Our Family Hike to Titus Lake and Other Labor Day Weekend Highlights
Labor Day weekend is always one of my favorites each year. We have four days amid the new school routine to celebrate summer before it fades into Fall. And we definitely took advantage this year! We made family memories that I will cherish forever.
First, Friday evening, after the boys helped me clear the clutter from the living room floor and their bedroom (a never-ending feat!), we went to the Twin Falls County Fair! We spent quite a while in the train booth, of course. It's Jed and Levi's favorite part! We wandered through the cow barns. And one of my pictures won a blue first prize ribbon in the photography contest. Yay! Then we grabbed some fair food and Bron snuck away for a few minutes to buy us candied nuts and two big bags of popcorn before we headed into the rodeo.
Jed and Levi have been asking to go to a rodeo for months, so we surprised them Friday morning with the news. They were ecstatic and so, so excited! They danced in their seats to the music and pounded the popcorn as we waited for the rodeo to begin. The rodeo didn't disappoint! For a small town rodeo, there were some big names and some great entertainment! It looks like it hurts, but it sure is fun to watch those cowboys be thrown around like rag dolls atop those bucking horses and bulls.
Saturday morning, we hopped into the car and drove up past Sun Valley and Galena Lodge to the Titus Lake trail head. I'm really impressed with Jed and Levi. They hiked 3+ miles with over 1000 feet elevation gain and had no major meltdowns! They would get distracted and walk a little slow, but it was so fun to hike and explore as a family.
^^Enjoying the ride on Dad's back. Love that little face!^^
^^My view most of the way up and down. I love the backs of these two heads and the fact that they carried their own water and snacks.^^
^^Scenic overlook! With all the fires raging, the view was quite smoky and hazy.^^
^^These two move so fast. It's hard to compose a nice shot while hiking.^^
^^This little face Conrad made makes me laugh out loud!^^
^^Jed sitting and waiting for us to catch up.^^
^^These mountains are so pretty! I want to explore more of the White Clouds and Sawtooths.^^
^^We spied the lake!^^
^^Almost there but soooo tired!^^
When we arrived at the mountain lake to eat lunch, the boys immediately took their shoes off and waded into the water. Bron and I could see the writing on the wall: they were going to be hiking in wet clothes if we didn't insist they take their shirts and shorts off! So all three little boys stripped down to their underwear (or diaper) and had a ball throwing rocks and sticks into the lake as they passively munched on food.
I can't believe how much of a water baby Conrad is! He is all boy and it is so much fun. He sat right in the cold water up past his belly button splashing and stuffing rocks into his mouth. Conrad was in heaven!
^^A little yogi or is he just getting his hair wet? Haha. I love this baby!^^
^^All three in the frame. And Conrad's face! He looooved splashing in the water!^^
^^Exploring. And Levi eating carrots so he could have dessert.^^
^^Classic boyhood.^^
^^Munching on soggy pretzels^^
^^Uphill torture on the hike back to the car.^^
^^Rest break. I love how Jed enjoys making Conrad laugh!^^
^^I will never tire of that sleeping face or capturing these moments when he's still small enough for the backpack.^^
It felt wonderful to get out on a little adventure with my boys. It's something I've been craving! Plus, Bron and I actually got to talk on the car ride. An all around win!
Sunday evening after church, we invited three family friends over for a barbeque. We moved our outdoor couch to the backyard under the shade of one of the trees to watch the kids play in the sprinklers and on the playset. We're lucky to have such amazing friends. They make great dessert too!
Monday started out slow and a little rough. But we managed to go mattress shopping in the afternoon. Practicality won out. Though it's been on our want/need list for a
little while, we did not buy a new mattress on Monday. Boo hoo. We'll save our
money just a little longer and then I get to redo (or more accurately,
actually DO!) our master bedroom. I'm thrilled! After shopping, we hit up Johnny Carino's for a half priced family platter. Bron and I laughed watching Jed and Levi shovel the food into their mouths! It was impressive. If only we could eat there every Monday evening. Mmmm.
A memorable Labor Day weekend down in the books. I don't take these four boys of mine for granted and I hope I never will. Though it's chaotic and often loud and messy, life is so so good. I have so much for which to be grateful.
What a perfect day! I love the shots of the boys in their underwear. Classic boyhood. Jed looks so much older!
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