Ice Walking

We had a 3 day weekend (that turned into a 4 day weekend) this past week and we took that opportunity to head to the lake for some R&R. The lake is 1hr 40ish minutes - door to door - which makes it a perfect weekend get away. We feel like it's a vacation - even in the dead of winter.

Things started off rough - when I realized we left BOTH Josie & Nolan's coats at home. Who does that? Rookies.  I remedied the situation with a trip to the outlets. I may have also done some personal shopping for MYSELF - but whatever... Above you can see Josie acting like a dog. Not sure.

We didn't have sleds, so we used a float and some dog leashes... You do what you gotta do.

Tyson didn't enjoy the ice walking as much as the rest of us. Maybe it's because he forgot his boots.

See Tucker's pouty face? He's thinking: "Damnit - where did the water go? I wanna swim. The lake is NO FUN in the winter." {Cooper & Tucker cuss a lot - in case you're wondering.}

After dinner - we had some leftover birthday cake and these two got CRAZY! Why we have so many wig options at the lake - is a mystery...but I renamed them Willie & Wanda. Everyone slept well that night.

Snapshots

Here are a few snapshots from the second half of our summer:

We got to spend a couple weekends with Aunt Kim at the lake. Here she is with Nolan - hugging his "dog" that she gave him for Christmas last year. It's his fave.

Idaho came to the lake in JULY. It was so fun to spend time with Agnes (and Devin & Kristin).

Nolan went to his first movie! The Secret Life of Pets. He ate plenty of popcorn...but couldn't quite make it through the whole movie. 

This is Josie's reaction to her pre-Kindergarten shots at the pediatrician's office. When my dad saw this...it took him back to ME at 13. I literally did this.

We had an AMAZING summer with Mia and were sad to send her off to MSU for her sophomore year. We miss her already.

Oh - hey Uncle Joe.

The Carsten family came up from FW to visit one weekend. Made Jack's summer. We all took in (half) a Tigers game. 

Bedtime antics. Crazies.

We spent Labor Day enjoying the lake! What a fun summer. So many great memories made at the new lake house! Already looking forward to next year.

Sorry. But when did my baby get so big. {tears} Napping with "Dog."

IU soccer played at UofM. We had to take the kids over for the game. IU is ranked #3 in the country right now...so we witnessed a really great game! Hoosiers won 2-0.

It's beginning to LOOK a lot like fall in Michigan. (not so much FEELING like fall yet) If you've never visited Michigan in the fall...you're missing out. It's beautiful! Oh, and we have amazing CIDER mills with Cider Donuts. Nothing better.

Summer Days

Summer is flying by! We try to make the most of these hot, sunny days. We've had plenty of sprinkler days with popsicle snacks.

LOTS of visits to the lake this summer. Just making up for not being able to go last summer... Boy is it a fun place to spend a weekend!

An occasional nap. Cooper is the King of Naps. Nolan is, too. Jack and Josie could use some work on their napping skills.

And plenty of side walk chalk, too.  I try to keep them busy - but we also enjoy our down time. The school year is right around the corner and that brings LONG days and LONG nights. Soccer will be starting and both, Jack & Josie, have full schedules. (which means so do mom & dad...and Nolan) These are the days.

Clevenger Family Lake Time

A couple weeks ago we were able to have my family at the lake for some family fun.  Nolan was in heaven because his Papa Jerry was there. My dad and Tyson's dad are celebrity status in Nolan's world.

Uncle Jon and Cassie were visiting from Naples! They volunteered to go tubing with Jack and he had a BLAST!

My grandparents also came over for the day.  My grandpa had a total hip replacement in June and is doing awesome! It was fun having them there with us. Joe, Gina, and their kiddos were there too...which would be why I have zero pictures of Josie on here. Her cousins are her BFFs and there wasn't one picture I took all day that didn't have Millie or Emma in it with her. She's a lucky girl.

Thankful for time together and a fun place to spend a weekend!

ALSO - this is my 2,000 published blog post. Which is crazy. I haven't been the best blogger lately...but I definitely want this running timeline for the kids - so I will be better.

Memorial Day

We spent Memorial Day at the lake and it was AMAZING. Everything. We got to spend the whole weekend with family and friends...which is pretty much the best case scenario. There were a couple games of chess...

Lots of swimming in the {just a tad cool} lake. Both Jack & Josie will pretty much be fish this summer.

We took plenty of boat rides. Nolan decided he likes the boat.

 ...and taking baths in the sink.

 ...and reading the newspaper with Papa Denny.

 We got to hang out and play with the Dixon/Wright clan. Jack is the oldest at 6...Maddie is two weeks older than Josie (peas in a pod) and Will is two weeks older than Nolan. This is a crazy crew.

 Grandma Shirlee and Grandpa Jerry stopped by Sunday for a boat ride, lunch, and the Indy 500.

 Oh - and there was plenty of desserts. Cake & ice cream. Jack was in heaven. Looking forward to MANY more weekends at the lake!

The Lake with Agnes

We spent a few days celebrating Christmas and ringing in 2016 at the Lake with the Idaho Beckers. Nolan broke in the new farm sink - by letting Grandma Nancy give him a bath in it!

 Coop's big butt was there. Tucker's too. And that dang dog jumped in the lake. More than once.

 Josie modeled Kristin's Wonder Woman apron.

 Tyson and Devin smoked some delicious chicken...We are in for some really good meat this summer!

 Agnes and Nolan spent some time catching up.

Early morning meet-ups were popular. Sleeping arrangements with 6 adults, 4 kids, and two dogs can get dicey. We all left the lake a little more tired than we were when we arrived.

And Jack proved he's worthy of being the big cousin. Both Jack and Josie were excited to help feed Agnes.

Looking forward to many more weekends at the lake! Maybe next time warmer temps will make everything a little better.

Lake George

If you are wondering..."why haven't there been lake pictures on the blog this summer?" You answer is above. The lake house is under construction...and while construction may not be moving as quickly as anyone would like - it is going to be AMAZING next summer (and every summer after). 

We were all missing the lake, so Nancy & Denny rented a cottage right down from theirs and the Idaho Beckers flew in for a fun long weekend.

We did family pictures and we FINALLY have a picture that includes all of the Beckers (Nolan & Agnes, too!) New cottage decor...check.

Our family got a few good pictures too...so, if I get lazy busy...and you see this picture appear in your mailbox in December, well...

The Becker men cooked lots of meats for us on the smoker. Everything was delicious. I might buy Tyson a smoker just so he can "smoke" more and I can "cook" less.

 fishing poles.

 hello.

 One foot in Michigan, one foot in Indiana.

Tom's Donuts & Agnes. Agnes didn't eat any of them. But Nolan might have....

master crawler.

baby pool with Kallie

 boat ride with Kinley & Hadley (not shown)

swim suit model.

It was a SUPER fun long weekend - with LOTS of Becker family fun crammed in. We have missed the lake and the Idaho Beckers so much. Glad we could enjoy both at the same time.