by Clint
Our 2012 Colorado adventure started much the same way most of 2012 was for us, crazy. We debated going for a few weeks with the move and the Melanie's family crisis. Fortunately we made the wise decision at the last minute and packed up the mule/truck. While we were getting ready to leave on the morning of Saturday, July 14, Beau fell down and crushed his head against the edge of a door. He was in so much pain, even bobo bunny couldn't help him. After a few hours and help from Grammy, we decided that he was good to go and we headed to Guymon for the night. Grammy decided to stay at home this year to help GG. On Sunday morning, we finished the trip to the cabin. The boys were really ready to play when we arrived.
The boys spent a lot of time playing together on the porch. Because of our chaotic year thus far, we tried to keep the trip as fun as possible. Sawyer would only wear his OSU gear.
Riding with Grandpa on his 4 wheeler was one of Sawyer's favorite activities. He taught Grandpa how to be a web slinger.
The trip wouldn't be complete without Grandpa's hash browns.
On his second year up at the cabin, Beau showed us all that he is a mountain man. He loves the cabin and he had a great time. Playing in the dirt and throwing rocks were two of his favorite activities.
Beau keeps us all entertained.
We re-discovered the trail that connects our cabin with Joel's, and we had several picnics on the trail. It's beautiful along the trail, and the boys enjoyed seeing all the animals in the forest.
Sawyer LOVES going to the cabin!
Mom and her three boys enjoy some huggers and kisses.
It's hard to see in this picture, but Melanie was 14 weeks pregnant on our trip. I'm so thankful that she is so strong and loves going to the cabin. This picture shows what I saw a lot on the trip, Melanie with an empty plate after a meal!
I could spend the whole post talking about how much light Beau brings into this world! He is my special beaugie. I'm really glad that he usually only wants me to hold him and hug him. He has a huge smile and wants to always have a great time. He got some much needed down time on this trip. He also likes to show off his enormous baby muscles every chance he gets.
Family time on the porch. One of our favorite spots at the cabin is the porch, especially when it's raining.
Go Pokes!
The great thing about the trip this year is that we spent most of our time together. We had some adventures, but for the most part, we kept things simple. One day, we drove over Cumberland Pass to Tincup to get lunch and pie at Frenchy's. We also thought we might catch some fish in the kiddie pond. Although the picture looks like I am fishing in the kiddie pond while Beau watches, I was simply getting Beau's hook un-snagged. He was the one doing the fishing. No fish for dinner that night.
We enjoyed spending time with all of our friends. The boys had a lot of fun playing with Jason and Amy's daughter, Ruby.
Uncle A made the trip up this year, and we had a great time hanging out with him. Sawyer and Uncle A had a really good time playing together. The saga of the Pitkin hand continues...
Grandpa and Beau having some hang time on the porch.
I spent as much time as possible drinking beer on the porch. Beau decided that beer wasn't that bad. I only gave him empty bottles, well maybe they weren't all entirely empty.
Sawyer is our nature boy, and he's starting to teach me things about nature. He loves being outside.
The worst part about our trip is that it was too short. With my new job as a professor, I really didn't have any vacation yet. I love this picture of Beau and Sawyer in the hotel room in Raton, NM. We had just arrived and jumped on the beds as usual. The boys figured out how to turn on the clock radio by randomly pressing buttons. They danced their tushes off that night. You can see from blurred-Beau that there was a lot of jumping around.
Our last stop on the way home was at Capulin State Park in New Mexico. Sawyer had been fascinated by volcanoes throughout 2012, so we wanted to show him an extinct volcano. I can't even count the number of volcano stories I told Sawyer throughout 2012.
There's really not much else I like more than a road trip with my family to the cabin. We were blessed with a memorable trip to the mountains in 2012. This time gave us a much needed pause to re-group in the midst of the most chaotic year to-date for the Aichele family. After all these years, I finally realized that is the ultimate benefit of the cabin, time for pause. I also know that I'm writing this as a paper trail for Sawyer, Beau, and little brother, and hopefully through the years they will realize the importance of this time. It is one of the rare places in our lives where we can recharge as a family with no interruptions or deadlines. That seems so obvious, yet too often gets overlooked. It's a beautiful place, that helps, but it really is the act of turning off the world, if only for a small period of time, that connects us closer as a family. We can see God clearly and understand the abundant blessings he has given us. Now, if I can just figure out how to get us up there more often...
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