Jetton Park

Today was Jesse's first day back to work. He has a full week of workdays, then students return next Monday. Jackson still has two more weeks before he begins preschool, which means these next two weeks are purely fun outings with no real agenda. Our adventure for the day was to spend the afternoon at Lake Norman. As Murphy's Law would have it, the kids didn't get remotely wet since I dressed them in their bathing suits. 

I turned left instead of right from the parking lot, taking us to the rocky beach rather than the sandy beach. Clearly this is the "adult" beach. Our sand toys didn't serve much purpose on this beach, but James found an old beer can that provided ample entertainment.

He then yelled at me when I took the can away.

Sometimes I think I must subconsciously strive to choose the most difficult route. Rather than walking the short trail to the sandy beach, I carried each kid individually up a hill of rocks and walked down to the sand. We stopped for a light lunch before round two of playing. Jackson was cracking me up. As I poured drinks and put food in bowls, Jackson led his siblings to the bench. He then instructed them, "Raise your hand if you want oranges. Raise your hand if you want crackers." The girls always play his games enthusiastically. James is less impressed by his big brother's bossiness.

Not a bad view for lunch

The shore was exceptionally muddy, so none of us wanted to go in the water. (Swimming is prohibited but I don't mind the kids walking ankle deep in the water.)  Jackson didn't explore much closer than this:

Instead, he happily played with his figurines under the shade.

The girls were inseparable today. Oftentimes they fight, but they were best friends today.

James grew tired of the sand and led his sisters along the paved trail. He found it hilarious to throw leaves everywhere. I had to cut their fun short due to the high volume of runners and dog walkers along the path.

I look forward to our easy days before the stressful mornings of preschool drop off begins. Here's to making the most of our next two weeks!