Fish Lake Trip 2013 *August 30th-September 2nd 2013*

On our way to Fish Lake we stopped at JCW'S for dinner because they have incredible cheese fries and yummy shakes. We ordered a big shake for all of us to share. The kids were being nice and loud.

During dinner Liv blew out on my jeans which was upsetting considering that they were the only pair that fit me and it was the first day of our trip. Steven and I weren't feeling super patient with the kids because they were behaving like children. How dare they and how dare we get frustrated with them like tired parents often do...I felt bad for them and we were trying really hard to not get frustrated.

We stopped at rest stop to feed Liv just about 20 minutes before arriving to the cabin because she was screaming. I sat in the car with the door open while Steven and the kids walked around. He and I were still doing all we could to be patient. We just wanted to get there. The fresh air at this stop helped our moods a bit...for a minute or two...

By the way - that cute outfit that Elese is wearing is one of her (and my) favorites. Doesn't she look adorable? So then we loaded back up and headed up to the cabin. We were really looking forward to getting there but then we got pulled over for speeding just past lakeside.Rather than giving into our grumpy moods Steven and I decided to just laugh about it. You know when you look back on things like a baby pooping on you - kids arguing - a baby screaming - getting pulled over - etc - it can be quite comical.

We arrived at about 9:15 and there was a light on in the cabin and we thought "Great - one more thing. If someone double booked this weekend..." fortunately someone had just left the light on.  We got unloaded and settled the kids. We started to watch Catch Me If You Can (the DVD player wouldn't play the other movie I tried). I was tired and Steven was involved in the movie so I handed off the baby to him and went to bed. Then the DVD player random stopped playing the movie and forced Steven off to bed. Everyone slept well. Usually I have a hard time the first night but I did fine. Liv slept until 6 so I got a full nights sleep!  Plus Steven let me sleep in. I slept until about 8:45. It was great. Steven made cinnamon toast for breakfast. Steven and the kids played outside for a little while.

And then we walked to the lake.

 The stroller wasn't working very well on the gravel so I finally just carried Liv.

Once we got to the lodge we played some arcade games while we took turns using the bathroom.

Steven and the big kids fished for a bit...

while I kept Sam entertained and Olivia asleep by walking around with them.  At one point we saw a dead fish and Sam was very interested about it. Kept asking about it...it looks like he is praying for it.

Then we headed back to the cabin. Because of the stroller issue Steven and boys took the short cut and me and the girls went the long way so I could push the stroller.  Liv didn't love that idea and tried to squirm out of the stroller so I put the diaper bag, blankets and lawn chair in the stroller and carried her. All the while Elese was making up crazy things for the "little old lady who swallowed a fly" to eat. Steven drove to pick us up and left the boys at the cabin to play. When we got back this is what we found...

Two handsome boys waiting patiently on the porch step. We decided to add a handsome man to the mix and then take a photo of the girls.

Then we ate lunch. Littles took naps. E and I played dinosaurs and watched Harry potter until the DVD froze.  Sam woke up and watched and played with us.  Steven and Max went on an adventure.  When they returned E and I went for a walk. It started raining and she wanted to keep going so we could get soaking wet.  We got a little wet but no where near soaking. It was nice to just chat with her without any distractions.

Steven took big kids down to fish more while Sam slept and I tried to blog and keep Liv happy. That night we watched some Castle and Stranger Than fiction. I went to bed. Liv had a harder night. E woke up scared it was VERY dark. Had breakfast and Steven presided over our very own sacrament meeting and the kids were VERY reverent!  Max was the youth speaker and Steven spoke on prayer and even sang us a special number (oh my sole hungered).

After our special meeting we made our way to Capital Reef. The fun started with a picnic...

...then we walked over...

...to the river and did some playing...

 ...Then Steven and Max ventured across the river on a log while I stood by biting my nails and praying.

 After that we discovered an orchard where you could pick apples so we picked a few - not so ripe - apples. It was fun but not super tasty.

At this point Oliva was ready for a snack so Steven and the bigs went on a hike while I stayed in the van to feed her.  Once she was satisfied I went searing for them and this is what I found...

Can you see that itty bitty person on top of that big steep mountain? That's my 6'2" husband and somewhere up there with him are my small helpless children having the time of their lives. Fortunately - their lives continued despite my worry.

On our return to the cabin we cooked dinner - ate dinner - Steven wrestled with the kids and then watched Ice Age Dawn of the Dinosaurs. The kids were very excited about having popcorn while we watched the movie.

Sam was so tired he fell asleep in Steven's arms at 5:30! Olivia fell asleep too and woke up at 10 just as we wanted to go to bed so Steven went to bed and I watched some more tv. The next morning Steven got the big kids up and took them fishing while Sam and I watched ice age again. He was very cranky so Elese let him play with her stuffed dog and Max let him play with his ninja turtles that helped his mood. I got Liv back to sleep and dozed off and on. When Steven Elese and Max got back we ate - cleaned and packed up. As always we had a great time at Fish Lake. Before leaving we tried to get a nice family picture.