When we checked the weather late last week and saw that temperatures were supposed to hit 90 degrees and the skies were supposed to be sunny all weekend long, we made it a point to keep our calendar clear and plan for LOTS of time on the lake. Without a doubt, our favorite thing to do all summer long is spend time on Lake Norman and that’s exactly what we did all weekend!
(Ryder turned 11 months old on Saturday!)
Our friends Carrie and Nick planned to do the exact same thing with their kids all weekend and as we were chatting on Friday, we cooked up a loose agenda for Saturday that involved me, Ryan, the boys and Sadie boating over to Carrie’s parents’ place to spend the day swimming and playing in the water.
Chase and Lilly have known each other since they were around 6 months old and play so, so well together. They were in heaven as they jumped off the floating water pad, splashed in the water and floated around on rafts together.
Our plans allowed us to spend a lot more time on the lake than we otherwise would’ve been able to on our boat because Ryder was able to take his morning nap inside (Carrie’s parents’ place is seriously IDEAL for kids) and then join in the water fun once he woke up.
One of the highlights of the day for Chase was riding on a jet ski with Ryan!
Ryan and Nick took Chase and Lilly out on the jet skis while Carrie and I stayed back with the little ones and they had a blast!
We rounded out our lake time with a little more swimming before fussiness kicked in and it was clear the kids needed a break.
We boated back home and settled the boys down for a nap before Ryan and I did a little more kitchen backsplash research! I owe a HUGE thanks to Heidi for recommending this website to me on my Friday blog post. It helped us get an idea as to what a new backsplash in our kitchen might look like with our current cabinets and granite color and was SO, so helpful!!
We made our way to Lowe’s after the boys woke up to officially get the ball rolling on our latest household project.
Of course we had to stop to take some time to “race” the tractors at Lowe’s with Chase which is probably in his top 5 favorite things to do in life at the moment.
We selected a white mosaic tile backsplash and brought some samples home to see how they might look in our kitchen.
I’m a huge fan and am so, so psyched to get this project started! I’ll be sure to give you guys updates along the way.
The rest of our Saturday included dinner at Ice House in Davidson followed by a stop at Whit’s for frozen custard. We brought two quarts of custard home with us and the Samoas custard was out of this world good!!!
Sunday
Sunday morning began with more boating. We headed out soon after breakfast and less than two minutes into our boat ride something in the water caught my eye…
SNAKE!
At first I thought the snake was a turtle because I only saw the top of its head from a distance but when I saw something weird seem to follow the turtle’s head, I put two and two together and realized it was a big snake. Eek!
I’m still unsure what kind of snake it was and I’ve looked at enough videos of snakes swimming in lakes to last me a lifetime so all I know is that it’s a snake I hope I never see when we’re swimming and playing in Lake Norman. (I posted the above picture on IG Stories and the majority of people said the snake is a water moccasin but one person said she shared the photo in a snake identification Facebook group and they said it’s a rat snake and I’m hoping they’re right!) We’ve been boating on Lake Norman for four years now and this is the first time we’ve seen a snake in the water, so I’m taking solace in the fact that Lake Norman is HUGE and the chances of running into that bad boy again are slim.
After the snake adventure, we boated around a bit more before making our way home in time for Ryder’s nap. While he slept, Ryan and Chase tackled some yard work (well, Ryan did yard work while Chase dug in the dirt and looked for worms) and I ran a few solo errands which was fabulous. I felt ridiculously efficient compared to my usual errand-running pace with two kids in the mix!
We spent the rest of our Sunday close to home and sorted through some things to donate and cleaned up around the house before grilling out and watching Kung Fu Panda as a family. I was in bed before 10 p.m. which is just the way I like it!
As for the week ahead, it’s Chase’s last week of school before summer and his final week of soccer so we’re wrapping up a few things around here. This also means we have a school party on the calendar which should be a lot of fun!
I hope you all have a fantastic week!
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I love your backsplash choice! That’s going to look beautiful. I kind of wish I hadn’t read the part about the snake in Lake Norman, haha. That is sooo not cool. Good thing you were in your boat 🙂
The temperatures over the week (and today, I believe, too!) were well into the 80’s and so I definitely took advantage of the outdoors! The lake sounds like the ideal way to spend the warm weather and looks like it was a lot of fun! Also, I’m excited to see how your kitchen project turns out!
What brand of sunscreen do you use on the kiddos? My kids are fair skinned and I’m looking for something that is for sensitive skin with no harmful chemicals. Just curious on what you use!
I discovered Badger sunscreen last summer and LOVE it! It can be a bit sticky but as far as sunscreens with GOOD ingredients are concerned, it’s been one of my favs and definitely the most affordable option I’ve tried. I also like Babyganics and Beautycounter sunscreens but Badger is the one we use most! I get the Clear Zinc formula (so it’s not as white — but you do have to rub it in quite a bit) and I order it on Amazon –> http://bit.ly/2VOCeNp
Please tell me how you are mentally able to get back in that lake again! Eeeek! I’ve never seen anything like that in a lake before! Glad you had a good weekend!
Hi Julie! the puddle jumper looks like the perfect thing for lakes/pools. My son is turning three and is tiny 25-26lbs. I wonder if it will even fit him! How does it work for Chase? The splashing in the lake photo is so cute!
It is the BEST and helps so much!!! They are technically made for kids who are 30+ lbs so of course I cannot say it’s what you should use for your little one… but I feel ya on the tiny kid thing and trying to find the best options for water safety is hard. We still stuck to traditional life jackets on the boat with Chase last summer but would let him swim WITH us with the puddle jumper and it worked so well. We actually tried one out on Chase at a friend’s pool last summer and were shocked by how quickly he took to it and MUCH preferred it to a traditional life jacket and that’s what inspired us to order one. I am sure it will be a summertime staple again this year!
I am so glad you found that simulator helpful! Your choice looks great!
It was so cool! Thanks again for sharing!!
I really love the back splash! Now… you gotta pick a grout color! So many options!!!
And about the snake… NOPE NOPE NOPE. Something about a snake in the water gives me the heeby jeebys
The grout color is stressing me out!!!!
We’re coming up to the lake in a couple of weeks and reading the first part of your post was getting me so excited…then I read the second part about the snake. Ugggghhhh!
That blue float looks so fun. Where is it from?
I am not sure because it was actually my friend Carrie’s parents’ float! Her husband mentioned that they get a lot of their stuff from a local boating store so maybe a place like West Marine?
check out lindye galloway design for grout ideas – she has a similar aesthetic. Congrats very exciting!
thank you! i will!!
I love the back splash tiles choice! For grout colour go for something that’s easy clean and won’t show up dirt so quickly.
We’re still waiting of late spring temps to arrive. It’s normally around 23-24C around now however it’s still April weather and temps. I’m jealous you got to hang out by the water soaking up the sun!
Eek. Well, don’t worry too much, that’s a black snake. Usually the poisonous snakes, including water moccasins, have diamond shaped heads, plus water moccasins are shorter and fatter typically, so you’re good! 🙂
Ahhh lake time is the best!! That is so cool that Chase and Ryder are going to grow up on the lake. Lucky little guys, for sure! Love the backsplash! We just talked about doing new countertops/backsplash a Christmas gift to ourselves this year – yay for home ownership and adulting!
Hi Julie – I was wondering if you can give a perspective of how hot it will be in Ashevile in July. Also, any tips of where to go, eat, hike…it will just be me and my husband while our kids are at camp. Traveling from Chicago – so we are super excited.
Thanks!
Yup, very well could be a harmless black rat snake. I have a friend who is a snake guy (and park ranger at a national park). When we found a large black snake sunning himself on the side of our house, I sent him the picture. Luckily, it was just an adolescent black rat snake. They can be very large, but are not poisonous.