The Lake 2009

We came back from our annual trip with Brad's family to Wildwood Resort by Bass Lake "up North". Here is our only shot of us all together -- a little blurry and none of us looking our best, but we're all together (-: From left: Uncle Brian & Aunt Kara with Max below; Grandma Nancy & Grandpa Tom in middle back; Brad & Lincoln, Dietrich & me; Atticus below.

It was supposed to be a cold, rainy week but ended up perfect temperatures and only rained a part of a few days. With all the kids so little, it wasn't exactly the restful break we longed for but the kids had fun, it was good to spend time with our family and it is always wonderful to have an entire week with Brad. I was able to take a walk just about every day, have a movie date with Brad, and spent a little time reading, writing, and drawing. Tom started the week out by getting a stomach bug-thing for a couple days...Nancy and I followed with me taking the close of the week -- Brad (with intermittant helping hands) had to watch the boys for a whole day AND pack everything up by himself while I writhed and tried to become unconscious by sleeping in the back bedroom. Still, it was a worthwhile week and I'm glad we had it together.

The view from our cabin

Our swanky new "cabin" -- the first time we've had one of the new big ones.

Atticus & Grandma snapping beans

Dietrich happily watching

Sweetie Brad "settling in"

Tom, Brad, & Brian going out to fish...Brad didn't get the smiling cue

Ornery but awfully cute

Grandma helping Dietrich & cousin Max walk the pier
(notice, Max is "on the phone" in all of these pictures -- long call, apparently)

This photo with the next two are a sadly typical series of events for my two older sons. We are talking about and working on (and I am praying for) peace between them.

Dietrich looks like he's over-reacting, but Atticus is pinning Dietrich's Blankie down so he can't get it.

Kara & Brad talking -- a too rare occasion for Brad to sit down and catch up with his sister.

Brad & beautiful Lincoln

Atticus cheesing it

Dietrich dancing in the water -- he hated to have a t-shirt or swim trunks on -- if either got even a little wet, he was immediately crying and demanding them removed, so I gave up and "trailer-parked" him in just a swim diaper. I was just thankful that after a couple bad experiences in wading pools this summer, he finally enjoyed playing in the water.

Max, Atticus, & Aunt Kara (4 months pregnant with her second baby, a girl (-:)

Dietrich in the water and sunshine

Trying a scotcheroo

Brad being strange

The boys playing basketball: Atticus & Uncle Brian

Dietrich

I'm sure Kara will love that I posted this one -- I had just taken 4 wonderful pictures of her -- smiling prettily -- and all ended up blurry, so here's the two that came out. Oh brother (-:{

Kara took one of me with Lincoln
(A storm is brewing on the horizon -- thus the dark background.)

Lincoln giving Grandma Nancy a sweet look

Brad & Dietrich at sunset

Brad, Dietrich & Atticus

This is a picture of Brad and Kara with four of their friends who have been going to Camp Wildwood since they were little kids. Dennis on the left with his wife Shannon (not pictured) just had their first baby, Ryan, born just before Lincoln.

This is a picture of Brad & Kara's cousins and friends playing Mafia late at night. I stayed up to play games for awhile the first night and stayed out to watch Mafia a little the second night, but I was super tired and getting sick with the flu, so I ended up going to bed by 11ish -- I'm kinda lame like that. But I was very happy Brad was able to enjoy this!

One day there was rain in the morning. We were able to get a free pass for all of us to visit the children's museum in town. Grand Rapids -- the little town near our camp -- isn't swanky and I kinda wondered what the place would be like, but it was very very nice. Set up with little rooms -- a grocery store, a doctor's office, a music store, a fire station, a newsroom, a daycare (with dolls and strollers and such), a reading room, a dinosaur dig (with sand and "bones"), and a big room with a maze and water table and tents set up like a camp-out. There was even a big opening room with all sorts of learning tables -- geography and history and science games. We could have spent an entire day there, but nap-times cut it short.

Dietrich immediately took this doll stroller and spent the first half of our visit happily clomping around with the it.

Atticus in the maze

So halfway into our visit, Dietrich brings me the toy stroller and walks off into one of the play rooms. I think, "Oh, good. He's found something new to do." A few seconds later, he emerges from the cafe/grocery store with this shopping cart. He spent the second half of our visit happily wheeling this around.

Even through the maze...

The water table with wooden boats and a lock and dam system...

Atticus & Max especially enjoyed figuring this out -- though Max kept wanting to move the boat backwards up the lock system (-: It actually kinda worked -- on a toy boat level.

Atticus dressing up as a fireman

Brad hula-hooping -- He had some trouble because of the moving weight inside this particular hoop.

Brad's Aunt Linda and Uncle Doug fed all of us and some of Brad's cousins visiting from out of state. Doug & Nate provided (they caught it) the walleye and this restaurant cooked it, and provided all the sides. Thank you Doug, Linda, and Nate!

Cousin Jason saying hello to Lincoln

Cousins Logan & Marcia

Cousin Nate & Aunt Kara

Atticus, Max & Dietrich

Back at the cabin -- The grown-ups needed a break, so we read them Harry the Dirty Dog (one of my boys' favorite books) and then let them watch the animated movie telling the same story (Nancy had checked it out from the Altoona library). It was a nicely rendered video -- I enjoyed it too.

Lincoln hanging out with them

Dietrich really really really loves Lincoln

Grandpa Tom with Lincoln

Grandma & Grandpa with the Boys

Shucking corn

One day we took Atticus out on a paddle boat ride. We saw a bald eagle soaring over head, then begin a loud and national geographic worthy descent into his aerie. A female eagle rose up to meet him -- a tangle of powerful wings circling the nest. Then three very large "baby" eagles "stood up" from the nest. It was very un-real and wonderful. The nest ended up being just a few yards from the cabin next to us. We heard eagles everyday -- eerie sounds especially at dusk and dawn. One day when Brad and I were gone (?) a young eagle landed on a rock on the ground outside our cabin. These photos are from another day when one of the young ones was roosting on a branch lower down from the nest.

A sample of some of the beautiful lichens in the woods around us. I can't wait to get the boys more interested in such things. The moss varieties were also amazing. I wish I could remember more from the college course I took -- for now, I told Atticus and Dietrich that lichens were moss and algae being best friends -- kinda dorky explanation but they seemed to think it was a neat idea.

Everybody out for a campfire and smores. The lady in pink is Aunt Linda and the guy in the blue polo on the right is Uncle Doug (Nancy's brother) -- they live year-round up there right across the lake.

Kara & Max roating a marshmallow

Dietrich breaking into the smore stash -- mostly just the chocolate (-:

A boat ride with Dietrich and Atticus