From the Archives: Happy Campers

I'm looking through my posts to see what needs to either be deleted or finished.
This is pretty incomplete, and it ends pretty suddenly, but I had to post it.
Look how little everyone was!

From October 2008...

Once upon a time, about 14 years ago, Paul and I decided to buy a camper.

I was from a family who never went camping. Ever.

Paul was from a family who owned a pop-up camper and loved camping.

It was 14 years ago that I discovered the joy of camping. Our first big trip was to South Dakota to see the Badlands and Mount Rushmore. It was amazing! I remember camping next to the biggest fir trees I had ever seen. I remember watching the South Dakota sun rise in the morning and set in the evening.  I remember Paul taking the spaghetti to strain outside...and spilling it all in the dirt.  When our vacation was over, I felt like I had really been in South Dakota--like I had really experienced South Dakota.

It was then that Paul and I vowed to have a camper when we had kids. We just knew that it would be a great way to spend time together as a family.  And it has been. It is something that we have truly enjoyed together.

This week, we re-introduced camping to Joshua. He actually went on his first camping trip when he was just 2 months old. He also went to Pennsylvania when he was just 10 months old. The sad thing is that our last camping trip was our fall campout one year ago. We haven't been out at all this year...new baby, work schedule, excuses, excuses...

But who could possibly miss out on the annual Fall Campout?!
This year, we joined other church campers and enjoyed a beautiful week of camping!

Grandpa, Grandma, Paul, and Matthew enjoy the sights and sounds.

One of the funnest things about camping with the church is hanging out with friends.

This little guy is one happy camper! 

I think that Josh rode his legs off on this camping trip!  
He became quite a fantastic bike-rider!

Spring?!

This is a blog post that I had started a month ago
but never finished.
So...here it goes!

 It's not unusual for Charlie to "knock" on our kitchen window, but on this day, she seemed a little more urgent.

"Have you seen what it's doing out here?!"

 It is the 25th of March.

 Five days into Spring...

 but it looks more like it should have looked
three months ago.

 William was suffering from a really sore ear, so after we got back from the doctor, we pulled the snow pants, coats, hats, and gloves out of the storage containers
 I keep them in.

Yes...I had the snow pants all washed up and ready to pack away until next winter.

Speaking of storage containers, I had just
pulled out the Easter box.

It's so much fun digging into the holiday and monthly boxes and seeing what they contain.

An Easter Bunny mask that Aunt Brandy
sent us last year!

Carrie is trying to convince Josh to get his picture taken with an Easter Bunny mask too.

This is something the boys have been wanting to do, but their bikes are always tucked away during the winter.

Well...now's the chance!

Ride in the snow, Boys!

Charlie feels a little more comfortable with the snow now that we have joined her.

The snow was not totally unwelcome.

Look how beautiful it was!

And we had the advantage of knowing that it would be gone in just a day or two.

Swinging in the Snow!

My garden boxes are anxiously awaiting the
warmer days of spring...

Snow is so much fun!

It was cold, but not that terrible cold that you feel
in mid-January.

It was a fun, thick snow to play in.

Our little creek was fighting this covering of snow.

It was gurgling away!

So pretty!

So white and clean!

Good enough to eat...

Even Charlie got in on a Snow Snack...

Josh told us he was making sushi.

I don't know where he has seen sushi before...or how it is prepared...but he decided that this felt a whole lot like sushi-making.

Try it!

It's good!

A quick game of Fox, Geese, and Dog in the snow.

It had to be quick.

Charlie's footprints wiped out the tracks.

Walking to the neighbor's house.

We wish you a Happy Easter!

We wish you a Happy Easter!

We wish you a Happy Easter...

And a Merry Spring Day!

Oh, Tonya!

We didn't mean to move you to tears!

(Notice her shirt...kinda Christmasy, don't you think?)

:)

Matthew always tells me that he is eating 

white snow...not yellow snow.

This is an example of yellow snow.

Don't eat yellow snow!

Walking home...or at least trying to walk home.

Josh isn't having much luck.

Here, Charlie!

Let me give you a snow bath!

It's funny how calm she was with Matthew...

and how excited and "bitey" she would get with Josh.

More rolling!

And, of course, some snow angels!

"My pillow moved!"

There.

That's more like it.

She sure is a patient dog.

Speaking of patience.

Where is spring?!

A bit of spring for the impatient...a sprig from the forsythia, that by this time last year was in bloom.

Ushering in spring by force,