CAMPING!!!

So, though gone less than 24hrs, we went camping for the first time this week! Now, for those of you who are seasoned campers, please bear with my lack of correct terminology, etc.... I am after all a first time camper! Growing up my family went camping but my parent's idea of "roughing it" was an older travel trailer. My folks and I slept in the trailer while my brothers slept in a tent. I think that I have slept in a tent a time or 2 when I was VERY young. ;o) When I "camped out" it was generally in the tree house my Dad had built or in the haymow at the barn. My BIL & SIL were rafting down the Nehalem river so asked us to meet them at a campground near the falls and camp a night with them. We took them their truck so they would have a way home and it was fun. I will tell you though that camping is a lot of work!!! It wouldn't have been so bad if we had stayed longer but all that packing and unpacking for less than 24hrs!?!?!?! Our friends very nicely loaned us their tent and we found a good deal on sleeping bags......... I will tell you though that I don't think I have ever had such an awful nights sleep! Our cheap bags were rated to 40* but I think that was misleading and the "camp pillow" that it comes with? Well, lets just say that I should have looked at it before we went. I am not sure it would have been big enough for a doll let alone me! So between freezing, having a small piece of fluff for a pillow, and having a little man who thought he was going to die if his hands were not firmly entangled in my hair, it was a VERY long night and I sitll hurt! LOL! What an experience. It was a GORGEOUS campground though and we had it all to ourselves! What fun! We explored ever so many nooks and crannies, trails and campsites. I got to do a little flower photography which made me happy.

I also got some cute kid pics.





And, though it painfully obvious that they are self portraits, I got some fun pics of the girls and I. The one of my little man and I didn't turn out and there was no second chance with him! :o) This is on one of our "exploring hikes"




The inadequacies of my camera were many and frustrating to me, but probably only because Costco has a special going on the camera that i want. Oh well, maybe next year. :o)

Well, I am currently kidless while the girls ride in the tractor with my Mom and my boy FINALLY sleeps. I am off to do something slightly productive! :o) Hope you are all enjoying the sun!