FIRST SWIM IN THE MIGHTY MISSISSIPPI

This morning we received an invitation from the Hancocks to join them for an afternoon of river swimming and sand bar lounging, and we most certainly could not pass up the opportunity for our first swim in the Mighty Mississippi and a chance to hang out with buddies we don't get to see nearly as often as we'd like.

Life vested and ready to go!

Dash (the Super Pom) came along for swimming and lounging as well

James highly enjoyed the boat ride over to the sand bar. Actually, both kids did, and we were very happy at their boat etiquette (sitting on their bottoms and not scaring the poo out of us).

Our destination for the afternoon, stage right

Docked, unloaded, sunblocked-up, and out into the water!

Mr. Stirlin stuck some sticks into the mud to denote our sanctified safe swimming area (the sand bar dropped off a little past that point, and the current started past that). They lasted maybe an hour before the kids destroyed the border...

Look at that smile on Coltin! (Hard to capture on film because even at 5-years-old he's still not a huge fan of the paparazzi - can't blame him, yet I can't resist trying!)

Little fish...

 Sun, sand, water, and sand toys, and what do they play with? An abandoned Walmart bag...

Lunch break! And as James says, "I gotta hydrate!"

The mini forest of doom. Beware the sharp cut-off baby trees...

Our view from the sheltered side of the sand bar (shallower for the kids to swim, further from the dangerous current, and closer to the docked boat where we could keep an eye on it).

Mr. Stirlin likes building sand castles as much as the kids. They made a few. And eventually destroyed each one with tsunamis. (Jay would normally partake in such things, but he was a wee bit tired after his 11-miler this morning and stuck to the shade when he wasn't cooling off in the water.)

Patiently waiting to start the next tsunami

Halfway through the afternoon James decided he wanted a life vest so he could float. Since all the real life vests were over in the boat, I offered him the pink one that Cora inherited from her second cousin Skylar (which isn't a real life vest and was thus not used on the boat). He made a face at me over the color, but then promptly decided he wanted it anyway. Hey, whatever makes him feel safe. At least he was easy to spot out in the water!

Sitting in time out for throwing mud and sand...

Jumping waves whenever a barge went by

Swimming with Dash, the dashingest little pup around (yup, I think I might need a lap dog someday...)

Time to go kiddos - everybody run out of the water and escape the alligator! (Just kidding, but it was fun to see them scream and run!) Thanks for the fun afternoon Hancocks!