Pinetop Trip! Whoop! Whoop!

We just got back from spending the long weekend with my family at the cabin in Pinetop!  So, so many good memories here - and we are all relishing in the new ones being made by the kids.

In all honesty, it was a weekend of ups and downs.  It is possible that the downs may have outweighed the ups.  However, when you are with family you hardly notice the downs.  And even a bad day with family in the mountains, is better than a great day without them.

Everyone else went up on Thursday, but we went Friday after work.  We hit the road right at 4:30PM, promising Shyla McDonalds in Globe (the halfway point).  Unfortunately, we learned upon arrival, McDonalds has been leveled to make room for an identically sized one located about 15 yards to the left.  Anyway .... never fear - we grabbed some lunchables and milk and got back on the road, arriving around 9:30PM.  

On Saturday we went to Hawley Lake.  No one caught any fish but the big kids all got to ride in Grandpa's boat, Pancake tried to kill a squirrel and a dog that was supposed to spend the night with us, Shyla learned to go "farmer girl."  She also fell in cow poop within 5 minutes of getting out of the car and we ended up driving 25 minutes away with Mike's keys in my camera bag.  Chelsea burned her face, and it literally seemed to get more red by the minute and Harper got mad at anyone who foiled her plan of walking directly into the lake.  It was an awesome day!  Seriously.  It was.  The kids all had a great time and that is truly all that matters.

Back at the cabin, there was lots of fun to be had!  We also spent a few hours at the rec center - which is really cool now and will be a great resource in the years to come.  Here are a few of my favorite pics from the weekend:

Mike brought uber-delicious designer cupcakes that may have derailed my weight-loss.  Smores cupcake?  Come on!

We got all 4 babies in the tub together!  And managed to take a few pictures before the screaming started!  (BTW - this bath was after the day at the lake and the water was DISGUSTING by the end!)

The big kids watched The Lorax together.  Their giggles were a beautiful sound.

This little one started wearing a ponytail for the first time!  It's so nice to be able to see her beautiful face!  Harper - not surprisingly - was the best traveler and the best sleeper.  We rarely heard a peep out of her in the car and she slept well both at nighttime and at nap-time.

We had some races before the car ride home!

And some big smilies on the porch!

Zac's face cracks me up in this one!  I wonder what Shyla just said/did to him...

And then there's my Shyla, asleep in the car.  She is only 3 and I need to keep reminding myself of that fact.  She had a tough weekend, behaviorally.  There was a lot of crying, tantrums, and generally "out-of-sortness" with her.  I'm not sure what's going on or what I can do about it.

Pancake had a great weekend.  Here she is in the car - standing - just like she did the whole trip!  Thankfully she got along with Baxter just fine, but Claire's dog was another story.  I am still convinced that she doesn't like female dogs and she doesn't like big dogs.  Claire's is both - Baxter is neither.  But in any event she got a lot of love and a lot of walks this weekend (her two favorite things).  She also got to explore at and in a lake, and ride on a boat.  We are glad to be able to give her a good life!

This last picture got out of order - it should be at the top with the lake pictures.  I love Shyla's face in this one - both of my girls just adore Lilly!

We are already checking our calendars for another long weekend to spend in Pinetop.  It is probably one of my most favorite places in the world.