Over the 24th of July weekend we went on our traditional camping trip to cabin creek/Alturus Lake with our friends the Tomlinson's and the Burnhams. We went last year and had so much fun that it has become an annual camping trip for our families. We all have kids the same ages so it has been a great vacation for the kids as well as the adults.
Cabin Creek is a fun little place back in the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho. They have small cabins that you can rent out for a few nights for super cheap. It is just 3 miles down the road from a VERY cold mountain lake called Alturus. We did a little swimming (those who dared- I guess everyone but me), lots of eating, exploring, and enjoying the mountain air. There really is something refreshing about being disconnected from a world for a few days.
We got there Friday afternoon. The kids explored while we set up camp. They all play incredibly well together. Haken liked playing with the boys his age and the older girls who had a blast "babysitting" him for me. That night we had smore's, played Bocce-ball, put the kids to bed, and then played games.
Playing Bocce-ball
Making s'mores
Bodee, Haken, and Micah. 4-yr old boys, all within 6 months in age.
Saturday we hung out at the cabin waiting for it to warm up a bit so we could go down to the lake. The kids were all obsessed with having Tom carve them small knives made of wood. After Haken got done coloring his knife with the sharpie he moved on to rocks and other things. A little artist, even in the wild.
Around lunch time we headed for the lake. Angela, Emilee, and I ran the 3 miles to the lake while the men drove the kids. It was a killer run but I'm glad I had some good friends to push me through. The lake was FREEZING! I thought I would be hot enough to jump right in, but after dipping my toe in the water (not the wise thing to do) I chickened out.
We made good use of the rafts out on the freezing cold water. I also found out that I am not a good rower. I'm glad Shad could get us back to shore.
Haken played in the sand
Played with Jack under the shady umbrella
Jack had his first experience with sand. We had to watch him real close so he didn't eat it. He did get a few handfuls in and seemed to like it. YUM!
Jack and Ian chillin' on the beach. You wouldn't guess that they are only a month apart. Jack seems like a little munchkin to compared to Ian.
That night we all cleaned up for church the next day. Including the babies in the sink of our cabin.
Sunday we headed off to a church in Stanley, ID. About 30 minutes from our cabin. They have a small branch there that meets in a little log cabin church that they rent out. It has big windows that looks out onto the Sawtooth Mountains. So fun to sit through a meeting with that in the background. It was a fantastic meeting. I'm glad we went. Afterwards we took a few pictures outside church looking into the Sawtooths.
Jack was asleep for this one, darn it!
The first smiling picture we got the whole trip. Little stinker!
We had a great relaxing day after church. We stopped at Red Fish Lake on the way back from Stanley to have a picnic lunch and let the kids wade in the water. It is a much bigger lake with lots of people. After lunch we went back to the cabin. Most of the kids went on a hike. Haken stayed behind because he so desperately needed a nap. I felt bad holding him back, but he didn't fight about it too hard. I think he was really tired.
That night some of the adults had a competitive game of horseshoes while the kids played on the swings and ran around. After the kids went to bed the adults played some games until after midnight. Needless to say, we were all pretty exhausted by the end of the weekend. Jack was such a good little camper, despite the sleep deprivation he had.
On the dock at Red Fish Lake
Shad's victory pose. This was taken half way through the game, he actually ended up loosing. Poor guy.
The day is not complete without a bedtime story by Shad and lots of songs sung by Angela.
It was a great weekend with a fun little twist at the end.....On our way home our A/C in our car went out just as we got out of the mountains. The drive through the lava rock desert was not much fun. We finally made it to a mechanic in Twin Falls thinking that we might as well fix it now since we were going to have to fix it anyway and be comfortable for the last 2 hours of the trip. After telling us that it was more than just the A/C and that it might cost up to $1300 we decided to take our chances on the drive home and fix it the next day. Anyway...we made it home and our car DIDN'T break down and it wasn't too bad driving with the windows down all the way back (just a little noisy). The car went into the shop today and it looks like it will be a $850 fix, not $1300. I think it's a small price to pay for air conditioning and a car that works, however, our cheap vacation turned out to be a bit more expensive than we anticipated. It was all worth it in the end. So glad that we have great friends to spend time with! Can't wait until next year. It will be great, minus the car repair....I hope.
