October

 On October 1st, the boys and I went on our first field trip. We went to the Mill Springs Battlefield, which included a museum, the Mill Springs National Cemetery, and a driving tour of the actual battlefield. So much history and it's just a quick drive from the lake house!

Mill Springs National Cemetery in Nancy, Kentucky

After watching a short, but very informative, video on the Battle of Mill Springs (also called the Battle of Fishing Creek!) we walked through the museum. 

We used a map and drove to various stops along the battlefield tour. The map included the history of each stop, so we knew what to expect.

While in Nancy, we had to visit Haney's Appledale Farm for some apple cider and pumpkin spice donuts!

We love having the lake (almost) to ourselves!

Creed and I went down to Ft.Myers for a long weekend for the Roar Offshore boat races. We met a huge group of lake friends down there, as well as Mark, Cathy, and Emma, and we all had a blast!

I hadn't seen Emma in forever and it was so good to catch up with her!

We spent the day out on a sandbar and it felt so good to soak up that Florida sun!

It was also great getting to know Emma's boyfriend Trey.

The Roar Offshore is basically a Nascar race, but for boats. Watching boats race side by side going 150 to 180 mph and then circle a giant buoy at 90 mph will take your breath away!

While we were in Florida we boarded Lacey and she wasn't happy about it... but she was thankful to be back home.

On our way to the lake one afternoon, we stopped at Hinton's Orchard in Hodgenville. The boys went through the corn maze, we picked out some pumpkins, and scored some delicious pumpkin spice chocolate covered pretzels. 

We decided to take a last minute trip down to Florida toward the middle of the month, and this time, the boys came with us.

We stayed on Anna Maria Island, and while it was a quick trip, it was the perfect weekend getaway!

Creed and Luke went inshore fishing with a guide that Creed and his dad used to fish with. Luke got his first snook...

While Creed and Luke were fishing, Caleb and I drove a few miles south to Longboat and had brunch at Whitneys. :)

The boys made friends at the hotel, which made the pool and ocean even more fun!

Luke and I made sugar cookies for Halloween and he did a great job decorating them.

While nothing beats summer at the lake, the view from the lake house is beautiful this time of year with all the leaves changing colors.

Happy Halloween!

The boys loved having Tilly join them for trick or treating this year.

September

 With crazy boat traffic on Labor Day weekend, the only time we were able to get smooth enough water to surf was right at sunset. We made the most out of our 30 minutes. 

There are a few boys Caleb's age on the dock and he always wants to hang out with them at night. Little brother just couldn't hang...

Luke and his friends didn't let the rain keep them from having the best Labor Day...they played all afternoon in the mist! 

Creed and I got away for a weekend at the lake without the boys. We made a fun run to Lee's Ford Marina with friends, which was a blast!

It's hard to believe how big my baby is getting! Thankfully he still likes to give out hugs and snuggle. 

The middle of the month Creed and I went to Eric Church's first concert post-Covid. We stayed with friends in Lexington and Lacey was in heaven playing with their three dogs.

I found Caleb out in the yard doing his school work. He sat there in the shade all that afternoon. :)

Spoiled Rotten 

On the 30th, I finally broke down and decorated for fall at the lake. 

August

 With lots of lake time, Luke became much more confident on the surf board and now always wants to take his turn. Getting up is a breeze and he is working on going up and down the wave.

On August 16th, the boys had their first day of (home)school.

5th grade

8th grade

They are excited about a year at home/lake, and then both want to return to WA for middle (Luke) and high school (Caleb). 

Kathy, Erika, Ava, and Claire came down and spent a weekend at the lake with us. The cousins had a blast at the pool and on the lake.

As of now, we've managed to avoid getting caught in a storm this summer (Although we have had to take cover at other marinas a time or two.) but this rain was a little too close for comfort as we raced back to our slip! 

We went on a houseboat dinner cruise with friends and seeing the dam all lit up at night was incredible!

Luke has been wanting hermit crabs since we saw them in the Keys back in February and we finally gave in. He researched everything they needed to be healthy and we ended up with a 10 gallon tank for Shelly, Kermit, and Clark. While they are not the most photogenic pets, we did get a good picture of Clark one evening.

School days at the lake are the best...

Clearly, clothing is optional at Fowler Prep. :)

The trees are just starting to hint at changing colors, but we are not ready to let go of lake days just yet!