What I'm Missing

 Our time at the cabin is over and it has been a hard adjustment being home.  The month that we spent here was beyond what I could ever explain to you in words.  I hope that my kids won't ever want to stop coming up here in the summer although I fear that as they get older we will be staying for a weekend instead of the month. :) Many of you have asked how we could possible stay at a cabin for a WHOLE month.  As you can see, the cabin is plenty big for all of us and because of the weather here, we are able to enjoy much of the time outside.  Besides the everyday hustle and bustle that I experience on a daily basis, here are a few of the things I will miss about being at the cabin.

 CUB SCOUTS

During the month at the cabin, I did not put the Cub Scout Bear book down.  My goal was to help Brody finish all the requirements to earn his BEAR plus some arrow points and belt loops.  Would you believe that not only did he earn his BEAR, he earned 6 arrow points and quite a few belt loops?  It's amazing how much you can accomplish when you have other adults to help with your kids and you aren't running from one activity to the other! Next year if we are able to be at the cabin for the month of July, I will be helping Case earn his CUB and Brody earn his WEBELOS.  WOW!  

This awesome picture of me was taking by my Cub Scout Brody for the Photography requirement.

 Although there was LOTS of screaming and crying, arguing and fighting amongst these cousins, I will miss that we are not all together each day.  9 kids between the ages of 9 and 2 is overwhelming at times, but we are family and there is nothing better.

 What I will miss the most is the pure happiness and joy that these kids experienced each day that we were here.  Not a day went by that we just sat around.  There were crafts, bike rides, roller blading, sports and just running silly every minute. These days with my kids will be over before I know it.  I have to soak up every minute while I can.

 The beauty of the mountains will definitely be missed.  It is so green and pretty here.  The weather was amazing...I think it made all of us happy.  I love the gorgeous flowers and tall pine trees.  I love the smells of the forest and the smell of my filthy kids after they have played in it all day.

 Having my mom at the cabin was the best part.  She ran to the grocery store so Ash and I could be with our kids.  She cooked for us (we helped in between breaking up cousin fights), crafted with us, and helped with the kids.  I am especially grateful that she was able to watch my wild kids for the last 4 days so I could get well back home.

I am going to miss the kids being able to play outside and just be kids.  We are so busy at home and so on the go that very rarely do we just get to have fun and play at home.

Each night after the kids were in bed, I would read a chapter or two from the book, "Where The Red Fern Grows." It has been a hundred years since I read this book.  By time it was over I was crying my eyes out with Brody. This book is a MUST read if you want your kids to know what it is like to work hard and to set goals.  I LOVE this book!

Finally, I will miss the big afternoon thunderstorms that would roll in each afternoon.  I will miss the loud thunder and wild lightening.  I will miss having to throw in a sweatshirt because it would cool down so much.  I will miss the lightening sirens going off on the golf course and the power outages due to the storm.  What an amazing month this has been. So grateful that we are able to escape to the cabin each summer.

Cabin Week 4: The Golf Tournament That I Missed

 Friday morning, while I was home in Mesa, AZ sick and sad, my 3 boys were in a golf tournament in Pinetop.  Because I am so depressed about not being there, this will be a short post.

 My Mom said Brody did fantastic at putting today.

 Lucky for my Mom, they put Brody and Case in the same group.

 As you can see, Brody shot a 53 on the 6 holes he played and Case shot a 46.

 Ledger shot a 12 on his 1 hole game.

 Are you kidding me right now?  Case won third place in the 6 hole tournament and I wasn't there?

For Real?  Ledger placed second in his 1 hole tournament.  This is the pitts for me!

Cabin Week 4: Highs and Lows

 It's hard to believe this is our fourth and final week at the cabin.  The month here with my kiddos has been better then I can explain.  There is something about being away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, with just your kids.  It's refreshing to have them all to yourself and watch them have endless hours of fun day after day. This week we started back with the golf and tennis clinics at White Mountain Country Club. The kids enjoy this week and with ONLY 120 kids in golf, it seemed a little less crazy then the first week we did the clinic.  

 This little lady can hardly wait to play next year. She wants pink clubs and pink golf balls which sounds perfect to me!

 Ledger and Brooklyn had fun playing in the 4-5 age group together.

I spy Brody in the 9 year old group.  He's in the red hat, navy blue shirt on the back right.

 After golf each day, we headed over to the courts for some tennis.  Ledger is doing fantastic at this sport....so is Brody and Case.  Poor Case though, all the kid wants to do up here is play Dodge Ball and Capture The Flag with the kids and the rec hall staff.  For some crazy reason, the sports were scheduled right at the same time as his tennis lesson.  Two out of the five days his lessons were at a different time and still the sports were scheduled during tennis.  He had a hard time concentrating on tennis because he kept looking back at what he was missing at the rec hall.  Lucky for him, the games lasted for hours and he was able to play. 

Miss B...this girl loved it at the rec hall.  She would swing on the swings for hours and zip line for as long as she could before someone would push her off.  I love that her brothers loved pulling her up to the top of the line and watching her laugh all the way down.  One day Ash and I were eating lunch on the porch and Brody comes over to join us and tells us that "some old man" at the rec hall chewed him out for letting "the little girl" go so fast down the zip line.  Little does "the old man" know, "the little girl" is tough as nails and has been doing it for weeks.

 Brody must have made a hundred crafts this month at the rec hall.  He loves painting, crafting and designing stuff.  

 Each evening after we would get home from the rec hall, we would head out front for some bike riding and roller blading. The weather is so beautiful here that you just want to be outside all day and night.  You can tell from the expression on Brody's face that the boy is in heaven!

 Case loved being able to ride his blades out front.

 So here is when the fun began.  Tuesday night, we had just finished dinner.  The kids were playing out front having a great time.  We decided that we should go on a walk and bike ride.  

 We go up the street and down a couple times.  I'm pulling Berkley and Brooklyn in the bike trailer for a while and then they get out and want to be pushed in the stroller.  Ledger hops in the bike trailer and off we go headed back to the cabin. Out of know where, I get this HORRIBLE pain in my stomach and have to make a mad dash to the bathroom.  I won't go into the gory details but lets just say the next hour is spent sick as a dog in the bathroom.  My stomach is making noises I've never heard before and I am in serious pain.  I get the kids bathed and throw them in bed.  I am still horribly sick so I jump in the shower and head to bed myself.  All night I am in EXCRUCIATING pain in my lower abdomen.  Other horrific things start happening and I decide it's time to go wake up my mom.  We jump in the car at 1:15 am and head to Summit Hospital in Show Low.  They quickly check me in and start me on Morphine for the pain.  

Long story short, I spend the rest of the night and half of Wednesday in the hospital having CT scans and blood drawn so they can figure out what the heck is wrong with me.  I thought my appendix had ruptured in which case I warned my mom that, "I will not have my appendix removed at Summit Hospital in Show Low, Arizona."  Come to find out, I had Infectious Colitis in my large intestine.  It is similar to Giarrdia  or Salmonilla.  I have no idea where I got it, but it hurt like a son of a gun and at one point I thought about hanging myself from the fan in the bathroom at the cabin! From what the doctor explained it is contracted from poor hand washing, someone who has prepared food without washing their hands, utensils that have not been properly cleaned or contaminated food.  It can lie dorment for a week and then something triggers it and all you know what breaks loose!  It's gross and disgusting when I stop and think about it. I'm guessing I got it from the Club since we didn't eat out anywhere else.  So they let me out of the hospital Wednesday afternoon and I go back to the cabin and head for bed.  I start on the THREE medications they gave me and I start throwing up...and can't stop. The pain won't go away and I think I am bleeding internally.  I call Jeremy at 4:00 am Thursday morning and tell him I can't take the pain any longer.  He drives up to Pinetop, we say good-bye to our kids, and head back down to the valley so we can go to Banner Gateway Hospital for a second opinion. Thursday night I stay at Banner Gateway for more testing.  They agree...Infectious Colitis.  They give me more Morphine and send me home with the same medications plus and anti nausea.  All the while, I am throwing up and bawling my eyes out because I had to leave my kiddos in Pinetop.  It was awful and still is.  I am home now from the cabin, sick and miserable.  My month away did not end the way I had hoped.  My kids are scared and can't figure out why I left.  They need me...I need them.  I hate that they had their last golf tournament today and I wans't there.  It kills me. I hope they will forgive me. I hope my Mom and Sister will still have all their limbs... and eyelashes when they come home on Sunday. I owe them big time.  They have taken care my kiddos since Tuesday night.  It is not an easy task.  I am grateful for them and hope I can find a way to re pay them for all their help. 

Cabin Week 3: Just Having Fun!

This week has been low key.  We haven't had any plans other then just to play and have fun.  We have been on bike rides, learned magic tricks, played at the cabin rec hall, watched movies, been to the Larson Public Library, and run amuck through the cabin.  It has been perfect!  Brody has opened his own "rec hall" in the bunk room.  He has a calendar of the daily activities posted on the door and invites the kids to come craft twice a day.  They are having a ball making crafts.

 The White Mountain Theatres is the hot spot in town.  Ash and I took the kids one rainy afternoon to see Ice Age.

 Hanging around the cabin is the highlight for my kids.  Here is Ledger (still in pajamas) showing me that he is a reindeer.

 Kendall and Berkley have a love hate relationship going on.  Berkely is so not used to playing with little girls.  Having to share the girl toys proved difficult for this little lady!  Look how cute they look in this picture reading to one another!

 Another highlight is being able to bike and blade around the driveway each afternoon.
It is heaven here...I dread the day we have to go home!

The first week we got here we made bird feeders from here.  They were so easy and turned out so cute!

Cabin Week 3: Trail Rides

 Today Ash and I loaded up the kids and took them to the arena for horse back rides.  Brody was lucky enough to go on a trail ride with Justin and a couple other city slickers, while Case, Ledger, Berkley, Ella and Brooklyn took little horse back rides around the arena.  It was a great way to spend the morning in the cool mountain pines.  Our time here is winding down and it is starting to make me sad.  We love being here in the beautiful cool mountain air enjoying the no hassle days of summer.  It's hard to believe school will be starting a week after we return home, BLAH!  For now, I am going to keep enjoying this time away with my kids.

 How funny does Miss B. look on this big horse?

 Ledger was loving his ride around the arena.

 This kid smiles for the camera where no matter what!

 Brody was lucky enough to go on a 1 hour trail ride today with Rachel (head cowgirl) and a couple other city slickers.  He looooved this!

Brody looks so grown up riding the horse, whose name was Justin by the way!

Poor Case....this boy wanted so badly to go with Brody on the trail ride.  Unfortunately you had to be 8 years old.  Lucky for him, Justin let him ride the horse by himself around the arena.  Case really got the hang of it and loved being able to ride with out Justin holding the ropes.

 Looking good cowboy!

 As you may already know, Case was named after the Case International tractor.  Being that my dad was a farmer, I wanted a name for him that would always remind me of where I came from.  Today when Justin asked Case what his name was, Justin decided that instead of calling Case, Case, his new name would be International.  All day Case was referred to as, "International."  He thought that was pretty cool!

These little cowboys and cowgirls (minus Brody and Berkley) had a great time today riding horses and playing in the dirt. Hopefully we will get to this again next year.