This past weekend Daddy surprised us with a 2 day cabin in Idyllwild in the snow!!!:D It was all very last minute for us, but not unplanned by the Lord!:) He brought it all together so well, and we had a wonderful time!!!
We drove up Saturday afternoon, stopping briefly to pick up some needed things and groceries!
Waiting in the car....
Ryan's sillier side coming out here!
Hemet area.....
Driving up the mountain-snow!!;)
This was our "home" for the weekend, "Pop's Gingerbread House."
It had a front and back yard, both with beautiful scenery and lots of space.
Gearing up for the snow! Mommy got us these matching pants for the boys at Walmart and they were all very pleased! :o)
Playing with Evie!:)
Once we got up to the cabin, we unpacked and had a late lunch. I do believe cold weather can make one hungrier!;) We had a delicious meal of Alaskan salmon patty sandwiches, with lemonade and some BBQ chips!;)
Dad and Daniel are such characters! They are two peas in a pod......:P
Sunday morning we had our own service; as we weren't sure about finding a place to go to church. We had a time of singing, and then listened to a sermon by Alister Begg. Daddy heard him a few years ago at men's retreat (on a video) and shared his sermons with us later at home. We really enjoyed hearing him "preach" on his radio station Truth For Life.
A family picture-minus Mom....
Now with Mom-minus Daddy.....
After our "service" we all went for a walk into town- our cabin was nice and close to town!
One of the many beautiful sights we saw, walking and driving through the town.....
We enjoyed stopping at one of the small bakeries for some special treats!
Isaiah got this neat shot of some of the icicles hanging off of the community church.....these were a common sight!
We walked through about half of the town, stopping at a few places to look and shop. It was fun to be in a small town atmosphere and away from the big city!
We got back around lunchtime and enjoyed a hearty lunch before we headed out to sled!!!!! This was the real highlight of the whole trip! Here, Isaiah sent a snowball flying at the windshield-it was really neat as it had a 3D effect....sorta.;)
(Look, Tara! I'm wearing the hat) ;o)
Our first hill! This was pretty steep and quite high! Daddy had to do a lot of directing and organizing, with 8 sledders eager to go!!!!:D
Isaiah was more than ready to go!
Ryan joins in!
From the top, Daniel looking down ready to take off!
He's so adventurous!
Caytlin using the boogie board-shows how Californian we are.;)
Here comes the Daddy!!
....and when he wasn't sledding, he was atop his "trunk" watching and supervising!
Mommy and Evie watched, but later Evie had one "mild" ride! So, she has officially been sledding now!
Having fun together as siblings-some of our facial expressions are classic!
Natey was really brave and tried a lot of different sledding trails. Some looked like they couldn't be done, but he did it!
Isaiah loving the big hill while Timmy is pretty nervous....
Ryan's ballet as Daniel comes in! You had to get out of the way QUICKLY!
It's so much fun to sled with a partner! We never quite got our legs right but it was still so much fun!
Daniel making a good entrance...
Timmy really loved sledding-from a safe height of course!
Ryan and Isaiah flying through the snow!
Evie's first ride!! ( My hat fell off inside of my hoodie after the first few rides!;)
Just love Caytlin and Timothy's faces here!!!
Sisters!
A snowy landing....
Another adorable moment!
Laughing and sledding go hand-in-hand!!
This face says Daniel's not sure if this was a good idea but, oh well!;) (It did turn out very well!)
Daddy was Timmy's faithful "pusher- offer". He was so funny! Timmy would not try new hills until he was sure they were safe. Sometimes, if Daddy wanted to show him how a hill "wasn't scary" and he managed to push him off to start, Timmy would bail out and jump off quickly leaving the sled to ride down alone! :P
Natey's cheery, joyful personality is so contagious!;)
Joe was the PERFECT size to sled down just right! His weight and everything made him fly down that hill so smoothly and so much faster than any of us- and he loved it! He didn't need any help and was eagerly trying new heights as the afternoon wore on!
Daddy always makes sledding look extra fun!
Replenishing the snow on one of our trails.....
Timmy being brave!!
Ryan's Kodak moment....;)
Now face first.....
Expecting a much better ride!
Natey lost his boot on his last ride down! Thankfully, it was right beside him and he quickly put it back on!
A quick picture of some of us sledders-Caytlin and Isaiah were off exploring....
Back at the cabin, Mommy and Daddy made dinner together-Kale Salad!
After dinner, spending time with Daddy....
Laughing is always important on vacations; and if you want to get some laughing, Natey is the one to pick!!!:D
Fast asleep after such an eventful and fun day!
Monday morning came too fast and soon we were busy cleaning and packing to head home. One really nice blessing we had in this cabin was a laundry room with a washer and dryer! We took turns folding.....
Playing on the kitchen floor with his Evie-Timmy's hat is too small for him but he liked to wear it!
This was "our road" for the weekend! What a nice change of scenery!
Evie loved roaming the cabin free, walking about and playing and she also thought about going out the back door into the snow a couple of times. This time, I actually let her head for the outside only to have her stop, turn around and give me this look, and head back inside!;)
These guys, however, took the challenge-barefoot!!!!
Evie and the vacuum cleaner were friends! Most of our children have been terrified by this cleaning tool, but she took an immediate liking to it-while Timmy ran to "hide his feet from being eaten!"
We found this decoration in the cabin-what a convicting reminder!!
"Said a Robin to a Sparrow, "I'd really like to know why these anxious human beings rush about and worry so." Said the Sparrow to the Robin, "Friend, I think that it must be that they have no Heavenly Father such as cares for you and me."
Writing feedback before we leave....
Daniel and Caytlin enjoying the cozy livingroom one last time....
Evie and Caytlin having a good time!
After we packed up and locked the cabin, we dropped off the key and some sleds we borrowed at the rental place. We took our trash to the Idyllwild dump which was a fun experience! What a beautiful area for a dump!
Of course they had the perfect hill for sledding and there was a sign that said "No Trespassing.";)
Daddy let us sled for about an hour, before heading back down the mountain home!!
Our second spot was a lot steeper but still just as fun!
Great face, Isaiah!
Joe is such a cute little man.;)
Timmy was definitely braver this time!
Getting a push from Daddy!!
Brothers sled,
together!
Mom stayed in the van with Evie to keep warm!
Getting in our sledding-no more snow after this!
Ryan's growing into such a handsome man-just like his Daddy:)
Caytlin and I wore our kuspuks on this trip again!
Daniel ready to nab someone with a snowball!
We are so privileged to have each other as we grow up!
One last ride before we go!!
Driving down from Idyllwild we got to see this beautiful view!
When you live in the city and you're always surrounded by man-made things; machinery, noise and busyness, you can forget what a wonderful and perfect Creator our God is! It's good to step back from that all and get out to nature to see His signatures all over this world, in the mountains, the snow, the snowflake, the sky and trees!! We were so grateful for the opportunity to do that this past weekend, and praise the Lord for these "reminders" of just how EXCELLENT He really is.
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen—even the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea
that pass through the paths of the seas. O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth!
Psalm 8:3-9
