Up to Paradise

We went back to Elizabeth's house this summer. We weren't planning on going because we went last summer and saw Elizabeth in December, but Joanna and Rayne were going to be there, and they said they would be "extra nice" if we came. We were brave and decided to do the full 14 hour drive in one shot, and it worked out surprisingly well! It turns out our kids actually can look at screens for pretty much an entire day and not be too sad about it. Road construction on road trips is a lot more enjoyable with an Isaac in the car craning his neck to get a better look at the trucks. 

We arrived just in time for an evening walk!

There was a nest of almost full grown owls nearby, and we got to spot them quite a bit. I love this picture I took that has the owl's reflection in the water. This is a happy place. 

And a peaceful place. 

Mom Blood and Claudia had birthdays, which means we were treated to some delicious and gorgeous Elizabeth cake!

Kids in the creek

I got my steps in running the zipline seat back up time after time

We hiked to the waterfall! The weather was beautiful, but the water in the creek we had to cross multiple times was PAINFULLY cold. 

Tauriel and Isaac. Those cousins are so good to my kids. 

Ethan and Isaac with Kade on a swather! Isaac now says he wants to be a farmer when he grows up so he can drive big trucks. Kade is a champ for letting the kids ride along with him. 

At one point, Kade diverted some of the water towards the field past the house. It got the water pressure high enough for a one day water slide! 

The water goes past the slide through this ditch, which was temporarily full enough to kayak on. Usually the kayaks are used in the pond. 

Fun fact- cougars love to eat 8 year old boy brains. 

One fun thing we did quite a bit of this year was scavenger hunts! I made some by myself and with Elliot helping, and Rayne made some too. It was fun having the kids scamper all over the place looking for clues. 

Bree's ability to command the attention of small children is incredibly impressive. 

The Bloods love their vegetables! Elliot and I had fun making this.