Cherry Creek Lodge

We recently went on vacation. As a family of adults. And it was A-MAZ-ING.
So amazing, in fact, I almost fear to document it lest I don't do it justice.

But I don't want it to go without note either, so here we go.

Friday, August 3rd came around and we pulled up to Mama and Daddy's house to see the fleet of Tacoma's ready to roll.

So we packed it up. We said bye-bye to all of our babies. And we rolled out - walkie-talkies in hand.

Young, Arizona, here we come!

And let me tell you this much - it wasn't the Phoenix desert. Just look at all that green.

It is no easy feat to escape the stifling heat of the desert - thankfully our chariots were up to the task. And do you know why it is so green here? Because of this little thing called precipitation - more commonly referred to as rain. Rain happens in other parts of the world - greener parts of the world.

We made it over the dirt, through the winding roads and through the running creek beds.We made it through the rain and arrived here - Cherry Creek Lodge. A little bit of heaven on Earth.

 Even in the rain.

Fortunately, it didn't rain long and we were able to get settled in quickly. There was so much to do and I think we just about did it all.

Again, for fear of ruining a wonderful memory, I think I will let the pictures speak for themselves as much as possible.

Games Galore

Fishing-Prep

Paddle-boats

Races and Chasing

Figuring out how to match man-power for man-power.

 Fishing galore.

Horseback riding. A beautiful 2-hour ride that left me thinking I'd never walk again.

The men went shot-gun shooting (of which, I have no pictures) and we ladies had a bit of nail pampering time.

 More fishing galore.

 Amber on Fishing Round 1

 Amber on Fishing Round 2

There was even time for a little flirting, a little romance, a little couple time...

Of course not everyone was so lucky in love:

Sorry puppy, you're just flat out of luck. JT is already taken. And he needs his fuel to take care of his lovely lady.

It was three days and two nights of pure enjoyment. And there were plenty of things I couldn't or didn't capture on camera.

Like the amazing breakfasts that Holly made for us. Or the equally delicious lunches and dinners that Belle and Kent prepared for everybody.

Or the taste of the homemade chocolate ice cream that Kent brought into existence.

Or the shooting stars at night.

Or the time to talk and laugh as adults without little ones tugging at your leg or needing love and attention.

Or the laughing while playing board games late into the night.

Or the brother-talk after lights-out.

Or the sound of roosters in the morning.

Or the rainbows over the mountaintops.

Or the birds flying overhead on a horseback ride.

There was only one thing missing...

Shafer

...maybe it'll work for him next time.

We can't thank Belle and Kent enough for knowing about this place, for planning this trip, for making every detail perfect. It was wonderful. It was exactly our cup of tea...you know, if we drank tea.

The Path of Righteousness Vs The Path that Rocks

This scene is all too familiar to me - not because we love The Emperor's New Groove (which we do), but because this scene occurs in my life more than I'd care to admit.

However, it's been a new experience to (seemingly) watch my child listen to and act on the different little voices on her shoulder.

There are some days when it seems like these are the only faces I get from her:

And it just has to be that naughty little voice on her shoulder, because my sweet little baby wouldn't think to get into the cleaning supplies...over and over and over again...

...and dump them on my floor...

...or stubbornly sit in the dishwasher...

...or rummage through the trash...

...or waste paper, water and money all in one go...

...would she? Certainly not.

Perhaps just for mothers' sanity all around the world, there is also the sweet, angelic voice on the other shoulder.

And thankfully, there are days when these are the faces I get:

An angel girl, am I right?

And then she does things that make me go -"Oh, she is first for a reason. She is a helper. She is a good little girl."

Like when all she wants to do is help me take out the trash.

Or she patiently goes to the store with me for hours at a time.

Or she helps me measure out the blueberries for my muffins.

Or she actually shares her toys.

These are the little things that me jump up and down, yelling "Yay Ammely!" like the mommy-cheerleader that I am.

I know I'm only starting on this journey called "parenthood," but already I learn that the greatest trials and joys come from helping our children grow up into better people than we are.

I hope that she and I have victories more often than not. That at the end of the day we both can tell the little voices to be gone and we can go dashing off to do the right thing.

Because, well... let's be honest...the path of righteousness IS the path that rocks.

I had a beary fun time.

 Shhhhh....Mommy, do you hear that? I think I hear Grandma Breakall coming!

 Helllllloooooooo, mommy? Did you HEAR me? Grandma is almost here!

 We have to go get her from the airport NOW!

And so we did.

Boy, was Ammely glad to see her!

And though this wasn't that same day of picking up Grandma, you can still see just how glad she was to have her Grandma Breakall here.

I don't think she even thought twice when Mommy and Daddy left the scene - not to be seen again for several days.

I don't think either of them did.

But who could blame the little girl?

Grandma took her to the mall.

She saw puppies.

And played at the kids center.

And ended up here:

It didn't take long for Ammely to decide that this must be paradise on Earth. It also didn't take long for Grandma to realize that this wasn't going to be a window shopping experience.

Looking at the seemingly endless display of new furry friends, Ammely's eyes widened as she made eye contact with this fellow from across the room.

Ammely: Wow.

And that was that. Grandma's heart melted. Ammely built her bear.

Her new best friend.

He went with her everywhere.

Strolling.

Crawling.

To bed.

To eat.

Everywhere.

What is her new friend's name you ask? Well, the naming honors went to Daddy upon our return.

Norbert. Bert for short. Bert the bear.

Come Monday, we headed back to the store to officially name her bear and let her pick out an outfit for Bert.

She could not get out of the stroller fast enough when we entered the store.

She knew where we were and she wanted to show us everything.

She has stars in her eyes.

We perused the outfit selections and came up with a few good options.

Maybe a fisherman selection - afterall Mommy and Daddy were fishing while Ammely met Bert the first time.
Or maybe a  nice Tuxedo - he is a very charming bear that won her heart with a mere glance from across the room.

Ummm. No.

Behold the outfit of Ammely's choosing:

She is definitely her Daddy's daughter.

Whatever makes her happy. And she was happy. Happy enough to do a little dance.

Thank you Grandma Breakall for a beary fun weekend!

We still take Bert with us everywhere we go!

Bye Bye Baby, Hello Toddler

Well folks, it's official.

Our baby is a baby no longer.

She has left the world of tummy-time and rolling-over. No more applause for the army crawl. Not even a peep of praise at the full-blown hands and knees cruising.

She has somewhat shakily placed both feet on the ground and, one step at a time, is leaving behind babyhood and entering toddlerhood.

And once you start, you just can't stop.

Confident and fearless, she has also mastered the necessary "climbing skills" of toddlerhood.

**Side note: these climbing skills are heart-attack inducing for new parents. We no longer have a coffee table in our living room as it became her favorite place to test out her new walking skills.**

And even though she's later than most in these accomplishments, I still think it went too fast.

*sigh*


With walking under our belts, I guess all that's left to learn in self-transportation is this:

It won't be long.

Adventureland

What would we do without Daddy?

I can tell you this.

We wouldn't have gone to Disneyland in February.

And we definitely wouldn't be able to recreate (and dare I say improve upon) Disneyland at home.