Vacation.

"Summer afternoon, summer afternoon; to me, those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language." ~ Henry James

Right up there with:

Rangeley

Nap Time

Bed Time

Vacation

Coffee

Date Night

There's lots of words that I like......

Kevy and the Sun.

Vacation being one of my tippy top faves of them all...
Everything is more fun on vacation.  Even bathtime:

I have indeed concluded though, that the word "Vacation" is not at all synonymous with the word "Restful" when one has four small children.  Nor is "Vacation" synonymous with the words "Relaxing," "Peaceful," or "Stressfree."

Especially, when three of one's four children fall off the dock and into the lake over the course of one's Vacation.

This one fell off right here:
I'm convinced the maker of lifejackets is a Mama.  That handy dandy neck handle is perfect for reaching down and scooping up a floundering child who has stepped right off of the wharf.

I was literally 6 inches away from her....

Another time, Jesse was telling a story and literally just walked right off backwards.
Ransom was standing on the wharf one minute and was floating in the lake the next.
It was eventful.  Eventful and Hairy.

For the Bookers, Vacation = Eventful and Hairy.
But, also.....THIS.  Vacation = this, too.

Soul Fuel.

Mornings on the dock teaching a baby sister how to blow bubbles...
Cribbage and coffee.
Canoeing the lake on brave explorations.
Finding bullfrogs and crayfish.
Perfecting the fly fishing cast.

Trips into town for candy.  And ice cream.   And Iced Coffee.
And pizza.
I gained five pounds in nine days.  No joke.
It wasn't pretty.

Red Onion Pizza.  Our favorite pizza place in the whole wide world.

With four kids of varying ages and interests, Kev and I are learning how to vacation in a way where each person has opportunity to do what they love and what fuels them up.  Kev and I ourselves, vacation very differently - so compromise is always abounding.

My idea of Bliss is getting up before everyone else to read and have a cup of coffee, big family breakfast, and then sitting on the wharf - soaking up the sun - for hours.  Then, maybe a trip into town for some ice cream, a boat ride maybe, and then back to camp for the evening to watch the sunset and have a bonfire.  Slow and easy.  All together.  Staying at camp for an entire day at least once or twice.

Kevy's idea of Bliss is getting up before everyone to fish and have a cup of coffee on the boat, come back for a big family breakfast, and then go, go, GO for the rest of the day - always with a fishing pole in hand.  Never staying in one place for very long....unless the fish are biting...and then we could stay for hours.

Kaden would follow right along with this idea of a dreamy vacay.  Jesse wants action, adventure, and treats - very little time in the boat; Ransom wants treats; and London wants to go anywhere or do anything that involves never allowing her Mama to sit for a second and anything that involves causing massive messes or major amounts of heart palpitations.

I mean, why sit on our bums on a raft being dragged behind Daddy's boat when one could either stand straight up or ride my brother's back like a Horsey?  Makes perfect sense to her....

And so we compromised.
We did it all, and we took turns keeping London alive.
Lots of fishing - but maybe not as much as Kev and Kaden would have wanted.
Lots of treats - but never as many as ANY of the kids would have loved.  (Candy store 4 times!)
Cozy times at camp - with naptimes being sacred for the Mama - who napped on the dock at the same time.

It was hairy.
It was lovely.
It was fun, and it was crazy.
We came home more tired, but more filled up, with everyone happy.

and Alive.
I really like the alive part.