Our Camping Trip

Here is a picture of our cabin/mansion, or as I fondly refer to her as our “cabsion”

Berkeley riding her "horse"



When you fall off your horse...

...it's important get right back on again...

...and then get distracted by the dirt...

...and ditch the horse to play in the dirt!

Jerry wore many hats over the weekend, some of which were titled: babysitter, friend, Uncle, motorcycle starter, nanny/life saver.

Notice Jake passed out in the center of the picture

Laura and I played "war" and she riddled me with BB's. Notice my pain ridden face.
Yes, I am a dork. I know that. I have been told that. I have accepted that. I am ok with that. I really am.

Laura's steady "hair cutting" hand came in handy. She did great hitting the targets. I hope I NEVER bump into her in a dark alley while she is packing heat!

Chris wanted to use poor Ridley as target practice

A shooting frenzy

Eating more skittles

Berkeley proudly showed us her red "Skittle tongue"

Oh, sister cracks me up

Still cracking up (notice Jake passed out on the left)

I love my sister...

...except when she puts flowers in my hair.

Trying his hand at the BBQ...

...and his teeth!

Oliver got his first taste of sand and rather enjoyed it. It didn’t go down quite as smoothly as mother’s milk, but he enjoyed it just the same!

Berkeley took her job of guarding the Skittles a little too seriously!

Ridley salivated at all of the ankles running around on the beach. It's almost as if she is saying "Oooooh, so many ankles, so little time! If only I wasn't tied up!"

Sterling's first camping trip

Somehow Jake mustered enough strength to lift that head up and open those eyes for a picture! Praise the Lord for small miracles :)

Getting ready to go on a Harley ride!Yes, I am a dork. I know that. I have been told that. I have accepted that. I am ok with that. I really am.

Off we went!

Berkeley took some pictures. She would say, "Say cheese Uncle Kiss" and after she snapped it she'd look at the screen and exclaim "Ahhhh, how cute!" Hmmmm, wonder where she got that???

"Say Cheese Uncle Jerry," "Ahhhh, how cute!" She is a pretty good little photographer!

Head Gear

Laura did some light, yet vital, reading

Kate, we are preparing Berkeley to compete with Brody some day in Motorcross. Or is it pronounced Motocross? I'm not really sure of the correct pronunciation...I like them both. Maybe we can get them cute little matching bikes and head gear!!

Thomas has always been passionate about motorbikes

We can't wait to go back in the snow!!

Playing in the convertible

Miniature donkeys across the road. Jer named them Fred & Albert and Berkeley referred to them as "Fed & Talbert"

Two VERY exhausted dogs in one VERY packed car (notice Sterling passed out on the right)

Ready to go home (as long as the Skittles are packed and coming home too)

We went on our first camping trip with the kids. Some friends we know have a cabin about an hour and a half away and I desperately needed to get away and do something different, so we gave it a go. The place we stayed at was beautiful. I can't really call it a cabin since she came complete with 3 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms and a beautiful kitchen. I must admit it truly was one of the better camping trips I have ever experienced.

Jerry let us drive his convertible, so we enjoyed an hour and a half “adult” time with no crying, whining or gnashing of teeth. Jerry got to experience the joys of parenthood. He drove a VERY loaded family truckster complete with crying babies and barking dogs! He called us every 5 minutes toward the end to give us a "tears report." Oliver did great…never made a peep despite Jake barking at every motorcycle and semi-truck that passed. (Remind me to do a post about Jake. We got another dog. Yes, another one. Yes, that makes 3 dogs. Yes, I am a bit crazy. I have been told that. I know that. I have accepted that. I am ok with that. I really am.)

I was so worried about getting everything for the kids and dogs packed that I forgot 2 of my shirts. I left them hanging in my closet because I didn’t want them to wrinkle and I completely forgot to grab them in my haste to get out the door. I blame it on “breastfeeding brain”. Ha Ha! Get it? Kind of like “pregnancy brain”, but since I am not pregnant I can only blame my absentmindedness on breastfeeding. I know, as Thomas would say, “it’s probably not that funny if you have to explain it”. Thankfully the ‘cabsion’ had a washer and dryer so I could wash the 2 shirts that I did bring. Did I mention this was one of the best camping experiences I have ever had?

Unfortunately, Oliver was not himself. He was uncharacteristically grouchy and cried quite a bit. I didn’t figure out till we got home that he is cutting his top 2 front teeth. Although I was too distracted to pack my own clothes, thankfully I had enough of my faculties about me and remembered to pack the Tylenol which helped a little bit. No parent should ever leave the house without Tylenol!

Thomas made breakfast lunch and dinner every night and the meals were outrageously delicious. Chris brought the best of the best wine and we ate until we could barely move. The first night we had salmon, the second night ribs, and the third night steak florentine. Oh mylanta it was to die for!!! I REALLY enjoy food and am not at all embarassed to admit that. I feel it is one of the few absolute pleasures in life and I delight in all of those delicacies!

It was a nice trip overall. A little challenging with the sleeping arrangements since my kids are so used to their routine, but I was pleasantly surprised at how well they did. I'm anxious to go back when it snows...can't wait to get my paws on those snowmobiles :)