Lakes are more fun with kids

Pepper, Kyra, and I have really enjoyed exploring the local lakes with our jet skis, kayaks, and paddleboards. But now that the von Niederhauserns are here, we discovered that it’s a ton of fun to bring kids on the water. They had an absolute blast.

Everyone had a chance to drive jet skis…

… even four-year-old Aaron (well, sort of).

We all agreed that Lexi was the most insane. She’d put the hammer down and rocket off at 40mph or more, pretty much tossing the person behind her around like a rag doll. Kurt, Kyra, and I took turns with her because none of us could do it for very long. She’d shriek with delight as she powered across waves, actually getting the jet ski (and often the people on it) airborne.

Megan was more about a nice calm paddleboard experience.

Then we pulled out our tube, and towed the kids behind the jet ski. Since the engines aren’t as powerful as boats’, and the entire jet ski only weighs around 450 pounds, it’s an interesting experience. Whipping someone across the water will actually drag the jet ski a little bit in that direction. Since the kids were all pretty small it wasn’t too bad, but when Kyra or I were in the tube, it was kind of a battle.

The lake was such a hit that the kids begged to go again. So we spent a second day out on the water, doing pretty much the same thing. We went a few miles south to Bird Island and hiked around a bit. Kate spotted a rope swing, which turned out to be a blast. It was a treat to see the kids having so much fun.