Kids, Camping, Pancakes, Chicken Dance and more!

It is Sunday morning and we are back from camping!

We had an incredible time with our families.

On Friday night, Nana, Poppy, Granny and Papaw came over and spent some time with us at the campground.

We made s'mores and had fun hangin' out together.

On Saturday, M&M came - we thank Poppy for bringing them.
We were so excited that they could camp with us.
We took them to the dance pad and all the girls did the Cha-Cha Slide and the Chicken Dance with the other campers. They had so much fun.

Abby wants to be a big girl so bad. She did everything the girls did.

After the dance, we went back to our campsite,
told stories and roasted marshmallows around the fire.

Mike and I felt so blessed to be there.
Sometimes we wonder - or others ask us - why we put the added effort into the camping experience when it would be alot easier to stay within the comforts of our home, rest and do much needed projects on our To-Do List. But, to us, the answer is obvious. The work, fatigue, and effort of family camping trips is so worth it. We get away from the technologies, video games, phones, and daily routine. We spend 3 days outside - hearing the sounds, smelling the campfires, hiking, playing, cooking, and working together. In our opinion, the family camping weekend is the epitome of togetherness. We are able to involve the children in working along side us - cooking, cleaning, playing, talking about their lives, and making memories. It is another great experience for us to be the primary influence in their little lives.

The children in our family are such a blessing. 5 out of the 7 were there. We missed the other two, but look forward to the day that they are able to join us. N & E - we can't wait to have you join us around the campfire.

The last chapter of the camping saga was written this morning at 2 a.m. A big clap of thunder woke Melisa - and the race began! We packed all 5 children, sleeping bags, pillows and everything else we could grab and headed home to avoid the storm - the advantage of camping less than 10 mins. from home. When we were packing up to leave, M. said, "I was really looking forward to the pancakes." You see, on Sunday morning we always cook a huge breakfast at the campground - including eggs, bacon, sausage and pancakes. We had told the kids about this on Sat. night - they hated to leave so bad. This morning, they all piled on the couch together to watch Ratatouille and I fixed pancakes! Once again, I had happy campers!