Camping with Friends

Like I said earlier, we had one more trip to take this summer. Some friends of ours recently bought a camper, so plans were made to camp together! Squeezing this trip in so close to our time at the lake was a bit stressful...but I kept telling myself it will be worth it when we get there. It was so worth it. :)

Aaron's ready for some fun on the 4-wheeler!

I took one supper and Rebekah took the other. Tostadas one night and pan-fried chicken the next!

The weather was beautiful, the humidity was low, and we were blessed with a sweet time together. The guys (including the little guys) did lots of 4-wheeling. That was the main event--as far as they were concerned. The ladies (including little Miss Ashly) stayed behind at the campsite and did plenty of visiting. It was so great.

We purchased helmets for all of our boys--aren't you proud of us Mom and Dad?!

Braylen rode solo on his own 4-wheeler, while Kaleb and Aaron rode with Derek. Kaleb drove the blue 4-wheeler by himself around our campsite, and he also drove it to and from the trails. It's a manual, not an automatic, so he needs to get a better feel for shifting before Derek allows him to drive it by himself on the trails. Derek had a first aid kit strapped to the front of his 4-wheeler, and I'm happy to say he never needed to use it. :)

The scenery was beautiful

Besides 4-wheeling, we all enjoyed our times together at the campsite. Aaron did lots of digging in the sand, Rebekah and I prepared meals and caught up on life, and Derek and Shawn tinkered with the 4-wheelers and Shawn's camper. Aaron even caught a toad. :) Braylen carried my camera around and took lots of pictures. Kaleb kept driving that 4-wheeler around and around his own little track. Our boys were the dirtiest they've ever been, which means they had lots of fun being boys!

only Aaron can dig in the sand while posed as a human pretzel

shucking corn from Rebekah's garden

I used the 4-wheeler for a seat!

Ginger came along of course.

We took several walks with Ginger. During one of those walks, Aaron brought along the walkie-talkie so he could talk with his brothers back at the campsite. They did more loud noises and sound effects than talking, but am I really surprised? No. :)

Here's Aaron on the walkie-talkie.

We ended our camping trip with a campfire on our last night. I lost count of how many marshmallows the kids ate. Kaleb especially loves s'mores.

We're thankful for good friends to camp with. For the time off work. For the camper, of course. For the 4-wheelers. For the safety. And when we got home, I announced that I was thankful to be HOME! :)

We made it home just in time for the demolition derby...and for Braylen to go to a 3 day church camp...and for me to prepare for our son to turn 12!!! But all of that is for next time!