Family Fun - Camping Trip #3

We headed out on our third camping trip just a couple of weeks ago and it was not without adventure . . .even before we left. 

On Sunday morning we were working on finishing up loading; the boys were playing on the back porch; I walked out the back door so the boys moved out of the way and, at that moment I heard the neighbors mower (the neighbor across the road, mind you) hit a rock and then out of the corner of my eye I saw something flying through the air seconds before I was nailed in the jaw by a rock.  Darryl said he had never heard me scream like I did and knew something was wrong. 

Can you see it?  The bruise and abrasion?  Not the best picture, I know, but wow, did that thing hurt.  Thankfully nothing was broken, it was just really sore, I had a slightly lose/tender tooth for a few days and the bruise got worse before it got better.  This delayed our department a bit as I had to lay down on the couch with a bag of ice on my face for about 30 minutes. 

We finally arrived at our camp site and got everything set up.  The site was awesome because it was right next to a creek that the boys could play in!

 Our homemade sidewalk paint was a huge hit once again but this time it turned into more.  The boys took the cornstarch and baking soda and made pies on the ground before adding water and food coloring. 

 This photo.  We had a mouse in the next campsite over and Darryl was attempting to get rid of it with our little broom.  Honestly, the mouse was sick - probably poisoned - but I still didn't want the thing near our campsite!

My creek loving boys!  They played in this creek all week long.  They found tadpoles, minnows (which Josh caught), and "Lobsters" (crawfish) and . .. lost one shoe.  Oops. 

I didn't take many photos.  So here are some other highlights:

1) Swimming- this campground had a fabulous pool.  The boys and I loved it - they both would swim to the deep end (10 feet deep) with their life jackets (and me not far from them). 
2) Bike Rides and Playgrounds - The boys love having a little freedom to ride their bikes and they loved riding to the pool.  They amazed me because the ride to the pool is up a big hill.  They road it like it was flat.  Crazy kids.  There were awesome play grounds to play at too!
3) The Dam . .. and the Snake - For months before we went, Nate had studied the map of the campground so he knew there was a Dam /Dead end road.  We took a drive and were able to walk out on the dam where, at one point, I screamed as a snake slithered away as Nate just about stepped on him! 
4) The Rain . . and Storms.  Oh my.  The daytime was great; we had very little rain during the day but the night time . . holy smokes.  The first night a storm rolled through with such intense rain that Darryl and I got up and were outside making sure our awning kept draining.  The second night a storm rolled through with lots of thunder and lightening and tons more rain.  Even though we woke up to a slightly flooded campsite each morning and ate a simple breakfast of cereal both mornings while waiting for the rain to stop, as soon as the sun came out, everything dried up! 
5) The Parents!  On Tuesday, my parents drove over to "take over" for the rest of the week and camp with the boys.  It was great getting to have lunch with them and hang out by the campfire for a bit before we had to leave.  The boys then had an absolute blast with them the rest of the week.

We still have one more planned camping trip at the end of August and are tentatively planning one trip near the end of September. Then, it will be time to clean it up in October and "pack it away" for winter.