A little time away...

After a very busy start to the summer and many, many hours put in by my husband at work, we decided to escape :)
Escaping is easy right? You grab your two best couple friends, their kiddos and you make a break for the lake. All you have to pack is clothes, swimsuits, toiletries and towels for us and the five kids. Sleeping bags in case the bunks don't work out as planned, pillows... because really, who wants to use someone else's? Load the boat, jet skis, life vests, floating island, tubes, ropes, air compressor, smoker, extra propane, a million bags of ice, water bottles, sunscreen, fishing poles and gear..... ok...wait, why did we think this vacation house on the lake was a good idea?!
Actually, it was a great idea. We were able to finally relax for the first time in a long time. There were early mornings with the kiddos, but when you have nothing to do but lounge on the lake all day, no one really cares. The kids played in the water for hours on end. There was no nap time, although bath time and bedtime were reasonable every night, the adults needed our time too :) After dark there were drinks, games and guitars, couldn't have been better!

But, this wouldn't be my normal blog without an update on Bryce. He had a wonderful time! He had his own special ribs on the smoker with no seasoning, and enjoyed fresh fruit for snacks on the boat. It was so relaxing to be surrounded by friends who knew what he could and couldn't eat and made certain not to bring things that are dangerous for him.

Our one big breakthrough during this trip was S'mores night. Something that I have always dreaded. This time I was determined to make it work. I had 'special' cookies down and have recently discovered how easy  homemade marshmallows are! They come out a little different than the package kind, as do all things homemade, but they were still a hit! Instead of Hershey's bar for the chocolate I took Sugar Free Chocolate Icing and left it in the fridge until right before I needed it. This way it was still cold and hard when I smeared it on the cookie and added a nice toasted homemade marshmallow. The picture says it all..... :)