Our July trip to Priest Lake

We just returned yesterday from a glorious week at Priest Lake.  The weather was amazing the entire time with temperatures in the 80s or 90s all week long.  We were up there the entire time with just my parents which turned out to make things really relaxing and peaceful for all of us.  With the exception of Emmett sleeping poorly in the pack 'n play all week long, we all had a great time being outside, swimming in the water, and playing on the beach.  In addition, I was able to go water skiing for the first time in three years as I didn't go in 2018 due to being pregnant with Emmett and and in 2019 due to sustaining knee injuries on both of my knees.  Thanks to the help of two brand new knee braces that I wore in the water, I was able to go water skiing all week long with little to no pain which was such a relief to me as so many things have changed in my life since I injured both of my knees and my right shoulder last summer.  Lia was also able to get up on intermediate water skis for the first time as she said goodbye to the trainer skis that she learned on a few years that she had totally outgrown.  The other bonus was helping Ella get up on the trainer water skis for the first time after announcing to me a few weeks ago that she would try one time if I would buy her a new Lego set.  It was the cutest thing to see her little body pop up out of the water and go several feet before crashing.  Although Logan has zero interest in trying again this summer, I was grateful to help another little one of ours give this favorite water sport of mine a try!  Here are some pictures from our week up north!

July 18th:

The darling picture that Lia took of the three younger kids in the back of the Suburban before we pulled out of the driveway on Saturday morning.

July 19th:

The stunning picture Ron took of the lake from the deck before heading down to enjoy Sunday afternoon at the beach with the family.

Logan in the foreground heading down the trail to the beach below.

The three older kids getting ready to jump into the water.

The darling picture Ron took of my parents standing on the deck talking together while "surveying their domain."

Emmett LOVED playing in the water along the shoreline all week long.  Here he is testing it out for the first time.

Logan walking back to the beach with sand toys in hand.

July 20th:

Helping Lia and my mom get ready to take me out skiing for the first time after launching the boat that morning.

Getting ready to go!

The kids and I loved using the paddle boards all week long.  Here is Logan paddling around while collecting rocks.

Lia and Logan sharing a paddle board together.

Ella paddling around in the protected waters next to the dock all by herself.

Ella and I cruising around together.  She is always such a fun buddy to have on the paddle board with me.

My mom found some left over huckleberries in the freezer from last year and I so I put them on the cream pie that I was making for dessert that night.  It turned out to be so delicious!  Here is the pie before we devoured it.

Lia and I enjoying our huckleberry pie.

Ella requested that we put on a family talent show on Monday evening.  We all decided to do something really informal or silly for our individual acts.  Logan offered to be the M.C. and conducted the entire show with a very funny voice. 

Ella decided to show us how fast she could put together a puzzle AND draw a picture.

Logan showed us how fast he could rebuild a pirate, Lego set.

Lia decided to show us how fast she could read one page in her book, but after bursting into laughter she gave up after a few sentences.

My mom read one of our favorite, family stories, The Little House, to all of the children.  Ron read a poem that he recently wrote, I showed everyone how fast I could change Emmett's diaper and put on a knee brace, and my dad tickled all of the children one at a time.  It was a really silly talent show, but a fun way to spend the evening together.

July 21st:

At my insistence, everyone but my dad piled into the boat Tuesday after lunch to spend the afternoon at the beautiful, public beach by Canoe Point.  The water was so warm and calm that we all had a great time swimming and playing in it.

A family photo I asked my mom to take of us on the same log where we had one taken last year.

Adorable Emmett checking out the water with daddy at his side.

Lia and Logan basking in the shallows.  They both enjoyed playing a long game of toss with the football with their dad that afternoon.  He would throw it to them and they would jump up and catch it before crashing down in the water.

Ella warming up on the towel after enjoying a swim.

Papa and baby swimming in the water together.

The darling picture that Lia took of Emmy and me.

Emmett was so funny and ran up and down the shoreline over and over again.  He was acting really silly and making all of these funny faces while running in the shallow part of the water.  Here is a picture I took of him standing next to the log he was playing around.

July 22nd:

We enjoyed another slow and relaxing day at our beach.  Here is Logan floating in that stunning, clear water.

Ron helped Logan drag the kayak off of the beach and the girls enjoying paddling around in the waves while being "teathered" to the dock.

The girls giving me a smile.

July 23rd:

After having to work the previous three mornings, Ron took Thursday off and was able to join us for our morning water ski.  He was able to watch Lia and me ski AND to see Ella try for the first time.

A picture of me skiing into my favorite bay past Canoe Point.

Sending out a rooster tail!

Ella with her skis on and ready to go.  I still can't believe how brave she was to try water skiing at six years old!  Neither Logan or Lia were ready to try doing this at this age.

Since Emmett was still taking his morning nap after we were done with our morning ski, Ron and I decided to take the kids down to the river to play for an hour before lunch.  Here is Logan posing for me.

And Ella, too.

While Lia took pictures of her AG doll for her Instagram account, we threw rocks and built rock towers with the other two children.

Logan posing next to several of the rock towers we built at the edge of the river.

Ella and me walking back to the car.

July 24th:

After Emmett's morning nap, we all headed out in the boat to check out a new mansion being built on the lake south of our cabin.  Here is Emmett smiling between grandma and Lia from inside the boat.

Ella and Logan sitting in the front of the boat.

After dropping grandpa back off at the dock, I drove the rest of the group down to Fairy Fern Beach to spend the afternoon.  Here are Ella, grandma, and Emmett sitting together while enjoying an afternoon snack.

Another family photo in front of the boat that we pulled up onto the beach.

The cutest, 6-year old alive.

A group shot of all of the kids.

Emmett walking along the beach.

Since it got windy and choppy by 8 o'clock Friday morning, Lia and I were unable to go out for our morning ski that day.  After dinner, the water finally calmed down enough for Lia to go.  So she agreed to go for an evening ski!

A shot Ron took of us heading back to the dock after Lia had finished her ski.

Another darling shot that Ron took of Ella riding back to the dock while faithfully holding the safety flag which she loves to be in charge of whenever there is a skier!

After spending the rest of Friday evening packing and cleaning, we headed out Saturday morning, July 25th, for the 7.5 hour drive home after a wonderful week away.  Here is a picture of sweet, baby Emmett taking a nap on our drive home.  Oh how I just love those cheeks!

After having so many events, activities, and trips cancelled the past four months, it was just so nice to be able to get away for a week to such a beautiful place!  Thank heavens that no governor or public leader can cancel our trips to Priest Lake!