Our Coeur d'Alene Family Vacation Part I: Farragut State Park + Silverwood
We just arrived home from an epic family vacation to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho -- and a last minute extension to Glacier National Park! Something about vacations makes me want to simplify my life so that my real life can feel more like this: time together. We saw so many incredibly beautiful places and went on some adventures that I know the boys (and me too!) will be talking about for a long time. These family vacations feel so special to me. And this one went so smoothly with the kids.
We arrived in Coeur d'Alene the evening of Saturday August 3rd. It just happened to be Levi's actual birthday! (We celebrated with chocolate cupcakes from the store.) We checked in to our cute three bedroom Airbnb located in an older neighborhood among some tall trees. That little home made our stay so much more comfortable! I mean, I was doing a load of laundry after our first day. The boys are always getting their clothes so filthy. I love that we had a separate bedroom from the kids and that there was a full kitchen. Plus, the boys' room had toys and the front room was loaded with family friendly movies. It was great!
But it gets better. The rental was just a short bike ride from Ross' Point, a little park on the river! That was our first stop Sunday morning as we ventured out to explore for the day.
^^Chasing ducks at Ross Point. The river felt surprisingly warm!^^
^^The boys' shared bedroom. Conrad slept on the floor in the middle.^^
^^The boys were constantly challenging us to a game at this Foosball table in the garage. Way fun!^^
^^Playing in the backyard one evening. Look how green it is!^^
After exploring Ross Point, we headed into Farragut State Park located at the southern tip of Lake Pend Orielle. Low and behold, to our surprise, the entire state park used to be a naval base! It was the second largest training facility in the United States during World War II. Surprisingly, not much of it is left. The base has been turned into a beautiful area for camping and recreation. But, of course, we stopped to check out the museum at the old brig. It was so cool! Levi was in heaven. He is all about everything military these days.
^^Jed reading signs and answering questions for the junior ranger challenge.^^
After a good stint at the brig/museum we headed down to one of the only beach areas. (The lake is surrounded by steep tree covered hills!) It was crowded and the water was sooo cold! But it didn't stop the boys from having fun. They were fishes on this trip. I'm such a proud mama. They totally take after me and would not get out of the water.
^^Pretending to be little ducks? I don't know. This picture just makes me laugh.^^
When we were done swimming, we went for a short walk on a trail along the lake. My goodness that place is GORGEOUS!
^^Typical view of my boys. Always a little disheveled. Always moving.^^
^^"Hey, Mom! Look at this cool bug!"^^
^^Levi found a spot and jumped in. We drug him out and he did it again. Then again! Haha. I don't blame him. The water was calling that afternoon.^^
^^These two brothers. They are each other's best friend; they just don't know it yet.^^
^^Look at how tall the trees are, Conrad!^^
^^Pick the toddler up. Hear him scream. Laugh. Repeat.^^
Sunday evening Grandma and Grandpa Nelson arrived to join us for a few days! It was so good to have them along on this trip. The boys loved the extra attention. Plus, the adult to child ratio of four to three was totally in our favor. We took Grandma and Grandpa down to see Ross Point before the sun set.
^^Jed and Levi enjoy some waves from a boat! They weren't supposed to get wet; they went swimming anyway. Haha.^^
On Monday we went to Silverwood! It is Idaho's only theme park. Silverwood has several wooden roller coasters, a super cute kids' area, and a water park. We could have spent two full days there! It was so much fun!
I brought my GoPro to document the day. This little camera seems to be the only way I show up in pictures these days, thanks to its ultra wide angle. You wouldn't know that I had something like strep throat from the looks of these, would you?! It sure felt like strep throat! Whatever sickness I had came on hard Monday; I could barely speak or swallow. It was so painful. I ran a fever off and on the entire trip. And I had a cough to top it all off. Ugh. However, adventuring sure beat feeling miserable on the couch! I'm sure I could have used a lot more sleep, but forget that; I had a vacation to enjoy!
^^This little dude enjoying his first big ride!^^
^^Grandma and Grandpa took Levi and Conrad on this ride. While we waited for them, Jed pushed a coin into a slot to fire a water cannon at them. I love how we can see Grandma's reaction in this picture. Hehe.^^
^^Eeek! Levi is driving a car!^^
^^The day we learned that Conrad can sleep ANYWHERE. Seriously. Just wait for some pictures coming in Part II.^^
^^This boy's smile melts me! We spent the majority of our time going around the lazy river while Bron and the boys ran the waterslides.^^
Dreaming of flight. Poor kid wanted to ride the planes so badly, but was too scared! Fortunately, big brother Levi (who is still short enough for these rides) came to the rescue and rode the helicopters with him.
^^Jed SOAKED from the bumper boats. Hehe.^^
And we spoiled them with candy before calling it a day. A really, really good day!
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