July Trip to Priest Lake

After an unbelievable turn around of one day after being gone for seventeen days, the kids and I headed out for Priest Lake on Tuesday, July 18th.  Normally, I would never plan a second trip so quickly after the first one, but this is what we had to do in order to squeeze in a July trip to Priest Lake before the girls started their 3-week rehearsal schedule for Matilda at NWTL.  In addition, Ron was supposed to join us on this trip, but cancelled a few weeks ago after he got his new job and realized that he really should be back at work after taking two weeks off.  As a result, my parents agreed to caravan with us to make sure that I stayed awake driving the eight hour drive there alone after being so exhausted from our previous trip.  Luckily, I was able to get us ready for our trip in one day and was able to stay awake the entire drive there.  The kids and I then enjoyed the warmest weather we have ever had while at Priest Lake during the four days that we were there between travel days.  It was 100 degrees every single day, so we watched the lake temperature go from 72 degrees to 76 degrees and enjoyed warm wind blowing on our faces every day which never happens north of the narrows!  In addition, Brent, Sarah, Kelsey, and her husband, Britton, drove up late on Friday night just so that we could see them for one day before we had to leave on Sunday.  They did this so that we could meet Kelsey's new husband for the first time and also to say 'goodbye' to Sarah since she is leaving on her mission to Arizona in a few weeks.  So, although it was a really quick trip, I am so glad that we were able to get over there for a few days this month before heading into "Matilda Jail" (as I am affectionately calling it) for the next three weeks.  Here are some pictures of our few days there...

Since we never can make the boat ride to Upper Priest Lake when the big group is there, I decided to take advantage of our small numbers and drove my mom and the kids up through the thorofare one morning while we were there.  Since it was almost 100 degrees and the new boat does not have a cover, the kids were pretty miserable by the time we made it up there.

As a result, we pulled the boat up onto a beach and enjoyed cooling down in the pristine water.  Here are the kids with grandma.

Lia with Emmy and Ella.

Chilling in the water with my mom.

After pulling away from the beach, we decided to stop the boat in the middle of the lake so that Logan and Ella could practice jumping into "dark water" which is something that they have both struggled with over the years at Priest Lake.  Here is Lia showing them how it is done.

Logan diving into the water.  As silly as this seems, this was a big deal for him.

Ella following her big brother's lead.

All four siblings hanging out on the back of the boat.

Ella!

My favorite people with me at one of my favorite places.

The kids enjoyed using the paddle boards and the kayak all week long.  Here are Ella and Logan paddling along with grandma at their side.

Emmett and I enjoyed several kayak trips together.  We have loved doing this for many summers.

Ella with Emmy and me.

The kids had fun playing on the water mat.

And playing their favorite game of pushing each other off!

Logan jumping off of the dock.

Ella discovered on this trip that she has the strength and the balance to do handstands on the paddle board.  It was rather amazing to watch her do this!

Since Lia is training for XC, she ran every day while we were there.  She requested that Kelsey bring up her running clothes so that the girls could run together on Saturday.  I had to laugh when they both emerged from their bedrooms wearing matching running clothes.  Here are the twins before starting their run together.

They're off!

Kelsey and Lia running down the lane.

Ella playing on the beach.

Logan, Emmett, and Ella all playing with the clay they can find beneath the surface of the sand.

Logan sculpting his clay while using the dock as his tabletop.

Mother and kiddos on the dock.

Emmett swimming with a huge smile on his face.

The kids playing on the water mat with the Montana cousins.

Britton, Kelsey, Sarah, Lia, Logan, Ella, and Emmett all pose together for a cousin photo.