Sunday, September 18, 2011

Boy Scout Family Campout

We went camping at Greenleaf State Park and got to use a military lodge which used to be Camp Gruber's Officers Club during WWII. It was really nice and worked out great as a place for our meals and we also played games around tables at night. It was beautiful and we used the lodge more than I expected. Some people even slept in it on Saturday night when a major storm blew in.

We had to set up in the rain on Friday night. We actually expected it to rain all weekend, but it didn't rain that bad Friday night and it was beautiful all Saturday.




Our campsite
Inside our tent. We had four cots for the first time. It was much nicer for everyone to sleep on a cot, but there wasn't a lot of room. Our huge tent, is no longer quite so huge.

The main lobby of the lodge, the kids loved playing with the ice machine and they played checkers and chess on the counter

The flag raising ceremony Friday night

27 of us went on a hike. 10 of us only went 4 miles, we turned back at the halfway point, and it was enough hiking for us. The others went on, a little more than 7 miles total. It was a good hike, we were all good and tired afterwards =)





On the way back from the hike.

Mike having fun, he taped a shovel to a rake to a broom to another rake and managed to get a bike lock that he saw stuck way up in the tree by our tent. It was very entertaining =) It didn't take him long though.

Amber was glad that this was a family campout and had fun playing with some of the other Scouts sisters. They played barbies in our tent, horseshoes, and just ran around together the entire time.



The kids loved the wildlife, including this spider which we had to get Mike's boot in the picture so you can truly appreciate how bit it is.

This was the room where several people slept on Saturday night. There was a big storm coming in with threat of hail, 60-70 mile per hour winds, and a tornado had touched down earlier where the storm was coming from.

Ryan had kitchen duty Sunday morning and help make the pancakes. This is a picture of his helper which he took.

This is where we ate all of our meals. They served up front where you see the guys standing, and there were several tables to sit at. We had scrambled eggs and sausage one morning and pancakes and sausage the next morning, sandwiches for lunch and hot dogs the first night we got there since it was a late meal and then spaghetti, chicken Alfredo, jumbalia and crab patties. Yes, we ate well =)

We also played games around these tables at night.

All the kids helped clean up. Ryan mopped with his new scout friend Ryan.
































Amber did a great job sweeping and she moped the girls bathroom.








































The kids liked walking around the water tower.

Chapel on Sunday morning right before we left and right before another storm blew in. We sat on the back of the lodge steps.
Mike and Amber, we were all a little tired after the storm kept us away all nightThis was our view during chapel! Definitely a God moment!
This was before everyone sat down for chapel.We had a great time! It was a lot of fun for all and a memorable weekend =) I am so thankful that Ryan is in Scouts and he has a great Troop=)

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Labor Day Camping Trip

We were fortunate enough to be adopted by our friends family and we joined them camping over Labor Day weekend. There were twenty of us total, four generations, seven different families and four different camp sites close together. We played games (cards, bocce balls, ladder golf and bags which was similar to ladder golf but played with bean bags and a two boards with a hole), ate lots of good food, rode bikes and watched the kids have a great time (which was fun for us too). It was a memorable trip! Thought I would share some pics . . .

Amber wanted smores every night . . . and she got them =)



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The boys liked riding their bike and then hiking to this water hole.





Amber loved riding her bike all over. She doesn't look happy because she is still wearing her pj top and didn't want me to take the picture =)



Mike and Tom working on the cobler

Kids being goofy

Dinner on the second night. I would have taken pictures of dinner the first night, but it was a boil pot with corn on the cob, shrimp, potatoes, and we just dumped it out on the table and ate it with our hands. It would have been too messy to try to get a picture . . . but it was AWESOME! My Fav!

Breakfast together on Sunday morning =)

The boys being goofy at breakfast.

Although we ate most meals together, we still did our traditional bacon =) We just shared it with everyone.

We were the only ones with a tent instead of a trailer (at least in our group).

Our New Fish Tank =)

Thursday, August 18, 2011

First Day of School


They both had a great first day! Ryan is more excited than he was (he wasn't looking forward to school starting up again). His favorite thing is Science. No, not the subject or necessarily the teacher, but the class pets (fish tank, 2 gecko's, quaker parrot). The one teacher I was most worried about him liking (but I didn't tell him) he says is his favorite so far. YEA! Amber had a good day too =) They stayed in their home room class all day though, they will really start next week.

What the boy does with BBQ sauce leftover from his dinner


Let's hope they don't serve BBQ at school . . . . yikes

Tuesday, August 16, 2011