Our long vacation up north finally ended and we are now home, settling into "real life."
But, I haven't yet documented a highlight of our vacation, so here it is...
After aunt and uncle, cousins, brother and fiance, and even Brian all left to go home after a fun and busy weekend, things quieted down for a few days before some more excitement with first-time visitors. Our 2nd weekend at the lake was quite memorable since we welcomed the Barksdales (my in-laws) to Glenora for the first time.
This place has always been very special to my family, and now to Brian, so we were all excited to share it with more family. And little Isabelle had the treat of her lifetime spending 4 days and nights with both pairs of grandparents. I later thought to myself, this is probably the last time in her life that she will be so doted on by those who adore her...never again will she have 6 pairs of loving eyes fixated on her every precious move. Little does she know that this may be her "last hurrah".
Daddy, Ellie and Brun finally arrived all together, having flown up and driven 1.5 hours from Rochester. We were anxiously awaiting their arrival all afternoon and Isabelle was especially thrilled to see them all!
Can't get enough Daddy kisses.
And Crockett was happy to have her devoted Daddy back as well.
Ellie and Brun's first introduction to Seneca Lake was a kayak ride. The sky was blue and the water was calm, so we thought it was a perfect morning for a smooth trip down the lake shore. Before we knew it, the north wind picked up and our "quiet" trip turned into wavy, windy, white water paddling against the current to get back home. I guess this is one of the many ways to burn calories here at Glenora, which is a good thing considering all meals are decadent. The Barksdales were great sports!
Our second calorie-burning adventure was a hike up a local glen (or gorge), the very popular Watkins Glen State Park just a short car ride away. Isabelle happily rode on Daddy's back for close to 2 hours while we walked through caves and by waterfalls and sinkholes, viewing beautiful rock formations created by glaciers thousands of years ago.
The Barksdale gang.
After an active morning, we decided to spend the afternoon on a wine tour. There are wineries all over the area, so it was hard to pick just 3. But the "DD" was thankful we did!
Ravines Wine Cellars
McGregor Vineyards. Everyone was feeling really good at this point. And I was hanging in there!
She took it very seriously.
And BTW, I didn't realize I had a bow in my hair till after I saw these photos!
Isabelle competing with me for biggest belly.
After roasting, it came time to taste. And more importantly to blow on.
First marshmellow. Yum!
But she clearly prefers ice cream over marshmellows. Who can blame her?
Later on the adults indulged on some ice cream smores. A pastry chef needs a creative outlet, even on vacation!
The weather was quite chilly the whole weekend, but nothing like an eager 2 year old to help you get in the water! And Crockett is always eager to swim.
Ellie and Brun fit in quite well at the lake.
Isabelle and her doting grandparents. Ah, the glory of being an only child!
A very special weekend, indeed. Hopefully not the last time for Ellie and Brun!
Crockett LOVES this place and you can see why when you realize her obsession with swimming (and diving) and her ability to roam free without doors to enter or exit. But, Crockett also has a tendency to be our "problem child" at the lake. Each year we wonder what trouble Crockett will get into this time; what will give us each more gray hairs and new reasons for worry (not to mention the need for pet health insurance)?
1st year: scary fall off cliff...she survived unscathed but now gives Brian a heart attack everytime she comes within a few feet of "an edge" (there are LOTS of them around here)
2nd year: tick disease - Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever...took the vet 4 days ($3,000 later) to diagnose.
3rd year: Swimmer's Tail. don't ask.
4th year: Went missing during loud fireworks (she's terrified) and spent the night at a neighbor's house while we were home in Charlotte and my parents were frantic.
5th year (this year): Crockett managed to get swimmer's tail once again (at least we knew the symptoms this time) and run away during a thunderstorm. Of course both of these incidents happened when Brian was in Charlotte.
Almost every night Crockett goes into frantic hiding during either fireworks (there is a highly annoying, almost daily occurrence of fireworks here) or a thunderstorm. As I searched through the woods that stormy night she went missing (tears streaming), I started to think that maybe this place wasn't Crockett's heaven afterall. And her constant barking and hyper antics down at the dock were enough to wear a pregnant mama out. Would this be her last summer vacation in Glenora?
Aw, look at that sweet, tired pup. We love her so, and she's half the reason we load up the car and drive up every summer. Crockett is always gonna have Glenora, no matter what surprises we're in for each summer:).
At last our lake vacation came to an end. We closed up the cottage. We said goodbye to the chilly nights, late schedule, yummy meals (free and cooked by someone other than myself...I will miss those), the dry air and cool water swims, the lazy afternoons and long, late naps. 3 weeks of no TV, 3 weeks of constant attention on Isabelle, 3 weeks of waking up to her huge grin at first sight, 3 weeks of summer bliss.
When we leave the lake, it usually means summer has come to an end. It's often sad, but this year I was actually ready for some normalcy at home. Ready for a schedule, ready for Isabelle to experience some mommy-free moments, ready for my husband's warm legs to comfort my cold feet each night in bed, ready for an elliptical machine workout at the gym (a bit kinder to my aching joints than the steep hill climbs), and maybe even ready to get back into the bakement. Ready for home.
Our journey home was unusually long and although Izzy was a complete angel, by the 14th hour I was about to lose it. We made several stops, one of them at Cracker Barrell (a favorite for us all) and the last one dinner at the "Pirate's Landing", a restaurant in nearby Elkin, NC.
Not sure I would recommend going out of your way to come here, but definitely worth a one-time experience for little ones. The building was designed like a pirate ship, complete with surrounding water (full of giant goldfish!).
Isabelle was thrilled to find the treasure chest.
Since getting back home I've enjoyed a semi-work-free week, which has been a huge treat. Just enough work to keep me busy during naptime and evenings, but no stress to complete orders or to stay up late. The busy Fall wedding season arrives next week! As usual I am excited and nervous. Mostly nervous this time because I know that the busier I am, the faster time will go...and the faster Fall flies by, the sooner December will come. The sooner December comes, the sooner our family will grow!
I am so very excited to meet the newest love of my life, but not quite ready yet. For now I am enjoying the sleepful, uninterrupted nights and the spotlight on my one child. I am relishing the kicks and squirms of tiny body parts inside me, and appreciating the wonder (and unknown) of what is to come.
The next 3 months can crawl by and I will be just fine with that.
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