Cabin: Deep Thoughts & Weekend Recap

Lately, one of my favorite things to do at the lake cabin is lay in bed at night and watch the stars twinkle outside the bedroom window on a clear spring night. It feels like I'm laying directly underneath the heavens when in reality, I'm snuggled in our soft sheets and blankets.

When I think about nursing my babies, I have a touching memory - almost a sensation - that instantly sums up my feelings for them and this it for Aden and I. Those stars. Laying in bed for countless hours over the last five months gazing out the cabin windows at the sky above us. I love it.

Saturday morning as I woke to feed Aden sometime around 6:00am, I glanced out the window and saw a baby deer rummaging for food in the brush not 50 feet away. Seriously so amazing. 

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Signs of spring are taking hold around the cabin. Birds singing, frogs croaking and the ice slowly coming off the lake. The bay where our cabin is located is mostly melted now, but the bigger part of Pipe Lake is still frozen. The beauty of it all struck me Friday afternoon as we arrived for the weekend. Summer, fall, winter ... and now spring is pushing in little by little. This is our fourth year at this cabin, but never before have we visited so often and watched the progression of seasons happen week-by-week. I thought it was neat to look at the lake and see bits of open water next to frozen icebergs. In a few more days (weeks?) the ice will be gone. Pontoon boat rides are on the horizon!

It's become Andi and I's Friday evening ritual to grab dinner at a local restaurant/townie bar, come back and put the kids to bed, then indulge in a sauna sweat session together. It feels insanely good to sit in the hot, humid air and let all the stressors of the week melt away. We listen to Dierks Bentley, John Mayer or Damien Rice and just talk. Or sometimes, we sit in the quiet and don't say anything at all. My crazy husband uped the ante Friday night by jumping in the ice-cold lake mid-sauna session. I thought he was nuts and of course laughed hysterically as I watched him run down the lawn from the steaming sauna to the freezing lake and back again. It's the way traditional Finns sauna, but still ... crazy. You won't catch me jumping into the water in April!

Saturday, Andi's mom decided to join us at the cabin and brought along Andi's 10-year-old cousin, Mia. Of course we were excited to have Grandma Janie visit, and even more stoked to have a built-in babysitter to play with Tory all weekend. Mia is so sweet with her.

Saturday afternoon Andi took Tory, Mia and I out for a "truck ride" on the trails while Janie stayed back at the cabin with Aden. I realized as we drove along I haven't been out on the Ranger ATV once since Aden was born (well, aside from very quick jaunts to the ice house and back). It felt good to be riding around in the woods again, outdoors, scouting for wild life and enjoying each other's company.

During our ride, we stopped by the donkey farm which is one of Tory's favorite things to do at the cabin. She insists on "feeding" them (which is really her picking up grass and straw from the ground and tossing it toward the donkeys). We're such frequent donkey visitors, Andi and Tory nickname them "the donks." 

This one was sniffing me which Andi found hilarious

We invited our cabin neighbors Oscar and Deanna, Krista and her girls Hannah and Kate, and McCall over for dinner at our place Saturday night. Andi bought a new rotisserie for the grill and made chicken, grilled pineapple, smashed potatoes and green beans for everyone. It was delicious and so much fun having a cabin full of people. The adults talked while the kids played together.

Janie offered to babysit Sunday, so Andi and I scooted away for a quick morning date. We went to The County Line Tavern for breakfast (eggs, toast, hash browns, bacon, muffins and coffee - all for $15 total!), then drove around on country roads, talked and listened to the radio. The weather was cold and rainy, so we spent the afternoon cuddled up by the fire while the kids took naps. I rocked Aden for the longest time and watched the rain fall outside the window. So peaceful.

It was a perfect cabin weekend.