Idaho!

After Chicago, we were home for a couple weeks, and then off again to lake coeur d'alene where Ben has some family friends that own a lake house that Ben's parents are hopefully going to share a part of. The Blankenships and Grants were able to join us for several days of beautiful sun, tons of fun, and unforgettable memories. I think the biggest thing we learned was how wonderful it is to vacation with friends. The kids entertained each other so well, we got some great alone time at night to laugh and enjoy uninterupted conversations, and everything is just better being surrounded by people you love. Ben's parents and the Cooks were amazing and generous hosts, making a ton of effort to make things safe for the kiddos and ready for such a big group of people. They didn't even seem to cringe when toys were thrown off the balcony, endless rocks and sticks made their way inside, and the noise level almost always at a constant high pitch yell with the amount of business that 4 kids under 5 bring.

There were endless amounts of things to do.. we could have stayed many more days. But here's what we did fit in:

Several trips down to the beach:

Time on the kayaks including each couple getting to go out exploring sans kids!

Ben getting to sail .. even if it is a tiny boat

A trip into downtown coeur d'alene for some fun times at the park and toy shop:

Special times around the lake house:

An amazing bike ride along the lake. 

Ben took up the miming profession:

The largest scoops in Idaho apparently :O 

A boat ride complete with toddler driving, wake boarding, and tubing:

A constant stream of laughter in the evenings over wii dance, Matt calling the wrong state to ask a restaurant what time they close & if they serve dessert, and funny stories.

Thanks again Cooks and Crowls for such a memorable trip!