Picnic by the Lake

Last night, Keven and I took the girls to the lake (Mendota - pictured in sidebar) for a picnic dinner and a little swim. I was smart this time and dressed the girls in their swimsuits. No messing around thinking that they'll just get their feet wet. This is the fourth time we've visited the lake since moving here, and they are beginning to get brave with the water - from dipping their hands in to pick up rocks to wading up to their waists. That means more and more parts of babies getting wet. Hence the swimsuits.

Juliette is in love with the idea of picnics. She has me lay a blanket on the living room floor almost daily so she can set various plastic bits around as a dinner. So a real picnic was a big thrill for her. There were a few other people, a dog that went after a Frisbee, and a trio using an inflatable kayak - all entertaining for the girls. Oh, and lots of boats. It's been in the low 90s (32 C) here all weekend, and people are really making the most of the outdoors are we look autumn in the face. But it did make for redundant conversations with Juliette: "What's that Mommy?" "A speedboat." "What's that Mommy?" "A jet ski." Etc. Etc.

Upon returning home, unpacking the left-over picnic foods and ridding the girls of their sandy lake bits in a bath, I thought how much of a hassle it was for one little dinner. The trip wasn't for us. It was for the girls. But Keven and I got to spend a really nice two hours by the water and with our babies, with each other. When would we have done such a thing by ourselves, without the kids? Never. We would have gone out to eat, probably bored of our choice of restaurants already.

I think some parents dwell too much on what they sacrifice when they have children - the spontaneous trips to Paris, the uninhibited frolicking. But last night reminded me of the experiences we're having because Juliette and Ilsa are in our lives. Twee and cutesy, I know, but a solid, reaffirming thought for myself.