Family Fun and R&R

We took our show on the road over the weekend. Destination: the family cabin in Show Low. We hadn't been in months, and our weekends are pretty booked for the foreseeable future. Few things are as refreshing as the summer monsoon season in the pines. Our window of time to enjoy this was closing quickly, so we made the executive decision to pack it up (again) and let everything else go on the back burner for a few days.

For the first 24 hours, it was just Dylan, Gavin, Graham and me. We were total bums, and it was awesome. I got in the car one time to get groceries at Safeway. Other than that, we moseyed around the forest to hunt for frogs and bugs and went on walks to explore the ponds and streams. When my parents showed up on Saturday, the story remained the same. The cabin has an aura of relaxation, and you have no choice but to go with it. We hit the big pond to trap crawfish and went to the pool for drinks. Our intention was not to swim...just to drink. But that didn't matter to the boys. Though everybody's swimming outfits made the trip to Show Low, everything remained packed in the bags back at the cabin. Graham ended up playing on the step in his diaper, and Gavin hung out in the shallow end in his normal clothes while we took turns sitting on the edge to supervise. We roll with spare clothes tucked away somewhere nearby at all times, so this ended up being no problem at all.

Playing outside on a cool Saturday morning. With no clothes on. Because we can.

On a walk to look for fish and frogs.

Everyone hunting at the Family Center pond.

My little loves.

Gavin loves his daddy. And for good reason. Dylan was a top-notch, five-star dad this weekend with endless patience for playing outside with the boys.

Catching tiny tree frogs in the woods!

Releasing the first crawfish trap.

Another winning shot of the boys and me. Not.

Sharing his popsicle with baby brother.

Putting their feet in the water...followed shortly by being completely immersed while wearing their clothes.

We went back to retrieve the trap and found 8 huge crawdads! Gavin was the most popular kid at the pond.

He was so proud and excited.

They were so big!!

On Sunday, we took a trip to Woodland Lake in Pinetop and had a picnic followed by a walk around the lake. Then, it was back to the cabin. But not before a run through the Dairy Queen drive-thru for Blizzards. Whenever we weren't eating or sleeping, you can safely assume that G was hunting for frogs, trapping crawdads, and catching bugs. He was in his element, and it was awesome. Graham had a fine ol' time, too. With all the extra attention from his grandparents and the time spent in the perfect weather, he was so happy. In fact, we were all very happy. We slept with the windows open and listened to the rain. We enjoyed cool weather and overcast skies, family togetherness, and plenty to eat and drink. It was really, really good.

Nonna helping Graham on the playground.

Cruising Torreon with the back open. A real highlight for Gavin. #breakingthelaw

Cleaning up in the soaking tub.

The sweetest little rascal.

Family Center playground fun.

Going for a joyride in the golf cart!

One of the many teeny, tiny tree frogs that Gavin captured.

Yet another crawdad trap.

Look, a giant bug!

His smile is the best!

Riding around the lake.

Both boys had so much fun with this decorative bike and stuffed moose.

Checking to see if the bugs grew.

Their adventures this morning while I was working.

Papa and Gavin catching baby crawfish with the net.

Future golfer?

By Monday morning, I was online and working in the cabin office. The rest of the family took one more field trip to the pond and playground. When I wrapped up, everyone returned, and we ate some lunch before getting on our way back to Scottsdale. We spent three nights at the cabin, and I wish we had had time for more. Many thanks to Mom and Dad for allowing us to crash a weekend at the cabin any time. But alas, it is back to reality. Have you ever listened to the Joe Rogan podcast? He believes that everyone needs to do hard things in life so that you can really appreciate the good things...and not have any reason to seek out hardship and cause trouble. This rings so true with me. While I have a sweet and terrific set-up for work, I can't really say that I find much enjoyment out of the middle of the week. But the weekends are so, so good. Furthermore, not too long ago Dylan's trips usually went over the weekends, and things didn't play out quite the way they do now. I didn't love it. (Sometimes, it was actually awful.) Now, I LOVE it, and I am ever so grateful.