Weekend getaway with Miss Peggy

Last weekend we had the chance to slip out of town for a little camping adventure with Miss Peggy.  

 We left later than we wanted to and had to deal with a storm and nightfall as we approached the campground.

 That's actually Patrick's bike attached to a hitch on the front of the truck, since we were towing Miss Peggy in the back.  I'm thankful for amazing friends who were willing to stand in the rain to help Patrick back up and set up the site while we waited in the truck.  Good friends, I tell ya...good friends.

Anyway, we actually camped at a private campground at a resort.  We had never done that before since we usually stay at state or county parks.  This resort included many outdoor activities like horseback riding, air boat rides, and swamp buggy rides.  While we didn't do any of those activities, we did venture over to the petting farm.  The kids had a blast.

 Havi loved trying to feed the ponies and even got right up in their faces.

 We went swimming every day, and boy was that necessary.  It was hot as blazes out there, and cooling off was a must.  One of the oldest kids in our 11 kid camping crew celebrated his birthday.  So all the kids got to enjoy some delicious cupcakes.

 There was a little catch and release pond to fish at.  So we slathered on the sunscreen and stayed out there long enough to justify the sunscreen application.  Then we headed back to our campsites, taking the scenic route and checking out some of the longhorns on the ranch.

 Saturday night at the ranch is a good old fashioned rodeo.  All the locals descend on the place.  As a child I had been to several rodeos, so it was not new to me.  However, it was the first rodeo for all the dumplings.  Caleb really enjoyed it.  Madeline couldn't wait to leave.

 We're such a large group (11 kids and 6 grown ups) that we had to spread out over several rows of bleachers to sit near each other.

 I think it's safe to say that the bull riding was our favorite event.  Caleb was impressed that two of the cowgirls that had entered the rodeo were only eight and eleven years old.  Impressive indeed.

Our last day we kept things low key as we had to pack up and head home.  The kids had a blast playing with the bubbles, in addition to riding their bikes around the camp loop.

 Then it was one last trip to the petting farm.

 Upon our return home, we had a new "family member" waiting for us.  Meet "Charlie", Peggy's main squeeze.  Patrick likes to say that Peggy married up because he's a motorhome, and Peggy is not.  We knew that it was just a matter of time, though, before something like Charlie came rolling into our lives. 

 Later that evening I stepped outside to admire the setting sun in all its glory.  Havi joined me, sans clothes. 

 I made Caleb and Madeline come outside to watch the sun set, even if it was just for a few moments.  I had wanted to snap a quick photo of all three of them with Charlie, to make him feel welcomed, you know.  But Havi wasn't interested.  She was too busy capturing the sunset.

 We had a great weekend camping.  In fact, the next few camping trips are already being planned!  We love being outdoors and enjoy just hanging out with our friends.  And the kids really enjoy each other too.  It's such a blessing.

Well, I hope everyone has a wonderful 4th of July.  

We have some exciting things planned with some very special out of town visitors!

Spring Break camping: Part 2

Day 3 started off with a little rainbow loom bracelet making for Madeline and Maggie.  Maggie had actually spent the night with us in our travel trailer.  The girls like to do this at least one night.  It's a pretty convenient way to have an overnight.

We quickly ate breakfast and headed out to the beach.  Maggie and most of her family had to head to a birthday party, but we hit the beach with Bryan and Emily and their kids before the storm rolled in.

And boy did it.  We actually had tornado warnings and decided it would be best to head to the local mall and wait until the majority of the storm passed.  Patrick got in a quick shave, and Madeline had to join him.  

A tornado did touch down not too far from where we were.  So we were glad we chose to leave for a few hours.  When we came back, we all had dinner together.  The girls stayed inside and watched a movie while the boys went outside to play.

Our last morning was Sunday.  Bryan is one of the pastors at his church.  So he headed out.  But Patrick decided to do a little bible study with the kids.  We sang along to songs on our iPads and iPhones.

Then Stephen performed some magic tricks. I love how he has incorporated the illusions into bible lessons.  It was pretty neat.

Then the kids played some more.

All that play and lunch tuckered Havi out.  She slept while Caleb and Madeline continued to play, and Patrick and I packed up.

We had such a great time camping with our friends.  We joked that we're so glad we can all camp together because that's about the only time we can manage to all get together.  Still, we're going to try getting together without the camping part.

These are the times, though, we truly cherish as a family.  We love being together and relaxing, talking about things that matter in this great big world and watching our kids frolic under the sun...or the clouds.

Spring Break camping: Part 1

As I mentioned last time, last week we headed back to where Miss Peggy made her inaugural camping adventure with the same group of friends.  Of the three families, only one group of kids is not homeschooled.  Still, we thought it would be a great time to spend a long weekend during Spring Break back at the beach in our beloved houses on wheels. So last Thursday, we packed up Miss Peggy and headed up the road to our convenient little beachfront campground.  

Baba had a couple of eager helpers when it came to hitching up the trailer.

We actually pulled up to check in at the same time as our friend Bryan...totally unplanned.  Once we got to our site, we backed Miss Peggy in.  And much to our surprise, it was the best job we had done...and I guess it impressed our neighbors, as they made it a point to say so. I tell ya, that hubby of mine has really gotten the hang of towing this big girl and backing her up.  Anyway, Caleb and Madeline immediately started playing with Bryan's boys (the girls were with their mom Emily.)  And that meant Havi was hanging out with us as we set up.  She has discovered how to climb up and down the ladder for the bunks.  That does a mama's heart good.  Um, not.  She also thinks it's fun to hang out on the top bunks and not come down.  Again, funny for her.  Not for mama. lol

Our friends Lisa and Shail arrived later in the afternoon with their crew.  We all ended up having dinner (it's a big bring-your-own-food-and-everybody-shares-kinda-feast) at a site belonging to another friend of Bryan and  Emily's.  We had such a great time chatting and eating while the kids played.  Caleb especially enjoyed playing football.  I, however, turned in early with Havi because she didn't get a nap that day and tuckered out early.

The next morning we had breakfast and quickly decided to hit the beach.  The water was cold.  So the kids didn't really go in past their ankles.  Instead, they spent a lot of time playing in the sand.

We came back to the trailer for lunch, and then Patrick wanted to pick up a few things at the store with Caleb and Madeline while Havi took a nap.  She wasn't too thrilled about being left behind.

Shoes on the wrong feet and a big hot mess....poor girl.  Later on, Bryan took the big kids on a bike ride.

Havi wanted to be a big kid.  She didn't make the cut.

We did a lot of this...chillaxin' while the kids played.  We fired up the grills and ate some dinner at "our place" that night.

Emily's sister, Grace, came with her husband Jake and their two kids.  The bigger the crowd, the better.

 Caleb facilitated races for the little girls.

Then after some energy was burned off, it was time to roast some marshmallows.

Havi loves to greet every single car, truck, or motorhome that passes her way.

This photo of Havi absolutely cracks me up.  She was completely covered in dirt and could've cared less.  And then little Audrey dumped an orange cone full of dirt right on her head after I snapped this.  Bath time was really fun that night.  And I was still shaking dirt out of her hair the next morning. lol

And that would mark the end of day 2 of this latest installment of camping with Miss Peggy.

....to be continued....