This is The Life

Last week was Spring Break for my kids and we were thrilled when our friends the Brienholts invited us to their gorgeous cabin in Showlow. We'd only hung out together a few times, but they took a chance on us and let us spend 4 glorious days with them and Alyssa and Darrin enjoying the mountain air. It was exactly what I needed to recharge my mom mentality. A few days away where I could just concentrate on hanging out with my kids. I got to play, laugh, hug and hold my my boys (when they would let me) without worring about the daily hassles, chatting on the phone or hastily writing articles. Such a blessing for me.

Here were some highlights:

Outside Play. The kids never tired of the perfect weather and room to explore.

Kids making new friends. Our kids were amazinly kind, happy and fun with each other. Brooklyn and Jace were constantly connected and even slept right next to each other few of the nights. We had to sit next to them so they would finally go to sleep, they just kept chatting and chatting. The little boys had a great time with Regan and Page was a dream come true helper. They are great kids and are already planning thier next rendevouz.

Moms making new friends. I didn't really know Alyssa or Jamie very well, and was a bit nervous to spend so many days together, but they are the greatest. The kind of people you are around and think, Wow! I REALLY like them. In fact, after we got home, I started planning another way to get together. We had so many fun, real conversations and they are both just inspirational kind-hearted ladies, and perfectly imperfect, which is what I love. 3 cheers for more great women in my life.

Uncle Leroy's playground and zipline. The kids spent hours at the playground Leroy build. They played tag, dug holes, and were out little monkeys. Leroy also just hooked up a zipline, and I"m talking a real zipline from 5 story platforms in the trees. I got my brave pants on and gave it a try...what a rush! Mike, of course, did crazy tricks to impress us all. And yes, I thought he was super cool. Many of the Brienholts were there, and what a friendly, welcoming family. They treated us like one of their own!

Cabin food. We ate, and ate and ate and ate, and it was all so good. Jamie and Alyssa are the dessert queens and they know how to do it right. Homemade hot fudge, lemon cake, vtoasted coconut, vanilla syrup. Talk about heaven. Mike was totally spoiled and I told him not to expect that kind of decadence when we get home, but it sure was good while it lasted.

Husbands a day early! The boys surprised us and came up a whole day early. They are the best. All the moms were so grateful to see them and to have a little help! Tyson is an awesome planner and has tons of toys and is so generous to share and provide a great time for everyone. My boys became addicted to riding quads (even Parker drove one himself) and we got crazy on the Rangers. What a blast it was!

Quads. Who knew how much fun a couple 4 wheelers could be? My daredevil boys hopped right on and never wanted to stop riding. Now I see why people like these so much!

Time to read. I rarely feel like I have time to read, but I love it. Parker wanted to take a picture of me one day, and this is what he found. It was heaven...and Jamie and Alyssa are total bookworms too, so we geeked it up and sat in silence for quite a few hours enjoying our books separately together.

Basketball, basketball, basketball. They had a hoop outside that was the perfect height for Jace. I swear he spent 3 hours a day shooting hoops. The coolest thing? Brooklyn was right there with him. The least cool thing? Most of those hours he chose to play without shoes. Can you say orphan?

Crafts. Sweet, crafty Jamie brought little crafts for the kids to do. That's not really my cup of tea, so my kids were overjoyed at the chance to finger paint!

A little HSM3. In a great big theater room with cushy seats all the moms, dads, and kids spent a few hours one morning watching the delicious romance of Troy and Gabriella. Am I allowed to admit that I LOVED the show? The dancing was awesome and the singing was oozing cheese. Totally worth a rent, even if you don't have kids. My boys tried to pretend the romance was disgusting, but I saw them peeking.

Celebrity hot tub. The adults got in the hot tub one night and watched a few basketball games while we soaked in the warm water...it was a great way to wind down. The kids got a kick out of being in there the next day. It seemed so posh to all of them and we had to force their little red cheeks to hop out.

Oh thank you, thank you, thank you to the Brienholts. New friends, full bellies, happy kids. What more can you ask for? It was the best!