Papa Moose Resort

Papa Moose and Grandma Bonnie are the caretakers for Pine Bay Boat Club and they invited us up for the weekend again this year. Hollie, Katie and their kids were up there too this year.  

On a side note: People have asked me if it is weird to still be in contact with Mason and Chloe's biological family so here's the scoop.  Before Mason and Chloe I myself thought it would be weird/awkward to keep in contact with them (biological family) and honestly it would still be weird for me I think if we had contact with their biological parents, but we don't. 

I have known Katie (biological aunt) since I was a teenager and Bonnie (biological grandma) almost as long, so they are just like old friends. Bonnie helped with the entire adoption process/mess and made sure that her grand-babies were going to be taken care of and end up in a good home.  She is a big reason that we ended up being able to adopt them. We met Doug (Papa Moose) and Hollie (another biological aunt) in the process of the adoption and everything just fell into place. When we get together with them, even though it's just a few times a year, they treat us just like we (Cody, Gavin and I) are a part of their family too. 

So to make a long story short, no it's not weird for us to still be in contact with them. I think it's good for the kids to still be around someone they have known their entire lives for stability and it wouldn't be fair to the family take them away from their grand kids after they helped us to get them. They are respectful of our decision to not have contact with the parents so for us it's not a problem, it's just one big, extended extra family : )

Continuing On:

We went up Friday. I sent Cody and the kids up as soon as he got off work, but I stayed so that I could attend my cousin's memorial service and then headed up later in the van...weirdest ride ever. No hubby to talk to, no kids to tell to be quiet or to listen too. I didn't have to pass out snacks or drinks AND I got to listen to whatever I wanted too! This night it happened to be Eric Church, Pitch Perfect Soundtrack and a little Katy Perry. Even though it was less than an hour drive it seemed closer to two and I was almost antsy, like I said, weirdest ride ever. I had Mason and Chloe with me on the ride home and they slept the entire ride home so it was still the same, no handing out drinks or snacks, I listened to what I wanted to, but I wasn't the only one in the van.

Chloe was hanging out with Papa Moose in the camper and wearing sunglasses even though it was dark outside.

 Saturday morning we woke up to rain

 So we spent the majority of the morning in campers and/or cabin

 Gavin, Bonnie (who asked to have her head cut out), Chloe and Addison

 They have hummingbird feeders up there. Destiny showed Gavin that if you put your hands on the feeder next to the holes and hold really still then they will land on you to get a drink. All the other kids lost interest, but he stuck it out and had them land on his hand.

Look at that smirk!

More landed on his hand but he asked me to stop taking pictures, ok :(

 

 No one else is really looking in this picture, but Addy was being so cute I couldn't leave this one out

 Breakfast

 Cody was going to take Mason and Chloe for a ride and as soon as he started the 4 wheeler this is what happened:

 

The more the merrier right?

Brekken, Xyzavior, Cody, Jayden, Gavin, Mason, Addy, Chloe

It warmed up in the afternoon and we all headed down to the dock

Addy and Gavin

 They were going to jump in at the same time but Addy chickened out

 These two are both 6

 Gavin

 Hayden, Jayden, Destiny and Addison

 Destiny and Hayden were making balls of mud and lobbing them back and forth to eachother

 Then the kids thought it would be funny to put clumps of mud behind themselves and drop in between their legs like they were pooping. I have to admit it was pretty funny (and gross) but they were having fun and laughing

 Mud gloves

 Ailey

Mason and Chloe finally woke up from their naps so Cody brought them down

 Mason and Gavin were in the boat and ready to go before they were even done putting gas in it

 Gavin, Addy and Ailey

 Cody and I

 I was down in the boat setting my bag on one of the beds and heard a knock on the window above me and look who it was! Silly kid.

The other day I asked Chloe if she was hungry and she said, "No, I a princess!"

 I took the kids out for a tube ride. Gavin did not like it at all. I had to talk him into going and then once we were out there he didn't want to go fast. Mason LOVED it and Chloe had fun.

 Mason took another ride with the big girls and he was laughing, smiling and bouncing around like a crazy man.

 Cody

 Bonnie, Chloe and Papa Moose

Chloe had to "sit on gamma's wap"

 Ailey, McKenzie, Mason and Addison

 Chloe

 Mason

 The little ones, Chloe, Mason and Brekken, soaking their feet

 Gavin liked the tube as long as it wasn't attached to the boat. Mason tried to jump from the tube to the dock and ended up in the water, he was not happy about it, but once we calmed him down he was back in the tube again.

Trying to catch minnows

 Faith and Chloe

 Mason turned on the outside faucet and soaked himself

 Swinging in the hammock upside down

 Chloe and Mason playing games on Aunt Hollies phone

 The sunset Saturday night

 Chloe is ALWAYS taking off her shoes and putting on everyone else's

 We made homemade ice cream and the kid loved it.

 We put in it a bowl and gave them each a spoon and they passed it around and around in a circle until it was gone.

 Addy's birthday is in August but they had an early birthday party for her with all the cousins

 How girls eat cupcakes...

 How boys eat cupcakes

Last but not least some scenery of Palisades and the ride home

Thank you Doug and Bonnie for having us, we had so much fun and as always it was good to see you guys again.

July12-14, 2013