Party of 6: Lake Hamilton Style

Our 2 week adventure on Lake Hamilton has come to an end, but has given our family enough memories to last a lifetime…or at least until next summer! I understand now why it was always so important to my parents to take us on a vacation every summer…The bonding, the memories, the laughs, the helping each other by grabbing a float that got away or taking less time in the bathroom because there are 5 more people waiting their turn; the experiences are all part of what makes a family. I can already picture the boys making fun of quirky things we did on the trip when they are adults…just as my siblings and I do now. We definitely had our Griswold family moments!

I am sure my parents would get a kick out of the occasional “Come to Jesus” meetings we were inclined to have with the boys after a little too much “togetherness”. It’s inevitable there will be squabbles in paradise when traveling with FOUR boys! I remember the same “meetings” when I was little, and now I feel awful for complaining to my parents about things such as “He’s touching me!”….okay, then MOVE…"He got more than I did!”….sorry, life’s not always fair, bud…"He took my float!”…Dude, there are 3 more! It’s merely part of vacation, as are the incredible moments when we would look outside and see all the boys sitting together on the dock eating a snack and laughing. It’s all worth it, and I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything.

Top 10…or 11...Moments of “Party of 6: Lake Hamilton Style”

1. The look on the boys’ faces when seeing the lake after opening the blinds the first morning
2. Austin and Preston asking if we could move to the lake house forever
3. Watching the boys play ENDLESS games of Uno on the deck…Ryan, Austin, Preston and I played so many time that the cards were covered in sunscreen and bug spray by the last night! Even though Trysten and Carter didn't play, they still sat at the table and watched...when they weren't swimming. =)
4. Watching the boys tube all over Lake Hamilton and absolutely LOVE it!
5. Playing mini-golf on Preston’s birthday…I think everyone but Austin and Carter scored a hole-in-one!
6. Cooking on the grill pretty much every night…food just tastes better on the grill at the lake house…
7. Taking 6 times to get a family picture on the deck on the 4th of July using the self-timer on the camera...hilarious!
8. Chris and Kristin joining us for a few days of fun!
9. Shooting fireworks off the dock with the boys…Definitely on their top 10!
10. Relaxing outside every night under the stars with music, wine and my sweet hubby once the kids were in bed asleep…
11. Everyone waving goodbye to the lake house as we pulled out of the driveway to return home…until next year!
    

WEEK 2...

Carter and Lu Lu...He is absolutely obsessed with animals!

A little imagination goes a long way!

Every boy's dream...

I must have heard, "Throw me again Ryan/Dad!" a million times!

The boys!

"The Teenager"...

Father and son...Trysten wore the goggles to make sure no one swiped them while he "drove" the boat!

Helping each other out!

Pure joy!

Austin diving! The boys begged me to dive with them...so I did...They were amazed that I still could in my "old" age!
Playing "Sharks and Minnows"


I love this man...and the tiny little pieces of grey hair starting to appear...
This simple picture was anything BUT to take!
The boys watching "The Teenager"...supervised of course...light "Black Snakes" after Ryan taught him the precautions of and how to light a match...A very scary moment for me!
Horrible pic of me, but love it anyway! They could barely wait to shoot fireworks off on the dock! Sweet boys...

The anticipation!

The grand finale...The boys called this one "The Big Daddy"

The Big Daddy!!!

GREAT TIMES!!!

On a side note...
Ryan and I were laughing this afternoon on the phone because since we have spent the past 2 weeks together 24/7, we were already missing each other and had only been apart for a few hours! Go ahead, Carrie Retzlaff....make your jokes! =)