Cabin stories

As a new member of the Rose family, I have only heard stories of the California cabin - a Redwood cabin nestled in the Redwood forest outside of San Fransisco. Even Jon's youngest sisters weren't around to experience it but something about that place has shaped their love for the Pennsylvania cabin Jon's parents bought a couple of years ago. For Jon, the California cabin was the place where many of his fondest childhood memories grew. Of course, it is any boy's dream to be let lose in the woods - to explore, discover, run, climb, and get dirty. And that is exactly what he now wants to pass on to Ethan.
Jon and Ethan love to do 'boy' things together - look for creepy crawling creatures, throw the ball around outside, see who can hit the hardest, run the fastest and burp the loudest. And truthfully, I think Jon loves all of these things just as much as Ethan, which is why cabin time is so good for both of them. When we have a normal week, Jon will usually take Ethan up to the cabin after work one night just to hang out. They do whatever boys do, especially without Mom around. Luckily, Ethan is still young enough that he always fesses up to it all, even without my prompting. But I am sure Ethan will always remember the bedside table full of PEZ, being able to stay up past 9:00 pm and his first sip of soda at the cabin.
On a not-so-regular occasion, all four of us head up to the cabin to spend the night, which is exactly what we decided to do for Labor Day. Since we were busy with home projects most of the weekend, we didn't get up there until Monday but had a great day playing in the lake, hiking, visiting with friends and simply hanging out. At the end of the day, it was finally time for Ethan to go to bed (much closer to 9 pm than the usual 8 pm, of course!). With Emily still sleeping in a crib, she automatically stays in Gram and Papa's room, where the crib is set up. But Ethan could pretty much sleep anywhere he'd want. There is an extra bed in 'our' room, Gram and Papa's big bed, another mattress that can be moved to the floor and the bed on the porch. Jon is usually the one to put our kids to bed, so after jammies and teeth brushing, it was time for Ethan to crash. With Jon's fond memories of being a boy sleeping on the porch of the California cabin, he has been trying to convince Ethan that it is the cool thing to do. Once I knew Jon was settling Ethan into the bed on the screened-in porch, I went to check on their progress and offer some encouragement. As I stood in the doorway, Jon was telling Ethan stories about when he was a young boy and how he loved to sleep on a porch just like this one - how you get to be outside without really being outside, hear the sounds of the forest, see the trees rustle, watch the world grow dark, all while being safe and sound "in" the cabin. Watching this father-son moment, I was so proud of both of them. When Jon finished his story, he began situating Ethan in his sleeping bag. As Ethan lay down to go to sleep, he said, "Daddy, can you tell me a real story now?" All I could do was chuckle and walk away, knowing that some day Ethan will be telling his son or daughter how he used to sleep on the porch of the cabin when he was a young boy.

Sound asleep on the porch.