Monday, January 30, 2012

A Full Weekend

                    *note:this is a lengthy post so you may want to grab a cup of coffee....*
We had a rather full weekend in nearly every sense of the word: physically, emotionally, eatingly, busyily, (yes--there I go, making up words again!) but it was good. Needed. 

Saturday found us at the indoor swimming pool much to our boys' delight!(sorry, no pics. of that!) They have been asking for weeks about going and we finally took the plunge and said ok. That evening we had a bowling birthday party to attend for Jovi (our niece), laughing at the kids' bowling antics, stuffing ourselves with the scrumptious bowling alley french fries and pizza and had an overall birthday-party fun time. 
Carson bowling

Austin's turn!


 
















Prior to the party, we received the shocking news that yet another long time family friend was no longer with us. And there is only one word that sums it up: shocking. Unexpected. She wasn't my "friend" personally per se, but she was of my sister's and my dear cousin Wendy's (who lost her battle to breast cancer a few years ago). So that makes it personal. Growing up in a small community of 2000 (give or take) when someone as vibrant and young as Alice who always had a smile on her face and a spring in her step, and who was herself a breast cancer survivor you can't help but be affected. I would see her every summer as we made our annual trek back "home" to MN so it'll be weird to shop the aisles of Chris' Food Center with my mom in a few months and not run into Alice. I'm not sure it'll sink in until then. 

So....our little planned ice fishing getaway on Sunday as a family could not have come at a more perfect time. Getaway was exactly what we all needed. The weather couldn't have been more beautiful, more weirdly mild for a January day. The boys couldn't have behaved better as they spent 5 straight hours (yes, I said 5) on the frozen water. We got a few fish with Carson catching one all by himself!! We simply just basked in being together. Enjoy the mass of photos!!

adventuring on to the ice for the first time!



here goes Mason!

i love this photo!!



watching daddy make the hole

mason watching from a rather relaxed position :)

mama and Mason

bringing some chairs

my love!!

Carson having an oreo cookie snack (I love how he's sitting)


Mason completely intrigued
My boys!!!!!!!!

checking out one of the holes

relaxin'

Austin found a perfect hockey "stick" and ice "puk" :)

i love my bubba!

doesn't Austin look so much older here? (complete with cookie outline)
it's a fish!!
Nice Catch!!
 At one point in the afternoon I headed to the truck so Mason could catch a little shut-eye. I wasn't sure if it would work but alas, he fell asleep on my lap. I had the thought of leaving him in the truck and joining my other boys on the ice but that thought quickly escaped--what? leave this precious moment of snuggling with my mini-man? nope. I stayed put. And I drank in the quietness of the hour, conversing off and on with my Savior, stealing glances of the mountainous landscape, and watching with mama-pride my boys on the ice. My thoughts traveled to "home" and the sadness present there and as a tear may have escaped one eye in thinking of all that family/friends were going through, another escaped just as quickly for the sheer thankfulness of an unshakeable faith in the Lord. God is still God.
naptime for Mason (photo courtesy of CJ)
 yep--those are my boys...and I can't express just how thankful I am for them.

Carson's catch!!
all my loves! :)
After leaving the ice, we headed back home only to stop along the way to hunt down some jack-rabbits. And the boys were successful. It was yet another father/son memory building time and "teachable moment" about life in the outdoors.

off they go...

"is it dead?"

Jack-rabbit kill!!
An all-around full weekend. But a good one. :)

2 comments:

MOPS Publicity said...

Oh how we would have loved to ice fish with your family!! Reading this post and seeing all the pictures just makes me miss you more!

Christa Forsythe said...

Looks like good old chilly fun! Great pictures!

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Ever since Andy and I signed that purchase agreement making us the owners of our very first home on Brookview Drive in Burnsville, Minnesota...