finding a happy place

it's been a while since we blogged about life at the pike house.

in an effort to forget the craziness of dumping spices in a cup, unwinding a spool of thread and roll of toilet paper, knocking over a lamp and breaking it, along with screaming games of tag in the house and fights for toys -- and this is just this morning -- i decided to find a happy moment to remember.

this was one of those perfect days.  mr. pike and i took the kids up to lake erie at the end of august. the day was not too hot, but warm enough with a slight breeze.  the kids played in the sand and splashed in the water.  

little girl and little boy were delightful.  they often talk about going back to the beach, and i'm kicking myself why we didn't go up there earlier in the summer.  we could have had many weekends of sand, sunshine, and joy.  

now we have something to look forward to for next summer.  and a perfect memory to get me through the day -- or at least until nap time. 

peaches

we met some friends at a local farm to pick peaches.

and we picked a lot of peaches.

i spent saturday canning peaches and making strawberry kiwi jam.
since i was canning alone, while mr. pike kept tabs on the kiddies, i only canned 5 jars of peaches.
it always feels like you've done a lot of work for not many jars.  but i have more peaches waiting on me.
and i think i'll go back to the farm next week and get some more.  even though it's a lot of work,
in december i'll be so happy to have yummy fresh peaches.

after picking peaches, we played with the animals.

we took a particular liking to this goat.  and i think she liked us.

heaven on earth

one of mr. pike's favorite places on earth is on henry's fork of the snake river in island park, idaho.  he grew up spending a week or two at his grandparents' cabin playing with cousins, hiking nearby trails, fishing for trout, floating down the river, exploring yellowstone.  it was heaven.

now it's becoming that place for our little girl and boy.  mr. pike missed this year's trip to the cabin, but the kids thoroughly enjoyed every minute.  especially getting a chance to explore the river.

here are some moments from our time there this summer.

henry's fork 

floating the river with aunts and cousins

little boy touching uncle j's big catch

at the starting line of the cousins' race

river walking

looking for guppies

when it's hot outside

we stay wet

or learn to bowl