Summer Tradition: Camping with Cousins!

 One of our all time favorite summer traditions is to pack up a truck load of children and supplies and head out into the great outdoors. We're ready for an adventure!

 Thanks for "helping" set up the tent kids!

 We had four awesome camp spots together with our cousins. The best part is they backed up to a great trail system, which was perfect for hiking, walking dogs, or temporarily loosing children (fortunately everyone made it back alive - phew!)

 

No camping experience would be complete without a grand marshmallow roast - one of the kids favorite things! (Shocking.) Here is the roast master himself, demonstrating perfect technique for the kids. 

We went on a short (0.2 mile) hike to this beautiful waterfall. 

 

Even the tiniest campers made the trek & then wanted to swim, "Can we PLEEEEAAAASE take off our clothes and swim, Mom?" Umm, no.  "Well can we at least take off our shoes and socks? PLEEEAAASE!!?? We won't get our clothes wet. We promise." Umm, okay. So, that resulted in two wet children/outfits.

 Our adventurous seven year old. Nice balancing act, C!

 Another highlight this year was the bike parade. This was an idea originally hatched back home a few days before the Great Camp-out. Thus, we had time to make signs and decorations & purchase candy to throw out to the camping neighbors. Weirdly, our kids both threw AND caught gobs of candy themselves.

Camping is just SO exciting and fun that it is hard to pose for a normal picture. Obviously.