Lake activities

We had fun visiting with friends at the lake this summer.  My old work friend, Jane, came up with her 2 girls, Lilly and Amelia and they had a fun time playing in the lake and fort.  They had a similar day with the Boyd boys and we really lucked out with the weather!  One came on Friday, then it rained all weekend and cleared off on Monday when Megan came up :o).  A couple weeks before that, my college friend Jill came up with her daughter, Peyton, and then we went to dinner at her new house.  Tanya, another college friend, showed up with her family at Jill's and the kids had a ball playing together!  It really was a fun summer catching up with good friends, reconnecting with old friends (at our reunion) and enjoying visiting and for the kids meeting some new playmates!

Ryan and I drove by the Oso mud slide and it was impressive.  The volume of dirt/debris that came from the mountainside didn't quite compute.....it seemed as if there was way too much.  We took a few picture, but it didn't do it justice, so you'll have to visit for yourself.
Reggie making his annual lavender wand with Grandma:

Hours and hours of building and digging in the sand:

 The kids also enjoyed playing with the neighbors.  Carson is Reggie's age and Cami is a bit older than the girls, but since she is the only girl in a house with 4 boys, she welcomed Ainsley and Maggie's company.  They paddleboarded, snorkeled and painted nails :o).

Party boating!  K was driving and he either honked the horn or pushed the throttle and the girls were cracking up:

 The fabulous little driver!

Playing a little take-out...one of Spencer's favorite activities with Uncle Ryan!

This was a much better summer for our family....I made an extra effort to have special playtime with the kids, especially K and Ainsley, and I think it really helped.  We had a bit more time as a family and it seemed to keep them a bit more balanced.  It was also so nice having our own space and I can't thank mom and dad enough for finishing the apartment!  Hopefully, it was easier on them too (although the kids still managed to sprinkle their stuff at their house).  5 weeks sure went quick!
Our drive home was pretty uneventful, but the bee sting from 2 days earlier was in full reaction and it was hard to bend my foot and EXTREMELY itchy when I did.  I definitely had a strong reaction because it has been 6 days and is still a little itchy!  Thankfully, Ryan did 2 of the 3 legs of driving.

Elsa's favorite place on the drive

We stopped for birthday lunch at Red Robin on the way home and I have never seen so much food disappear so fast!  The kids also really enjoyed Adventures in Odyssey, a Focus on the Family audio series.  We listened to 5 hours on the way back and it made the trip go a little faster.  The car was packed!!!