We ventured into a brave vacation this year - going camping as a family for the first time! Jonathan was still in diapers and I was about 4 months pregnant. We all slept in a single tent together, with Nathan and I on a queen air mattress, Luke on a twin air mattress, and Jonathan in a playpen. It worked pretty well - not the greatest sleep for this pregnant lady, but not too bad overall. And the vacation was shared with Nathan's parents, his brother, Matt, and their family, and a family from church, the Kaneversky's, so there were many extra hands to help. We all shared a large, group campsite that was relatively set apart from the other campsites, so we felt more secluded.
Day One (June 30):
Exploring!
Setting up our tent.
Waiting for the first campfire.
Day Two (July 1):
We took a bus ride to the head of a hiking trail. Jonathan got to ride in a backpack.
Playing "Pooh Sticks" (throwing sticks and leaves into the water on one side of the bridge, then watching them come out the other side).
Devil's Postpile
Our little adventurer!
Rainbow Falls
Both boys fell asleep on the bus ride back to the parking lot.
Day Three (July 2):
Our newly minted 5 year old! Happy Birthday, Luke!
Birthday breakfast at McDonalds.
Jonathan got very brave and would venture off into the bushes a lot!
We spent the day on a lake. We first rented a canoe.
The boys in their cute life vests.
We also rented a motor boat.
Part of the group went out to try some fishing while Phyllis and I stayed on the shore with Jonathan while he took a nap.
Emma caught a fish!
After lunch, the kids fished a bit more from the shore. Jonathan's first time!
Cooking hot dogs over the campfire.
And he makes the catch! The kids had fun playing baseball between dinner and dessert. Check out this cute video of
Jonathan getting in on the action!
Eating birthday smores! Here's a video of
everyone singing Luke "Happy Birthday" and having him blow out a stick instead of a candle. I think Luke had a wonderful day for his 5th birthday!
Day Four (July 3):
The kids had completed Junior Ranger books while on our hike the first day, so they walked down to the campsite's ranger station and got their badges!
We went to a local swimming pool, and Luke had fun playing in the water.
Jonathan wanted NOTHING to do with the cold, scary pool, and would rather stay warm and dry on the sidelines. :P
Day Five (July 4):
Here's a picture of us all outside our home-away-from-home. We drove home on Independence Day, having survived our first family camping adventure!
