Time to Breathe

It is interesting to hear the mixed reactions I've heard from parents over the past week regarding the return of the schoolyear.  The ones who have been at home all or part of the summer with their kids are relieved.  The ones who have kids in sports are apprehensive.  The ones who are really involved themselves in school activities are stressed out.  For me, the return of the schoolyear is a very mixed bag.  My week night evenings are much fuller than in the summer.  BUT, I am actually home on the weekends and can get things done then instead of trying to cram it all in during the week.  We are so blessed to spend so much time with our family swimming, boating, and having fun during the summer.  But, when this time of year comes, part of me is bit excited for all of the fun that awaits right here in our home community.  

So, for the part of me that is sad to see the lake weekends come to an end for this year, here are a few of my favorite moments (that were captured on camera) from this summer's lake times.

For some reason a lot of my favorite moments involve Barrett sleeping...I think it's because he just falls asleep in the most random places and positions.

Paddle boarding is seriously one of my favorite activities to do at the lake.  One of my life goals is to become a paddle board yoga instructor when I retire.  Any time I go out on the board, Fletcher always wants to come along for a ride too.  By the end of the summer, he was comfortable with me standing and he'd just sit on the board and stick is hands and feet in the water at will. 

If Fletcher liked boats before, this summer has only deepened his love of boats.  And his Papa Pat.  Every lego guy with a hat is Papa Pat, and Papa Pat drives all of the big boats. 

A photographic summary of the summer wouldn't be complete without a photo of the drive home.  While at the lake, Tripper would always swim until he could barely keep his head above water.  Then, on the drive home, he'd inevitably find is way into Audrey's lap. She liked to complain about it in the moment, but I think she mostly likes it.