One of the lake days, our old kayaks were pulled out to play with. I have so many memories with those! My cousins and I had so much fun playing with them. There were lots of bumps and bruises and we learned very quickly that the paddles are sharp! The fun never stopped with those yellow boats. When we used to go to Shuswap Lake, my brother and I would carry them down to the beach in the morning. I always held on at one end (I can't remember which) and moan and groan about the weight and rocks in my sandals. But it was all so worth it! I loved sharing the kayaks with my children and husband and including them in my sweet memories. The entire time we were at the beach, all four kayaks were being used and played with. It was especially fun to see my cousin's children play with them the same way my cousins and I used to play with them. Sweet, sweet memories. 

Holly had her very first day of "out of the home" school today. It felt like a special morning getting everyone fed and dressed and then taking photos of our big grown-up girl. Holly has been looking forward to attending school for a long time. She was disapointed that school didn't start on her fourth birthday! I could tell Holly felt a little apprehensive or nervous about going into the classroom when it was her turn. But, she did great! I felt such sadness when I walked out the door leaving my baby girl in someone else's hands. How on earth did we get to school age so fast? Where did the baby and toddler stages go? I'm so excited for all the experiences Holly will have as she grows older, but at the same time I want to hold her a little tighter and keep her in the shelter of my arms forever. I'm going to do my best to focus on the positive and soak in as much of her as I can in the next year while I still get to keep her home most of the time. 

We went to Kootenay lake 3 times. Greta was a serious trooper. She went days and days without a regular nap! My girls love the water and were so happy to be there. Plus, there were lots of cousins and other family members to play with. My uncle Peter, took us out on his boat and while I was worried that Greta would be frightened, she in fact loved it. We ate so many BC cherries - BC fruit is amazing! While it was a little crazy at times (Greta was constantly snacky for example), it was so worth it to go spend that time with people we love. 

Another one of our days there, we went to Moyie Lake. It was a pretty lake with a fairly sandy beach. The lake remained wading depth for a long, long ways out. This was a happy play day for the girls. They played so well together. We were all reluctant to leave, but there was thunder and lightning and my sister, Kimberly, was arriving any time. Happy day!

We all loved going out for ice cream a couple times while on our holiday. Nothing quite like grandparents + sweet and sticky happiness!