Two 3-day weekends in a row?

I swear to you kids in Vegas are NEVER in school.  For some reason they were out two Monday's in a row! I'm sure this creates a nightmare for mom's and dad's that have to both work and find childcare.  Well, we always try to do something fun with the boys.  So on the first weekend we made a last minute decision to run up to our families cabin in Panguitch Lake, UT. 

We called our good friends The Coache's because they are spontaneous and crazy like us.  Go to the cabin last minute? Sure! So we left way later than what I expected and then Kes decided to stop on the way and check our traps (which have been empty this year). To add to our slowness, Kes had a distressing issue at work right before we left.   Bottom line, sweet Holly's family was able to stop and buy groceries for our trip and get to the cabin and make a fire before we even showed up! Why are we such slow people? Ugh...

We couldn't believe there was no snow at the cabin! What is with this crazy winter?  Usually we can sled around the cabin most years and even snowmobile.  Not even close this year.  You could have driven a Geo Metro right to the front door.   When we arrived and said our hello's to Holly's fam, this is when we ran into a little bit of a problem.... Kes went out to turn on the water to the house and the water seeped back into the main pipe.  We gave it some time before we realized we were creating a lake outside the cabin.  To make a long story short, Holly and I had no running water for cooking and cleaning.  You could turn the water on for short moments to fill up pots, or pitchers and that's exactly what we ended up doing the entire time.  It was definitely one of those moments that makes you appreciate how your parents and grandparents may have grown up.  My mom lived in several houses until she was in her late teens that didn't have bathrooms or running water.  I know that Kes' dad didn't have a bathroom inside either.

However, it was a little more fun than we wanted to subject ourselves to for a very extended stay.  We ended up throwing in the towel on Sunday morning and decided to come back to the conveniences of a properly functioning home in civilization.  My poor sweet Holly's family had several other issues they were dealing with at the cabin so we decided it was the smart thing to head back. 

We were able to have some fun times and I love laughing with her and Jordan.  Jordan is hilarious. 

He is one of the most unique individuals I have ever met.  He's a hard worker and Kes enjoys him.  This is right after he woke up and had gone outside to turn the water on for us.  But I love this picture because it makes me laugh remembering the moment it was taken.  I think Holly would agree. 

Kes and I took the boys down to the lake to do some four wheeling. 

The Bean

The Rooster

This is a shot of Kes teaching Rooster how to do donuts on the ice.  Rooster loved it! He's a pretty good little rider and works hard to listen to what you say. 

It seemed like they were catching a few fish out on the lake.  This is one of the first years I haven't ice fished up there.  It's a lot of fun.  Here's a picture of some of our fellow ice-idiots out on the lake. They seemed to be pulling in a few.

We had a great time just relaxing around the cabin- here are a few shots.

Holly's family had never been on the ice before! Hard to imagine people haven't willingly walked out on a large frozen lake that pops and cracks sometimes.  It makes eery sounds when the water hits the ice underneath.  I wish I could record the sound for you.  The ice is usually pretty safe this time of year.  It was about 15 inches thick.

Rylan experiencing ice-donuts with Kes

Miss Paisley Roo Hoo

Mr. Gunman playing in the sand

The Bean is a land dweller like Miss Holly.  No ice for them thank-you

We went back to the cabin and had a nice little time roasting marshmallows and making s'mores. 

Gunman below eating a delicious s'more.  I believe this is probably one of his first times having them. 

Song Coldplay "Paradise"