Happy Fourth of July!

The Snyders took a brief camping trip last week with two other families to celebrate the Fourth. Ok, by brief we mean overnight! We had never been camping with Ethan before, so we weren't sure how long we could last! We had a great time! The Owens are on the left, and they joined us the day after we got there, essentially taking the overnight spot of the Snyders (we even left our tent and pack n play for them to use). The Alkires are in the center.

Setting camp the afternoon we got there was fun. We grilled chicken and garlic toast for dinner and served it with salad and baked beans, heated right in the can. After putting the kids to bed we all roasted marshmallows over the fire and had some s'mores.

The next morning we got up EARLY! One of the rv's next to us decided to rev up his generator which was so loud that the kids woke up.

This is me realizing that it's 5:45 in the morning after getting to bed at about midnight.

But this is one of my favorite parts of camping: open fire cooking. Katrina made us some french toast and eggs, while I prepared coffee and sausages. Doesn't this look yummy?


The kids couldn't really wait, so Kayela had some yogurt while Ethan had some instant oatmeal.

After breakfast the dads took the kids to the lake while Katrina and I cleaned up and had a rest.

Later that morning, David and I took the kids to the nearby playground while Katrina and Andrew (Kayela's parents) tried to catch some fish. We are so glad Ethan had a playmate with him. It made the trip so much more enjoyable for him!

Riding around in our van, the two kids goofed off a bit. We kept hearing them giggling and squealing.

At lunchtime, the Owens joined us for sandwiches, chips and homemade, camp ice cream! It was Dave O's birthday, so this was our special celebration. Here is the video clip of how we made vanilla ice cream in gallon freezer bags.

After lunch it was time for us to go. The Owens stayed one more night, while the Alkires stayed two more. We enjoyed our time, but boy were we worn out! Ethan fell asleep about two seconds after he got in the car!