the great outdoors...

We left Thursday morning, not quite as early as planned, to go camping!!! Camping is our favorite pastime to do as a family. I have to admit that I never pictured myself as a camper until I met Ryan and even then I thought that I would just camp until I had a girl (because then I would have an excuse.) Well Brandon came along and I told myself that I would just have to camp a little longer than expected but once I had a daughter than I would be done…..well along came Blaine (boy #2) and then 16 months later….boy #3! So here I am, a lifer. But I really grew to enjoy it. It is so peaceful and to get away from cell phones, computers, just the everyday hustle and bustle is wonderful. We have yet to visit a state park with cell phone service and that is so awesome (especially because that way Ryan’s work cannot reach him!)

So for this trip we camped at Greenleaf State Park near Muskogee, it was our first time there and it was beautiful! We really prefer eastern Oklahoma because of the gorgeous scenery. When we got there the little lady at the park office kindly informed us that Friday would bring over 120 boy scouts and their families. yea…NOT! So we carefully selected a campsite where 120 scouts/families wouldn’t be able to fit anywhere close to us (since our main goal in camping is obviously to get away!!) We also learned from the park staff that the park was celebrating with some Halloween activities this weekend like pumpkin decorating, hayrides, a costume contest, scary stories in the woods and a snake show (which excited Brandon the most!) My mom and stepdad joined us Friday, it was their first time camping and we were so happy they decided to join us! Over the 4 days we were there, we hiked, fished, saw all sorts of creepy crawly critters, heard scary stories in the woods, relaxed and most importantly ATE! We ate cinnamon rolls, breakfast burritos, fajitas, stew, chicken parmesan and deep dish pizza…needless to say I never lose any weight on a campout! Brandon loves to take his bike and puts on many, many miles riding around, Blaine can pretty much entertain himself with just about anything from his toys and tricycle to a stick and Britton was pretty moody this trip, but not as much as previous camping trips with him. I think once he can walk and chase Blaine around (which I sure will thrill Blaine ) then he will be much happier.

There were no major injuries this trip, a bruise and scrape here and there. Brandon’s allergies were really bothering him, his poor little nose just stayed red but otherwise it was a success! We had a great time (like always) and it always helps my family focus on what is really important with no distractions.