Lost River State Park

Hi!
we had such a GREAT time away at Lost River State Park!!!!
this picture is perfect for our time away...we asked all the kids what their favorite part of our time away was, and "the fire" was a part of EVERONE'S answer!
there's just nothing like a REAL fire!

speaking of that fire...we arrived around 9:30 pm on friday night (we did make it to the hockey game - SO cute! and by then pat was home from work! we got a late start...but it was fine...this is the GREAT part about sawyer being a little older - he's more flexible!)

this was the fire about 15 minutes after we arrived on friday night :-)
pat went right to work, while i unpacked our stuff!

getting the kids settled the first night...rebekah had a cot and joshua and bailey had twin beds.
bailey LOVED her bed. said it was SO cozy?? i mean, her bed at home has like a pillowtop mattress and a down comforter...and she loved that scratchy blanket and cover at the cabin :-) kinda like how they think MICROWAVE popcorn is special - since we make the REAL kind usually!

sawyer started in their room...

but he could NOT calm down...so then we moved him out to the kitchen area....but then the heater kicked on and it scared him...so he was in our room :)

everyone slept until a decent time on saturday morning and we made a yummy breakfast - pancakes, bacon and eggs.

then we settled in by the fire and did our "candle", then played games and read books...

we did venture outside before lunch.
it was cold...but bearable...

our cabin :-)

we went for a little walk along this creek that was mostly frozen!

see how thick the ice was?? (and the creek was like 4 inches deep, so we wouldn't have drowned...but we might have frozen!)

i was SO impressed with this park!
it was very well maintained and just so cute!

when's the last time you saw a payphone?!?

there was a little playground right by our cabin! i took this picture from our porch!

i stood at the door to the cabin and this was to the left...our room (with a double bed - um...i did NOT get much sleep!), then a closet, then the kids' room, then the bathroom.

then i turned to the right - the living area and the kitchen...it was all SO clean, fully stocked kitchen and firewood and sheets and towels...AND there WAS a tv...but we never turned it on! there was nothing about that in the information i found before we went! and the kids never asked!

just one thing: don't let all 5 members of your family take a shower before you in a small cabin...there will be NO hot water left for you :-)

we spent the afternoon playing...just being together...letting the kids take turn picking games...
the girls went out and sat on the porch in the rocking chairs. it was cute. :-)

lego's...

YUMMY dinner - taco's and guacamole!

this was SO cute...rebekah got these candles for christmas from pat's aunt. she packed them in her backpack and brought them out to make our dinner special :-) isn't that adorable?!?

and, of COURSE, we ended the night with smore's!

we started a game of monopoly on saturday morning...and didn't finish til sunday afternoon!

we left sunday after lunch to head home. we were having a GREAT time, but i think both pat and i knew we might not last another full day...and we wanted to end on a good note! plus, it would be nice to have some time at home before the week starts.

AND...i wanted my big bed! :-)

we had toyed with the idea of going snow tubing on the way home...but it would have been 5ish hours in the car to get there and then home and we just didn't feel like taking that on...so we just went home.

i'll be honest...we had a few "moments" - i mean, what is sawyer supposed to do while we are playing monopoly?? beside drive us all nuts?? and trying to cook in that teeny kitchen with all those helpers?? um, yea...some moments.

but, overall, it was GREAT!

we got home, unpacked, and then went ice skating! all 6 of us!

remember my prayers for this weekend??
well, this is when i laughed...HARD! :-) we had so much fun!
and lasted way longer than i thought we would!

and, today has been nice...we all went to the gym...i'm doing laundry...the kids are playing the wii...pat is doing his "stuff"...just a nice day to be home!

and...just one more from rebekah's camera!