Vacation photos: The twins' parasailing adventure

My plan was to take Leah parasailing during our Outer Banks vacation. She has never been a particularly fearful kid, and she loves wind, so I thought cruising above the beaches would be fifteen minutes of sensory bliss. I also imagined the twins, who have fairly active imaginations, would want nothing to do with it.

And of course, the opposite happened: Leah nixed parasailing (I'm still convinced she would have loved it once she'd gotten up there, but I had no desire to argue with her on the deck of a moving boat) and the twins were all over the idea. So their Uncle Kevin and I took them instead.

Ready for takeoff. Strapping into the harness got Maddie a little nervous.

Up she goes: Once she was airborne, Maddie's fear was replaced by excitement. She gave us a big "Oh, YEAH!" as soon as we left the deck. Lauren wore a 'What have I done?' expression for the first five minutes or so, but once she realized the harnesses were going to hold us, she relaxed and enjoyed the views.


The optional 'toe dip' dipped a little more than our feet. It's an inexact science.

You can't see her behind the harness, but Lauren's smile was definitely back. The $40 photo package was worth it, I think, since we already lost one camera this year on a rollercoaster at Hershey Park.

Triumphant landing. Good time was had by all. The twins are still enjoying telling everyone on the birthday party circuit that they went parasailing this summer.