One of the very nice perks about Josh’s new job is that the company has cabins that are available for employees to use.  Because of Josh only being recently hired we didn’t think it was something we’d get to take advantage of this year, but lo and behold a free weekend came up, he put his name into the lottery and his name was chosen!

“Cabin” we discovered was an understatement, so we invited Josh’ sister and brother-in-law and their kiddos to join us.  There was plenty of room for all of us to spread out and it had plenty of amenities.  We knew a lot of things were already provided, but still brought more than we needed to ensure our bases were covered (and now we know for next time what we don’t need).  I wasn’t sure whether or not to bring Phoebe’s jumper at first, but in the end I’m glad we brought it because Lady likes to jump.

While lots of space is nice, I could never live in a place that big long-term.  You know how sometimes at night when you want a glass of water, but it feels like such a long walk and you don’t want to (even though the walk really isn’t that far)?  Well, in this house, the walk really was that far.  Plus, you have to yell to be heard and I could hardly see Phoebe from the kitchen if she was in the living room and I didn’t have my contacts in.  Yeah, yeah, first world problems.

It really was a nice place, located in a quiet community on a lake with a nearby restaurant and playground for the boys.  One of the really nice things were all the dragon flies during the day keeping the mosquitoes away.  I don’t know if they’re always there, or if we just came at the perfect time, but it was so nice not having to worry about being eaten alive.

We did get some rain on and off, so it was a little hard to plan any day trips.  The cabin was located near Brainerd, so it was tempting to go visit Paul Bunyan Land, especially since we stopped there on our mini-moon after we got married, but instead we stuck around and played outside and in.  There were plenty of cars and trains and books and movies for the boys to keep them busy when we weren’t outside.

Overall both kiddos did well in our home away from home, and I think we’re going to see about switching Enzo’s toddler bed out for a full-size bed one of these days considering how well he did in a regular bed.  It was also nice being able to lay down in bed with him when it was time to read books.  He didn’t typically want to go bed while on vacation, and for the most part we let him stay up later than his normal bedtime, but even he started to realize that he did actually want to sleep – he just didn’t want to be left out of any fun.  Considering both of our kids wake up at 6:00-6:30 during the week so we can leave the house by 7:00-7:15, they don’t typically sleep in on the weekend, so the lack of sleep and lax routine started to take their toll a bit by the time Monday morning rolled around.

It was nice to have a lazy weekend, though, and even Josh and I got a nap in each.  It was a very nice luxury, even if Enzo doesn’t always realize right away how lovely they are.  I’m kind of glad we can count on naps for at least another year.  😉 Toots is also starting to fall into a more regular nap schedule, which day care will probably help with as she gets even older.  She naturally seems to nap around 9:00-9:30 and then again in the afternoon, sometimes even three naps if they’re short.

Anyhoo, it was a nice family getaway.  Enzo got to play with his cousin every day (which made him very, very happy), Josh got to go fishing with his brother-in-law at least one time, and I even stayed up late (way past my bedtime) one or two nights having some nice chats with my sister-in-law.  I’m hoping that one day I’ll have more to chat about than kids and parenting, but probably not. Ha ha. Nah, one day I’ll have more time and energy, but watching a baby grow into a person is just fascinating.  You learn so much about yourself and your entire perspective changes at times.  That, however, is discussion for another day since this post is probably much longer than it should be.