The Buchanan Family: Friends With Benefits

We love our friends the Christensens for many reasons. They're fun to be around, they're great examples of kindness and faith, and are just all-around GOOD people. Now we have one more reason to like them. They have a cabin! They invited us to stay overnight at their cabin with them one night over UEA. My kids adore their girls Abbie and Jade and they were so excited to have a sleepover with them! Brent was able to work just a half day on Friday, so we made it up there around 2:30.

The first thing we did was go on a 4-wheeler ride up to a little lake. I didn't think Kirstie would be brave enough to ride them, but boy was I wrong!! She jumped right into this little trailer with Abbie and they pulled them up to the lake.

She loved it!!!

Ian was pretty uncertain about it all. He was terrified of the four wheelers, so he and I just walked up to the lake with Chad and Kelli. He was even uncertain about the walk and wanted me to carry him on my shoulders. It wasn't a terribly hard walk, but it did have a few hills that I just couldn't carry him. I guess Ian's never really been in the mountains like this, so it was all a little new for him.

A nice family picture photo bombed by Chad!

This is almost Christmas card worthy!

So, I'm a total wimp. Total and complete wimp. I don't like trying new things, and I've certainly never driven a four-wheeler. But I strapped on the helmet and gave it a shot. It really was quite fun. I wish I had driven it more. If I'd had a nice, even, flat terrain to learn on first I would've felt more comfortable. But, still I gave it a try.

Kirstie couldn't wait for another ride, so she hopped back on for a ride back with Jade.

Ian loved throwing rocks in the lake. Surprise, surprise. As long as he has something to throw, he's a happy boy. Splash!!

Brent has his own four-wheeler, but he hasn't ridden it in a few years. So he was excited to take these ones for a ride.

Kirstie grabbed the camera and took a few pictures. (Not this one, although we did teach her what a selfie was this weekend.) We spent the evening relaxing, watching Mulan, eating popcorn, and playing games. We let the kids stay up late (like 9:30!) and then put them to bed. Kirstie just couldn't sleep though and kept coming out for another hour. She just didn't want to miss out on the fun. And fun it was!! We played a hilarious game called Quelf. Such a fun game!

The kids had fun playing on the swingset the next morning. It was a chilly morning, but still felt great! It was so wonderful to breathe in that fresh, crisp air. And to just sit and relax and not worry about anything! It's been a long time since I've felt that way!! SO NICE!

Our little monkey. He loves to be upside down.

Chad and Brent ran into town to get some supplies. Kirstie wanted to ride the four wheelers again. Ian still didn't want anything to do with them. So, he and I hung back while Kirstie, Kelli, Jade and Abbie went for a ride. Ian and I took a walk. We only went a short distance when Ian got nervous and we turned back. I think he was nervous because there were a lot of four wheelers around, and also because maybe he didn't know exactly where we were.

We came back to the cabin and did some more exploring. Ian found these butterfly nets. I would throw leaves in the air and he would catch them.

Coming back from their ride. Brrr!

We decided that we were just going to put Ian on the four wheeler, take him for a ride, and hope that he ended up liking it. He wasn't too happy with this idea.

But we were right. He came back with a smile on his face! He said yes, he like it. But no, he didn't want to go again.

We enjoyed some good grub while we were up there! Kirstie felt pretty grown up eating with the big girls. Ian didn't want to sit there. He needed to sit with mom and dad.