Our family vacation this year was pretty low key. My parents got here on Wed night and Thursday morning we headed out to the lake. Kim and Ez decided they were unable to come but Nic and Kyle came up and we headed out as soon as they arrived. The lake was smooth and quiet and we had a great time. Em has decided that she loves Maddy. She is her little shadow
Its funny but Nate is usually the favorite so its fun that Em loves Maddy since Nate has plenty of riders...they shortly after tipped over
Rigs got this cute kayak for his birthday and brought it to play with in our time at the lake
Hallie was the lone survivor so Nate gave her a special ride
Kinners' and her faces
Griff loved the boat and his cute new little swimsuit
The Nate pose
And once camp was set up it was time to make good use of the beautiful water. My dad skiied
Matt wakeboarded
The kids loved snacking and riding in the boat
Nate kneeboarding
Grandma protecting Griff from Em and her mothering
Because we didn't pack lunch we came home and had lunch and then decided to go back later in the afternoon. When we decided to go back we loaded all the kids up in the back of the truck and back to the lake we went
Its so fun to watch these kids grow up together and make memories
Emy was tired by this point and I was keeping her busy with taking pictures
We did plenty of just hanging out and having lots of swim breaks. I think this is the stage of life we're in right now. The kids like to do a few things but they like to swim...ALOT!
The boys did some rope swing jumping while the rest of us went swimming...Hallie below
Once the sun started going down it got cooler and we all decided it was time to head for home and do dinner. That night we also celebrated Papa and Rig's birthdays with german chocolate cake and ice cream. It was a big hit. And by ten we were all so tired we couldn't keep our eyes open so off to bed we went.
The following morning we were up and getting ready early so we could be to Lagoon when they opened. The kids were all so excited and couldn't wait to rid e the rides. Em quickly found that she had pockets and put them to use
While Matt took Em & Gracie on the carousel I took Hallie(who was the only kid tall enough to ride it)to ride the white roller coaster. She loved it until it started moving and once we dropped off the top she cried the entire time and was terrified. I felt bad but then when we were done she said she Im glad I tried it but I don't want to do it again. Which I was completely ok with that
Maddy, Grandma, and Papa helped with Em while we went on some bigger rides.
This crazy spinner ride was one of my favorites although towards the end it makes me sick every time but before that happens we laugh so hard we almost pee ourselves as we all try to pull ourselves to our own side. It was a blast
When it started to warm up we headed to get wet at Rattlesnake Rapids we ended up very wet
Then while the adults ate their lunch on the bench in the shade and Em slept the girls rode the bumper cars about 10 times
With full bellies that we wanted to settle we let the kids ride a bunch of the kid rides with Maddy
This flying one was super fun that we could all ride
After more rides my parents really wanted to go to Lagoon a Beach to play in the water. Although we really didn't care to they didn't want to go unless all of us went. So we all went and it was not the highlight of the day. It was packed with tons of people and it was hard to keep track of the kids with all the people. We only spent about an hour there before we headed back to Nic's for dinner
By the point we left the beach Em was out
Nic fed us some yummy food and we made our way home for the night
Friday there was some confusion because not everyone would share their opinion and when we made a decision they went along with it but then felt bad that we didn't do what they wanted. Basically my parents wanted to go to Idaho to the farm but Nic and I were both tired and didn't want to drive that far with all the tired kids so we decided not to go and they said that was fine and then Friday morning they were upset that we hadn't gone. It can be so frustrating at times making plans if not everyone throws their opinion into the ring. Anyways the kids had a ball just playing with each other and they even did some dancing that grandma and Nate got in on.
As it got later in the day it got hotter so we decided popsicle would be a good plan
Some of us got much needed naps
Matt decided to keep himself busy by putting in the speakers in the house, in the garage, and on the back patio
The kids kept busy by playing in the water
And drinking it
Maddy and Nate got some badminton games going on it also brought in quite the crowd
Friday night we roasted marshmallows and made smores while Grandma & Papa were out with friends
Saturday morning they were up bright and early to get on the lake. All the moms and kids slept in and joined them later but Matt said the water was awesome
Gracie loved driving with Papa
It was another awesome day spent at the lake but about twelve thirty my dad was pulling Nic & Ky on the tube and a boat came in between the boat and the tube and we decided we were done so we could make sure everyone was safe. So we came home and everyone crashed. We were all pretty exhausted from all the fun we had. We ate and then laid on the floor, couch, or a chair.
It was a great week spent with family. I'm slowly trying to learn to deal with my families inability to make decisions and plan. We did manage to survive the weekend and learned a lot. This summer has definitely been a learning experience as everyone thinks our house should be the vacation home...which is great we love having everyone around but its hard for Matt and I to fit the bill for everyone's vacationing. So this summer has been a bit bumping with communicating that to family and friends but we're figuring it out.
