August Long Week-end

Every August long week-end since I was a kid, my Dad’s side of the family has gone to the lake together. Jared + I skipped a bunch of years because we were having babies and the idea of going on a long(ish) drive to the lake with babies and toddlers, messing with their schedules and trying to enjoy our time there was daunting to us. Last year we went just for one day (it’s a 3 1/2 hour drive one way) to see how it would go. Our kids LOVED it and we all had such a fantastic time that we decided we would go for the week-end this year. I love how the scenery changes along the highway When we got there, our booking had been messed up (aka erased), so we didn’t have a cabin in the same area as the rest of the family.  THANKFULLY, there was one cabin available just a short drive away right on the water, so we took that one.  It was actually newer and more spacious than the cabin we would have had otherwise, so that was a plus.  It had a huge deck on it which is where we ate almost all of our meals. My Mom came out and stayed with us the 2nd night The view from our cabin Most of the week-end was spent with our Aunts, Uncles, cousins and the kids’ 2nd cousins by/on the dock visiting, sun tanning, snacking, swimming and going for boat rides. I think there was around 60 of us in total! SO much fun! Kiera and Haley got tube rides behind my cousin’s boat. Blake didn’t want to but was fine to sit in it by the dock. The kids tried to catch minnows throughout the week-end.  The water was very high this year, so we all had to walk on those boards to and from the dock.  It was a bit scary and several people slipped and fell in. My cousin on the left built the kayak on the right!  He showed us how he could flip himself underwater and then back up again. That guy has skills! The boys tried to all stand up on a tube at the same time which was VERY amusing! I think this was the closest they got Kiera’s (and maybe Jared’s) first time in a kayak We got introduced to the game of Sticks and we stayed up very late in our cousins’ cabin playing it the 2nd night. Blake and Haley ended up falling asleep, which is very rare for them to do when we’re at someone else’s place.

Haley fell asleep on my Mom’s lap and my Mom ended up falling asleep, too. Very sweet.

We transferred her to a couch and she didn’t wake up. I was fascinated by the lily pads the next morning, especially by the flower growing out of one close to the top of the picture. The beautiful drive home I love all the trees! I love the shades and contrasts of blues and greens Very tired kids We booked a cabin for next year and are already looking forward to it!  We LOVED spending the week-end with all of our family. I feel like between my Mom’s side and my Dad’s side I have the best family in the world! :)