Camping with the Ohlsons

We went to Camp Blue Diamond for the weekend with our friends Ryan and Melinda and their girls Alayna and Kierstin. We had blast even though it rained (correction: poured!) for part of the time. We already have plans to go again in August.

Relaxing in the camp chairs while we set up camp.

Brian put up a huge tarp over our whole site and one over the tent. It was a really good thing he did because there was a huge thunderstorm on Friday night and it rained most of Saturday morning.

Getting dinner ready... yummy foil packets in the fire.

Ryan cooking up some hamburgers and beans too.

We brought Evan's old bouncer and it was a great place for him to be all weekend. He's at a good age to camp as a baby... a few more months and he would want to be down crawling and getting into everything. And few months earlier and he'd be up all night. All the kids did pretty well actually.

After we got the kids to bed, we stayed up and talked around the fire. It was really fun to get talk and get to know each other better. Unfortunately, the Ohlson's tent leaked in the night and got some of their stuff wet. It was still pouring when we got up so we huddled under the tarp for breakfast of sausage, eggs, banana bread, cereal and hot chocolate.

Cute Kierstin

Brian and Natalie

Alayna entertained us with her silly faces:

Somehow, Brian got a flat tire on his truck. He and Ryan changed it while we tried to corral the kids under the tarp since it was still raining. It finally let up a little and so we let them play out in the rain even though they all got pretty wet. Oh well, it's camping! :)

There was a little path of water flowing through so we stopped it up to make a "pool" for the kids. And Melinda helped them make "stick forest" in the mud.

They also had fun playing in the little streams that were flowing on the sides of the road.

"Kierstin in motion"

Melinda and I walked the kids to the beach. Found a little red lizard along the way. The sun came out and it was actually pretty warm so we did get to enjoy the beach for a little while.

I love this picture of Kierstin.

Kinda of hard to see but Brian drew stick bodies on them. Since the Ohlson's tent was all wet, they couldn't stay another night and so they left in the afternoon. We stayed at the beach for awhile longer and then went back up for an early dinner. Brian made the kids homemade booster seats. So creative. :)

We went on a walk around the campground after dinner.

And then when we got back to our site... the Ohlsons came back! We were surprised but it was great to get to spend some more time with them.

They ate dinner and we got to talk some more while the kids played. When they left, we put the kids to bed and Brian and I used up the rest of our wood on the fire. I love sitting around a campfire at night. So glad Brian loves camping too. :)

Sunday morning: it was cold and rainy again so we had breakfast and then packed everything up to head home.

Hard to believe we had this much stuff!!

It was a great weekend and I can't wait to go again! :)

Father's Day and Strawberry Picking

We were still camping over Father's Day but when we got home that day, we had pizza together and the kids gave Brian their little presents. We made cans for him to use the garage to keep stuff in. They cut pictures out of magazines and we decoupaged them onto the can. They picked them all out themselves and the whole thing turned out pretty cute. Some notable pictures from Natalie were Tiger Woods, a computer, green bean casserole and the Gieco money with eyes. From Blake, lots of balls, lots of food, Tigger and Pooh and McDonalds. :)

I had just bought Blake some big boy underwear and they had fun trying it on at dinner.

Since we weren't home for Father's Day morning, we made Brian breakfast in bed on Monday.

We went strawberry picking with some friends this week. It was the same farm as the Pumpkin Patch we went to in the fall. You pick as many as you want and then weigh them by the pound at the end. It was really fun. "I think I see one!"

Blake didn't realize you could eat them for a long time, but once he did... he just stayed in one place eating as many as he could find!

Yum!

I hadn't planned to be there for lunch but it took us awhile so we bought some homemade bread and peanut butter from little store and had a picnic under a big cherry tree. It was such a beautiful day, especially with all the rain we've been having lately.

They played on this fun tractor... they were taking turns driving while the other one was "sleeping"

Evan helped carry the strawberries back to the car.

Natalie and I made freezer jam together... I'd never done that and it was pretty easy. Now I just need someone to teach me about canning. :)

Camping pictures coming soon!