an afternoon at the lake and a friday playdate

Yesterday afternoon I took Emma and Rebekah to the lake. I was not being a very fun mom as I wouldn't let them get in the water. When we had those huge rains/flooding there was quite a bit of sewage that MMSD had to dump into the lake. The green signs were up indicating that the water was safe for swimming, but I know how Rebekah rarely keeps her mouth shut while in the water and Emma has a permanent smile that she just can't shake :-) , so the thought of the sewage lake water going into their mouths was a little too much for me. I'm not sure how many of the germs I actually spared them since I did grab a few buckets full of water to wet the sand so they could make a castle.
 Doesn't the lake look so pretty and blue and inviting? I probably had no reason for concern, I guess I would rather be safe than pukey {or worse}!


 Rebekah kept herself occupied making feet prints in the sand and Emma started working on a stick and rock sculpture. At first she couldn't get the rocks to balance on the sticks she had stuck into the sand.


 But a little determination goes a long way ~ Got it!!


 



And then today, Emma's friend Halle spent the day with us.
 




















Here the girls are making homemade playdough. We made playdough once when Emma and Halle were about 3 years old, and now it's something Halle asks to do just about every time she comes over. It had been a while so I was happy to take out the ingredients, even after they all three decided they needed to make different colors.


 The girls had also convinced me to buy these insanely HUGE marshmallows at Woodman's on our way back from picking Halle up in the morning. I don't even know how I was talked into this purchase, they are gross! The picture doesn't give a realistic view of how huge they actually are ~ and the pink ones are strawberry flavored. They enjoyed eating them, but I am confident they are the worst snack ever.

I always tell our girls what a sweet guest Halle is, and how I hope they are the same way when they visit friends' houses. She thanked me repeatedly throughout the day, and after thanking me for playing a board game with them, she told Emma this was the best day ever. Disgusting marshmallow snacks and all, she's still willing to play at our house.


I didn't make them sit at the table for the entire playdate :-). We went to the park too...
 


 Goggles Girl.


 By the time we brought Halle home in the evening they were all 4 {we had picked Alyssa up from church by this point} bargaining with me for a sleepover. All kinds of creative scenarios were being thrown from the backseat of the van.

When you're seven, there's no greater happiness than a friend you just can't get enough of!!