Snap Back to Reality!

This last week our family has enjoyed a wonderful time together down in Mount Pleasant!! We are members of the Camperworld down there and we took this week to get a much needed break. We left home at 5 am on Monday and started on our journey. We got down to the campground around 8:30 or so and set up camp. Well, leveled the trailer really since that is the only set up needed. We also started to hook up the trailer when we realized we were missing the sewer hose needed to hook up to the sewer. So, we loaded back into the car and headed into Ephraim to go to Wal-Mart. I don't think we have had a camping trip yet where we don't need to run to Ephraim for one thing or another!!

When we got back to camp, it was lunch time! After lunch we of course had quiet hour!! All the kids and Aaron were fast asleep in the trailer, so I took the peaceful time as a time to lay in the sun and soak up some rays. I soaked up a little too many rays!! It was crazy!! I was in the sun for an hour and a half at most and I burned way more than the hour and a half I was in the sun in Vegas!! Everyone wakes up and we go to the pool!! We spend a few hours at the pool because our kids love the water and it is like pulling teeth to get them out! I got out and laid by the pool and kept an eye on Marshall while Aaron and the other kids continued to swim!!

That night when we were getting ready for bed, I was really feeling the pain of being double baked! It wasn't until the next morning that I fully realized what damage had been done! My chest and neck were blistered and my arms and legs were burning!! Tuesday we just hung out and went to the pool again! We went for a bike ride looking for loose wood we could use for a fire. Wednesday we went fishing! While the kids and Aaron were fishing, Marshall and I were playing with Koda Bear. He loves the water and would not stop! I figured he would get worn out, but he didn't!! He just kept going and going!! Caidin caught the first fish!! He was so excited he beamed from ear to ear....the fish was kind of small, but Aaron kept it anyway because Caidin had caught it!! Liza was the next to catch a fish and it was not much bigger! She was excited because it was the first fish she caught with her new fishing pole! A few hours later the wind was picking up, so we decided we had better head out. Aaron started to reel in the lines and we discovered another fish on Liza's pole!! She was jumping up and down...it is so fun to see the excitement in the eyes of children!! We went for a little drive up the mountain before heading back to camp. We saw a doe off the side of the road, the wind was in our favor and so we were able to sneak up on her and get within 20 feet of her before she wandered back into the trees. Every one of the kids were quiet and amazed at the sight of her, she was really pretty!! It is a shame their dad enjoys killing such beautiful animals! ;)

Thursday is craft day at Camperworld and it was so fun for the kids! They each painted a little wooden frame with elephants (Eliza, Kilee and Caidin) and Marshall's has a giraffe. They were so excited to be able to paint something all by themselves!! They all love painting after staying at Grandma Suzi's and painting in her studio. After the kid's crafts they have adult crafts while the kids play at the park next to the pavilion. It was really nice to be able to sit down and have a creative minute while not worrying about the kids because I could see them the whole time. I made a vase, well the vase was already made, I just embellished it a little. It turned out pretty cute, I was kind of surprised. After crafts we went to the pool and swam again. Caidin finally got the courage to swim by himself!! It only took three tries, but he got it!! He was so proud of himself that he could swim and play with his sisters.

Friday they do crafts again, and this time the kids were able to make bracelets or necklaces. Caidin and Marshall made bracelets and the girls made necklaces. They strung the beads themselves and I think they have all found a new hobby! Again, they had adult crafts after the kid's crafts and this time we sanded and painted wooded blocks then put sayings on them. Aaron actually got into this one and seemed to enjoy himself. The lady that does the crafts had her Cricut and tons of paper so we could pick our own sayings and designs. Aaron painted his wood dark green, then he took paper towels and added brown and a lighter green to give it a camo look. They turned out really cute, he put "Born to hunt, forced to work" as his saying. I was quite impressed!! It looks really great.

Saturday morning we packed up and headed back home. All the kids were so sad and wanted to stay longer. They told us we don't need to go to church and Aaron doesn't need to go to work, he can just take another day off!! Alas, life is hard and we needed to get back to reality and everything that comes with it! It was a great week, lots of fun and many memories made!! Camping has become a favorite in our home and we plan to do a lot more of it!!