fall break // spokane part 2

One of the things I really wanted to do while we were there was to visit Joe and Ane's cabin.  They bought a cabin on Lake Thomas a few years ago.  I went to Lake Thomas twice before we had kids, and usually we rented a small, historical (read: super old) cabin where a few people slept and everyone else staid in tents.  After we had kids, our summers were full of moving and internships and we haven't made it back up, much to my chagrin.

I knew it wasn't the time of year for a summery lake trip, but I still wanted to see the cabin and visit.  I love it up there, it is so beautiful.  It's just a short drive, about two hours, so we set off in the morning and left the next afternoon.  On the way up we stopped at Zips (a home-town classic according to Tyler) and Eli had nothing but shake.  If there wasn't a shake straw in his mouth, he was crying.

The kids were just crazy happy to be there.  They got filthy playing outside in the dirt.  While they ran around outside with Dad and Grandpa, I sat in the house and read.  It was marvelous.  Nothing like a cozy fire, an incredible view, and a book.  I was in heaven.  Tyler and I also went for a short dirt bike ride.  It was awesome to ride again, it's been a few years for me.

While the boys and I had dinner, Tyler and Joe went to get the boat so we could do the traditional "sunset lake tour."  It's one of my favorite things.  It was pretty cold but watching the sunset on the glassy water was like something out of a novel - totally perfect and picturesque.

TJ was loving it.  He especially loved it when we "went so fast."  I was pretty terrified that the boys would fall overboard because they both kept trying to reach down and touch the water!  Ug.  They will love coming back in the summer and jumping in (with life vests, of course).

Then next morning, I packed the car and did more reading on the lake while the boys ran around doing projects.

It was a short trip but I'm glad we went.  Really, I just can't wait to go back to the cabin.

The last few days in Spokane felt crazy busy.  We were running around trying to do everything we hadn't already done that we wanted to do.  That didn't stop Tyler from giving TJ a quick motorcycle lesson.  Joe has an amazing fleet of motorcycles, including a small electric quad and motorcycle (with training wheels) for teaching grand kids the basics of riding.

The first thing I learned was how to stop and go, and TJ learned the same thing.  He was really good about listening, he stopped when we told him to, and went when we told him to.  After one loop, he said he was done, and climbed off, and that was that.

We did a long day Saturday and came all the way home in one stretch.  TJ threw up after Lookout Pass, right out of Spokane, so we had to pull over and clean him up.  He gets carsick if he's asleep when we drive through curvy roads, apparently.  Poor guy!  After that he was fine.

We stopped in Blackfoot, Idaho, so the kids could stretch and play at the park.  We threw rocks in the pond for a while, and I kept finding little black spiders all over me.  It was so weird.  Then we went over to the playground and after a minute I realized why - the trees, poles, playground equipment, and pretty much anything stationary was covered in spider webs.

Technically, they were spider balloons I think.  There were no finished webs, just long threads that baby spiders use to get carried away in the wind to a new home.  I kept seeing spiders suspended in midair this way!

Where I learned this bit of spider behavior I do not know, but I immediately removed the kids from the playground and gave everyone a brushdown and we left.  We stopped for gas and apparently the ENTIRE TOWN had this problem because our car was covered in webs and spiders and so was the gas station.  It was the weirdest thing ever.  I googled to see if there was some kind of news coverage but apparently nobody in Blackfoot finds it weird that they are living in my personal version of hell.

Anyway, we made it home.  Even though the spiders were awful, it was such a great week.  I'm really glad we got to visit!  In-laws are like the amazing bonus that nobody tells you about when you marry your spouse.

TJ has spent the last few days going over relatives: Grandma Alice, Grandma Ane, Grammy (Tyler's paternal grandmother), Grandma (my maternal grandma), Grandma B (Ane's mom), Grandpa Dave, Grandpa Joe, "Otro" Grandpa (Spanish for other, which is what he calls my maternal grandpa) .....  my kids are so, so lucky to have so many grandparents and great grandparents around who love them.