vacation recap - splash pad fun

vacation is kicked-off with road trip out west to new york's fingerlakes.
this splash pad pit stop was the perfect way to break-up the long car ride

a few silly pics of the kids at the seneca lake splash pad...

a great way to kick-off vacation!

vacation recap - i love these people

the next few posts will recap our

most wonderful time away with this amazing crew!

lake canindaigua in new york's finger lakes. 

26 of us under one roof.

13 cousins ranging from 16 to 8 months.

adventures. boating. gaming. loving. memory making. 

i am so very honored and blessed to have married into this family.

i love these people.  a lot.

diana's baths

 while in new hampshire back in july,
a highlight was absolutely our adventure to diana's baths.
huge rocks to climb and picnic on.
waterfalls you could walk right up to, under or through.
pools of water to splash, bath or float in.
 pretty darn fantastic, breathtaking, awesome!

treasure island

 earlier this summer, bennett and i read the junior classic version of treasure island.

my little pirate and i loved setting sail on our own hispaniola (hammock or bunkbed) 

to read the adventure of jim hawkins and long john silver's hunt for buried treasure 

(of course skipping over all the pistol shooting and blood on the ship deck), 

he can read those parts when he's a bit older.

when we finished, instead of watching the movie (too scary) 

we invited some friends over for our pirate adventure.

3 boys and 3 girls hunting for buried treasure in the backyard.

pirate bandanas were a must.

 there was clue writing (she promised not to give away the clues)...

clue reading...

clue hunting...

 teamwork...

competitive spirit and body checking...

shouting and racing from clue to clue...

serious cuteness...

x marking the spot...

 treasure digging...

treasure finding...way to go little pirates!

hiiiiiii...instabits

hiiiiii friends!

my last blog post was to share our last day of school dance party...

and now here we are with summer quickly coming to a close!

here's a little look at our summer instabits...

it's been a good one for sure, 

with more to soak up these last few days.

vacation bible school...kingdom rocks!

cousin water gun war

a day with the paynes at this wonderful cabin in the woods

kiddo relays at the track

picking blues

summer reading

baseball game firsts

camp putnam

mud pies

chronicles of narnia listening for car trips

storyland with friends

"bennett pie"...literally, not just a nickname

kiddo jail break

not your typical backyard s'mores

corporate volleyball tournaments (fun, competitive and a wee awkward)

summer beauties

cousin sleepovers

defoyd/payne family vacation memories

beautiful lake canandaigua

north carolina cousin adventures

boat rides on the lake

fingerlake waterfalls

splash pad fun

e.t. movie night

celebrating her 7th birthday

picking corn with cousins...lots of it!

little corn eater

garden treasures