Lake-ing

We've had kind of a rainy patch here in South Central Alaska this last week. We still wanted to get out and explore, but we decided to stay closer to Anchorage. So we went lake-ing (that's not really a word nor is it a term the locals use, I was just trying to come up with a catchy title for this post). We drove up to Eklutna Lake. It's beautiful! There's a State Recreation Park there and you can camp, hike, bike, and kayak. Very cool. It might be the first place we go camping. We got there late in the afternoon, so we kind of just walked around to check things out.

Lake Eklutna
See how small the kayakers look compared to the mountains.

I love pics of boys being boys.




He loves a stick.



In case you were wondering if the only clothes I had to wear were my pink jacket and gray pants, this pic is proof that I do have other clothes! Ha!
I LOVE our new double jogging stroller! I've been wanting one for a LONG time, but hated to shell out the money for it. I finally decided to just do it. And so far, I love it!

More boy stuff.
Boo said they were building a house.

Chillin' in her new ride.



B-man--"Boo, stand up straight and look at Mom!"
Boo--(stands up straight and looks at mom)
Lol!



Looking up the mountain.
B-man- "Boo what do you see?"
Boo- "Umm, a mountain."

Boo l-o-v-e-s to walk through any puddle, mud, water, etc that he can find. And, I must say, he gets it honest...from his father. B-man is the same way (but instead of walking through water, he likes to drive through it)! Here he is testing out his new muck boots.

Beautiful trail.



Me: I heart this stroller!

Later in the week, we went to Otter Lake here on Fort Richardson. They have some cabins that you can camp in and they have some canoes, kayaks, John boats, and paddle boats that you can rent.
I've been wanting to kayak since we found this lake soon after we arrived in Alaska. We decided to take the canoe out first so that we could all get out on the lake. It was a flat bottom canoe, (read: less tippy) and B-man was a pro at paddling all four of us around!



That's me taking our pic. Lil Bit is in my lap.



Boo got to help a little.
He kept saying, "Can I row, row, row your boat????"

There she is!

Ahhh, finally! Mama gets out on the lake by herself!
I just kept thinking...I'm kayaking.. on a mountain lake... in Alaska!!!!
I never thought I would have this experience.

While I kayaked, Boo played.

B-man spotted another bald eagle.



:) :) :) :)



B-man went next.
My pants were drenched with water from my paddle when I was finished.
B-man didn't get one drop of water on him.
I told you he was a pro.
All of those summers canoeing on the lake as a child are still paying off!

Cute lil family enjoying a day at the lake.

My handsome husband!

And, for the record... we left the lake and drove up to  the Upper Lake Campground just around the corner and as we were driving around looking at the campsites, we saw a bear in the woods!! I'm serious!! It was a black bear, too.
It must have heard the truck because it looked back at us and then just turned back around and walked away! I couldn't get the camera out fast enough, so we don't have a picture of it. Thank goodness we were in the truck!

We went back to Otter Lake yesterday to meet all of B-man's team members. He's on a six man team and all of the families were here this week. So, we all got together at the lake for a cookout. Lil Bit got to go on the swing for the first time. Let's see....

 ...do you think she liked it?

I bet you thought I was going to post a picture of our house today. I mean, it is the 13th and the milk technically expired today. And yes, we did get our keys! But, I forgot to take a picture while we were over there today. We decided to move some things over today and stay one more night in temporary lodging since our stuff doesn't arrive until tomorrow.

So, I'll try to post a picture from my phone tomorrow.
Happy Wednesday!