Weekend with the Ward's

James and Melissa are awesome. They have a little boy, Beckham, that's about Ivan's age. James and Melissa are from round these parts so they have family here too. James's dad has a cabin in Island Park. 

So we finally, after knowing James and Melissa for what... 3 years! We finally were able to go to the cabin! 

And it smelled like skunk.

This is how Ivan traveled in the car.
That's his giant giraffe that he uses as a pillow. 

Actually the weekend was really fun. The cabin has a nice deck off the back and is right off a little shoot of Henry's Lake. We roasted marshmallows and Starbursts and stayed outside telling stories for forever. 

We played lots of games and Ivan watched lots of movies. He got to see Finding Nemo for the first time and was totally mesmerized. 

At one point we got the canoe out and Michael and James took it for a spin? Or is it a run? Maybe a splash? Ivan thought that would be fun. So we put life jackets on the boys, Ivan and Beckham not Michael and James, and they all hopped in the canoe. The kids didn't last long, for fear of tipping, but they enjoyed it. 

A life size life jacket. 

Then we spent some time throwing rocks into the water. Man, that sure is a timeless activity. Ivan had sense enough to stay out of the water. It was cold! He tried to pick up the biggest rocks he could find and throw them in. Beckham, on the other hand, was much more interested in throwing himself in the water. Poor Melissa. She tried to stop him but he wouldn't listen. So he just got to play in the freezing cold water. And when he was done, he. was. done. Natural consequences tend to be the best teachers, right?

It was fun to spend some time in nature, just hanging out and hiking. 

This was as close as Ivan was allowed to get to the water. Funny how they always find ways around the rules. 

Ha Ha! Beckham actually enjoyed being in the frigid water. For a couple minutes.