Tuesday, August 18, 2009

First Date

Alainna is ready for her "FIRST DATE"





Alainna and her Papa

I am so grateful this is the memory ALL my daughters will have of their first date. Laurn has been taking them out on dates for years and now with Alainna turning 5 soon it is her turn to get into the rotation.
When they go on dates they usually go to dinner. Sometimes it's just dessert or coffee and then to the book store to look at books. They talk about fashion and the styles that Laurn likes for them.
With 4 daughters it's amazing that he still remembers to take me out quite often. He even grilled us salmon before he left. I am married to an amazing man.

Monday, August 3, 2009

Elk Lake Camping Adventure


Well, this summer we went to Elk Lake. We have been going there for many years, ever since Caitlin was born. We have built many traditions there with our family. One of them is biking to the ice cream shoppe, another is catching fish, eating fish, roasting marshmallows, swimming, making challenges, and simply having a great time enjoying what GOD has created for us. This year we are going to share the fun by telling the stories and showing the pictures. ~



Here is 115 fish. Although it does not look like much, it filled the cooler to the top! We did not make the record this camping trip, but next time we will get more serious about it. I don't exactly know what Levi is doing here. [?] He he he he, Levi got stuck in the small hole of the girl's tent, and it was the funniest thing!



This is a cool and tricky picture. It looks like he is sitting in the fire. :-)



BUBBLES! STORMS! AND THE WHOLE LAKE IS TO OUR SELVES!!!


STORM! It was the weirdest thing. It was 90 degrees then all of the sudden dark clouds sweep across the bright blue sky and start to send giant rain drops down on us that made the lake bubble. All of the other people on the bank run to their tents with all their stuff. So, there we are, swimming in the Lake while it is raining with the whole Lake to our selves!


Earlier, about the day before the storm, we had a mini tornado sweep across the very bank that we were on! It swept all of the floats along with dirt and sticks and threw them across the whole Lake! It was a very amazing experience. God had made an amazing world!


Felicity at Devil's Lake.
Devil's Lake is 5 minuets from Elk Lake
we go there about every morning to fish. It is extremely clear but also extremely cold! Not many people go down there, and now you know why! :-)




Siblings. :-)


Alainna and Levi had to do something creative while we were fishing! So they put their heads together and made a plan! They decided to play house. Levi was the father and Alainna was the mother. Alainna made Levi a pie of mud and then Levi prayed for it. Amazingly Levi attempted to taste it... lets just say he did not try that again! But hey! How do you know that is does not taste good if you have never tasted it before?!







Levi did not see it coming! I snapped this photo just as Marcus was going to drench Levi with his water bottle! ;-)



Levi having fun in the water of Elk Lake, it was the perfect temperature, not too cold and not too warm. We swim in it every year. We also made a rock tower in 7ft water. How? Well, Me, Papa, and Caitlin took rocks and walked under water with them and then dropped them quickly on the pile. We made it high enough for you to sit on it and the water went up to the waist. We did not want to go any further because then we would look like mountain goats trying to stand higher than every one else on the beach! :-)


LORD willing we will rebuild that every year for as long as we go there!



Caitlin, me, and Papa went fishing! We fish in Devil's Lake and enjoy every minute of it!


Caitlin, Felicity, Marcus, Alainna, Levi, and Jacob really enjoyed catching the little frogs out in the swamp. Lots of them were tad poles that had little legs.


This is a cool picture of the fire that I took. {Jessica} It turned out pretty neat!







The Koch version of "Tree hugger."
Levi caught 7 fish today and had a blast!


Jacob is having a blast in our mini raft. Doesn't he look SO cute? :-)




Caitlin and Papa fishing in devil's Lake.




I hope you enjoyed viewing the photo's of our great time together. Camping is something that you just can't miss!