Okoboji

We are back from a mini family vacation to Lake Okoboji in Northern Iowa. It was a wonderful 4 days and the beautiful weather definitely made the 6+ hour drive there and back totally worth it! Then girls are completely nuts today, whiny and tired, so they're actually both upstairs napping this afternoon while I'm doing a silent happy dance downstairs. Post-vacation mom win!

My family has been spending summers at the lake for years and years - we figured out our kids are the 4th generation to be lucky enough to spend some time here. It is probably one of my favorite places and I don't get to visit nearly as often as I'd like. I have so many memories here and my aunt and uncle were generous enough to let us invade their place for the weekend. 

The girls had a blast hanging out with a few of their cousins - 5 kiddos aged 5 and under - and Gracyn has a newfound love for boating. Girlfriend ran up to the front of the boat to claim her spot every time we got ready to go on a ride. She fished off the dock and even swam in the lake. She was loving life.

Leighton was unsure of the sand at first but after a few minutes she was joining in on the fun. She had a rough night of sleep our first night but after that she napped well during the day and slept great at night, which was definitely welcomed after full days of fun in the sun.

In between naps and eating (and drinking...) we hit up the Barefoot Bar for some {more} cocktails and the Emporium for a little shopping. It's a vacation requirement to get new Okoboji t-shirts every time we visit. And yes, we took the kids to the Barefoot Bar. They have an actual playground so it's totally acceptable to bring your babies to the bar. In fact, as we were leaving, Gracyn said, "oh mom, i love this bar." #proudmom

We didn't get the chance to take the girls to Arnold's Park so we'll have to do that next time. It's a small amusement park with a few rides, including a roller coaster that physically hurts your body when you ride it, but it's kind of one of those things you have to do at least once in your lifetime. 

The drive home yesterday felt pretty long but we made it back in time to watch some of the Olympics before falling into bed. We meet Gracyn's preschool teacher tomorrow afternoon (HOW IS SHE GOING TO PRESCHOOL!???!?!) and have a few other things on the calendar which will hopefully make the week fly by. 

Cheers to one of the last official weeks of summer!