For the first time in years, my whole family took a vacation together. We rented this beautiful cabin up by Bear Lake where we had this fantastic view of the lake.
It was a nice "just-be" kind of vacation with a little "sight-see" vacation on the side.
Of course, what would a trip to the lake be without a little fishing?
(Seth practicing his "I caught the BIG one" pose.)
Sarah and Maddie did a little exploring. (Thank you "Momma Sah." Teagan kept all of us up the night before, and I was dragging this day. Tack on the allergy medication I was taking just to survive the pollen and you've got one tired Momma.)
Later, Teagan did a little exploring on her own and rediscovered her pockets.
Nanna enjoyed the surroundings.
(Why they call fishing a sport, I'll never know. There was a lot of sitting and waiting going on here.)
Finally a new location, some more casting and waiting, and wa-lah. Our niece, Maddie, caught the first and only fish. I'm still not sure if Maddie or Sarah was more excited.
Liam is going through a stage where he HATES getting his picture taken, so we were pleased to find so many smiling pictures of him from this trip. As he looked through them, he said, "I didn't know you were taking pictures." That just may explain everything...
(As a sidenote, some of my earliest memories are of Seth going through that same stage. I think every picture from the year we lived in D.C. features a scowling Sethy. I think he's finally matured past that stage.)
(Or not.)
Then, the party really started when the Tillmans arrived. We started with some serious game-playing.
(Some serious battle strategy going on here.)
...built some serious Lego creations,
...and ate some seriously good food! Yum, smores!
(Could our nephew Cael be any cuter?)
Next, a trip to the local Minnetonka Caves. Way cool, but it was way rainy and cold that day. Even colder in the caves. That may be why I missed taking pictures of that part. Or maybe it was the frantic rush to the potty back through the caves. We didn't make it. (By "we" I mean Liam and Dado, but mostly Liam.) I guess it's a good thing we were out in nature and that Liam's a boy. No clothes changing necessary. I knew I should have asked before we headed in. Momma fail.
For those planning on a visit to the caves, go potty before going in and be prepared to hold your toddlers and the hands of your younger children. It's a bit treacherous with all the climbing, steps, and slippery areas. Teagan was an angel, and I think she enjoyed it up to the point when she fell asleep in my arms. Poor tired girl.
She found her energy after lunch when we finally made our way to the beach.
It was cold and windy, but a blast.
The girls were brave enough to get in the water and roll driftwood back to shore.
Liam joined in and LOVED it.
Lizzy frolicked...
...and frolicked some more.
My dad and I did what we do best. Goofed off. Careful, you might need sunglasses when viewing those winter-white legs.
I figured if Liam could handle it, so could I so I joined in the fun. (Dado played cameraman and LOVED it.)
Pooper. Every party has to have one so I've heard. In his defense it was cold and windy and had been a LONG morning.
All in all, it was a great trip, and I hope we get to do it again.
