Visit to the Lake

Last week after co-op, the kids and I piled into the van and headed out to my parents' house on the lake.  My sister Leslie and her son, Landon, were there for a visit from Idaho, and we went to stay there a couple days and then bring them back to our house.

Right when we got there, Grayson had a mini birthday party, to open his gifts from my parents and sister.

 They know him so well and got him perfect gifts!  A spy set from my parents,

 the Lego game "Creationary" from Leslie,

 and straw glasses, too.  The gifts were a hit, and the kids were all busy being spies and creators the entire visit.

 But soon the drought-stricken lake called, and all the kids headed off with Papa to hunt for treasures.

 The boys were in heaven, looking for fish bones and snake skeletons,

 and Addie was so proud to join in, green boots and all!

 My dad was very brave--four kids 10 and under, lots of dead things, and mud!

 The little ones were spies, complete with mask and potato guns.  Notice how tall Landon is, even though he's the youngest!  Even wearing an 8 inch headdress, Addie's still a tiny little squirt next to him.

 At night they all piled up in the "fish" bedroom to watch a movie.  Caiden hopped back and forth between the movie and watching the Rangers during the World Series.

 The next day, after we realized he'd brought a dead alligator gar up to the house, we made him take it back.  He was so proud of his treasure, and so disappointed that we didn't love it as much as he did!

Now that he's ten, we let him go down to the lake by himself (a 50 ft. beachfront due to the drought helps a lot with safety!), and he is soooo proud of himself to be big!  He spent a lot of time walking the beach, looking for treasures and admiring his new stature.

 Saturday morning, my dear mother took all four kids to the neighborhood clubhouse to play games, have an indoor picnic, and watch a movie while Leslie and I drove into town to have coffee, lunch, and visit a neighbor's beautiful little boutique.  The kids had a blast--Landon and Addie are only four months apart, and Landon and Grayson are less than two years apart, so all three play together really, really well.  These two became really good buddies during this visit.

 My beautiful sister and I enjoyed coffee and sisterly conversation for hours, uninterrupted by children!

 I could've stayed there all day!  There's not much better in life than a comfy t-shirt, your sister, and good coffee!

I have a million more pictures of our visit that I'll post later, but these first three days were so much fun, and I'm glad I finally put batteries in the camera so I can look at them again and remember our sweet visit!