For my fellow
CDR alum, you'll know the classic silly song to which my title refers. Everyone else, just move right along. :)
Justin & I spent last weekend relaxing, just the two of us, in a cabin in southeast Oklahoma, just outside Beaver's Bend State Park. I grew up going to Beaver's Bend for our church's annual family retreat, so I'm very familiar with the area, but this was my first time to stay in a cabin there instead of an RV. We dropped Jake & Mal off in Paris with my parents & then arrived late Thursday night to our cozy little abode.
The cabin was one big room, serving as bedroom, kitchen & living room, plus a bathroom. It wouldn't have been ideal if we'd brought the kids, but it was perfect for us.
A major plus was the hot tub on a covered deck outside, which we got to enjoy even when it was pouring rain.
The little creek that ran behind our cabin
Although our accommodations were equipped with kitchen supplies so you could prepare meals, we opted to eat out & just be lazy. We did get some outdoor exercise, though! On Friday, we rented a canoe & took a four mile trip down the Mountain Fork river. Justin, being the optimistic guy he is, insisted on taking his phone so we'd have a way to take pictures. Because, you know, there's no way we were going to turn the canoe over. Wrong! Most of the trip was pretty mild, but there was one area with a little waterfall that had a 3-foot drop. One minute, we were navigating nicely & the next minute, I found myself in icy cold water. It was very shallow, so I stood with my feet planted as firmly as possible on the slippery river rocks, holding J's phone high above my head as he maneuvered our canoe, now full of water, over to the shore. J worked diligently the rest of the weekend to revive his phone, & it did start working again but several buttons remained on the fritz, so he had to get a new one this week.
The first part of the river had tons of rocks sticking up out of the water, & we saw lots of turtles sunbathing.
This is our only action shot. I didn't manage to get a picture of J before the waterfall incident.
On Saturday, we took a short hike in Beaver's Bend & then just hung out around our cabin that afternoon.
After going out for pizza that night, J beat me by only two strokes at putt-putt. Playing mini golf has become sort of a random tradition for us on some of our lower-key vacations.
Sunday we were sad to end our relaxing weekend but excited to get back to our kiddos.
Thanks, sweetie, for a fun trip!
Our good friends, Garrett & Amy, came with us. Here's me & Amy (with Garrett jumping into our pic) before we were too hot & sweaty.
Me & the (belated) birthday boy. Can you tell it's the end of May in Texas?
Our seats were pretty good
Here's a snippet of them performing "Red Dirt Road." Jason Aldean opened & was great, too.
Here's a little peek at the fun. Mal is constantly dancing & singing to herself, which cracks me up.
chowed down on some cheeseburgers...
enjoyed life in the country...
worked on some old puzzles that were new to us...
vegged out with some Veggie Tales...
& made lots of messes while cooking.
We even found new forms of entertainment that we didn't know existed, like letting the fan blow your hair all over the place!
We may have been pantsless half the time...
but we did get dressed for church on Sunday.
We can't wait to go see Nana & Papa again!
Love,
The cabin was one big room, serving as bedroom, kitchen & living room, plus a bathroom. It wouldn't have been ideal if we'd brought the kids, but it was perfect for us.
A major plus was the hot tub on a covered deck outside, which we got to enjoy even when it was pouring rain.
The little creek that ran behind our cabin
Although our accommodations were equipped with kitchen supplies so you could prepare meals, we opted to eat out & just be lazy. We did get some outdoor exercise, though! On Friday, we rented a canoe & took a four mile trip down the Mountain Fork river. Justin, being the optimistic guy he is, insisted on taking his phone so we'd have a way to take pictures. Because, you know, there's no way we were going to turn the canoe over. Wrong! Most of the trip was pretty mild, but there was one area with a little waterfall that had a 3-foot drop. One minute, we were navigating nicely & the next minute, I found myself in icy cold water. It was very shallow, so I stood with my feet planted as firmly as possible on the slippery river rocks, holding J's phone high above my head as he maneuvered our canoe, now full of water, over to the shore. J worked diligently the rest of the weekend to revive his phone, & it did start working again but several buttons remained on the fritz, so he had to get a new one this week.
This is our only action shot. I didn't manage to get a picture of J before the waterfall incident.
On Saturday, we took a short hike in Beaver's Bend & then just hung out around our cabin that afternoon.
After going out for pizza that night, J beat me by only two strokes at putt-putt. Playing mini golf has become sort of a random tradition for us on some of our lower-key vacations.
Sunday we were sad to end our relaxing weekend but excited to get back to our kiddos.
Thanks, sweetie, for a fun trip!
Yep, it's water!
A bit shocked that it's cold
Who cares? It's fun!
I got this little clip of them playing, & the fun only got wilder from there. Jake figured out how to slide down into the water & go "boom!"
Excited boy!
Sweet girl concentrating hard on getting down without help
Watching the fish in the pond
Sharing a snack & good conversation
After snack we had a little craft time & made these cute butterflies out of gauze pads, band-aids & pipe cleaners. Thanks, Kim, for the idea! Jake & Mal were very excited to show Daddy when he got home.
If anyone else has fun, easy craft ideas for toddlers, please send them my way!
Upon joining Justin's family, I gained another amazing mom. Karen & I talk like girlfriends on the phone or when we're together, & she is one of the greatest prayer warriors I know. I am so blessed to have her in my life.
I've also been fortunate enough to get to call the lady on the right of this picture Grandma. My own grandparents are gone, but Justin's welcomed me with open arms & have doted on me as one of their crew.
These ladies are such a huge part of my life, & I'm so glad that I get to love them & learn from them.
As I celebrate my second year as a mother, my cup is filled to overflowing with joy. Thank you, Lord, for these blessings!
Justin taught the kids last weekend to say "Happy Mommy Day," which Jake has mastered quite nicely. Music to my ears!
