camping at high cliff summer 2010

we went camping at high cliff state park (just 20 minutes from home) the end of august before the kids started back to school.

we got all the troops and our gear packed into the van!

here are jax and maggie getting set to go..

and then of course it started to do this outside...complete downpour
it stopped for a minute right when we got there so ty had time to set up the tent and then it started up again with a vengeance and rained all night

so we sat in the tent for a while ...here's ty and jax attempting to hold up the side of the tent
jax thought it was funny

maggie eating cookies tucked in the corner of the tent

so it continued to pour...

everything we brought to eat had to be prepared outside so we finally gave up and drove into town and got pizza and warmed up for a while. we did sleep in the tent that night and by morning the storm had passed. the rest of our trip was great - i love camping with my family! :)

maggie enjoying some cocoa

lia crafting
maggie adopted 3 caterpillars during the trip that she insisted she carry around everywhere.

i think she loved all 3 of them into the hereafter and kept wondering why they weren't moving anymore....what can you do?

here she is holding them...look at her face - just adoring them
this one is on the branch

and on the branch again

maggie crafting

playing some ladder ball - jax is crazy good at this game and would play all day if you let him

helping dad load up on wood

takin' a hike

and fishing(unsuccessfully i might add) casey - where are you when we need you?

they look cute though right?

my boys

on the playground

making bracelets

ahh..kind of a sweet picture even though their hands are dirty

silly

sweet -

i always hated my own freckles...but i think his are adorable

lia practicing a magic trick ty taught her

maggie moo

ty is all about the camping gadgets - here he is popping some popcorn over the fire

the kids were exhausted by the end of the day so it was kind of fun to do popcorn and a movie outdoors

yum!

watching the show

marshmallowscheesy grin

look a cheesy grin from maggie too.

she is dirty from head to toe too - welcome to camping, especially when you're 3

tyler telling "scary" stories

lia telling us a story

now for a small tutorial on my favorite camping food

cut the top out of some oranges and hollow out the peel - keep the top part as well

fill with your favorite kind of muffin (i recommend poppy seed or cranberry orange) - 2/3 full
put the top back on and wrap in foil like so..

then find a nice bed of coals to place them on for 5-10 minutes

unwrap and ta-da

a warm muffin that can be eaten with a spoon

this is not the most attractive picture of me..or maggie

but the last day we were there she woke up with a hugely swollen eye - due to a mosquito bite

so i thought i should post a picture...poor little lamb

one more camping craft

all in all a great trip - hopefully we will go a few more times next summer :)