Shadow Lake 2015

We are back from a lovely and relaxing vacation at Shadow Lake, and I have lots of photos so you can feel like you were there with us!  I was feeling kind of cynical (and stressed) when we were packing for two days to get ready to go.  I was thinking to myself, "Why bother?  I'm just going to be watching my kids in a different location that is less baby-proofed than our house."  

Well, let me tell you, it was worth it!  Having extra people around to help with the kids was amazing.  Matt and I had time to go running, kayaking, play Yahtzee and cribbage, go to the beach, and I even had time to read an entire book!  (I have a stack of books on my nightstand that have dust dating back to 2011 on them, so this is pretty monumental).  Obviously, it's not all sunshine and butterflies...Evie had to learn that time-outs can happen at camp, and I felt particularly bad when I had to send her to bed instead of letting her stay up for fireworks on the 4th of July.  Noah, the inconsistent sleeper, continued his bad habits at camp and we struggled to shush him at 3:30am while everyone else was trying to sleep.   Nonetheless, we were sad to have our vacation come to an end and we are so grateful for the fun family memories.

Sand face

Heaven!

Here's a glimpse of my family at its finest...

Nose pickers

Crazy faces

Crazy #2

Serious

Surprised

Thumbs up for Shadow Lake

A big thanks to Mom and Dad for the beautiful vacation spot

Guzowski family visit

We've had a lot of fun things going on since we returned, which has helped ease the pain of re-entry.  We hit up the Essex Farmer's Market, Matt ran in the Brain Freezer 5K with Carly (eating a pint of Ben & Jerry's mid-way through the race!!), we celebrated Aunt Judy's 60th birthday, and Matt played with King Me at Breakwaters.  

King Me!

Matching outfits with our friend Merrill at church

We have managed to swim a the pool almost every day, and Evie is now jumping into the deep end with her floaties on (and a grownup nearby, of course!).  I feel like I'm reliving my childhood through her, because I remember how much I loved swimming when I was a kid.  Noah is starting to enjoy the pool a little more now that the water is warming up, but his big developmental thing is standing up for 5-10 seconds at a time without holding on to anything.  We are anxiously awaiting his first steps!

Last, but not least, Happy 13th Birthday to our niece Carly on Friday!  She is an incredibly thoughtful, generous girl, and it's no wonder that my kids adore her as much as we do.