Saturday, June 18, 2011

A Camping We Will Go

Bryan has been on vacation this past week and it has been so great! We decided to take a little camping trip (actually, with three kids it's never little!) since we had a couple of free days. After packing everything up and getting to the camp I decided that a Surburban is in my future for sure! Our little van was packed so tight. As Bryan was getting the kayak tied down he said, "It's our own Griswold family vacation!" It's a good thing we decided not to take the dog. I don't think we could have stuffed her in!




The kids were in heaven. They had so much fun. Bennett pushed this thing around everywhere and loved being outdoors.



While we were packing to go Chloe tried putting her 'fancy' clothes in her bag. I explained to her that you can't wear fancy clothes when camping because they will get dirty and ruined. It was a hard concept for her to grasp! She loves to be dressed up and looking pretty. Once we got there she got the hang of it and didn't mind being dirty- as long as her shoes were clean and dry. As soon as we got home she went up and put on her skirt and a 'fancy' shirt!




Here's our camp. It was very green and pretty, but not very secluded. I guess we are used to camping in Utah where you have lots of space and mountains to hide away in! Being 50 yards away from your neighbor is not really Bryan's favorite way to camp.







The kids loved cooking our food in the fire. We made tinfoil dinners, s'mores, and the kids new favorite fire treat- banana boats!












Their was a lake close by so we decided that we needed to go take an evening swim to clean up and get all that sticky humidity off. After a night and morning of rain the heat was very welcomed!





Benny is saying cheese for the camera while testing out Daddy's boat. We rented a canoe and Bryan took his kayak out on the lake. It was a beautiful sunny day. Niah was a champion paddler and really helped me in the canoe. I was highly impressed!




Bryan built us some great fires. I think he could have done without the wood that caused so much smoke though!




I had forgotten how much fun camping is. It's a lot of work with kids, but worth the effort. We had some great family time and it was nice to escape from life for a couple of days and just enjoy being our little family. It's always a good reminder to keep life simple and to enjoy the small moments with your kids. Sometimes I forget that.

I hope we can make this a family tradition because I think the kids now have a love for camping!
















5 comments:

TLJ said...

oh that looks sooo fun!
i love camping:)
glad you guys had so much fun!
love your pictures.
love you!
tam

miquelle and cody said...

Fun! It looks like a great campsite even though you were close to other people, that grass is great instead of dirt! Maybe we will have to join you next time!

mason said...

Oh....sooooo fun!! My kids LOVE camping! We just bought a trailer and can't wait to go out this weekend! Good times!!

AnnDeO said...

I think this looks like a perfect little family outing. Camping with kids is awesome. Always reminds me of the time it was basically a flash flood at Bryce Canyon and Chase threw up on Land and we couldn't do anything until the rain stopped. We will never forget - and can laugh hard about it now.

webdesign said...

wow awesome pictures..!!
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web design


Here we are at the top of Niah's castle!


Here's Niah and her best friend Addi playing in the dirt!

Bryan's favorite things:

  • BYU Football
  • Pandora.com
  • Surfing the Internet
  • Mountain Biking
  • Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
  • Kayaking

Natalie's Favorite Things

  • Naps
  • Blogging
  • Cooking
  • Going on dates with Bryan
  • Reading good books
  • Being a mom

Niah's Favorite Things

  • Hannah Montana
  • 101 Dalmatians
  • High School Musical
  • Reading books with her dad
  • Singing
  • Disney Princesses
  • Playing outside with her friends

Chloe's Favorite Things

  • Being outside
  • Her binki
  • Bananas
  • Macaroni and Cheese
  • Playing with Niah
  • Taking a bath