Sunburned, Tired, Tick-bitten, and Happy

It used to be, when we went camping & I wouldn't take a single picture. I was always too busy caring for a baby or chasing a toddler to have time to think about anything else, much less take pictures! But as my kids grow older, I find I have time for all sorts of things: like visiting with other adults, or going to the bathroom unaccompanied, or eating an entire meal in my own chair! It may not seem like much, but after 10 years, it's a milestone. Believe me.

This past weekend, we went camping with two other families to Osage Hills State Park. Despite a thunderstorm on Friday night (which made things exciting), we had beautiful weather, and enjoyed a relaxing weekend together.

Thankfully, there were plenty of helpers around camp

...and plenty of work to do.
On Saturday, we took all these crazy kids (and one beautiful baby) to Woolaroc for the day.

We fed the lama. We met the Mountain Men and threw a tomahawk...or two.

We enjoyed the wildlife. After our fun outting, it was back to the campsite for some yummy food. We ate way too much until our tummies were full. Then we laughed until the wee hours of the morning & worked it all off.

Today we hiked down to the river & played above the falls. It was cold & slimy, but it was fun.

The girls got brave enough to leave the rocks.

And the brave boys scared the mommies, who insisted they should stay on the rocks!

Phil's a great daddy. He took all the kids out on the rocks one by one.

It was a fun weekend. Now to make a dent in this mountain of laundry...