I love our front porch. It's a mess most of the time, but I really love hanging out front with my family. The boys were very eager to eat popsicles and as soon as we passed Enoch one, he went straight outside and sat down on the top step. He knows how it's done!

Hayden Lake may be one of my most favorite in the area! The Honeysuckle Public Beach is so accessible and chill. The u-shaped dock is lots of fun and the boat launch gave the boys a ton of entertainment. I took Ira on the paddle board - he had mixed (mostly negative) feelings about it. He's a bit of a scaredy cat!

Also this summer has been all about practicing self-love of my body. Those tummy rolls are uncomfortable for me. Getting into a consistent workout program is really difficult with 5 children, two of whom are really little (and covid, damn covid). And... because my mental health has been leaps and bounds better post Ira's birth than my other births, I've been able to nourish and fuel my body adequately. After my other three births, my anxiety was so high and I struggle to eat when that happens to the point where I lose more weight than I gained during pregnancy. It's kind of one of those things, if carrying some extra weight means I can make it through the day without panicking (and crying and all those feels and living in darkness) then I think that's worth it. Still, I'm looking forward to feeling more like myself in my body. Working on it, and working on being okay with it all taking a little more time.

Anyways... here are some photos of my cutie family!

One last stop, a dip into Two Jack Lake!

Day 3 in the mountains, took us to Grassi Lake, but the roads were closed. So I've saved that one for a family hike in the future. Instead we went to Grotto Canyon. Once we arrived in the parking lot, Conor and I recognized it. We had done this hike when I was pregnant with Maeve! So a repeat, no big deal. Enoch wasn't feeling very well (day one of covid for him, poor guy), so he stayed in the backpack carrier the whole time and no one was allowed to look at him! The hike began feeling really dystopian, dried out creaked, walking past a mineral processing plant. We got some laughs out of that. But as we arrived at running water and cooled off the the canyon, it all felt a little better. Ira loved playing in the water and I didn't mind having his damp little self on my back for the the hike back to the trailhead.

Next stop, we were crossing our fingers we'd find parking at Lake Louise and could do the hike to the Plain of the Six Glaciers. But no luck, so that hike is one I'll do as a day hike the next time I have the opportunity. Instead, we hiked Boom Lake. We had a bit of stalled start as we heard about 2 grizzlies and a black bear on the trail. We went anyways, carrying our bear spray and didn't see one single bear. The hike was really pretty and the fresh air smelled so good! When we reached the lake, we stopped for lunch, water play and rest. Once, Enoch saw the lake, he wanted his clothes off and he hung out lakeside in the nude until we packed up and headed back to the trailhead. I was so proud - so McNeill of him. Notice the picture of Enoch sampling everyone's water bladders. I think that's how he effectively spread Covid to almost everyone in the group.