Pioneer Weekend

Issa declared this morning that we had a pioneer weekend with Grandma Nancy and Papa Don, and she couldn't have been more thrilled about it! While I wouldn't exactly say we lived like pioneers, we did have a great time.

The highlight of Issa's weekend was learning to can. We made our own pickles:

 Daddy lost a finger tip in the process, but we had a blast aside from that. It is way easier than we thought, but that is largely because we had two experts to walk us through the process. Grandma brought Issa her own canning recipe book and some starter supplies, and Issa and I picked up a few more things this morning so we can try a batch on our own to use up our cucumbers. (I'm really hoping it's as easy when it's a solo operation.)

 Evan was not as excited about canning, but he did love playing trains with Papa:

 We took Grandma and Grandpa to our favorite park where Issa showed off her monkey bar skills:

 Evan was very serious about climbing:

 But for Evan (and I think the rest of us) the highlight was fishing! We went to our favorite lake, and the ranger pointed us in the direction of the perfect fishing spot for little fishermen. We were in a little cove with picnic tables and not another soul around. On the first cast, Miss Issa caught her first fish:

 She then asked to pet her first fish:

 A few minutes later, Evan held the pole while Papa reeled in this little blue gill:

 Three generations of Bower men waiting for the big one to take the bait:

 Issa did amazingly well hooking and reeling:

 We girls were a team:

 I am hypersensitive to not letting my girly girl think she can't do something because she is a girl. So, I got tough and baited our own hook. And...in a miraculous moment...I even took our last fish off the hook. I had forgotten how fun fishing is, and I am quite certain we will be headed back soon.

Besides fishing, Evan fell in love with the mud:

 And the kids had a blast wading and finding shells.

I would say it was pretty much a perfect weekend, and we are so grateful Papa Don and Grandma Nancy made the trip.