Stepping Up!

A few years ago, Grandma & Grandpa found these little open-faced kayaks that were for kids up to 8 years old!  They were the cutest things and since we lived on the lake and Mommy likes to kayak, how great would it be to get the girls out in their own little boats?!  To teach Ellee how to control this new contraption, Grandma put her in it in the pool and showed her what to do.  The pool and the kayak were just about a great match in size to give her enough room to maneuver and get the hang of it. 

The girls and I have gone out on the lake a few times this year, and even once on a river.  Ellee gets in her little red kayak while Dani helps me paddle mine.  We have a rope tied to the back of mine in case El gets tired, she can hold on for a little bit! It comes in handy when we get to the areas of the lake that go out towards the "open zones" of the lake where the wake is a little too rough for her to paddle against on her own.

We've been very busy the last month and haven't had time to go out on the lake.  But a family reunion at G&G L's house was the perfect opportunity to get them out and allow others the chance to give it a try!  After lunch I went to take El & my cousin's daughter B out to putt around the channel.  After getting El in her kayak, I started getting B into the other little red one.  As I lowered her down, she kept telling me that her feet were getting really wet as she stood on the seat getting ready to sit down.  Conclusion:  Only a small 8 year old can use it!  So we put B in a big kayak to see how she would do.  B did great in the large one (which I worried was too wide for her) and El struggled in the little one.  With the way she was whining, I thought that maybe her sugar was low and she was having a hypo.

We get back to shore, changed her clothes, and take a little break.  Later on we try it again, this time, I want to see how she does in a big kayak.  What do you know, the little fish took to it like water!  Conclusion: the little red ones have a weight limit of 45-50 pounds.  The problem with El & B both in big kayaks is that there wasn't one for me to go out there with them!  We did have a canoe that some others were out in, so they followed them around to make sure they were okay!

The great thing about family reunions is that others get a chance to try new stuff!  My 2nd cousin's kids wanted to try it!  While E & B were out, I had T & M sit in the little ones in the yard and I showed them how to paddle.  Since T is at least 8, I had put him in his own, and even though M is the same age as El (5), I had her ride with me.  T did a great job and was even able to paddle through the lily pads! M tried her heart out and really enjoyed trying to race her brother!  Poor thing didn't really have the arm strength to control the boat by herself and hold the paddle up, but she will in another year or two!

Despite the weather being a little on the chilly side on Sunday, we had a great time!  I love when kids get outdoors and learn new things that engages them with nature!  And I am so proud of Ellee for being able to handle a bigger kayak like it's nothing!