Tuesday, September 8, 2015

 
Before school started we made our way to Redfish Lake, one of our favorite places to camp.  We stayed for 2 nights as a last hurrah before homework, dance, preschool, etc. kicked in.  

 After we pitched our tent the evening we got there we walked to the lake, which was pretty close to our campsite.  The weather was perfect and there wasn't anyone at the lake but us, which surprised me because, wow, it was a beautiful night!
peekaboo
 
Taking shots of the kids.

 The water was so clear; I had forgotten that from the last time we were there.  It was amazing, and deceiving!  The water was a lot deeper than it looked.
  "What's this mean, Mama?  No mustaches allowed in the water??"  Haha, funny boy :)
The last time we were here, Aspen was little and I was pregnant with Oakley.  We were camping with some friends, and Eric and Dustin ran off the dock into the water out of nowhere, with all their clothes on.  And a windstorm was coming!  The kids thought that was a cool story.
happy girl :)

  
then she took one of me
photo courtesy of my husband the photographer :)
The next day we went for a hike.  Our goal was 2.5 miles, but I don't think we made it that far.  It ended up getting pretty warm, too warm for the kids (and me, let's be honest) to be comfortable.  We motivate them by telling them they need their legs to get strong so we can go back to Disneyland sometime.  That usually works.
classic
The beginning of the hike followed the river.......

We eventually stopped to lunch at this perfect little stream nook.  Never heard of a stream nook?  Pretty sure its a thing.

We loved the colors of the rocks.  They were brilliant.  Brrrr!  The water was ice cold but so refreshing and we crossed the stream several times.  We even saw a salmon.  That was exciting!
If you can't tell, poor Oaks slipped and fell in the water.  He was a good sport though and didn't mind very much.  
We had seen a sign for "music at the lake" and decided to check it out that evening.  It was at Redfish Lodge, just down the street from our campsite, close enough to walk.  We sat and listened to some folky tunes and meandered on the dock, checking out the boats and minnows.
 Birch loved looking for fish.

 The lake view from the lodge.
There were quite a few people there; it was such a fun evening and place to be.  I love it when things like that happen; somewhere fun to go you hadn't planned on.

 Then we walked back and had some s'mores before bedtime.
Our campsite had some huge boulders behind it that the kids never got tired of climbing on.  They called one of them a slide because they could literally slide right down it.  Eric and I were happy they had a good time exploring.

Getting changed for bed.
Before we left the last day we rented a paddleboat from the lodge and took it out for a spin.  Unfortunately we weren't wearing our swimsuits.  That was a mistake because it got pretty hot outside and the water looked so inviting!!  We really wanted to stop at that dock (above) and swim.  Next time!
 


A few weeks ago we met at Meridian Elementary with some friends from church to help clean up the school grounds.  Birch and Oakley are great at helping me clean.  Birch had fun wiping windows.

"I got it!"

Aspen did too.  Wish I'd gotten more photos.  Eric power washed the windows and corners and the kids and I finished the windows afterward.  The school had an amazing playground so afterward the kids went and played while us grownups chatted and ate otter pops.


 
Oaks's first day of preschool. Have to post Roo's first day of school next time.....
Some pictures of the kids snoozing......
 
.....it makes me so happy that Oakley still loves dinosaurs so much......
 I had to take a photo of Birch eating his donut.  He holds his sandwiches this way and I think it's so cute.
Roo messing around.  We had gone to Walmart early to get an oil change so I grabbed some donuts for the kids and we looked at toys while we waited.
 
Birch got out of the bathtub the other day and his hair was wavy and a bit crazy.  Oakley told me his hair looked like wind. :)
playing with Daddy.  not sure what Birch is so unhappy about.
 
Aspen playing with her friend Bailey....and my camera!
 Bike riding with friends.  They were so cute this day; huddling and making a plan for a bike parade.

The kids at their last horse riding lesson.
When Birch gets older I'd like to take him to a lesson too.  Our friends (who do the lessons) offered another lesson whenever we'd like.  Totally taking them up on it!
Roo and I had just read a book about horses, saddles, and all their equipment, so she was explaining things to me here.
produce from the garden
Finally the cherry tomatoes are ripe!! I've been patiently waiting for so long.  
We have several watermelon in the garden.  I picked one a month or so ago and it wasn't ripe; here's hoping the next one is :)

3 comments:

Sasha Cornelius Eggli said...

So many great, sweet photos Chelsi! The lake looks so much fun! That is one loooong vegetable :)

Bethany Fegles Photography said...

What a fun last getaway to the lake! It looks like you had a great time! I love Aspen's shorter hair cut, it's so cute on her Chelsi!
That's awesome that you guys grew watermelons!! Yummy! Your garden produce looks great. We grew cantaloupe last year and I wish we had done it again this year.
Happy Fall!! Love you!!

Dave said...

Eric stole my Borah Wrestling t-shirt!