Memorial Day Camping 2011

We went camping over Memorial Day with 2 other families at Muddy Run. This is the same campground I used to go to as a child and I didn't remember anything!!! It was super fun to get away and be in the woods for the weekend!

We arrived Friday around 3 and at first it was just the kids and I.  I set up the 10 person tent all by myself! It was HUGE and some guys next door offered to help.  I said no, that I could do it alone and they laughed at me.  But I did it!!!

We threw some quick dinner together when everyone else arrived, got the kids their first marshmallows and called it a night!

Maeve was very mad that she couldn't roast a marshmallow.

We forgot to pack Maeve's pack and play and she has never slept in a bed.  We thought we'd give it a try as the tent has 3 rooms, but she wasn't in on the plan.  She thought it was party time....and that is an understatement.  She ran from room to room laughing hysterically yelling " I LOVE YOU MOMMY!!!!"  It was cute for a while but at 4 am when everyone was still awake I decided to just drive home.  We were only 25 minutes away and I just couldn't deal!  So I took her home and she slept until about 9AM when I came back to camp. 

We picked our campsite carefully.  We were right next to the playground and our sites were on a circle.  We thought this would help with the kids being occupied and it worked wonderfully!!!  They rode their bikes the whole weekend and played in the sandbox for hours upon end.

We pulled out the bike trailer and Paul took the kids for some rides. 

Here is Maeve and Toby last year:

We relaxed a lot on Saturday.  The kids just played and we sat on chairs and talked. 

We made hobos and corn on the cob for dinner and banana boats for dessert -- YUM! 

Saturday night went much better with Maeve because she had her pack and play and she was exhausted.  Sunday morning we woke up and I made pancakes.  I was chatting away with Paul and I went to shake the pancake batter and realized the lid wasn't on!!!!  It doesn't look so bad here but I was covered!!!

Paul asked his mom to revive their old camp stove so we could use two and it started right up!!


A few of us went to the church service on site and though the service was severely lacking in a million ways, the view was great.  The kids were excited and confused about church being outside.

After church we headed back and stopped at a different playground.  All of the adults played too and it was so fun to swing and slide with the kids.  We ate lunch and then geared up for the big lake trip.  A few of us went in a motor boat while others went in a canoe.  The ride was adventurous to say the least!  We did see some awesome turtles along the shore and a bunch of baby geese. 

When we came back on shore Paul worked with the kids on fishing.  They were very excited but they wanted to catch a fish big enough for dinner and so they were a bit bummed when they didn't catch anything.

It was blazing hot so a quick stop for "blue goo" ice cream cooled us down!  The bigger kids went deeper into the woods to find a better fishing spot while we took Toby and Maeve home to get ready for dinner.  We got out the baby pool and they splashed to their hearts content.  Their laughs were so loud and innocent... and they were happy to be free of their older siblings controlling them!

Finally everyone returned.  We gave the kids a quick meal and then tried to do sparklers which was an epic fail.  The kids were too tired.  The sparklers wouldn't light.  Noah touched his sparkler with his finger, burnt his finger, threw the sparkler into a pile of dry leaves...  Toby got burnt as well.  Drama was everywhere!!!  So, we hurried the little ones to bed again!

We had a great adult ginger wasabi steak dinner, baked potatoes, grilled veggies, and peach dump cake for dessert.  We all sat together and toasted to great friends and a wonderful weekend!

We woke up Monday and tore down our campsite.  The kids biked and played one last time.  I had a wonderful time and I can't wait until the next trip!!!!

PreSchool Graduation

Noah has spent the last two years at Oxford Community PreSchool, the school in our church.  He has really enjoyed learning here and has made some wonderful friends.  His progress has just been unbelievable this year... to see him go from ABC's to words to reading... to see him go from counting to 10 and then to 100 and then to simple math.   He has grown socially in his ability to read his peers and make good choices.

Throughout this year Noah has planned marriages to three girls, winked his way out of trouble, and charmed everyone in his path.  As always, he keeps us on our toes.

My little munchkins before we headed over to the church.

 Walking in to "Let them be little" by Billy Dean.

 The kids lined up and sang us a bunch of songs and they were very very cute!

Near the end the kids each put on these rainbow glasses and sang "I've got peace like a river."

After the presentation the kids sat down and were each called forward to receive a book and a certificate.  Almost none of the kids were listening to their names and one girl was in hysterics because she wasn't called early on.  It was very cute to see that they were still preschoolers!

After the graduation all of the families headed downstairs for snacks and a display of all of the wonderful art.  Congrats buddy, off to Kindergarten!!