So way back to the first week of July, we took a 10 day vacation to my parent's lake house. This is probably thee place where Conor & I are most relaxed. He truly unplugs from work, which is such a great gift for our little family. I can feel us all relax the moment we arrive. Aside from the beautiful setting, it's really the hosts that make our stays so enjoyable! My dad always puts together hilarious agendas as to make sure no specialty cocktail is forgotten nor party boat ride missed. He spends time with each of the boys, giving Conor or I a few extra moments to ourselves. Finn in particular took quite the liking to Pops. And Liam tends to dominate Nana time, but I have to squeeze in my fun with her too. She keeps us all well fed and spends far too much time in the kitchen, but my appetite is not complaining. She's always cleaning, gardening, playing. Dressing the boys or running bath time. She's one of the busiest women I know, even at the lake!
Our weather was unfortunately less than desirable for our entire stay at the lake. I was really pretty down about it, but tried hard not to let it spoil our precious time there. We had rain, wind, fog. The highest temperature we saw was 78 (and for only one day), but that didn't keep us out of the water or off the boat. Finn is another water baby just like Liam! The water was cold, but he was happy to just be out swimming with the rest of us. He even took quite the ride on the inner tube and loved every minute of it! Liam was nonstop jumping off the boat as often as he could convince us to make stops. He took his turn on the inner tube and joined Conor on the paddle board as well. They look a little side adventure across the lake and happened to find a rope swing! Liam climbed onto Conor's back and did the swing with him! Thank goodness I wasn't there the first time, because I may have panicked! However, I joined them there on a later day and even took a swing myself. Let me just say, my fear factor is totally fading, and I'm becoming such a pansy about this stuff! But I want Liam to still be able to witness my once braver demeanor. I gotta be a cool mom (said no cool mom ever)! So I climbed on up the rocks and took on that rope swing myself! Finn gave me a big "wow" while watching from the boat! Cool mom indeed!
When we weren't in or on the water, we still kept plenty busy. The boys constantly wanted to be outside, so as long as the rain wasn't pouring, that's where we were. One positive thing the rain did bring was the potential to dig for us to dig our own worms to fish with! Liam was so into this. He proudly dug for them and then practically ran to the dock so he could get them on a hook. Five fish were caught (some sunfish & bass). We also had a few cocktail hours out near the treehouse. It's somewhat hidden in the trees right next to the house, but with the perfect lake view. It also happens to have a trap door and sandbox just below it. This is one of my favorite little spaces at the lake!
There were evenings full of sunsets & stargazing. And mornings of raspberry picking. My parents have quite the crop, which needs to be picked daily when the berries are in peak season. Liam was quite the helper, only picking the purple ones. Eating is encouraged as well, and he tackled that job just perfectly. Finn became a raspberry snob and refused to eat them unless he was present for them to be freshly picked and placed straight in his hand. Morning harvests led to evening daiquiris. The work was worth it!
Our last night was supposed to be date night for Conor & I. It was our 6th anniversary, and I had so been looking forward to leaving the boys with parents while we escaped for a kid free meal. Oh how I wanted one long & slow meal full of good food & stiff drinks. But when that day finally rolled around, that was not how I wanted my last night of vacation to go. Instead I wanted to enjoy that final evening as one big family. So instead, we had a bonfire and made s'mores with the biggest marshmallows I've even seen. We toasted to 6 six years of marriage with some of the finest people! It was a far better way to finish out our stay. We can make a date night happen later, but that last night at the lake we won't be getting back.
Really, the week was just about being with family. I love having such a close relationship with my parents and seeing their relationship grow with my kids. It is something quite special, watching your parents become grandparents. And mine just happen to be damn good at it. I feel like we never get to see them often enough, so these long stays are much needed & perfect. Being back under my parent's roof, seeing them just before bed and first thing in the morning brings back all sorts of memories & nostalgia. I still crawl into bed with my mom each morning before grabbing that cup of coffee. Often Liam & Finn join too! These are the moments I won't quickly forget!
