Andy's family gets together every year for a week of fun in McCall, Idaho - a little heaven on earth. Where else can you find a beautiful lake beach & mountain scenery all around you?!? The beach is only about a quarter mile hike from the little old cabin and is the highlight of these kids' vacation every year, especially when they get to share that time with cousins, Grandma, and Grandpa!!! I have to say that I always envision my week - sitting on the beach in a lawn chair, reading a good book cover to cover and listening to the laughter of my children - who are happily playing together for hours at a time. Well, to make a long story short, I think I read a total of 5 or 6 pages that whole week. And, I think I could honestly say that only 5 or 6 paragraphs were read at the beach - despite my many attempts. These sweet kiddos wanted help making sand castles, catching minnows, applying more sunscreen, attending to an occasional VERY dramatic squabble, learning to swim, wrapping up in towels, feeding snacks, etc., etc. Nathan was actually very afraid of the waves the first few days, but eventually got used to them, thank goodness! So much excitement every minute of the day!!! Someday I know I'm going to miss being so needed at every moment. In that day, I will probably be able to read a book from cover to cover in one sitting. And, I will miss these sandy little hands and high pitched little or sometimes BIG voices calling my name. And then, I hope I will have grandchildren and enjoy spending a full week with them!!! The grey hairs and smile lines are already coming my way, so I know it will come faster than I wish! And, I hope I will cherish every one of those moments with my grandchildren as much as I try to cherish these moments:
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This was Rufus' first trip to McCall. I have to admit I second guessed our decision to let her join us on the long drive as she would breathe loudly and stick her slobbery tongue out right where I typically have our traveling snacks & books!!! I'm still getting used to the idea of a big dog, but she is such a sweet, fun loving dog and made for lots of extra fun on our trip. (I won't mention the added 30+ minutes she added to the length of our drive up as she acted like she really needed to go to the bathroom right AFTER we FINALLY passed the really slow guy pulling a trailer in front of us - only to find out that she was so excited to be close to the water and had no desire to go to the bathroom after all.) She LOVED playing catch in the water. I even attempted to read by myself one morning after a jog, bright and early while the rest of the family was asleep, and gave in to her longing looks and took her with me to the beach, thinking I could throw the ball far enough to read a page or two while she swam out to get the ball. Boy was I wrong. She was back within the paragraph. I think I need to work on my throw!!! Andy's parents bring their kayaks, so we all got to try those out as well. You'll notice that Jesi and Rufus are swimming out in the water in the picture of Andy kayaking.
I decided to post the picture above rather than the several adorable shots where Nathan was hanging a moon :)! Andy's dad LOVES to golf, so of course Drew and Andy had to join him a few times during the week. We got to help park one evening and the whole family enjoyed a special dinner at the golf course. Delicious food with amazing people and an amazing view!!! And, I posted a couple pictures of Drew golfing with Andy and G-ma and G-pa!
Another highlight every year is skiing and wake-boarding. The guys always single ski and the girls always wake-board. Some of the guys wake board as well. Andy did both this year. The only time I skiid was the year Andy and I were almost engaged. That was back when the cabin had two really old single skiis - one with a big rip in it. Thankfully I survived that experience and have learned to love wake-boarding! The kids are coming along well! Drew and Jesi use this little trainer ski off the boat and they did awesome this year. Kassi was ready to do it and chickened out last second. I was more nervous about it than she was!!!
Andy's grandpa passed away a couple years ago. He is the one that built this cabin. Originally it was just a little kitchen with a tiny bedroom off to the side. Then he added a little bathroom, dining area, family room, and upstairs with 2 bedrooms. The picture of the flag is of the bunkhouse that serves as an extra room. The cabin has been for sale and so we may not be able to visit every summer from here on out. So, I had to take a few pictures. Here is the outdoor table where so many meals have been served and so many priceless memories made. I can't wait to meet Grandma Walker someday, who passed away while Andy was on his mission. I imagine she was a lot like Andy's mother, from what I have heard of her - always feeding, serving, and loving those around her with a big smile on her face. I bet she'd be happy in heaven with a table like this one - surrounded by family and friends!
Or, maybe like this table in the kitchen, where the kids gather every morning hoping for some of Grandma's hot chocolate for breakfast and Grandpa's yummy eggs, bacon & sausage. And, try as I may, my buttermilk pancakes never come close to Grandma's, especially when they have fresh huckleberries in them!!! The kids also love hanging on to Andy's feet. This was a favorite activity of Nathan's this year!
Huckleberry picking with Grandma. Kassi is such a sweet sister when she wants to be!!! Jesi couldn't pick enough huckleberries. One day when the guys were out golfing and Nathan was down for a nap, we went out again and picked and picked for hours until our fingers were all purple and our cups were full!
Nathan loved spotting airplanes and ants. He would yell out "Awepane" and point whenever an airplane would fly by and sit and watch the ants play - saying "HI ANT!" over and over again. I felt kind of bad (despite my great dislike of bugs) when he would then try to stomp on them after being so excited to make friends! Thankfully they escaped in the loose soil.
Andy's dad took Drew and Nathan to a boat show for some quality time together. They sure love their Grandpa!
If you look carefully at the above picture, you will see Drew walking the trail back to the cabin with Uncle Jason. Most of the trip, Drew was on the boat with Jason and whoever else was boating or golfing with Andy and Grandpa and helping drive the cart. (Which explains why I have many more pictures of the other kids than I do of Drew.) He was living his dreams!!! Nathan loved riding on our shoulders and stealing Andy's hat! Below, you can see that Jesi was having the time of her life running and jumping off the dock all by herself. She was very brave! Kassi actually let me jump off the dock while holding her a few times - but these pictures of Jesi will suffice :)!
I love this picture of Kassi with Andy after walking up the stairs from the beach. And, the swing Nathan is on is at the cabin - a favorite gathering spot of the kids in the mornings and evenings.
Kassi was AMAZED by all of the HUMUNGOUS trees!!! She kept asking if she could take a picture of them! So, she took the next picture and then asked to take one of Andy and I as well. I had to get one of her excitement as well.
Next, we have a picture of the girls watching their "squirrel trap". They didn't catch a squirrel or chipmunk, but we did get to see a beautiful blue bird that was interested in their treat. Grandma brought some homemade playdough and played with the kids. Jesi was very proud of her snowman on a sled. She also learned to make friendship bracelets on this trip, which she was very excited about!
Nathan was enjoying some sausage with Grandpa in the little "master suite" - that measures about 6 feet by 10 feet and is separated from the kitchen by a curtain. He also loved hanging out with his cousin, who is about the same age as him and giggled at lots of the same silly games - such as drinking cold water!!!
Since we have definitely outgrown the cabin, Andy's parents rented another cabin for a few days when all of their 5 kids and their families were there. They had this fun ski lift swing (that I was a tad worried about taking someone's head off) that the kids were constantly wanting to ride on, and a fire pit - perfect for roasting mallows!
And, of course we had to give baby Lucy some good loving. She is such a sweet baby and so lucky to join this big, crazy, loving Walker family! As much as we have absolutely loved the time we have spent in McCall, we know that wherever we go, we will have a great time with this family of ours. We appreciate so much the sacrifices that Andy's grandparents and parents have made for us all these years to get us together so that we can spend some quality time with those we love!!!
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