Off to the cabin we go!

We LOVE being able to rent forest service cabins. It gives us a cheap mini vacation and a fun experience living without our common conveniences (electricity, indoor toilet, heaters, running water, easy access etc). We have done this several times and already have a couple more reservations in the future.

Madison was our little helper - she carried wood, brought snow in for water and swept on a regular basis. It kept her busy :-) Living this way does not leave you much extra time, but it is so fun to be active and productive!
This weekend was over a month ago so there was quite a bit of snow but decent weather. Not nearly as cold and eventful as our previous trip to this cabin. :-)
The view is amazing! It is so beautiful up there.

It was an approximately 10 mile ride to the cabin. We couldn't all fit with our gear so Brock took one load up with the stuff and the next load with us. We also brought Samson thinking he could run along side of us. That didn't go quite as planned. He ran for a little bit then just refused to go any further. We realized if we wanted to get to the cabin he had to join the crowd in the sled. It was very crowded but all the bodies kept us all warm :-) Another important thing in this picture, besides our mode of transportation was our lovely bathroom. I have no problem with outhouses but the kids are another story. They are so scared of falling in the hole that if I don't have a death grip on them they panic. Because of this I spent more time than I wanted to in this "cute little house" (as Madison first said when she saw it)

The snow was VERY deep, making an afternoon walk much harder than we anticipated. We didn't even make it far from the cabin because each step was such a process. If you could manage to stay on top of the snow you were good. However, more often than not, just as you thought you had made it without falling in you would go crashing in. :-) It was fun though and kept us all laughing.

Doesn't Hannah look hilarious? She was so bundled up she was like the boy in A Christmas Story - but stuck on my back instead of in the snow :-) She didn't mind though.

After falling into the snow (usually at least knee deep) several times Isaac said nonchalantly, "It's because you're a big mama" Brock and I laughed as we realized it wouldn't be long before we would have to teach him to never let those words exit his mouth in reference to a girl again :-) However, for now we can laugh and know that his sweet little innocent heart is only stating the facts - I am BIG (in age because he is oblivious to a such thing as size) and I am a MAMA :-)Pondering life I am sure