Star Hope Campground: 2012

To celebrate the 4th, my parents and my sister's family and me and my boys went camping.  Abe had to work, so we sadly left him at home.  When we reached our camping destination following a four-hour-long drive, I realized that I had forgotten to bring two important items:

1) A camera.
2) The boys' clothes.  (Mind you, I'm not such a dingbat that I didn't PACK the children some clothes.  They just didn't make it out to the car.)


But we survived anyway, thanks especially to Grandma and Grandpa, who took the boys into Mackay the next day and wandered forlornly around the town, begging for clothes, until they were finally able to procure two shirts, one pair of pants, a package of pull-ups, and a Mackay Pride hoody.  The boys were constantly filthy from head-to-toe, so I figured it didn't really matter that they didn't have fresh clothes every day, because they would have dirtified their new outfits early in the day anyway.

The boys and I tried various sleeping configurations each night, including: (1) In Grandma and Grandpa's camper, boys on the table bed, Mommy switching between the bunk bed and table bed throughout the night, (2) In the tent, on the air mattress, a boy on each side of mommy, and (3) In the camper, Mommy and boys on the table bed.  All I can say is that it's a good thing my boys are cuddlers, not kickers or squirmers.  I would also like to express my gratitude to my darling parents who allowed me long, luxurious naps on our two full days in the campground to help compensate for these less-than-optimal sleeping positions.

Highlights of the trip included:

-Grandpa taking Soren fishing.  Soren caught eight fish in about one hour!
-Grandma finding some fun new books (Including my favorites, The Talking Eggs and The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig) for the boys at a garage sale in Mackay.  
-Mommy spending a lot of time following Liam around the campground, chasing him around in circles, and watching him energetically dance on any ant he found until it was deceased.
-Soren catching a pet butterfly.
-Liam repeatedly tipping his obliging eleven-year-old cousin, Marty, out of his hammock.  This caused Liam to laugh until he couldn't catch his breath. 
-Soren and Mommy building a fort out of branches and logs.
-Soren and Mommy going for a hike.
-My dad showing me how to drive the Smith's four-wheeler and riding with me while we took a delightful, wind-in-the-face spin through a canyon.  
-Soren pretending to be the teacher and taking Mommy and Liam and his stuffed bunny, Bucky, on a field trip to the creek.
-Soren going for a hike with his Auntie Collette and cousins Tessa and Calysta and encouraging himself up the hillside by quietly repeating to himself, "I fink I can, I fink I can, I fink I can, I fink I can...."

I was proud of myself for surviving four days in the wilderness with my children.  I couldn't have done it without lots of family support, for which I am very grateful.  It truly was a lovely trip.

P.S. Isn't Star Hope the best name ever?  If we ever have a girl child, that'll totally be her name.