Cabin Trip #1 {2012}

I'm a little shell-shocked.  I just returned from spending an entire week up at our cabin with my sister and her kids.  Now it's 1/2 way through June!!  I'm dying a little that Father's Day is on Sunday, and Megan turns 13 on Monday!  It's completely insane.

John was able to come up for the first half of the week.  It's always funner when dad is around.  We went on a hike around Butterfly Lake.  Bryson had a friend up with us, and they found a salamander.  Surprisingly, the kids all wanted to hold it and pet it.  We walked through patches of snow, and then of course, the kids all wanted to get IN the water - never mind that it's freezing cold runoff water.

The kids just played and played...  John piled them all on the 4-wheeler and took them on the slowest, shortest rides possible - and they LOVED it.  He then came up with the brilliant idea of putting BOTH swings on the chain and create a double-decker swing.

My kids are so lucky to have such a fun-hearted dad!

At the bottom of the hill behind the cabin, there are two creeks.  Bryson was gallantly willing to get into the creek to help Sophie across the log over the "big creek".

This is the "small creek".

It used to be bigger.  So did the "big" one.  But the kids have nearly as much fun in them as I did as a kid.  My memories of cabin trips that I took as a kid are some of my most treasured.  I LOVE seeing the kids doing some of the same things that I did.

We learned a couple of things though.  1) a full week is probably about 2 or 3 days too long.  2) it takes a good 2-3 days {and more than a little force} for the kids to use their imaginations and actually play outside.

Although, every time the bees would "buzz" Max, he would come running in and say, "I hate nature!"

So, for next time: Not as long.  NO video games brought up.

It was fun.  It was exhausting.  It was worth it.