Horn Creek - Day 3

Monday morning we did our normal routine... wake up at 5:45am (BOO time zone change), wallow in bed for half and hour while the kids played in our room and unsuccessfully tried to get us up, then finally one of us does get up and takes them upstairs for first breakfast (the meal preceding breakfast for those small children who cannot wait until 8am to eat) consisting of cereal and milk... or as Gabriella likes to say "RaRa Milk." Monday's lucky winner of the early morning rising was Matt who sweetly took them to the barn and playground while I slept a little bit more. What a man! I joined them on the playground outside of the Lodge for a few minutes before breakfast and then we headed up for our first feast of the day. They feed you well at Horn Creek!

We walked down to the rec center after breakfast to join in the family outdoor games. Gabby couldn't navigate the rocky trails too easily so we carried her most of the time when we were outside. Gabriella was a little exhausted from being off schedule so she fell asleep in my arms walking down. Now carrying a 21 pound toddler down the mountain to the rec center is no easy task. So then just imagine the state I was in as I carried her back up!!! Whew! And I was already sore from the trek we had taken the day before with Matt's parents to their old Horn Creek stomping grounds - the Mountain Meadows camp. The high altitude and hilly campus really gave us a workout. Fortunately, it only took us 2 days to learn what most of the other families with small children had already been doing... driving their CARS up and down the mountain. Ingenious.

Matt stayed down at the rec center and finished the game of Koob (yes I did spell that right, check out the link) he was playing with the group gathered down there, Gabby napped, and Oliver and I got some mommy-son time that I just loved. Another shining example of the fun, focused playtime we got while there. There was nothing else for me to be doing at that moment except playing with my son. We turned our pretzel snack time into a spelling lesson... spelling the only word he knows how to spell:



Here are some more pictures from the day:

Gabriella being girly

The view from the front porch of the Lodge

The Dining Hall

My big boy waiting for the bell to ring signifying the start of meal time!

His newly made friend Michael joined us for dinner

Horn Creek made it easy for families with small children! Lots of high chairs, booster seats, sippy cups, and plastic bibs... which Gabriella immediately ripped off every time. Grr.

Granna and Papa (Matt's parents) getting ready for our yummy dinner of homemade bread, salad, turkey, stuffing, veges, and (my favorite) pumpkin pie for dessert! I was so happy!

Husband and Wife

That night after another awesome Round-Up, we let Oliver stay up late to join us in Game Night. We played some fun team games - a scavenger hunt around the Lodge, and a back-to-back-with-a-balloon-between-you race which I got to do with my sweet son, but we had to bend the rules a bit because the height difference didn't exactly allow for us to be back to BACK!



... but none of them as fun as the grand finale. Once again, since I was new to Horn Creek, I had only heard whispers about this next game... the whispers being the phrases shaving cream and cheese balls. Once again, you'll just have to see it to believe it! And somehow my dear husband was the only one from our team who was willing to take one for the team and suit up in a garbage bag, get plastered with shaving cream and receive the cheese ball darts thrown at him. The team with the most cheese balls sticking to their "shaving cream head" at the end, won.

Getting lathered... the lather-er did an amazing job!

Mid - competition... notice the cheese balls in mid-air

Counting the cheese balls that stuck - 26 in all! We win! Oliver was fascinated.

And the coolest thing of all about Monday at Horn Creek was that it was our 7th anniversary. We had a great day together spending time with our family of 4 and remembering that day 7 years ago when we started our life together. I am so happy with the life we've created and so thankful for the thoughtful, wise, hard-working, and loving husband that God has blessed me with. Here's to many, MANY more years together Mattie!

Seven.