and still had fun exploring all the nooks and crannies of the boat (his favorite crannies were the ones with the flashlights, and the one with the domino game). Jon bonked his head pretty good going up the steps on Sunday, which goes to show that the sailboat isn’t adult-proof sometimes as well. : ) Here are some of our favorite memories from sailing this year:

• The first time Eli saw the wheel on the boat he sat down next to it, looked up and said, “Ooh, big big wheel.” Yep, that’s the truth Eli, it is a pretty big wheel!
• Eli kept calling the boat “Grandpa’s boat,” even when we said it was Grandma’s boat too. At one point we got in to a little debate with us saying it was Grandma’s boat, and Eli telling us no, it was Grandpa’s boat. The second time we went to the boat we got halfway across the bridge to Canada when Elijah started yelling “Grandma’s boat! Grandpa’s boat!” rather excitedly. Guess he remembered being there before, and also that the boat was both Grandma and Grandpa’s.
• Eli has a Thomas the Tank Engine book where Thomas crosses the big big bridge. The Blue Water Bridge in to Canada is the biggest bridge Eli has ever seen, so the first time we were on the boat and heading underneath it to get to Lake Huron, Elijah was EXTREMELY excited to see the “big big bridge!!” Everything after that was related to whether we were under the bridge, on the bridge, if Eli could see the bridge from where we were and, if not, then where was the big big bridge? On the second visit he still remembered the bridge, and it was the highlight of the trip. Being stuck on it waiting to get through customs wasn’t as big as a thrill for Mommy and Daddy as it was for Elijah though.
• After years of going to the boat and visiting the chip trucks (French fry trucks for us Americans) that set up shop in the park under the bridge, we finally discovered that there is a really cool playground for kids right there too! Guess you don’t realize things like that until they are actually pertinent to you, because I swear that playground was never there before. Anyway, the playground has swings and a big play structure shaped like a boat. Elijah was just crazy about the playground, especially sliding, playing with the sand, and chasing the multitude of sea gulls. He liked the chips too (doused in vinegar and salt, just like Mom and Dad like them!). : )
• Over the last 2 years Eli has learned that Grandpa Terry is a softy when it comes to cookie distribution (Grandpa always has Hob Nobs on hand, which Eli loves). I think that within 10 minutes of Eli seeing Grandpa Terry he was asking for a cookie! Often the sentence that comes out is, “Grandpa Terry! Cookie!” Elijah found a hiding place to hoard his extra cookies this year though – the small compartment in the floor in front of the refrigerator! It’s meant to contain water (run-off from the fridge or something like that), but Elijah ingeniously decided to stash his sweets there. When asked about it he said “my cookies hiding!” Hoarding sweets already? Now I know he’s related to my side of the family!
• Eli’s in a phase of sticking out his tongue and blowing raspberries to you (especially when requested to do something), and he decided that whenever Grandma Amanda would tell him that she loved him he would respond with a big raspberry. Nice manners, Eli, nice. Fortunately Grandma did get some big hugs and kisses to offset the raspberries.
• This last sailing trip we had beautiful weather and had the chance to anchor the boat in Lake Huron, on the Canadian side of the lake, and go swimming off the back of the boat! The water was cool (74 degrees), but you got used to it after a minute or two. Elijah was excited to go swimming in “the pool” as he called it, until a small wave crashed in to his legs while standing on the swim ladder. After that he wasn’t too sure, and decided to stay on the swim ladder and swim platform with Grandma. He was content to splash Mommy and Grandpa and just go up and down the ladder. At the end he wanted to get in with Mommy, but didn’t want me to be on the raft. I wasn’t sure enough to hold him and swim myself in 20 foot deep water, so Eli ended up only going in a little bit and never being away from the swim ladder. I was loving swimming in the big lake though, and diving off the back of the boat (it is so fun to be able to dive straight down into deep water!). I coerced Jon in to letting me take the camera in the water (a la our camping experience this year), and was able to snap some really sweet shots of the boat (and Jon, Mom, and Eli of course).

The boat is up for sale now, so it may have been one of our last weekends on it, so I’m glad that we had such a great time sailing this summer and were able to start introducing Eli to the joy of being on the water!