(When I saw this picture I did a double-take. It blows me away that McKenna is almost as tall as me, I know she'll soon pass me up, but to see it in this picture makes it all too real for me.)Lately, the kids have been begging and begging to go camping (I think they love camping so much because it's one of the only times we take their pocketknives out of the safe for them to use freely), but with it being so cold we knew that really wouldn't work, so instead Garrett planned to take some time off so we could play together as a family in Midway, while the kids are off-track. Well, that was the plan we were telling the kids, but Garrett pulled some strings and was able to get us a night at Falcon's Ledge, one of our kids' favorite places to stay.
Sunday after church, the kids and I headed up to Midway to get dinner started while Garrett finished his church meetings. He walked in the door and the kids went wild, he thought I had told them the surprise by the way they were acting...no, they just adore their dad, Wyatt especially...when the kids are all grown I'm going to miss the way they react to their dad entering a room, or pulling into the driveway, but I think he'll miss it even more!
Garrett gathered the kids around and asked them how they would feel about going to Falcon's Ledge. They could not believe it...when ownership changed a few years ago we didn't think we would be able to go anymore as a family - so when we told them we could go, they were so excited. When we've been there as a family we are usually the only ones there, besides the cooks...we fish, hike, shoot guns, play pool, ping pong, lots of games and look forward to fabulous food.
For me, this was the best trip yet to Falcon's Ledge. At one point while watching McKenna throw a boomerang in an open field, Ashlyn fly fishing on a huge rock in the middle of the river, Colter gathering sticks along the bank, Garrett fly fishing with Wyatt on his shoulders and me sitting on the warm rocks of the riverbank watching it all. I felt this was just what our family needed. I didn't want it to end!
We fished the same place Garrett and I fished a few months before when a huge storm immediately came in and lightening hit right around us. As we walked the trail down to the river Garrett and I noticed a huge charred and blackened tree blocking the path to get to the river...one that wasn't there 5 months ago. We wondered if it had been hit by lightening that day we were there. It was in the same spot we were in before we felt prompted to move. We knew something had been hit in that general area...who knows if that was the tree that was hit that same day we were there, it was almost an eerie feeling. Garrett and I just kept looking at each other...wondering.
We made it to Falcons Ledge Sunday evening and played games and relaxed. Wyatt even tied his first fly and has been addicted ever since. Every night he asks dad if they can go down to Garrett's fly-tying bench and tie more flies for fishing. I think both of our boys have been brain-washed in the area of fly fishing, but I love that they love everything about it. Now they each have their own trademark flies named after them...what a cool dad!
We stayed in our favorite room with the 2 huge bunkbeds. It's funny to be in a room with all the kids and hear all their sleep-talking, coughing, moaning, moving and everything else that goes on in the wee hours of the morning. I kept thinking of that song 'Grandma's Feather Bed'..."we didn't get much sleep, but we had a lot of fun on Grandma's feather bed"...that pretty much sumed up our night. It's so worth it!
Monday we woke to an incredible breakfast and headed out to do some hiking, fishing, some shooting and enjoy a little campfire in the Uintahs.It was the most perfect day! Colter caught 2 fish, Ashlyn caught 3, and McKenna and Wyatt had a few hooked but couldn't bring them in. We cooked lunch in a nearby campground and had fun on a bridge with a little squirrel that came right up to us. It was a great day!
Evening came and we headed back to spend a few nights in Midway...after dinner Colter asked what was for dessert - something I can expect to hear from him every night! I told him we could just have some oreos, then I saw the look he and dad shared and Garrett quickly let me know that just wouldn't work...so I made a little drive to the nearby Dairy Keen for their famous shakes. Colter and his dad are two peas in a pod!While in Midway we swam, watched Inkheart and played lots of Phase 10 and Rummikub...lots of underwater pictures to come.
