A Farewell to Summer

Here it is, the second unofficial end to summer (the first being the start of school, which for us was August 16), and we FINALLY made it out to my parents cabin for the weekend.  It was a great way to spend the weekend and the weather was just perfect -- with hints of fall in the air during the evenings and early morning hours to make it feel like fall might really be right around the corner.  We all enjoyed hiking, playing at the beach, floating in the lake, shopping at the market and just relaxing at the cabin.  Millie also got to enjoy an outdoor concert and a ride on the pontoon boat in the evenings when Merrill was going to bed.  It was a great weekend to live through the eyes of two very happy little girls.  Thanks to mom and dad for joining us and making the weekend extra special!

Nothing but blue skies on Saturday -- or "Denver skies" as my mom calls them :)

We met this golden doodle along our hike -- I'm not much of a dog person, but given a chance, this guy probably could have changed that!

of course we had to have time for snacks!

after naps it was off to the beach.  Both girls LOVED being at the beach and showed no fear of the sand or water.  In fact, Merrill was often seen running "Bay Watch" style towards the lake :)

There was lots of splashing ...

... and lots of digging

No sandcastle was safe from Millie and Merrill-Zilla!

Scott and my dad were very patient with the girls -- I think they might have even had some fun out there too :)

 Lainey and Grandpa enjoying the sun and girls

Lots of sand

We had a great time at the market on Sunday -- and even found a few treasures to bring home!

One of Millie's favorite parts of the market was getting her face-painted for the first time (the other was riding on the handmade "horsie" swing -- which Merrill also enjoyed)

 The girls were much more enamored with "Sandy" than the golden-doodle.  Notice the glow-necklace she was sporting -- a souvenir from Millie's first concert the night before (which, sadly, we do not have pictures of)

Never a dull moment -- even when we were just "hanging out"

Millie thought her first boat ride was pretty great :)

Millie liked helping grandpa steer, but she had even more fun playing with the throttle...that didn't last too long :)

Scott and I enjoyed the boat ride too -- a very peaceful way to end the weekend

Saying goodnight to the sun and goodbye to summer ...