For our family vacation this year we headed to Lake Chelan. We rented a two bedroom condo on the bottom floor of a complex, right in town which also has convenient access to a pool perfect for lounging around while the kids splash around. The County Park and beach is just walking distance from across the street. We had stayed in the complex before and were looking forward to another great time making memories as a family. We were even able to make it back to all our favorite spots and even discovered a few new ones as well.
After meandering our way from camping the weekend before, we decided to take a pit stop in Leavenworth for lunch. Since it was over 100 degrees, we indulged in some ice-cream to cool things off. The girls enjoyed picking out their flavors and both settled on Cotton Candy while Calvin opted for Cookie Dough.
As soon as we arrived in Chelan and settled in, we got down to business and headed straight to the pool!
I brought along some fun floatie toys which were a major hit!
Hazel told me she named hers POOP!
Hazel loves to wear her sunglasses that way and it cracks me up everytime!
Most days we would spend the first portion of the day at the pool and then pack up and walk to the beach for the remainder of the evening. We like to take it easy and have plenty of time to just be a family and play together. The girls had fun digging in the sand “baking sand cake” and Calvin built a moat and castle with Eric. I have vivid memories of playing on this very beach as a child. I love the fact that my children are making memories here too.
We rented a boat for the first time and took the kids out water tubing; spending the day out on the water was such a treat! Georgia is such a thrill seeker and had a blast. Calvin preferred holding the flag while the girls took turns riding the tube with either Eric or I.
We ate most of our meals at our condo or from a cooler packed in the car while we were out. But we enjoyed a few treats out and about too. We tried a new pizza place and ended up waiting a very long time for our food. After one of the girls spilled Eric’s drink, we decided to give up our table to a group of firefighters waiting and had the server pack our pizza up for us to eat back out on the condo patio.
A trip to Chelan wouldn’t be complete without a day spent at Slide Waters and topped off with burgers and fries out by the boat dock.
It probably goes without saying that vacationing with kids, including with a newly potty trained toddler, is a lot different than going as just a couple. Eric and I were still able to relax and get a nice break and change of pace. There were fewer candle lit dinners and more family movie nights, fewer opportunities to read and relax and more time spent in the water. There were several toddler meltdowns and sour attitudes. Hazel even pooped in her bathing suit at slide waters (did I just cross a line there?). If I’m being honest, there were moments when our vacation felt like a string of awesome adventures punctuated by dramatic meltdowns. However we still managed to have a great time, give ourselves a chance to recharge, and still feel like the effort of vacationing was one hundred percent worth it.
