We left about 1 pm on Friday, August 15th. And I definitely can't describe the drive there ... because it was the worst drive of my life. That includes the 33-hour drives from Arizona to Wisconsin that my family drove during the summers growing up. And the long car trips I took 7+ months pregnant. And the times I got sick in the car as a kid. Anyway, Carson basically fussed, cried, and screamed the entire way. He even reached that level of screaming that makes your eardrums hurt. So it was rough, real rough. Yet even still, he looks so darn cute in these pictures.
We got there late Friday night, and I'm not sure if I've ever been happier to be out of a car! Alex, Carson, and I stayed in a house with Abby, Kaleb, Owen, Symon, and Tony. The house was fairly old, but kept up really well. The funny part is the room Alex and I had had two single beds on opposite walls, reminding me of the old TV shows with married couples in separate beds. Haha!
There was something about North Dakota that was just really, really pretty. A different kind of pretty, but pretty nonetheless. The view outside our house was soo beautiful. And for the first few days, cows would come right up to our bedroom window to drink from their water trough. Quite the alarm clock, but kinda cool!
We spent a lot of at Chris's property, which is so nice! The little "love bungalow" he's built literally holds a bunk bed and no extra room. It's adorable. :) The "quack shack" is a classic hunter's cabin, and I love it.
Pictured below is the town. Yup, the whole town! I just love how everyone knows everyone, how you can walk into the cafe and anyone in there is chatting altogether.
One thing I really loved about the trip is how much Carson bonded with his cousins. It was so fun seeing Carson develop more confidence and independence from me and Alex! He really started to explore on his own, and he really was able to overcome some of his shyness! Granted, he might hate Uncle Jake - for who knows what reason - for a while longer, but there was a morning where Aunt Abby and her boys took Carson for a walk, and Carson was totally fine! He's getting to be more and more okay with other people - hurray! I'm especially excited to see Carson and Symon's relationship grow. Already they've become quite the buddies, and I swear it's as though they communicate with each other!
And nothing says a good time like Vacation Breanne wearing Terri's wig, and heading out fishing!
I took a lot of pictures of the different lakes we fished, but they all look awfully similar; ha! And I can't mention names of lakes, or else Jake will freak out. I mean, I 'spose we can't have anyone reading my blog and stealing our fishing spots in North Dakota!
The first night out of fishing, Alex and I were actually able to go out fishing together, and it was awesome! I just love being out on the water. Jake took us trolling with flicker shads, and we'd just pull in fish after fish! Unless the walleye on the line was a bigger fish, Jake would just keep trolling so we could keep fish coming into the boat. We didn't go out for very long that first night, but in the time we were out, we caught probably 45-50 walleyes between the 4 of us (Macie came too). SO fun!
Sunday afternoon, we had a huge fish boil with the town. The people are so cool, and the food was great!
A few times during the trip, we'd head over to this one lake that had a really nice, sandy beach for the kids. Carson loved playing in the water! He also loved holding my hands while he was all over! - all through the water and all across the sand! Lots of times, he'd actually get upset if I tried to lower him back down to the ground! The only real issue was that Carson got so overwhelmed whenever all the little girls surrounded him, excited to swim and play with "Tarson." Haha, I guess Carson doesn't do well with being the center of attention! :)
We also enjoyed a good night of FHE with the whole family and some wiffle ball. And my favorite part? - buster bar cake for dessert. Is it bad that dessert topped family time for me? ;-)
And while on the subject of food, let me talk about the caramel rolls at the cafe. DIVINE. Heaven in my mouth. Literally. (Yes, literally Macie!) Man, I'm salivating just thinking about it! Seriously though, if I could have one of them every day for the rest of my life ... my life would end very soon, considering there's soft-served ice cream in them. That's right... ice cream. You know, even though the fishing was good not great (Jake said that this fishing trip wasn't as good as any of the others!), these caramel rolls could single-handedly make any fishing trip an amazing one! (All the same, the fishing was still plenty good for me!)
As the week progressed, it was so fun seeing Carson become more and more comfortable with his cousins surrounding him. I love that they love spending time with him. :) I love how they love being little helpers by entertaining Carson when he cries or feeding him when he's hungry. I even love how they call him "Baby Carsie," although I'm not sure how much Carson will like that nickname as he gets older! ;)
And sometimes, sitting around - relaxing with the family can be just as nice as anything else. Well, except for the caramel rolls. And catching lots of fish. :)
So I can't name this lake either, but Jake, Tony, Macie, and I came here one night and did amazing! Jake and Tony did especially well, catching some massive walleyes and Northerns. Although I did catch probably the smallest walleye of the trip, for what it's worth!
One afternoon, Hiedi talked to some of her friends with horses, and the kids got to ride! I actually took a short little ride with Carson, and he really wasn't so sure about it. Haha. :)
And, sometimes it's just fun to see how much Carson is like his mommy ... He tried to open this caramel apple for the longest time.
And for whatever reason, Alex got a bunch of bloody noses on the trip. Although fortunately, we discovered the very best thing for it: a good ole tampon up the nose!
Oh, how I never tire of fish pictures! I also don't think I could ever tire of fishing. To be totally honest, I'd get rather bitter and crabby when I wasn't out fishing and had to watch Carson instead. Haha, how terrible is that?! Don't get me wrong; I love Carson and being with him, but it'll be nice when Carson's a little older and Alex and I can maybe go out to North Dakota to fish without Carson.
Carson really did amazing on the trip, though (aside from the drive out there!) So smiley, so happy, so easy-going, and so so SO cute. I love him with all my heart, and I wouldn't trade all the fish, caramel rolls, and even peppermint in the world for him.
And Owen... I just love him. :) He's so sweet with Carson; always giving him kisses and patting his cheeks. It's so weird - I can remember watching Owen all the time when he was Carson's age! It doesn't feel like that long ago! It's hard to imagine Carson running around, talking in full sentences, and being full of sassy independence! But I'm sure he'll be there before I can even blink!
And on a rainy day, a bunch of us went shopping in Bismarck, which was a blast! Even for Carson! He did amazing in the car, too!
But the best part of the trip was definitely going to Bismarck with all the adults (and a few of the littlest ones) to do baptisms in the Bismarck temple. Macie and John were able to gather about 100 family names, and it was just such a special experience to do their work. I'm so grateful for family, and for the knowledge that families can be eternal. I feel so blessed to be married to my best friend, who helps me become better and who's so patient with me when I falter. I'm so grateful we have the sweetest baby boy, and for the crazy-intense challenge of raising him! Sometimes the hard things in life seem beyond what we can handle. And on our own, I believe they are too much too handle. But when we turn to our Savior, the important things that become crystal clear in the temple are things we can see more clearly each day - through the good times and bad. I'm so grateful for family, and for the great vacation we had. :)
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