Brig's BB Gun...

I never wrote about this but it was a pretty exciting event for our family.

(It's funny what being a parent does...things change- like what sparks excitement)

Brig is a saver and a goal setter. So back in March he had finally saved enough money (after several months) to buy his BBGun that he had dreamed about.

The Daisy Buck. $28. And worth every penny for this boy.

 

 

He was so proud and so excited. He shot it all the time.

Months later and he still adores that gun. He even took it when he and Cory went duck hunting one morning and offered it to Cory when he ran out of shells for his own gun.

 

Ellie's First Fish...

Our kids are really pretty good at saving their money (they totally get that from their dad!) Brig is usually the one that saves with a goal in mind and Ellie just puts her money in her little jar and changes her mind on what she is going to buy...jewelry, nail polish and other girly things. So when we went to DandB for Brig to buy a spinner and Ellie set her sights on the pink Barbie fishing pole- Cory was convinced that it was "a good purchase and we should encourage that behavior."

So she brought her little bank in a few hours later with Cory and bought her very own fishing pole. With all their new gear, Cory obviously needed to take them fishing right away! So we headed down to the river and Ellie perfected her little push button cast. Cory and his dad (he met us down there) were both catching fish and letting the kids reel them in- but we were all shocked to see a splash on the end of Ellie's line. Sure enough- she reeled in an 11" bass that she also cast by herself. To say that we were surprised would be an understatement.

 

She still didn't want to hold it though. Good thing she has her big brother.

 

A Random Trip to Willow Creek...

We had to have at least one post about Willow Creek for this year! We snuck up to one of our favorite places one late summer evening. And as usual...it was simply magical.

And I'm going to try and keep my words to a minimum and let these pictures do the talking...

 

^^Ok except I just need to mention that Jase prefers the pink plasma car and has laid his claim to Pursey 2. {insert sigh}

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is their happy place. And they are mine. 

 

Ode to Willow Creek...

Alone together. Away from it all. 

Crackling fire. Bugs all around. 

Dirty faces. Smiling faces. 

Sticky hands. Warm hearts. 

One more hole. One more cast. 

Perfect. 

Malea's Pond...

One of our favorite places to fish at the beginning of summer is our family friends' pond. They are awesome to share with us! It is such a pretty place and the fishing it awesome! In fact- Ellie and Brig both caught lots of fish the last time we went. They are hooked!

 

 

 

Photo Credit for the last 3 photos: Makelle Meyer

The Happy Place...

If you were to poll the people in our little family about their favorite place to be...I believe that Willow Creek would be in the top three of almost every member! Coming in just behind grandma's house...

 

Willow Creek...

Every year when the first warm weather of Spring rolls around we like to pay a little visit to Willow Creek.  I am guessing that it has something to do with the fishing and how it is good that time of year...blah, blah, blah:)

I just think it is a fun family tradition!

 

Brig is quickly becoming quite the fisherman himself.  He can cast by himself and starts cheering when we tell him he gets to go fishing.

 

 

Ellie is completely content throwing rock after rock after rock into the water.

 

 

And they both LOVE the "camping food" that we get to eat when we go.

 

 

I'd say it's a win for everyone!

 

Teach A Man To Fish...

How does the saying go...

 

 

If you give a man a fish, he will eat for a day...

 

 

If you teach a man to fish, he will eat for a lifetime...

 

I think the same thing goes for little boys...

 

 

After seeing the honkin' huge carp that Cory and his friend went and litterally grabbed out of the river (they were slow and beached) Brig was pretty determined that he would do the same thing when he saw this dead fish floating near the edge of the water.  He picked it right up.

 

While my back was turned.

 

All Cory said was... "Meg...don't freak out."

Me: "Oh. Wow."

 

Cory was beaming.

I think this boy will fish for a lifetime.

 

 

Chasing Waterfalls...

Once again...I only had my little phone for pictures of this adventure- but we still had fun! We went out on the fishing boat and had quite the adventure. We did a little swimming and playing in the sand, we saw lots of animals including a fox and a baby deer, Brig started and drove the boat by himself (all under Cory's direction), fished...naturally, and found a fun litte waterfall that we got to explore:) So fun!

Do Princesses Catch Fish?

You betcha!

This post is loosely based on a super sweet children's book Do Princesses Wear Hiking Boots? I highly recommend it!

Yay For Cousins...

Some cousins came to town last week!  You know what that means.....

lots of fun with the boys...

...and the girls...they will be joined by another little lady next September...

they are so adorable in their little matchy hats.

Naturally, there was some fishing...

...and snacking...

...and climbing...

...and paddling...

...and bonding...

...and so much fun!