Labor Day on Mt. Graham

*Warning...this is a REALLY long post*

It has been years since we were able to go to the mountains for Labor Day. We used to go all of the time but the drive from Denver for 3 days was too much. So, 7 hours seemed a little more doable.

We started up Friday afternoon and had some time to get settled in before the party animals arrived (you know who you are). The kids did some digging for worms and we just relaxed and enjoyed the cool weather.

(isn't this the cutest face ever? Mason not the dog.)

Jess even loved the mountains. Aside from falling out of the back of the truck and being lost for like 30 minutes, she had a blast. Seth said when he found her she was SOOOO excited to see him. Poor little puppy!

Awesome find huh.

Seriously, Mason wanted to grab this thing so bad. If he wasn't going to put it straight into his mouth I might have thought about letting him get it. Logan was so cute. He really took care of Mason and made sure he was having a good time. Saturday night we had some special visitors. Grandma and Grandpa Skinner joined us at the cabin for dinner and church on Sunday. Grandma played with kids, took some walks and helped pick raspberries. She wasn't worried about any bears. Logan made it very clear to everybody that his cap gun was very dangerous (exact words) and no bears would get us 'cause he would shoot them. Oh, and our dog would get the bears too. Made me feel better.
Grandpa made sure the ground was soft enough for anybody looking for a place to sleep.
On Saturday morning we took pictures (the Jacobs) and headed up the road to Webb tower. Our fearless leader (Seth) said it was only like a mile and the road would be easier for the little kiddos that were walking (Logan and Madison age 4).
We'd stop to rest and Curtis would play a little pine cone baseball with Logan. Almost everybody was carrying a kid and between the 3 families we had 6 ages 4-9 months. Crazy, yes but it was fun. See, doesn't Seth look like he is having a blast? Can I just tell you the only thing that made him carrying Chloe heavier than me carrying Mason was the water and snacks he had in his pack! Mason is heavy!
Anyway, after our 2 mile hike up the road (yes, Logan and Madi did the entire thing, with only a few tears from Logan) we snacked, rested and much to the kids delight found ladybugs! Chloe had them in her hair, pants, you name it. So fun.

Aren't we beautiful? Two days without a shower and hiking up a mountain carrying a sleeping baby and you can look this good too!
When we got back and Grandma and Grandpa got there we left Grandpa to his post and went to pick raspberries. I had never done this before and it was so fun! Mason had the best seat in the house!
And Logan and Chloe ate more than they picked. This was after the hike with no naps and picking on a pretty steep slope. Can you say exhausted?

After the traditional potluck dinner, getting kids to bed and breakout the snacks (yes, we had more treats than food) we stayed up late playing cards (another tradition) by lamp light. Great for the already going blind! We went to church on Sunday at the flat and felt the warmth of the Spirit in all senses. Great meeting and everyone was fried from sitting in the sun. Who does umbrellas and sunscreen? Apparently most there but us!

We rounded off the trip with some yummy French dipped subs (another mountain tradition) and some horse shoes. After the guy's round, the kids got in on the action. Really in this picture, Chloe is crying because he won't let her have a turn as he is saying, "Chloe, let me show you how okay, you can have a turn in a minute." Ironically, this is after he begged her to play with him.

As always, we had an awesome trip. The food, the company, the games, the hiking... the mountains are always awesome. And, as always, the time spent there was way too short.

Thanks for joining us Jacobs family and here's to another 3 years! Just kidding!