Idaho/Hood River

We went out to Idaho for our annual trip to lake couer d'Alene. We invited our friends the Borgs to come with us and it was so fun to experience the lake with them! 

                                  

We had several beach days where the boys dug endless tunnels, castles and your standard large hole, Jackie and I got in a couple nice floats in Mary's new tube, and we used all the fun beach toys-kayaks, paddle board, etc. it's so fun to experience the lake with new people , because even though we do the same things every year, it's always different with new people.

One morning we drove the boat over to Harrison to introduce them to the worlds largest single scoops ever! It always makes me laugh when the kids get super wide eyes over their "kids" cone which is more like an adult double scoop. Boy is it tasty!

Probably ben and colters highlight was taking gregs little boat that he made, tiny dancer, out on the water. Seeing the video made me so excited for their future on boats together. We are actually looking at purchasing a small sailboat that ben and colter can use during the season in seattle. 

Always the highlight of the trip for me was going on our date. This year we skipped shuckers and ventured all the way into coeur d'Alene. We shared so many laughs that night.. It's always such an enjoyable time to get to know people more without the distractions of little interruptions when kids are around.  We ate dinner at a fabulous restaurant in downtown. It had an open air feel where most of the seating was outside. Huge garage doors opened up to the inside, and there were several fire pits with seating all around. The food was delicious (and filling!) after dinner we walked around the coeur d'Alene marina and resort and had some fabulous people watching experiences. 

On the way home, not only did we admire bens ability to navigate in the dark with minimal lighting, but we also ood and ahhd over tons of shooting stars that were flying across the sky. It really was a magical night. 

Once the Borgs left, we wrapped up our time in Idaho and made the drive to our next destination, hood river! 

We made a stop in Spokane and explored the riverfront , complete with a little park, huge red wagon, and a carosel ride. 

Pulling into hood river is like pulling into our second home. We love that place so much, and look forward to going there every year. Ben and I dream of retiring or owning a second home here someday. It's a perfect fit for both of us. We started our time by trying out a family friendly brewery that owned and run by a friend of a friend. After dinner we went down to the waterfront park/beach and spent some time digging and wading in the water. 

The next morning we did all of our traditional activities.. A morning pick me up at dog river coffee, playing at our favorite park, walking the streets of downtown and then ending up at Andrews pizza. It's always such a perfect morning. I have so many memories in each of these spots, and each year we add more and more. I think this was colters favorite year at the park. He's really into making "friends" and parks these days, and he quickly found someone to run all around with. He's still learning a lot about social cues and how to keep up with a group during play, but it is so special for us to watch him running around so hard and really delighting in the company of others. Such big steps for our guy. 

That afternoon we went down to the sand bar beach and watched the kite boarders do their incredible tricks.

The next morning we went on a drive through the beautiful farming/orchard country around Hood River. There are so many fruit stands in the area, there is a map that highlights different places on the "fruit loop"

We stopped in at a couple different places to pick apples, play, and drink fresh pressed cider.

And then it was time to head home to reality of house selling and packing! Of course we had to stop at Multnomah Falls first.