6 boys (& a baby girl) + 48 hours of "roughing it" = PURE JOY!

Camping 101:
1. If you are debating whether or not to go camping with your family (especially if you have 4 little boys), debate no more and GO!! This was our first family camping trip and we had a blast!!
2. If you go, invite our friends, Kendall and Keri along... they have all the gear and know all the tricks to a great camp out... Ryan and Julie weren't too shabby in the camping department either!!! :o)
3. If you dont want to take our friends with you, take some friends of your own because our friends made this trip so memorable for us... the boys have talked about it all non stop since we got back. They cant quit talking about Little JJ, Big E, and MaeMae.
4. Take your bikes... ours were a huge hit!! But be prepared to be in a bit of pain each time you sit or stand for the next 24-48 hours because your toosh is not used to that much bike riding all at once... especially if you have given birth to 4 babies! :o)
5. Take more than one bat... especially if there are 6 little boys who love baseball!!
6. No camping trip is complete with out a really messy s'mores treat!!
7. Take an extra pair of shoes for the 2 year old who may get a little involved with the rock throwing and step right on into the lake!
8. Dont forget the SUNSCREEN!!
9. And go ahead and APPLY the sunscreen that you take with you! Yes, I forgot to put it on them... we started out the day all bundles up with sweatshirts because it was so cold... one thing led to another and we were going and blowing, and before I knew it, it was 90 degrees at 3:00 and they had been fishing in the direct sunlight for the last few hours and they were all fried!!
10. Invite us along with you! Because we cant wait to go camping again! Thanks, Riveras and Perkins for inviting us!!!

The whole gang enjoyed riding bikes... they would ride all over the place, street and all, and watch out for cars driving thru... they would all yell "CAR!!" and we all got a good laugh watching the little 2 year old feet scurry over to the side moving as fast as they can...

Sweet Buddies... Case-O and Big E

Even MaeMae got in on the bicycle fun! She borrowed Bryson and Jace's seats and loved it!

We played a group game of baseball... and we all learned a lesson in patience while we waited for the 2 year olds to have a turn hitting! :o)

So Bry made us his own version of "baseball"

My boys having a blast

One of my favorite pics... how precious is this little booger?

Here is the "rock-throwing crew"

Sweet little Jace hanging out on the rocks... The boys nicknamed him "Little JJ"

Micah "braving" the water... it was C-O-L-D!!!

Bryson in hog heaven, but maybe kinda confused, because he is throwing rocks, mommy is watching, and she is taking pictures and smiling rather than putting him in time out for throwing them!! :o)

Mr Kendall promised the boys he would take them fishing... they all had a great time.

A highlight of the trip was the S'mores... anything having to do with marshmallows, chocolate, and fire is sure to be a crowd pleaser!

Here is Big E enjoing his S'mores... yumm

Meg and E watching daddy roast their marshmallows.
Here is our Proof that we were on this camping trip with all the boys... Julie and I (and Keri, too... but she was probably cooking at this moment!) were always the ones behind the cameras, but we didnt want anyone to forget that we were there, too! :o)

Bryson made a new buddy... He really took to Mr. Kendall, and by then end of the trip, he would walk over to him, hold his arms up, and say, "hold you." It was so sweet!

Here is my little carrot top just hanging out in Jace's camping chair (which he would have like to taken home with him... he kept calling it "mine")

Coby just chillin out and being cute :o) (notice his new glasses... yes, he broke them again. This is pair #4 since August.)

Julie and Ethan... love this picture!

The WHOLE Gang!! What a blast!!