Some of my greatest memories from my childhood are summer vacations. We never went to theme parks (Mom hates them) or overseas (plane tickets to Europe for nine? I don't think so), but every year I remember packing up the minivan and heading on the annual journey to the cabin. We would drive from wherever our nomadic base camp happened to be that year armed with a cooler full of food, pillows and blankets, and what, to my recollection, were the same four cassette tapes that we played over and over and over: Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, We Sing Silly Songs, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (yeah, they made an album; we saw them live).
Summers at the cabin were epic. The only time we were ever expected to get dressed were Sundays when we drove into town to go to church. We never had to bathe, just strip down to our birthday suits and scrub up in the sauna, then go jump in the lake, the way God intended. Days were spent hiking on the trails that Grandpa Jim cut for us through the woods, marked with pieces of driftwood hand carved with each of our names, foraging for berries, jumping on the tube (an inner tube from a giant tractor tire that acted as a floating trampoline), fishing, swimming, and exploring. We were free to be kids. Our games were limited only to our imagination. We pooped in an outhouse. Epic.
This is why I take every opportunity to get my kids out to Bear Lake, especially if their cousins will be there. I want them to have lifelong memories of summers spent with family, having fun and just being kids.
Through plenty of hectic schedules, we managed to make it out with Mimi, Kenna, Brit, Grammy, Heather, Berkleigh, Hudson, Jan, and Alex this month. Layla and Berkleigh always have a blast together, but this year was the first time that Hudson and Weston were old enough to really enjoy each other.
They were hilarious! They wrestled, threw things down the stairs, played air hockey, rode four wheelers, and played in the sand. But their favorite part was the helmets. There are racing helmets for the four wheelers, and Hud and West never wanted to take them off. They would wear them around the garage (we banned them from the house after they ran into too many things) and pretend to drive the jet skis and four wheelers, ride bikes, or climb on the trailer. When they walked around they looked like bobble heads with the helmets wobbling around. When they tried to talk to each other the helmets would bonk and they would explode in fits of laughter. There were many moments when Heather and I would exchange glances in recognition of the years of rascally behavior yet to come.
Summers at the cabin were epic. The only time we were ever expected to get dressed were Sundays when we drove into town to go to church. We never had to bathe, just strip down to our birthday suits and scrub up in the sauna, then go jump in the lake, the way God intended. Days were spent hiking on the trails that Grandpa Jim cut for us through the woods, marked with pieces of driftwood hand carved with each of our names, foraging for berries, jumping on the tube (an inner tube from a giant tractor tire that acted as a floating trampoline), fishing, swimming, and exploring. We were free to be kids. Our games were limited only to our imagination. We pooped in an outhouse. Epic.
This is why I take every opportunity to get my kids out to Bear Lake, especially if their cousins will be there. I want them to have lifelong memories of summers spent with family, having fun and just being kids.
Through plenty of hectic schedules, we managed to make it out with Mimi, Kenna, Brit, Grammy, Heather, Berkleigh, Hudson, Jan, and Alex this month. Layla and Berkleigh always have a blast together, but this year was the first time that Hudson and Weston were old enough to really enjoy each other.
They were hilarious! They wrestled, threw things down the stairs, played air hockey, rode four wheelers, and played in the sand. But their favorite part was the helmets. There are racing helmets for the four wheelers, and Hud and West never wanted to take them off. They would wear them around the garage (we banned them from the house after they ran into too many things) and pretend to drive the jet skis and four wheelers, ride bikes, or climb on the trailer. When they walked around they looked like bobble heads with the helmets wobbling around. When they tried to talk to each other the helmets would bonk and they would explode in fits of laughter. There were many moments when Heather and I would exchange glances in recognition of the years of rascally behavior yet to come.
The girls were great, as usual, and played together all day making up creative games and simply enjoying each others company. I love that my children have cousins that are close in age that have already become lifelong friends. I am so grateful for my own family, and all that they have taught me about the importance of family relationships. I'm already looking forward to our next trip to Salt Lake/ Bear Lake, whenever that may be.
1 comment:
Totally agree. Awesome!
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