Lake Tippy Vacation 2009

As the summer quickly got away from us, we decided we needed to hit the brakes, slow 'er down a bit and head north. Lake Tippecanoe in Northern Indiana was our chosen spot--the place where Grandma & Grandpa Ash have a lakehouse and Addy & Lilly would be making their flower girl debut (more on that in an upcoming post). A mere 2 hours away, but just enough 'vacation' for us. The weather was PERFECT and we brought in a few friends! Grandma & Grandpa Sadler rented a place so we got to see them, Aunt Cat came from DC, Uncle Jon from Indy and a wonderful family friend, Joyce Tiley, from Atlanta. The entire Ash family was on hand for the wedding, so, we had both sides of the family merge together for some fun. My pictures are endless and will be coming to me through a few different sources, so I'll probably dedicate a few posts to this trip. To start off, some tips on things you MUST do if you are headed to Tippecanoe/Wawasee lakes anytime soon.

Invite a friend and head to the Fort Wayne Zoo.

Rated in the top 10 by Parents Magazine, it is pricey but worth it. Here the girls are on their actual birthday hanging with their "lake friend" Savannah

Spend a bit of time everyday on the water.

The girls have no fear of the water at all and LOVE hanging on the boat. "Boatride" was usually the first words out of their mouth in the morning!

Stop in at Maria's House of Pancakes for breakfast.

Entirely too much food for anyone to eat, but a good spot nonetheless. Both times the girls went, they ate more than I had ever seen them eat. Lilly amazed us when she said to the waitress "More bacon, lady." --Seriously, Lilly?

Get a boating lesson.
Uncle Jon seemed to be the most patient with the girls and driving the boat, letting them honk the horn, play with the radio and sit on his lap.

Jump off the pier, again, and again, and again.

This trick didn't seem to get old for Addy or for Aunt Cat.

Jet-ski

No, we never went above an idle, but doesn't Lilly look like a pro?

Don't forget about tubing

Addy loved this with Dad, scared at first, but then kept saying "again", "again", "again".

All-in-all, a great trip/vacation/time spent with family! Can't wait to share pictures from the wedding, if you have any, send my way! I was too preoccupied to take many with my camera! Thanks to all who made the week one to remember!