Vacation!!

Timmy and I decided to bail town for a few days and take a little vacation.  It was much needed with all the stress of everyday life that we have been enduring.  Plus, with him being gone so much this summer, we have not been able to get out and enjoy the wilderness as much as normal.  So, the family packed up in the car and headed out for the Sawtooth Wilderness in Idaho.  Tim has dreamed of going to the Sawtooths for a long time.  It was a wonderful trip and we were sooo sad to leave.  I can not wait to go back!!!  

First stop: City of Rocks 

We plan on becoming pro rock climbers and then coming back here to show off our skills!! 

Hot Springs  

One of the highlights of this area is that is it covered with Natural Hot Springs.  Tim and I have always loved natural hot springs and we were excited to show Carter how exciting they could be.  There were about 12 hot springs within 15 miles from where we were staying.  Amazing!!!  The best part is that many of them are not marked, so your chances of not having any other people there is pretty good.  This was our luck both nights we soaked.   Imagine Carter's excitement when he realized that he was going to be taking a bath in the river, rocks everywhere to throw, and under the stars.

  

Hike

We decided to go on a 9 mile hike to get closer to the big mountain range.  It was beautiful, yet exhausting.  Tim has realized that Carter is just not as light as his used to be, so he totally got worked.  We made it up to the Bench Lakes, which sit right at the base of the rugged mountains.  It was a great place to eat lunch and listen to the silence of the Wilderness.  

Our Cabin

We stayed in a precious little cabin right on the Salmon river.  Camping out with Carter right now does not work with his breathing, so we decided to splurge a little and get a cabin.  It was so nice.  On the other side of the river was a pasture full of cows.  Carter loved seeing them roam around and at night he would lay in bed and Moo at them.  And the view from our porch was amazing!!


Hot Springs Again
The second night we headed out to another hotsprings.  This time we took Kenai with us and were once again the only people there.  Kenai actually would sit down in the water with us.  When we got back to the cabin she was so relaxed that she did not move for hours.



Final Stop: Craters of the Moon
On our way home, we decided to stop at Craters of the Moon.  It was neat to see a place covered in so much volcanic rock.  Carter was a good sport climbing everywhere and even got to explore his first cave!!

This Foot

this foot is starting to

get rough,

stink,

get dirt between toes.

this baby foot is becoming a boy foot...

this is happening WAY too fast.

(but you can still find me kissing them at any point during the day!)

Really?

being

a

mommy

to this boy

ROCKS

Birthday Boy Again

Lucky for us, we got to have two birthday party's with Aaron.  Aaron is such a sweet boy to Carter, so I am sure that Carter was excited to celebrate with him.  Mom and Dad made an amazing meal for dinner, and I was dreaming of left overs while we were on the plane.  Goodbye Alaska, we will be back!!

Fair Time

Carter got to make his first trip to the Alaska State Fair.  He loved it!  We ate way too much food, but it was a great day with the cousins.  

To the Cabin We Go

I love visiting the cabin, and this trip was no different.  It was a beautiful drive down there, with lots of stops to play.  It was sad knowing that Pennyoff Fisheries was no longer in business, and it was sad seeing the empty lot that used to be covered in all our treasures.  However, it was good just to be at the cabin and smell the ocean breeze.  Lots of pictures, so I will let them do the talking.   

Dinner

Aunt Becky and Uncle Ronny invited us up to their house for a good old BBQ.  Ron is a pro with the BBQ and Becky is always a pro with any kind of food, so it was of course a wonderful dinner.  It was a great time visiting with them, and Carter once again impressed them with his staring skills.    

Blueberry Festival

She ate so fast, even the fly could not get a bite!

OK, so I am wayyyy behind on my blogging, so you all are going to have to bear with me as I catch you up on our Alaskan Adventures.  We headed up to the 2nd Annual Blueberry Festival in Girdwood on Saturday the 21st.  It was a beautiful day for a drive, and we even got to see some Belugas and the Boar Tide.  Carter enjoyed hanging out with the cousins, and Heather enjoyed the food.