28 Days.

Day 1: Left our house – chaos! – and went to IAH for our late evening flight. As soon as we left the house, Quinn started with I want Grandma’s house! on repeat. Both boys were good on the flights, but neither slept (West basically giggled the entire time). They finally fell asleep as we pulled out of the airport in Spokane around midnight (2am Central Time).

Day 2: Quinn went to the beach and got into the sand immediately (no surprise). He got down in the water with all of his clothes on (!!) and Priest Lake is so fun!! kept coming out of his enthusiastic mouth. West had his first boat ride, and showed off his eating-anything skills. We had bowtie pasta for dinner.

Day 3: West woke up at 5am (7am CT). We had a brief few-hour window where all seven of the Hudson siblings were together for the first time in several years (cue family photo). We had barbecued salmon for dinner and Dad made his special drink for everyone (lemonade mixed with all sorts of various things – he likes to get creative, with mixed results).

Day 4: There was lots and lots of swimming for Quinn. I even jumped in twice (!!). The water was so warm! We went to Cavanaugh Bay for appetizers and Coke.

Day 5: The boys slept in, relatively speaking. Quinn discovered the relaxation station (giant inflatable raft courtesy of Ryan and Elizabeth), and we got Mom to jump in the lake (the first time in my recent memory).

Day 6: We all piled in the boat and went up to the sandbar. So many people! Lots of fun playing on the beach and in the water. After all of the babies had gone to bed, the adults stayed up way too late with rootbeer floats and a lot of giggles.

Day 7: Quinn’s first words as we got him out of bed – Having a good time at Priest Lake! West had ice cream for the first time ever (thanks, cousins + Grandma) and screamed when it was all gone.

Day 8: Quinn went kayaking with Grandma, and I played with a naked West in the water (it was sooo warm). I noticed sand in his ears as I was nursing him before bed that night. That made me so happy.

Day 9: The Klingles did their yearly (southern) tradition of planting sugar on the beach. In the morning – Lollipops! The photos were hilarious, with Grace hitting West, West screaming, and Quinn retaliating in defense of his brother by going after Grace. Friends Alissa and Ryley came up, and West got his first haircut on the deck, following in Quinn’s footsteps.

Day 10: We piled in the car and drove to Spokane.

Day 11: We took the boys on a drive to Greenbluff. Quinn, from the back seat – We’re going up a mountain, we’re going up a mountain!” Later, after spending a few hours in my parent’s backyard (sandbox, playhouse, trampoline) – I want to play in the sand all day! His prayer that night – Thank you for Grandma. Thank you for West. Thank you for Grandma. Thank you for Cheerios. Thank you for Mom. Thank you for Grandma.” He only wanted stories from Grandpa that night.

Day 12: Drove back to the lake. Quinn had a nervous breakdown at Subway because he wanted to go to the cabin (and told everyone so). He was ecstatic when we got there, of course. His prayer – Thank you for Grandma. Thank you for Mom. Thank you for West. Thank you for throwing sand. Thank you for rocks. Thank you for Priest Lake.” West was teething and sad – for the first time since I can remember, really. I told Quinn that we were going on a walk and he said, Go see Dad at work!

Day 13: Went to Elkin’s for ice cream. Quinn went swimming on Grandpa’s swimming ledge and kept saying, Having so much fun!!

Day 14: A little stormy, and our first day of not-perfect weather. Went for ice cream at Indian Creek (West had his first huckleberry shake!), and Quinn went on a long Rzr ride with Grandma. I took a nap!

Day 15: Rainy and cold. Low hanging clouds over the lake and grey skies. We watched movies and stayed in our cozies.

Day 16: Went to Hill’s Resort for lunch. Both boys were well behaved (miracle) and Quinn downed his giant chocolate (cho-co-lat!) milk in about 25 seconds. The sun came back out and Quinn said, The cabin is so wonderful!

Day 17: The first words out of Quinn’s mouth (again) – Having a good time at Priest Lake, Mom (he melts my heart with his earnestness). We had our first big storm of the trip and lost power. We stayed in our pajamas, made brownies with huckleberry sauce, and had BBQ chicken quinoa for dinner (West ate as much as most adults). West was an angel baby.

Day 18: Quinn went on an adventure with Grandma. They were gone for a few hours and went running around Moose Lake and walked through the woods and up the lake (counting all of the lots as they went along, with Quinn obsessively needing to touch each marker). She is so good and patient with him. We went on a boat ride to Coolin for gas, where we discussed secret huckleberry spots and the storm that had ripped up the lake the day prior. We had lunch at Elkin’s and it was a beautiful ride home. West loves the boat almost as much as Quinn – almost.

Day 19: Quinn woke up at 4am (!!), terrified about a scary man in his crib. He hung out in my bed where we saw a shooting star. Grandpa took him for a long Razr ride (he loves the bumps), and he practiced his new jumping trick all day. Two bean burritos for lunch (!!) and a kayak ride to Twin Island with Mama (he insisted on singing Grandma’s paddling song and touching each buoy along the way).

Day 20: A beautiful evening boat ride, then salmon for dinner with saffron rice, fresh green beans, and strawberry jell-o pretzel salad.  Nate arrived and Quinn was immediately obsessed. West loves the wind on the boat and is the happiest, most content baby. He naps, played and eats like a total champion.

Day 21: Quinn was up at 6am (sleep regression = we’re getting ready to get back to our own house and routine), and when I told him it was too early to be awake, he pointed at the sun over the lake and said, It’s light outside! True story, little boy. Sigh.

Day 22: Quinn jumped off of the swimming ledge for the first time, overcoming some serious fear. He’d jump into Grandpa’s arms, then they’d “swim” across the water to the swim ladder. Up the ladder, over the dock, across the beach, and back down into the water. One more time, Grandpa! – again and again and again. He’s developed a sweet little relationship with Grandpa (after Grandpa figured out what makes him tick). West ate salmon and saffron rice for lunch on the beach, and we did Southern Living Enchiladas with guacamole and grilled pineapple for dinner out on the deck. It was a perfect, happy night.

Day 23: Grandpa, Quinn and I went on an epic Rzr ride, way up in the mountains. He refused to wear shoes, and asked to find moose poop as he ran around in the woods. Quinn and West later shared an ice cream at Elkin’s. Quinn found little girls to play with and didn’t want to leave (he literally left kicking and screaming). Quinn – Goodnight friends at Twin Island! (Twin Island and Elkins get swapped sometimes.)

Day 24: Grandpa loaded up two buckets of rocks and sat with Quinn on the dock for at least an hour as they threw them into the lake (Quinn’s favorite). We practiced swimming with Quinn again and he screamed the entire time. His last words before I put him to bed that night were – Good time swimming! Practice again tomorrow? He woke up at 10:30pm, scared from another bad dream (the scary man!). Grandma and Grandpa took him out to look at the stars on the dock with a glass of milk and a clean diaper. My mom climbed into bed with him for a bit and finally convinced him to go back to sleep. Erin arrived just after midnight!

Day 25: The day started out with rain and thunder and turned out to be so beautiful. We had Grandma’s cinnamon rolls for breakfast, then loaded up lunch and took the boat to Upper Priest for the afternoon. Joanna made a peach huckleberry tart for dessert (amazing), and West’s jammies – that fit perfectly when we first arrived – were too tight when I put them on before bed.

Day 26: A mellow day at the cabin. We had lunch at Cavanaugh Bay, and Grandma and Quinn had a nice afternoon paddle.

Day 27: Quinn’s first words were, Mom, I want to see the stars in the sky! West cried for the first time in a month – like really cried (teeth?). We went to Elkin’s for appetizers and huckleberry daiquiris. Dad was pulling out of the dock on the boat when Quinn hopped on (all by himself!!), so they went for a little ride – with Grandpa driving in circles the whole way. He finally came back to pick me up so that I could jump on with my camera to record Quinn’s giggles.

Day 28: Quinn woke up with another scary man dream at 11:40pm and ended up sleeping in my bed (happily) for the rest of the night.