wakey the wakeboard :)

Let me preface this post by saying that Kevin has been wanting to buy a kid-size wakeboard for what seems like years!  He was sure that Brooke could wakeboard as a toddler, but she has been a bit more reserved when it comes to water sports.  She will surf with Kevin, but the kneeboard is a little scary for her.  I don't blame the girl because I used to be really afraid of doing things behind the boat, and I especially hated the pressure I felt when I went with my best friend's family.  Kevin is the most patient teacher imaginable, so he has approached the whole thing in a wonderful way.  

Colby has no fear (which is both good and bad), so when he started asking Kevin for a board, the research began.  Kevin did a lot of comparison shopping, and while picking up the boat from its' annual servicing, he made the purchase!  This was back in March, but I didn't want him to give it to the kids yet.  We toyed with the idea of giving it to them for Easter, but I didn't want to set the precedent that we gave big gifts at Easter.  So, we simply waited until the timing was right.

One Sunday afternoon, we were enjoying time as a family outside.  Brooke was playing with her boogie board and pretending to surf on the grass :) She then grabbed all the small chairs to create a platform of sorts for her board.  Her and Colby had a blast pretending to surf on the board and Kevin and I knew it was the perfect time!

Kevin asked the kids if they wanted to ride his wakeboard, and they were excited to play with it.  Colby could barely stretch his legs far enough apart to get into the boots, haha.  After they played with that a few minutes, he grabbed the new board (that was cleverly hidden in a black garbage bag) and told the kids to open the bag. The shrieks and squeals were adorable!!  Brooke announced right away that it was kid-size, and Colby kept asking "Can we keep it?"  Colby ran right over and hugged Kevin, while Brooke put her feet right into those boots. They were both ecstatic, and I know it made Kevin super pumped for a summer full of teaching his littles to wakeboard.

They named the board "Wakey", haha. So original :)

The next Saturday, we took Wakey to the lake for the first ride!  Despite how excited Brooke was about the board, she didn't want the first ride and gladly gave Colby that opportunity.

He didn't seem to have any fear or reservation about doing it, and I'm glad that he trusts Kevin so completely. Kevin tied the rode to one of the cleats, sat on the swim step and held the board with one hand and the back of Colby's life jacket with the other.  He was able to keep him afloat and the whole experience was filled with smiles and a look of accomplishment.  He rode 3 or 4 times before we called it a day. 

Brooke wasn't interested in riding it, but she was interested in trying on Daddy's old wetsuit that Grandma dug up. I think she said he wore it when he was 7 or 8, but it fit Brooke almost perfectly!!  And since all the neon colors and 80's styles are back, she looked pretty hip :)

I love this sweet girl so much!!  Now we just need to find a picture of Daddy rocking this wetsuit for comparison.

It was a beautiful morning at the lake, and we were glad that Papa was there to enjoy it with us.  Grandma was at home making the final preparations for our family Easter celebration that afternoon.

Here's to many more rides with Wakey!!