Hayden Lake 16

Ahh.. I just love this little retreat. It's the perfect place to come and spend some family time. This year my sweet cousin Macey come with us. I gotta say, I love her! I've said before but I'll say it again, she's more like a sister than a cousin, and she's one of those people that get along with pretty much anyone and is always on your side.

It was our family anniversary vacation and having a third adult there really helped it feel like a vacation. I still made dinner but not with kids climbing up my legs ;).

We arrived Friday evening (after my annual shopping trip at Natural Grocers in Couer D'Alene, my favorite grocery store). It was raining when we got there but it cleared up pretty quickly.

We love Auntie Macey!!

Checking out the water

She couldn't wait to get in and test it out.

This was when she fell in love with 'Big Water'

It used to scare her but not anymore.

The best toy ever! Also keeps birds off the dock apparently ;). 

Always my happy boy

The Cabin

Lovin it!

Me and my little man

The next day we had Harrison's first kayak trip (which was kind of adorable and thus many pictures of it) and enjoyed the lake. Emerson was loving it (remember last year she would barely sit in the shallow part) and we all had fun trying to get better at the paddle board.

He really loved the oar ;)

Her hair looks so red!?

Last year I fell but this year it was smooth sailing!

Seven Years

This year has been full of new joys. We've had Harrison with us this year and he is a true joy. We have also been enjoying our new house and loving the space and the feeling of being settled. It has also kept us in town a little more and I love our family routine right now. It's very classic family-with-little-kids and far from exciting in some books but it's sweet to me and helps me remember these little years. I love watching Blake snuggle up and read books or doing puzzles with Harrison crawling around while I make dinner and how much time we get together on weekend. We do the farmer's market, run errands, a little window shopping and some chores. It's just sweet and simple. Just enjoying our littles together while they're little. Smiling to each other when they do something sweet and supporting each other when they're crazy or hard or naughty.

We also had a breakthrough moment this anniversary. We had a date night!! We've had a few alone moments before but this was an official, paid-babysitter-out-for-a-drink kind of evening. We put Harrison down (only for him to wake up after we left... best laid plans) and headed out.
It . Was. Glorious.
It was sweet to have a few moments with my husband having uninterrupted, dedicated time to chat with my husband. I know why we're in this journey together, but it was nice to connect and remind ourselves. <3 p="">

My boys