Brown Family Lakecation 2017

The annual Brown Family Lakecation was last week (June 17-24). It's the only time every year that we are all together in one place, so it's extra-important. We were only missing one family member this year: my sister Mel is abroad at BYU Jerusalem. But everyone else made it, and even without Mel it was our biggest Brown family gathering yet, thanks to baby Ezra. Now three of my four siblings have babies of their own, and it is just the best seeing everyone be parents. It's not just Em and me being all responsible and crazy about naptimes and diapers anymore, haha--what a relief! I love my family! I love them so much that I guess I got carried away with the picture taking. But don't worry, I narrowed it down to a 100 picture summary. Ha.

The drive: through Chinook Pass. We had an exceptionally snowy winter this year... 

The parking lot was covered in snow. 

Thankfully the vault toilets had been dug out of the drifts, because we all needed to use them! 

Cousin jubilee! 

Puzzles with Grama Meri. 

This was our first time meeting sweet little Ezra. He charmed us all. Being an aunt is just about the best thing ever. Somehow being related makes babies even MORE lovable.

I folded a poster board into a Father's Day card for my dad, and we all signed it. 

My dad's giant card, complete with a caricature of each of his five children. {For Jeff's Father's Day card, the kids and I decorated the sidewalk outside our house before we left for the lake}

The lakehouse is about half an hour from my parents' ward, 45 minutes in traffic. On Sunday we left nice and early to get to church on time, and ended up arriving 45 minutes early! It was kind of a "what now?" moment. 

 So we all hung out in the parking lot trying to keep the kids from getting too dirty. I actually love times like this where we are all waiting around for something to happen, when everyone is held captive by an upcoming event so we all stay in one place. Normally people come in and out of the room when we're all together, but here we were all just hanging around being THERE together. It was nice, once we moms used our stern voices at the kids to keep them out of the soaking wet grass.

I challenged Jeff to hold all three of his kids for his Father's Day picture. How many more years will this be possible? I'm still kicking myself for not getting a Father's Day picture with my own dad! When was the last time I was with him in person on Father's Day? 

Cute faces leaning in to play Clue with Grama Meri. 

 Chase and Rose would disappear periodically to play quietly together. This was their little house, constructed on Rose's bed. They had a feast of play food all laid out inside.

The poor boat had battery issues for a few days, but the problem was resolved in time for the sun to come out at the end of the week. 

The week started out chilly, but even when the weather warmed up later on, the hot tub was still a favorite. 

 Pictures to recreate in ten years.

 We were all together for Father's Day and mom's birthday. I have really wonderful parents.

Birthday mint brownies--I've never seen a pan off brownies disappear so fast. YUM, Em is a true master.

I stayed up late talking with my sweet favorite mom on her birthday and miraculously remembered to take a birthday picture. I just love her.

I practiced my on-the-run selfies a bit in the lush greenery. 

New in the yard this year: grass and swings! Both were well used and much appreciated.

 Not pictured: pickle ball games in a strong headwind. One side barely had to tap the ball to send it flying into the lake, and the other side had to beat it to death to get it halfway to the net. Jeff and I may have never won a game, but what we lacked in skill, we made up in style--elegant whiffs and all.

Lake time--the water was cold, but the air warmed up during the last half of the week, so the kids spent more and more time swimming and paddling. 

 Busy dock.

Uncle Jesse with the two little curly top girls. 

Stories with Grama Meri: a necessity. 

Tradition: pizza night! This year we tried something a little different and bought pre-stretched pizza dough from a local pizza place instead of making everything from scratch. It was so much easier and so much yummier!

Late night cards. And by late night, I mean after 10pm. Soon after we all trickled off to bed because we all had little people who would be waking us up all too soon. 

Aunt Dani was the coveted chess competitor. The oldest four kids really got in to chess and played practically nonstop the whole week. 

Working out with Dani. She had quite the cute crew of copycats one day. 

I know, I know. Another running selfie. But MOUNT RAINIER! I did a ten miler on Friday--an out and back on a peaceful road. Mount Rainier was large and in charge on the horizon for most of my run. The cows in the foreground made me happy for some reason, even if I did get chased by their big buzzy flies for a quarter of a mile.

Phone pictures never do the view justice, but they are better than nothing. And my little budget phone did an admirable job at focusing and photographing while I jogged along.

SPARKLES! 

Archery with Grama 

 Kayaking with Grama Meri. We went in quest of a good mountain view, and had to paddle further than we expected to find it.

 I brought our camera with a hefty zoom in the kayak.

Steve, Dan, and Rose all tried out water skiing for the first time this year. They each tried once and were done. Rose was the only one who didn't cry! Em got in the water to help them, and watching it all brought back so many semi-traumatic childhood memories. I must've been 13 years old before I finally got up on water skis.

This is more my speed. I was the only person really taking everyday snapshot pictures during the entire week, so I'm not in the pictures. But I was there, because these pictures exist!

Dock-jumping Jay 

 Group jump!

Thankfully for all of us, Amber never figured out how to work the water shooters, but it was not for lack of trying! 

 Jay and Steve

Rose likes to warm up in the sun after a cold lake swim. 

Jeff and I agreed that our favorite afternoon of the whole week was when most of us went out to the lake trampoline. We loaded up two paddle boards, two kayaks, and the remaining people swam the 150-ish meters to the trampoline. I brought the camera and stayed in the kayak, taking pictures of the action and enjoying the chaos.

 Dan ferried Rose

 I kayaked Amber over

A classic Rose-pose, flying through the air. 

 Jeff, defying gravity.

Amber was not so sure about the cold water. 

 Eventually Jesse went back and got a tube to tow behind his kayak.

 Jay!

 The best picture I've ever taken of my dad, the flying Grampa! I also love everyone's heads turned in the background, watching him soar through the air.

 On the journey back, Jesse had one kid in his kayak and towed four on the tube. I don't know how he got anywhere--I could barely move at all when Jay held on to the back of my kayak for a rest from swimming.

 Headed straight towards the lakehouse.

 The kids finished off the day with a spin around the lake.

The lakehouse in the foreground, the mountain in the back. It looks like Lake Tapps is right up next to Mt. Rainier, but it's actually over two hours of driving to get to the mountain from this lake. It's just a really big mountain! 

 Even Amby took a turn on the tube--she'll do anything with Daddy!

 Rose said "I loved my personal tube ride."

 All of that sun and water really wore the kids out. We had a couple of movie showings in the late afternoons to help the frazzled sleep-deprived toddlers cope with being awake and active for so long, with varying degrees of success. While I definitely don't think that the TV is always the answer, I am very glad that it always works for Amber! That girl is so intense, I'm glad she has one sure thing that'll make her sit still every single time.

 Photo shoot time! Em started her own photography business about a year and a half ago, and she was excited to have "fresh meat" for some photo sessions. We were all excited to get some professional pictures taken!

Steve and Jay squeezed in a few games of chess on the driveway in between pictures.

I joked that I was only 50% myself in these pictures because Em curled my hair and loaned me her jean jacket. I tried buying a jean jacket for myself once, but returned it because it was too stiff and uncomfy and not warm enough to be worth the trouble. And I have never curled my own hair before--I don't know how! But after the initial shock, I ended up liking the curls. 

I was pleased that Em's style tips paid off for the picture, even if my armpits feel squinched every time I see myself in that jacket, and I know I'd set my head on fire if I tried curling my own hair. Family pictures are the only time I break my comfort-over-fashion rule! I only keep clothes that I actually like to wear, so my wardrobe is limited and aging. I wore the same pink skirt in our engagement pictures 11 years ago!  

 I may be biased, but I think these three are absolutely beautiful!

 Thanks, Em for the beautiful pictures!

 Cousin picture: all nine cousins on the Brown side. It's equally amusing and awkward that we have a Brown family and a White family. But you don't pick your surname, and Shaina Brown married Jeff White.

The traditional grandparent picture: always tricky. 

 The dread group picture: we all survived.

And just like that, the week was over. We drove home on Saturday June 24th, had Jay's baptism, and now we are bereft of Browns for another year.

Driving home from the lake: back through the scenic Chinook Pass. This time it was a crystal clear sunny day, excellent for views of Mt. Rainier. 

The summit at full camera zoom: looks like an avalanche waiting to happen! 

We stopped at the top of the pass at Tipsoo Lake, as usual, to take in the scenery. The view deeply satisfied Rose's artistic eye. She was in raptures.