Pictures from Our Trip Part Two

Here are a few more pictures from our trip to the lake.  

Lawson wanted to drive the boat!

Captain Lawson

Molly at Ha Ha Tonka

Trying to get a group picture is near impossible

Look!  The girls are getting along and smiling!  

This is what it looks like when Molly and Isabelle go fishing.

Jason caught quite a few fish while we were there.  This was not the largest but I think it was the first!

Again, group pics aren't always super easy, but this was the best of the trip!

I love my family and I love having time to get away together and do family things.

pics from our trip, part one

these are just a few of the pictures we took while on our "vacation" to the lake over memorial day!  

moll loves sleeping on the boat

my girls on our last boat ride

lawson sporting his new hat and swimming trunks

fun at ha ha tonka state park

isabelle and dad fishing together

i think she looks about 16 here  

despite the fact that the water was freezing, both girls swam

j is a great dad to be in that water with them

my kids love the lake.  it is hard driving there and back as they aren't great travelers, but to hear them giggle and see them high five each other when we get there makes it worth it (mostly).  we fit a lot into this trip so i will have some more pics tomorrow!

Summer Days

Well one thing has become very clear to me....if I make a checklist things get done.  Seriously.  It is pretty crazy how motivated I am to cross things off a list. 

With that being said, we have done a lot of things that are on our summer bucket list, so I thought I would share.

First, we took a boat ride.  During our family vacay we actually took many boat rides.  The girls are still talking about going to the "middle of the lake" and the boat stopping.

in case you can't tell....i. heart instagram.

We have also been swimming at grandma's house.  We took the girls to swim last Friday night and they had a blast.  Molly was fearless as expected and Isabelle was swimming like a pro!  Both girls spent most of their time jumping in over and over again.  Because I am super afraid of doing anything to my new phone, I do not have pics.  We are planning on more swimming trips so I will take a real camera (you know, because who cares if I break my camera, but not my PHONE!) and try to document the fun.

Two things that we have done many times are going to the zoo and berry picking.  We are actually going to the zoo again tomorrow and berry picking on Thursday.  The girls have a great time and it is nice to get outside in the mornings before it gets too hot.

Also on the list was to set up the pool in the backyard and go buy a new toy.....done and done.

I don't know how good of an idea the toy thing was.  They were pretty overwhelmed with the number of choices and didn't seem to want my input.  The doll I basically forced Molly to get was not what she wanted and Belle picked a doll also.  Funny thing is, the doll that no one wanted gets fought over every day!  Should have just bought two of the same!  When will I ever learn?  I don't know if we are mean parents in that we have never just gone and let our kids buy a toy for no reason or if that is normal.  Either way, we won't be doing it again anytime soon.  Especially since we spent $15 on a doll that no one plays with and $15 on a doll that is a source of arguments everyday!

What have you been up to?  Done anything on your summer bucket list? 

Molly's funny faces

Molly is such a funny girl.  Getting her to smile for a picture these days is near impossible.  While we were on vacation I wanted one good picture of her sitting with Jason on the boat.  Here is what I got!

Notice how Jason looks pretty much exactly the same in each photo, but not Molly.  She is a crack up!  Hopefully she will get over this phase soon so I can get some pictures of her just smiling a regular smile before she gets too big.

Family Vacation-Part Two

So we left off having survived being stranded......

Day 3:  Woke up after a night of some crazy thunderstorms.  Girls were doing what they do every morning, drink their milk while watching a show and Jason and I had just sat down with a cup of coffee and then it happened...mishap numero dos.  The power goes out.  At first I expected it to come right back on, but it didn't.  I wasn't too worried at first and then we realized we had no water.  Apparently  the water is on a well, which is on a pump run by electricity.  Bummer.  Jason and I pondered what to do and when we had finally made the decision to pack up and come home the power came back on.  I am glad we stayed because the weather was so nice (due to the cold front coming through) and we had a great day.  I was also glad that we had planned donuts for breakfast!  No power required to eat donuts!!!! 

isabelle with her first fish.  i know grandma grape would be proud.

second fish!  she had a great time with her dad.

We had another great day on the boat and eating a yummy dinner.  I fixed chicken nuggets (from a recipe I will share later this week) and some french fries (from a bag...hehe). 

Day 4:  Going home day.  We had actually considered staying an extra day, but when we woke up Friday morning, there was no water.  There was power, but no water.  They had found a leak in the area and were working to repair it.  SO....we packed up our stuff, went on one last boat ride, ate lunch and came home.  And as a side note, the water did not come back on for over 24 hours, so I am glad we left when we did!

the only picture of me with the girls.  and of course, there are zero of me and lawson!

1st, what is up with molly's face?  she was having fun, i promise.  we stopped in joplin for ice cream on our way home.

Overall, we had a great trip.  We had fun on the boat, the girls had fun being outside whether it was walking to Mimosa (where of course we let them buy candy), playing in their pool or being on the boat.  Jason and I had fun being together without our iphones!!!  Lawson did great, as usual.  He has done pretty well every trip we have taken with him so far.  While we were there, Isabelle got sick, so that was a bummer, but even she didn't do that bad being sick.

It was hard not to think about my grandparents and how they would have liked seeing kiddos at the lake again.  Or how my grandma would have loved having someone available to take her fishing!  Mostly, I am so glad we went.  Yes, the drive was long, yes, I did freak out when we were stranded and when we had no power and water, but it turned out okay and we have some fun memories to look back on.