{A final swim at the Lake}

The lake house is under contract and we are closing on it soon.  We went up before it got too cold to swim.  It was Bryn's first time in the water.  She was a champ.  Everyone had fun!!

{Indoor S'mores}

We tried making S'mores outside, but the fire wasn't hot enough.  So we went to plan B, the oven.  I have to tell you - they were delicious.  We ate them ALL! 

So first, we put the chocolate on the bottom half of the S'more.  I popped these into the oven for just a minute to get the chocolate soft. 

Then, I took the top half of the S'more, and put the marshmallow on it.  Stuck it under the broiler, and watched closely.  I did this to both sides of the marshmallow.

This is what they looked like when they came out.  I probably would do less at a time, and put them all to the middle of the baking sheet.  However, they were sooo yummy!!!

So yummy in fact, I forgot to take pictures of us eating them!  haha :)

{Fun times at the Lake}

While Adam worked on his projects, the big kids played at the lake side.  The played in the sand, climbed on the rocks and swam!  They were out there from morning till dinnertime.  Barely stopping for lunch.

Mom and Bryn stayed inside and got a few inside projects done!

The kids, they love the water!

Even Tanner swims by himself with his life jacket on!

Dad took a few minutes to come play with the kids -- err, I mean throw them in the water.  They loved it!

Proof that they did eat!

She didn't sleep the whole time..  She took a few minutes to look around and show off some smiles!

{Labor}

A few weeks ago we spent the weekend up at the lake house.  We had a few projects to tackle, including splitting the logs that were left on the property when we built the house.  Lucky for us a neighbor had a log splitter that we were able to borrow, making the job much easier.  Adam started off doing it, and was joined by 2 more helpers.  Even Tanner got a chance to help!  The guys were so good with him, patiently letting him help. 

Finally, after a long day, it's done.  There are still some long pieces left, but that will be another day. 

Fun times at the lake...

This weekend our lake times were different.  We had a few things to get done around the house, and then I had a baby shower to go to.  Adam went up the lake to a friends house and the kids had fun canoeing, kayaking, and swimming.  Just goes to show we don't have to be on the boat to have fun at the lake!

 We kept a close eye on the kids from the shore!

The grass is greener

No really, our grass is doing really well at the Lake House.   We mowed it for the first time last weekend and all the seams are starting to grow in!

Pancakes

This weekend my kids asked me to "surprise" them and make special 

pancakes for them... 

So I tried!
 
I made a dinosaur & a girl
 
And their initial - J, L, & T

Mickey Mouse 

Bird vs. Fish

Well... the bird won!

Re-Decorating

Decorating an entire house is hard!  Especially when you have nothing to start with.  We did a pretty good job of filling the Lake House with stuff.  But now that we have had this house for a little while, we have noticed things that needed to be updated.

First, of course the outside still needs work... but we have at least planted some plants!

Adam and I decided to give bunk beds a try!  We originally were always going to keep them as two twin beds.

We have some really pretty hardwood floors.  But they are a PAIN! to keep clean.  We decided that we needed a few rugs.  We also put one in the dining room, but that didn't make the camera somehow.

(these pictures are backwards!  darn Picasa!)

I have hated the Duvet cover in the basement since day 1.  But now that we have had the house, we are less worried about red stains on the bedding.  Fact is, everyone is pretty good about showering! :-)  And I guess it has a little to do about the grass in the back yard also!

And the Master Bedroom.  We took up a old bed spread, but it just did not go with the wall color.  So we got a new quilt & hung some drapes on the two windows by the bed.

It has been fun spending time up their this Summer.  We are pretty lucky to have such great friends who come up and keep us company!

Turtle

Driving up in South Carolina we saw a huge turtle!  The kids swore it was a alligator or a dinosaur, no kids... just a big turtle!

EWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!