Manda Mumbo Jumbo: Looking Back to July and Lake Time!

It is time to do some "back-blogging". Today, I am trying to remember back to July and our time at the lake with my family. It was the last road trip from Louisiana for my sister and her family. After they returned from Virginia, they had to pack up and move to Utah. It was a wonderful visit for the most part, except for one very bad incident that left poor Nana needing surgery for a broken ankle. But Nana made the most of it and the kids gave her lots of extra love and attention, so I think it turned out to be a successful Taylor lake "stay-cation" after all. One of the highlights of our time at the lake was how well Callie and Brighton got along. They just love each other and played constantly together. Will also enjoyed getting attention in the form of laughs from Callie. Callie finally got the hang of swimming (with a life jacket) and didn't ever want to leave the water. I enjoyed being able to watch her swim from the shore when I didn't feel like getting in. One afternoon, Becky and I sat on a bench and watched Callie and Brighton "race" into the cove over and over. I will post the video. Another highlight for the kids was the big slide that Papa built for THEM. I emphasized the word THEM because, after begging Dad for a slide for most of our lives, he finally built one that can be used on land or off the dock. The only problem is that the slide is too narrow for Becky and my hips! This made us a little bitter. We found a way around it but riding down the slide on a folded up life jacket, but we still brought up the cruelty of it all often! Here are some pics of all the fun...

At some point, Will skinned his finger. Matt pushed on it and made it stop bleeding. Now Will talks about how Uncle Matt is "some kind of magic!"

Magic Uncle Matt

Callie fell asleep with a cookie in her hand.

Callie didn't love boat rides this year. She found them boring and frustrating because she just wanted to move around.

Rainy day craft time with Nana!

Callie enjoying a rare moment of play time by her self.

Brighton and Callie were extra destructive and messy when they were together!

Brighton brought along her collection of Princess shoes and wands to share with Callie.

Just look at those little chubby toes smooshed in those plastic shoes!

We celebrated Will's birthday a little early since none of us would be around for his actually day.

This was a common sight - three little heads on the other side of the counter, raiding the snack drawer without permission.

Callie was still in her "self-drawn whisker" phase.

Mom and Dad created the perfect nap spot for Uncle Nap (what Brighton calls him.) Brighton would randomly announce that Uncle Nap was awake when he was up and walking around. Matt's reputation really does precede him!