Annual August Lake Trip

Last week we went on what has become our annual August lake trip. I think this is the 3rd year in a row that we've gone up to the lake for a long stretch. This trip was Wednesday-Saturday. This trip was extra special because my sister that lives in AZ was there with her husband and baby! I hadn't seen my sister since January 2020 when we all gathered at a resort to celebrate my parents 50th wedding anniversary. A lot happened (hello, 2 babies were born!) since we last saw each other so it was wonderful to spend lots of time with them. 

After our horrendous after-work drive in June, we opted to leave on Wednesday morning. We were in the car by 7:30 thanks to me pushing us along! I wanted to get to the lake ASAP! The drive wasn't too bad. Will barely napped of course but was fairly content except the last hour which he spent mostly screaming. Eeks. We stopped twice which seems to be the least numbers of times you can stop when you have a potty trained toddler and a breastfed baby. Hopefully some day we can do the drive (which is about 3 hours on a good day) with zero stops but I think we are a couple of years from that...

Wednesday was a really nice day! Maddy and Will played on the blanket together and enjoyed getting to know each other. My niece Maddy has the most epic facial expressions. Paul was similar and was so expressive. Will is just pretty much happy all the time which has earned him the nickname, "Chill Will."

Will has pretty much mastered sitting up. It was nice to plop him onto a towel and let him play with toys. 

I mean check out her side eye in this photo!!! Hilarious!

Will and aunt Abby

Will and Nana

Thursday and Friday were cooler, windier days. I went for a 4 mile run on Thursday morning and enjoyed the cooler, less humid morning temps! Will had plenty of people to entertain him in my absence!

Papa and Will

I tried introducing Will to more foods with mixed results. He chewed on a strawberry for a bit before tossing it on the floor. 

Paul really enjoyed the cousin time and asked to hold little Maddy. She is smaller so easier for him to hold compared to Will!

He also soaked up some reading time with aunt Abby!

The cooler weather meant we got some use out of footie pajamas. Will spent an entire day in this outfit as it never warmed up enough for him to need something cooler!

Always be smiling!

On Saturday morning, I went for my long run of 7 miles. I'm slow compared to pre-baby pace but that's ok. I'm happy to be able to run and do something for myself!

My mom's birthday was on Saturday and she requested lunch on the pontoon. Paul REALLY did not want to go. You know what got him on the boat? Hearing chips were on the lunch menu (we had hot dogs, chips and fruit). This kid will do nearly anything for carbs! 

Will tolerated the life jacket better compared to our June trip. It helps that he's gotten longer so the life jacket isn't as bulky on him. 

I only have pictures with my sister and her family, but my older brother and sister and their spouses and kids were all there, too! So 4 out of 5 of us kids were there which made my mom very happy. 

We headed home on Saturday afternoon after the pontoon ride. Will as due for a nap so I was hoping he'd sleep for a good chunk of the trip. He alternated between sleeping and SCREAMING for the 3.5 hour drive home. It was not pleasant. 

We always come back from the lake on Saturday because no matter how short the trip was, we need a day at home to get ready to return to normalcy. Phil grocery shopped on Saturday night and I did laundry and meal prep on Sunday. Our oak tree has started to drop acorns so Phil talked Paul into helping with some acorn clean-up. He enjoyed using his sand toys to help out. 

Will and I supervised! 

This is a big week in our house as Phil turns 40 on Wednesday! I had suggested we have people over but he prefers a quiet celebration so we'll get take-out or grill dinner on Wednesday. My gift to him was arranging 3 rounds of golf with friends and family. I'm an excellent planner and, well, his friends aren't. So he'll be golfing a round with 3 of his best college buddies on Sunday - that was the most difficult to plan! On Friday afternoon he's golfing a round with 3 of his cousins. And then he'll golf one more round with my co-worker who he has become good friends with over the years as I've worked with or for this guy for 10 years! Phil is not at all materialistic and never wants anything so the gift of time doing something he loves and planning it for him was the best gift I could come up with!

How was your weekend? Do you have any annual trips that you take?