Camping at Longview

Family camping is just so much fun! I am so glad we got the brilliant idea to start camping again. Both Kyle and I spent years and years camping with our families, and even took the boys camping up till the point of the girls' births. As with most families, you worry about little ones around the fire, getting bit by bugs or when the imagination really runs loose... them wandering off into the woods... alone.

In preparation of our family camping trip to Roaring Rivers State Park and Beaver Lake we decided to re-invest in our equipment and drag ourselves out to the local campground...

To see how much stuff we forgot at home. You know, it would be terrible to leave something behind when your 150 miles from the local Wal -Mart.

After setting up the campsite we had to run over to the Mariana and secure our fishing license and  get some bait. Will you just take a look at these little beggers? There is a feed machine just feet from these carp and they hover around until they are fed.

They are absolutely huge bottom feeders!

Their mouths are so big I could put my hand in it. I really wouldn't want to accidentally fall in here. While fish don't normally attack humans, just the thought of them sucking on my skin gives me the ibby-jibbies.

Naturally we had to pick an almost 100 degree day to go out...

Aaron being my good son, skinned a honey locust (full of thorns) so I could have a marshmallow stick for later in the evening. Bon fire, marshmallows and dark chocolate smores! Yummy!

We made the most awesome meal together as a family. I wonder why it is that food tastes so much better when it's cooked out of doors?

Here they are getting the grub... We went night fishing right after dinner. Did you know they make light up bobbers for night fishing? They are so cool!

Midnight finds Abby sound asleep. We went to the shower house to get cleaned up. They had little people showers which Abby just thought was the neatest. She then tried to blow dry her hair using the hand blower. Abby's hair comes down past her waist. It actually worked pretty well.

It's time to rise and shine. We went to bed sometime before two AM and woke up just after 5 AM. I came home and slept for 15.5 hours...

Aaron is wanting to know just WHY is the fan turned off?

I just love the look on his grumpy face. Good thing it only takes him a few minutes to wake up and shake that look off his face.

Here I am being Ms. Little sunshine...

Our buddy Jimmy, who after taking us night fishing decided to crash in the kids' tent. So the girls moved into our tent for the night.

The ONE thing we would not have been able to live without was the coffee pot!

We had a fantastic time... and I am proud to announce the ONLY thing we forgot was extra mantles for the lantern... but we had 2 battery ones so it was okay.