The best year of camping yet!
Seth, Pierce, Brett, Aiden, Benjamin
Colin, Caroline, Clohe, Sadie, Penelope and Natalie.
It was HOT, HOT, HOT, but that didn't seem to slow us down... if anything, it made it better by encouraging us to take full advantage of the river right by our campsite. With the kids all another year older and that much more independent, it just made things easier and we had the ability to be more flexible.
We all arrived Friday afternoon and spent the afternoon setting up the campsite and taking swimming breaks in the river. Between all the families, we had brought 2 extra tents and set up a "Girls tent" and a "Boys tent" and the kids all piled into each perspective tent for the night. By morning (and after the middle of the night thunderstorm) many of the kids - ours included- were back in their parents tents, but it was fun for them to go to sleep among their friends.
Saturday was just perfect... two trips down the Battenkill on the tubes and so relaxing! The day ended with smores and a "Talent Show" put on by the kids. As I sat back and was watching the show, I was loving the memories of this trip for our children. All these kids have known each other their entire lives - they don't spend every minute together and don't see some of them very often, but it is still a bond that is very special. I love watching them grow, interact and show their changing personalities in the midst of it all. This group of friends is beyond special to me and Nick and we feel so fortunate to have found them. I hope that our annual camping trip remains something that we can hold onto for years to come.
Downfall of the trip... I was not on top of my usual paparazzi style picture taking and didn't take nearly as many pictures as I have in the past... totally bums me out now that we are home and I want to be able to look back on the event. Oh well. the above picture of the kids was taken as we were heading out on Sunday afternoon, but I had forgotten to take it before we ALL left and the Yonkin/Alderman crew had already hit the road... so we are missing Hannah and Owen in the group shot :(
1 comment:
That is such a great tradition for your kids, it must be such a blast. I'm excited for next spring to take the family back out. I got a boatload of new equipment from The Sportsman's Guide for Christmas this year and I'm excited to use it! My wife and kids along with most of my extended family replaced almost all of my gear so it almost feels like a new experience. I want to try and go somewhere farther away and completely new to make it feel totally fresh! I love camping, there's just something about it. Great post!
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