Clean-Up at the Lake

Will and I decided to cancel the lawn service at the lake in an attempt to save some money.  So, this weekend, it was time to pay the piper.  We waited until ALL the leaves had fallen before going up there to rake and bag them all up.  Will had told the kids that we fully expected their help working in the yard since they also enjoy the lakehouse.   Will was on call so he had to head into the hospital Saturday morning.  I warned the children that we were going to hit the ground running and get some work done before Daddy even got home so that he would know how much we (meaning 'they') appreciate the lake.

 To sweeten the deal, Will had told them they could be paid for their help - $1 EACH per bag of leaves.  I finished up the breakfast dishes and sent the kids out to get started raking.  McIver, clever boy that he is, had already gotten to work - with tiny grocery store bags.  He was totally going to make some money!  

After some convincing on my part, McIver emptied his leaves into a bigger bag and we all got to work.  (Ha!  I just noticed the tag on Olivia's new yoga pants!)

McIver did a bit more playing in the leaves than raking and bagging.

Then, our hero neighbor came over with his lawnmower.  He was SO nice to come over and help us.  Mr. King rode his mulching mower over the leaves and crushed them right up.  What would have taken ALL DAY, ended up taking only about two hours.    This shot pretty much shows the extent of the day ... Olivia happily raking and bagging (and counting the dollars she was earning), with McIver throwing the tennis ball for Tex.  In his defense, knowing where Tex was at all times was very helpful, so that counted toward him actually being helpful.  

Will was VERY impressed with our progress when he drove up at 11:00.  There was no way to even pretend that we had done all that work by ourselves.  He was relieved that so much work had been accomplished, though.  It was really windy, so we decided to wait to get to work on the lake side of the house until Sunday.    Plus, we had to get some lunch and get back to town for Olivia's first basketball game.

Sunday was a little less windy, so we got to work all over again.  The kids counted 50 bags of leaves ... and counted their money.  Will, though, isn't so sure they'll each earn $50.  The whole point was to SAVE money!  When will we stop underestimating how much work they'll do to earn a buck!?

We would have had to make 10 trips across the causeway to take the bags where they county will pick them up, so Will loaded the bags into the boat.  Olivia and McIver thought that was great fun ... and it still took two trips!

This was the second trip, but a better shot of the kids.