To beat the heat this summer, we spent a lot of time at the river and Rattlesnake Lake. It was the longest, hottest summer I can recall, so much so that the river and lake got incredibly low and revealed ground and stumps that I don’t think had seen the sun in many years! We had a fun time canoeing, paddle boarding, and swimming around. Each week we returned to the lake it revealed more stumps and treasures to explore!

My little monkeys! I’ve always wanted to get a shot like this of the boys (thank you Pinterest).

That’s Rattlesnake Ridge up there in the background

Paddle boarding

That’s Jonathan towing the boys back to shore.

Cheers!

This little guy had a close call. As I returned to shore with the paddle board, I discovered him just before I stepped into my flip flops, he was perched right in the middle of one of them. He became the boys’ pet for the afternoon.

Dry, cracked earth. I never realized that when lakes dry up, the mud left behind is so sticky that any and every bug that lands on it gets stuck. Sooooo gross!

The weekend after the cousin swap, we drove over the mountains to return Nicole/retrieve Avery, and visit with the Avery’s of Pullman. We had a really fun time. We took it easy, dropped by the farmer’s market, played at the local park, and just generally enjoyed each other’s company. We got this cute pic of all the cousins together.

And here are the adults

My favorite brother and me

Does this kid love the camera or what?

Silas sitting on his Great great aunt Bernice’s old Cosco chair