When school finished, we only had a couple of days before we headed to the cabins! We started our vacation early this year. We went to Echo Lake first (July.1-9), then Ashley Lake (July.9-17), each for 1 week. At Echo we were there with Don and Cindy, Justin, Scott and Kellie, and Brent and Bailey, so it was a full house! It was fun to see Brent and Bailey's twins...they are so cute. Cindy had to leave early, which was a bit of a bummer. We really enjoyed our time there this year.
Echo Lake is always fun to be at for the 4th of July. We went to the Big Fork parade, where the kids bring bags hoping to get candy and prizes. We bought some popcorn and almost got drenched from the fire trucks that sprayed so much water. It was a lot of fun! On the evening of the 4th, we watched the fireworks show from the Tanners lot with lots of treats and glow sticks and it was amazing, as usual.
Jeff and I snuck away to the Big Fork Rodeo this year for a little date night and it was so fun! Such a good little rodeo and great snacks as well. It was really nice of Cindy and Scott and Kellie to help watch our kids. The Diesel Brothers also came again and parked their helicopter on our lot. They gave all of us rides, including each one of our kids. That was really fun!
The kids enjoyed kayaking, swimming, playing in the sand, and riding the golf cart. Bentley learned to drive it this year. They were also all excited about fishing. On the first day we got there we were taking the boat out, and Bentley decided to hang back and fish. She was using a new fishing rod Jeff bought, but didn't have any real bate on it, only the little thing that comes with it. We did a little EZ ski and then came back to Bentley hollering about a fish she had caught. It was massive! She had reeled it in and pulled it up onto the dock by herself, and then didn't quite know what to do next. Deacon jumped off the boat in excitement and swam to Bentley to help her. It was hilarious that she had caught that! It was the biggest and only fish they caught in Echo lake that year. Jeff took Deacon to a lake really close by to do some fishing one evening and made sure Deacon caught his own fish as well. He was really happy he did! He loves animals, so he was also happy to find a turtle, with the help of Uncle Scott.
On Sunday we went to Kalispell for church and then hit the duck park for a picnic, feeding the ducks, and playing at the park. It's a great way to pass time on a Sunday!
Deacon was so much fun this year getting up on skis, kneeboarding, and being so brave on the tube. He started skiing behind the wave runner at Echo, then continued to get better and better at Ashley lake and move on to bigger skis. He was very determined! Bentley was still too nervous to try anything besides tubing...maybe next year? They all had so much fun with their cousins that week (besides the times Bentley and Emri were in a fight of course). I gave the girls their own caboodles with makeup to "trade" like I used to do as a kid and it brought back all the nostalgia. I also really enjoyed going into town to Target, Chick-Fil-A, and Krispy Kreme!
When we switched cabins, we grabbed some Chick-Fil-A on the way, and the kids always ask why we don't have one in Calgary! They love it. It's kind of fun that it's special each year though.
At Ashley Lake, we were there with Joce and Jeff and family, which is always so so fun! The cousins get along so well, and it's so great to see them all. One of the highlights each year, is back to school shopping with the girls, and then a fashion show to follow! I always buy clothes for my boys as well and they like to participate in the show, just not the boring shopping part. We found some great clothes and Bentley and Brooke even found matching $5 jeans. Leo got very into the dancing part of the fashion show, and it was pretty hilarious!
We also got an adult date night to see Top Gun and go out for dinner at Mackenzie River. The movie was incredible, and it was so nice to get away while Holli and Alise babysat our kids. We also went to the pancake breakfast at the Fire Hall they always have.
Besides those things, we mostly enjoyed staying at the cabin and boating. Deacon, as I mentioned, excelled on the skis and learned to do it with no help. We can just put him in the water now, and he gets up on his own. Even if he turns around, he can pull himself back so that the skis and rope are in front of him. He even crossed the wake...but then fell! I just love his enthusiasm when he says "Hit it!" We all had fun on the paddle board, endless swimming and hot tubbing, catching crawdads and frogs, dragging behind the boat, paddle boating, and lots of games. Boston did so great, sleeping in a new place, and having long naps after getting worn our from being outside. He loved the water table, hot tub, and play house. He also liked the boat, but not for long periods of time! Jeff and I enjoyed skiing, wake surfing and playing pickleball.
On Sunday we went to church and the kids got to go to class with some of their cousins. We also went to the duck park again, and went for a long walk around the gardens. The following Sunday, was the day we went home. We went to church and then drove home afterwards. The teachers there got to know our kids and were sad to see us go. It's so nice to see that they enjoyed our kids. It's always a sad goodbye and we didn't want to leave the cabin! We had such a great time.
