A Labour Day Weekend Away

So, it's October. And not only is it October, it is already the 6th of October. My favourite month of the year has arrived and it is speeding by, following suite with the rest of 2013. I am a little behind on life these days. My Halloween decorations just made it out of their boxes about an hour ago and in case you haven't noticed, I'm falling farther and farther behind on blogging. I've decided to set a goal for myself- by the end of this month, I will be back to posting in "real time", meaning, posting as things happen, not a month after the fact. Wish me luck. Did I mention that my October calendar is already jam packed? I foresee many late nights in my future!

In order to start catching up, I need to rewind back to the beginning of September, when the wee ones and I escaped the Phoenix heat and headed up to my friend Mike's house for Labour Day Weekend. Bruce was scheduled to work a majority of that weekend, so it was the perfect chance to run away for a few days and enjoy cooler temps, yummy food and the best part- fantastic company.

Mike is a friend I met through our statewide police wives support group. She is an awesome source of police wife wisdom, as well as an AMAZING chef. She blogs over at No Food Fights, which is one of my main go to's for all things cooking related. Mike also happens to live about three hours north of the Phoenix Valley, surrounded by pine trees and cooler weather. Visiting her is always a huge treat.

And this trip was no exception! We sampled a variety of delicious foods (the "letter soup" was a huge hit with my girls), the girls enjoyed some arts and crafts and we spent every moment possible outside, soaking up the smell of pine trees and fresh mountain air. Did you know that ponderosa pines smell like vanilla if you stick your nose in the furrows and take a big deep breath? We couldn't get enough of that delicious smell.

Man Cub was hilarious to watch at Mike's house. I am so grateful that she has a soft spot for my little guy, because he was all over the place. He thought playing with her back door was super fun, and his favourite place to sit was on the open door of the dishwasher. He and Jax, the Keeshond, became great friends while we were there.

Our little weekend getaway was the perfect start to the craziness of September. The relaxing calm before the crazy storm. Thanks for having us Mike! We had a fantastic time visiting you at the Rockin' W.

The drive north- we got so excited as the rain clouds gathered

This little guy couldn't get enough of being outside

He found playing with doors to be quite entertaining

Arts & Crafts time... Beebs in particular, still talks about this regularly. She loved painting ornaments for her dad.

A big toothy grin- 11 months old in this photo, and only missing 4 teeth!

Man Cub & Jax, doing dishes. I about died when I saw Man Cub sitting like this!

Jax, a Keeshond, not a lion Ü

Our view from the porch when sunny and bright...

... and just after a rain storm

 

Quite possibly my favourite picture from the trip... Man Cub looks like he is not too sure about the wagon style off roading he is embarking on Ü

The customary photo in front of the Rockin' W sign. Thanks for having us Mike & Bill! We had a blast.