Lake + River

The LAKE

Last week we spent 3 days and 3 nights at Bob's parent's place near Branson (the kids currently call it "the woods"). We took some friends with us, and minus the 100 chigger bites and 20 ticks found on our friend, it was a grand time. This week we are doing the same thing, but we're going with Bob's family. And hoping to avoid bug bites all together. 

I love being down there, as do the kids. This time we spent all day at a nearby beach then headed back to "the woods" for dinner and some R & R while the cicada's sang and the kids played. Bob also perfected his homemade coffee ice cream, which made for the perfect ending to a long day in the sun. 

The kids usually do great on the 3.5 hour drive, however Avery had a "little" meltdown at the start of this trip. She quickly got over it thanks to veggie straws and Bray's efforts to make her happy, "what do you need, Avery. Tell me what you need." When he's not punching her or taking her toys he can be quite sweet. 

I love this man.

After a couple hours in the sun, the daddies took the kids back for their naps while the mommies stayed at the beach. I can't tell you the last time I've closed my eyes, and kept them closed, while sitting next to a body of water. It was AWESOME.

The RIVER

This is a bit belated, but I'd kick myself if I left it out of this year's blog. 

At the end of June we went on a float trip with our small group from church. We decided to make the trek to the Current River in Eminence, Mo, 5 hours away. It was hands down worth every bored minute of travel. No boobs or beads were in sight, the water was gorgeous, and our campsite was clean and convenient. All of those factors would have made for a great trip, but what put this one over the top was our decision to leave Avery behind. It broke my heart to leave her, but having the whole weekend with Bray to ourselves was incredibly memorable. He soaked up every ounce of attention we offered and beamed as he explored his surroundings. The poor guy did catch a stomach bug while on the river, but he handled it like a champ. And I learned, thanks to 10 stops on the side of river, to never, EVER, float without toilet paper. 

Bray also caught the biggest fish of the day. He was SO proud and I was beyond grateful the Lord worked that out for him.

I hope we continue to do things like this with each kid as time progresses. While it probably won't be a 5 hour trip to the river every year, we can take ice cream dates or day trips.