Happy birthday to our friend and fellow homeschooler Ian, who is 8 years old today! Yesterday we celebrated his birthday, which meant a whole lot of fun with friends. The moms had fun, too; it was really nice to catch up with a couple of mom-friends I haven't seen lately. We played in the pool, played at the sand beach by the lake, and rode paddle boats! (Please note, these pictures were taken with my very old, small-enough-to-fit-in-my-pool-bag camera, so the quality isn't as great as I'd like, but it still captures the fun!)
After some playing at the pool (you can see it in the background), we played at the beach and went out on the paddle boats. McKenzie rode with Kathryn and me because her mommy had her hands full with baby Zack! This was Kathryn's first time on a paddle boat, and she asked if I'd ever ridden one before. I had, but then realized it had been twenty years since the last time! That was when I was fifteen and went to visit my friend Christy in Ohio, and we spent a day at Kings Island. Paddle boats are fun, but also a leg workout, especially if your passengers can't quite reach the pedals to help!
After some playing at the pool (you can see it in the background), we played at the beach and went out on the paddle boats. McKenzie rode with Kathryn and me because her mommy had her hands full with baby Zack! This was Kathryn's first time on a paddle boat, and she asked if I'd ever ridden one before. I had, but then realized it had been twenty years since the last time! That was when I was fifteen and went to visit my friend Christy in Ohio, and we spent a day at Kings Island. Paddle boats are fun, but also a leg workout, especially if your passengers can't quite reach the pedals to help!
The girls loved playing in the sand and splashing in the lake, but the boys wanted to be surfers. Birthday boy Ian is the one on the right, wearing light blue and orange swim trunks.
After all the outdoor fun, we celebrated with cake and ice cream! Ian and his family recently adopted a retired greyhound, so Ian's cake was dog-themed. We're looking forward to a doggie play date with their new dog and our Lacy; I expect it to be very entertaining, and FAST! 
We had a wonderfully fun day with friends, and feel so blessed to have days like this.
