On the lake near the mountain.....

We only had one day as a family last week so we decided to take advantage of the glorious September weather we have been having and we took our little paddle boat up to Trillium Lake. I have been wanting to get the boat out for years, the last time we used it I was pregnant with Sollie! So much fun! I spent the most time on the shore with Nalah however, but she was pretty content as you can see from the picture above.
We stayed all day until the sunshine fell off the lake, and we even got everyone to hike around it! It is the perfect length for kids, only 2 miles...we love loop hikes. I could hike all day, but haven't been on a long hike in many moons since becoming a mama. Sophie was always a great little hiker when she was little and our only child...and petite too, I am pretty sure I carried her in a backpack until she was three. She is a very good athlete but now that she is older she would rather be at home playing on her ipod.Solomon likes to stop and look at every rock and leaf and berry he sees along the way....he is more of an observer than an athlete. The kids had fun chasing after one another along the way and making fun of a German man's beard...how is it I can still be embarrassed in the middle of nowhere???
We really never had any real vacation this summer, no traveling or camping trips so it is nice that summer is hanging on for us a little longer....so we can kind of make up for it a little here and there. I mean if you are limited for traveling this isn't a bad place to be "stuck". Who knows maybe a camping trip is still possible? Shhh..don't let our ipod obsessed preteen hear you or there will be groans and protests. I couldn't imagine choosing a video game over this....but she had a lot of fun out on the lake once we got there. I guess that is the stage of life we are heading into, it is harder to bring everyone along willingly these days. I will cherish and remember the moments we have like this as a family while they last.