Labor Day Weekend

We spent Labor Day weekend camping at O'Bannon Woods State Park, despite the threat of rain generated by Hurricane Isaac. Our theory is that rainy camping is still better than no camping at all.

I'm pretty sure that we hadn't been at camp for 15 minutes before Ninny and Pap broke out root beers for all of the kids.

To entertain the kids, Candi took them on a bubble parade around the campsites.

Cassidy had just celebrated her birthday, so we brought her birthday gift with us to camp.  Grace was so excited for her to open it.

Saturday morning was so perfectly laid back.  I enjoy sitting around the campfire drinking coffee and watching the kids play.  I think Grace likes hanging out around the campfire in the morning too.

Grace was cuddling in my lap when Alicia snapped a quick picture of her being silly.

The boys nearly wore the rubber off the tires of their bikes riding around the circle.  That is one of my favorite things about camping in our circle at O'Bannon.  The kids can ride and play, and the parents don't have to hover.

Gabe was having a ball hanging with his buddies.

The boys broke out Monopoly.  I'm not sure how long they actually played, but I feel certain they didn't actually finish a game.

This sweet baby girl was so sleepy.  She fell asleep in my arms.  It's been a long time since I've had a sleeping baby in my arms.  I have to admit that I miss it.

Saturday morning we loaded up in the back of Daniel's truck and went to the pioneer village to look around.

The kids were killing the candy.  Someone put out suckers, Twizzlers, and Smarties and let the kids eat to their hearts' content.  Yikes!

The donkeys and oxen were in the same pen.  One of the ox brayed and scared the girls to death.  They were much more comfortable talking to the donkeys.

The sheep were chatty little fellows too.  They were making all kinds of ruckus.

The kids got to play with pioneer toys . . . a far cry from a Nintendo DS.  Ha!

Dan and Wayne tried out a two-man saw.  They agreed that it was more difficult than it looks.

Dan found a baby mouse in the rocks.  After the kids got a chance to check it out, he took it to the nature center so it could become a snack for a snake.

Silly Grace and Cassidy used Wayne as a seat while waiting for the hay press demonstration.

After watching the hay press for a little bit, the kids decided they wanted to go back to the village to make a basket.

Dan has a basket weaving merit badge, so it's no surprise that he was a regular basket weaving expert.

It started to rain about 1:30 or 2:00, just as we were finishing up at the pioneer village.  Back at camp, Grace couldn't wait to splash in puddles.

So what happens when the sun comes out right after a good rain?  You get a beautiful rainbow!!  This one was amazing!

Janelle, Alicia, and I checked out Scout Mountain Winery, just a few miles from the park.  We all agreed that the sweet red wine was our favorite.

While Dan finished fixing dinner, Alicia, Janelle, Marcia, and I headed to the playground with the kids.  Grace insisted on pulling the wagon up the hill while Mazden and Nora rode.

The boys played fighting games . . . like boys do.  Grace went back to the camper for buckets and shovels.

I know it's a shock that Grace was digging at the playground.

The boys played hard!  I feel like I barely saw Gabriel on Saturday.

A camp-out just isn't a camp-out without roasting marshmallows over the fire.

I know I've said this before, but I'll be happy to say it again.  One of my favorite things about camp is sleeping with my baby girl.  We cuddle in bed all night.  Waking up next to her in the morning is such a sweet little treat.

Sunday it rained.  The nerds read their books under the canopy while it rained.  (I poke fun because if I had still been reading Fifty Shades, I'd have been reading too.  As luck would have it, I'd finished mine.)

I got out sand art for the kiddos.

There is no better place to do sand art than at camp!

I tried getting Cassidy and Grace to make sand pictures with the spilled sand, but that idea didn't go over very well.

The boys watched each other play Sam's DS.  I'm not sure how long they played the DS, but I'm pretty sure they exhausted their screen time for a week.

See the muddy mess?  Oh, and the nerds reading . . . still!  Ha!

Like I said . . . a rainy weekend at camp is still better than not camping at all!  We had a ball hanging with our friends and family.  I'm already looking forward to NEXT Labor Day Weekend!