Camping and more camping

We drove down to Southern Cali for 2 camping trips and a family visit. It was filled with beach trips, dirty kids, no sleep and Fun of course!
First was San Clemente with families we have camped with for 9 years! The kids had a blast together, pretty much no fighting!!!
Fun time catching up, not sleeping and hitting the beach! Left early with a sinus infection, bummer.
Then time with family in Riverside, spent time hanging with people we love dearly. Celebrated Moses turning 2 with our families. Went on the train to the beach where there must have been a million people that day!! Along with a car show on the pier, surf competitions, boat competitions and hula dancers, everyone and their dog was there!
Then off to the Sequoias for camping with the Dunlaps and Quesadas. Kids kinda slept, hit the lake, ate delicious food, had awesome talks and looked at huge beautiful trees.

The trip all in all was great, very tiring. Drove a ridiculous amount and got shingles the day we drove home.
It has to get easier each year the kids get older, right....

late vacation pictures

I always said I was going to put up more pictures and talk about our trip to Indiana and time has passed me by!
I was going to comment on each pic but it is not letting me! The one with Sofia on the ground is her washing herself with the bubbles, it was cute watching her give herself a bath on the side walk during the family reunion!
So I will do a quick summary of our trip:
The kids and I went for 2 weeks with my parents and my sister and bro in law and nephews to Indiana. Dan joined us there after a week.
The main purpose of our trip was to spend time with family. I was born in Indiana and besides my parents and sister/brother-in-law, all of our family lives in Indiana and Michigan. So while there we had 2 family reunions, it was a blast.
Most of the family had never met Sofia or Moses so it was so fun to get everyone together and just be with one another!
My parents rented a lake house that was beautiful and we all stayed there together with my grandparents. We were blessed by family that loaned us a boat and sea dos. Or as my Aunt says Skidoos!
ANyway we spent the time out on the boat and playing cards and eating really good fresh corn and green beans and other yummy foods that make me feel at home.
I miss my family and I was so thankful for the time we got to spend together.
All of my cousins went out to dinner one night while our parents watched all of our kids, it was so fun, I grew up without them close by so when we get together it is a really sweet reminder of the times we spent as kids.
I spent a lot of sweet time with my grandma as well, talking about Jesus, raising kids, and growing gardens. I am so grateful for the legacy my grandparents and parents have left for us, they are amazing people!

Indiana pics

Mom, my sister Krista and the kids at my grandparents barn
Moses' first birthday!
Grandpa Olyer with Moses Everett , Mo's middle name is from grandpa!
Grampy and Sofia at the Soda shop
Dan tubing with the kids, there was some crying...
The cousins at the old family farm
Zeke Sofia and Moses in the corn
The family
Brothers

I am still processing the trip. I will write about our adventures soon. It was such an awesome trip, some really sweet times with my family. I miss them already.

campin it up!

Moses is getting 4 teeth right now, so he had a runny nose and didn't sleep, but what's new!
Roasting mallows, a nightly tradition
Payton wearing her mallow
The kids would sit around this gopher hole and watch him poke his head out all week, he was not shy at all!
Dump trucks are a tradition with Jonah, Zeke and Davey, it would not be camping without them!
The boys being cute with their pose!
The girls. I was going to post the pic of us in the morning, but they might be mad at me! I think we all look pretty good for camping!
Our family. we look pretty clean in this picture, the kids were pretty much always dirty or sandy, but that is the joy of camping!
Leave it to Adam to bring something fun that entertains the kids all week, last year it was the tree swing, this year bubbles!


Camping 2009
I think we figured out that we have been doing this camping trip together for about 7 or 8 years now! Crazy!
It started with just 2 little babies, now between our five families we have 13 kids and one on the way! (not mine, don't read into that statement)
It was a great trip the weather was amazing, 75 degrees!
We had so much fun just being together, the kids running around playing and singing, riding scooters and dump trucks, the adults telling stories ( really it was just Sam and his crazy stories, they are so hilarious!)
One bummer thing about the trip happened on the morning of day one, I get my camera out to take some shots of the kids and realize my battery is not in it! ARGH!!!
I never have a chance to take pictures, I miss it so much, and the one time I have the perfect opportunity I can't!
Dan had his camera but I barely took any, so sad.
Besides that we had a great time, I love these friends, we went through ministry together and through so many life changes, hard ones and good ones. I love you all and am so thankful for your friendship and for our time together to camp!

just some pics

These are just some random pics I took these last few weeks, except for the one I am in obviously. They are all from camping at the beach!