Lure Us To The Lake

We went back to Smith Mountain Lake for a weekend trip with the grandparents. Here’s the recap of our trip, including the pontoon boat we rented! 

Smith Mountain Lake Trip

We got to spend the weekend at the lake with Thomas’s parents! Their neighbors have a lake house and offered to let us use it for the weekend. It was lovely with a community swimming beach, kayaks, and fishing docks. 

There was a great back porch with a cozy couch and nice view of the water. 

Friday Arrival

We arrived mid-day on Friday with plenty of time for swimming. The beach was so perfect for Birch, and the boys spent hours playing alligators in the water. 

Grandpa even joined the fun!

Thomas’s famous margs!

Friday Dinner

Storms rolled in right around dinnertime, so we went inside for happy hour and dinner. 

Nona made an amazing shrimp and corn chowder that we enjoyed with crumbled bacon and ciabatta rolls. She made it at home and brought it there for an easy dinner and minimal cleanup. Soup is a great idea for the first night of vacation! 

After dinner the storms cleared enough for some sports!

Mazen and I did some kayaking, and Birch got in a short ride too. 

Saturday French Toast Breakfast

My new Lake pajamas came the day before we left, and I got to wear them for the first time. They are amazing!!!! I got this robe and this PJ set (in a small – fits me well). I would not size up. And I love the crew neck tank! These are my summer slippers!

Grandpa made his famous French toast with brioche bread from MarieBette!

The Pontoon

Thomas rented a pontoon boat for the day which was very fun!! We had tried to do this a year ago when we came to SML but storms made us cancel. This time we got in plenty of boat time before the afternoon storms rolled in. 

Captain Tom!

First mates

We cruised to a cove for some fishing first. The whole family fishes! No luck with bites though, which was a bummer. 

Then the big boys went for a swim. The cove was way too deserted for me to want to hop in the water!

Lunch At The House

We cruised back to the house to make sandwiches and take a break. BLTs and chips! 

After lunch and a short rest, we were back out on the water. 

The sun even came out for a bit! We went to a more open area where I did some swimming. Mazen was pleased that I got in! Birch even swam a little too, but even I was nervous to let go of him in his puddle jumper for fear he would sink to the bottom – eek!

We went to the SML dam too. The views by the mountain are so pretty!

Summer Storms

We luckily returned the boat an hour early or we would have been stuck in a nasty lightning storm! It POURED! 

Taco Night!

Good timing for taco night inside!

We had Triple Citrus Pie from the Pie Chest while we watched several episodes of America The Beautiful on Netflix (really into the nature shows lately!). 

Look at these snuggle bros. Think they look alike!? Most people say they both have my eyes. 

Sunday Morning

Bagels and peaches!

Followed by a nice morning dip! The alligators were up bright and early. 

They swam for over an hour until one of them got too cold. 

After we cleaned the house, we had one last BLT before heading home. 

It was a gorgeous day – we hated to leave!