the lake

My husband grew up spending lots of time at his grandparent's house on Lake Nolin in Kentucky.   Now the second generation of grand kids gets to do the same.  We make the drive up from Nashville, watching fields of corn, tobacco and hay fly by,  listening to "are we there yet?"  dozens of times, and stopping at the DQ on the way if we're lucky.  We enter through the side door (the sticky front door has given my father-in-law fits and remains permanently locked now) and immediately start in on boxes of cheezits, homemade treats, and lake popsicles (only called that because they are always at the lake).  We make the trek down to the dock through the forest (trying to avoid chiggers and their nasty bites) and spend hours here fishing, swimming, snacking, and loving our time together.  We strap on life jackets and head out in the boat to the swimming cove to cool down and relax.  And let it be known, I actually got in the water more than ever this year.  Mommies do get wet apparently.

 on the dock

 

at the cove

Road Trip Summer 2012

Last week we kicked off our summer with a little road trip.  "Little" like over 20 hours in the car in 4 days.  The girls were troopers (thanks to 3 DVD players) and we really enjoyed getting away and seeing family and friends.  We headed up to the central valley and spent time on the Walking Lazy M farm.  A favorite place of the girls and mine.  My good friend Steph lives in her grandparents' old farmhouse surrounded by vineyards and orchards, just like my grandparents house used to be.  We ate farm fresh eggs, spent hours on the trampoline, gorged ourselves on Superior Dairy ice cream, and even got in a country road run (to combat the ice cream of course).  I love the simple farm life they live, and just sitting around her table sipping coffee and catching up is pure bliss for me.   

Then we headed up to Madera to celebrate Brett's parents' 40th anniversary with their family.  We did manage 4 drive bys on the way...my grandparents' house and my former homes in Fresno.  Kerkhoff, Balch, and Angus to be exact.  So strange to look at a house you spent so many hours and made so many memories in and think another family lives there now.  The curious cat in me was dying to knock on the door just to get a peek. 

We also managed to squeeze in a day trip to Yosemite with Brett's parents. They honeymooned in Yosemite 40 years before.  It was neat to be with them and think about all the time that had passed between then and now, and how their family had grown to include the five of us.  Yosemite holds tons of memories for me and just the smell of the trees took me back to family camping days when I was a kid.  The girls loved the tunnel that opened up into the amazing view of half dome, putting their feet in the cold water, and the ice cream cones that rewarded hours of walking.

 

 

Nashville highlights

 

gone fishin'

I was thinking the girls would have built some endurance since last year, and would fish for longer than five minutes, but apparently getting out-fished by your Tennessee relatives isn't much fun.

7-4-11

 Happy (belated) July 4th!  We celebrated an all-American Independence Day complete with BBQ hot dogs, watermelon, sweet tea, cornbread salad (those southerners use the term "salad" very loosely I'm finding) and fireworks in the middle of our great country- Nashville, Tennessee.  In addition to the stash we picked up from a local fireworks stand, Brett uncovered a literal arsenal of 20+ year old fireworks/firecrackers tucked away in the basement.  We're not sure who had more fun, the girls or him.

Big Bear

We got to take a much needed vacation up to Big Bear this month.  

We arrived at the perfect time with clear roads, plenty of fresh snow, and warm sunshine. 

Our three adorable snowbunnies had a blast...

 eating snow...(and more snow, and more snow, and more snow)

 sledding with mom...(after being forced down the hill and loving it)

bundling up...(and unbundling, and rebundling, and unbundling, etc.)

touching snow for the first time...

 lots of forts and snow ball fights with Dad...

 

snuggling with mom...(Leighton much preferred this to the snow suit)

 

playing the official Spross family game "fox and geese"...

enjoying our own personal snow playground and the view from our condo at sunset...

 

loving the time with our amazing friends (even the pitiful Hand and Foot defeats)...

and just being together making so many  precious memories.

Cousin Time

Cousins have such a special bond even when they live miles away. The girls had a blast playing with Kaylie and Cade in Nashville. They were together 10 days straight and got along amazingly well. Kaylie is the typical older cousin sharing her bunk bed (a thrill for my girls), her old Barbies, and her cool clothes. Brooklyn adores her and was in a trance following her every move the whole time. Cade was a good sport being surrounded by 4 girls playing fairies all day. When I told him I brought him something special form Walmart, he said real excited, "A fairy?" The poor boy wanted his own. Don't tell his dad!Kayle and Cade live in an All-American neighborhood. Tons of kids running wild, lots of porches with rocking chairs, and a trampoline in every back yard. One night the neighbor kids drug out the John Deere (which has had a dead battery since it was rescued form the dump). They loaded the little kids in and pushed it to the top of a huge hill, and then pushed it down as fast as they could. More thrilling than Disneyland I tell you. I've never heard such squeals of delight form Brooklyn and Ellie. Part of me did wish they were wearing helmets though-could you imagine the head injuries- my mom would have fainted for sure.

Valley Visit

We spent the week visiting the valley and our good friends at the Walking Lazy M. This was the second summer we made the trip up and we loved every minute of it. The pace of life is so much slower and simpler there. I love the cool fresh mornings and the blazing hot afternoons. I love the smell of dirt mixed with fruit ripening. I love that their farm reminds me so much of my grandparents place. I want to go there every single summer.

We stared off the summer produce extravaganza by picking blueberries and blackberries at a local farm. Lots were eaten, and a few made it into the bag, and later into blueberry pancakes for breakfast.

The picking crew

found...and promptly eaten

farmers feet

Next stop was a local packing shed that had quite the set-up for selling second hand peaches.

If this sign was up, that meant they had the goods.

Now drop your 5 bucks in here (honor system)


And pick up a box of these beauties.

Now here's where the nostalgia kicks in. My grandparents lived on a farm in the central valley as well, and we were always treated to delicious fresh peaches during the summers at their house. Then they would set us up with a whole box to take home. We would have fresh peaches on cereal, over ice cream, and my favorite...on waffles with the family famous white sauce (don't think I didn't indulge in that this very morning!). These peaches taste like nothing you can get in a store. You don't even mind that they juice down your arm when you eat them, or that the strings get caught in your teeth when you bite in. So I wanted the girls to experience eating these peaches like I used to (I even refused Ellie's request to "cut it please mom").