Memorial Weekend--Camping!!

It has almost become a tradition to spend Memorial weekend camping in Wisconsin.  This was our third year at the same campground.  We had a new site this year, which made the kids sad at first, but it was a nice one.  We camped for two nights and only had a little rain during the second night.  The temps were perfect--not too hot or too cold.

The kids really enjoy our times camping.  They like the outdoors, the tent, and yummy food like hot dogs.  I have finally learned the secrets to camping include easy food that just has to be heated up.  We do not have a whole lot of fancy camping gear, so the fire and a one burner stove make it happen.

Resting on a big rock before the hike.

The kids slept great the first night.  Troy and I were a little more bothered by neighbors up until 3 am.  Thankfully the rain came the second night at around 9 pm, so it was quieter!  

On Saturday we went to Devil's Lake State Park.  We started the day with a hike up the rocky hills.  It was a steep trail consisting of rocky steps.  It took about a half an hour to make it to the top.  We had tried a similar hike two years ago, but did not make it.  This year the kids did great and were not scared of the height.

A view from the top!

About halfway there.

A girl proud of her hike!

After the hike we made our way back to the north shore beach.  We had a picnic lunch and Timothy and Teresa were the brave ones to change into swimming suits.  It was a nice day, but not hot and the water was pretty cold.  They went into the water several times, with Teresa doing the most swimming. 

After awhile at the beach, we went back to the campground.  Troy, Timothy and Teresa gave fishing a try.  Timothy had great luck.  Each time he put his hook in, he caught a fish!  In total he caught 6 fish.  Teresa, however, lost her worm just about every time she cast her line.  She was a little sad.

Although the weather was good on Sunday, and we could have stayed another night, we decided to keep it at two nights.  Honestly, Troy and I have our limits with camping.  2 nights is a fine time--more is a bit much for us.  But we did stay at the camp ground until after lunch.  There was playground time, tent time, and wading in the creek time.

After our picnic lunch we headed to Aunt Mary's for a night.  Her house is sort of on the way home and a comfy bed sounded nicer than a tent sleeping mat.  We had not seen her for awhile, so it was nice to stop in.  As always, she was happy to welcome our chaos into her home for a night.

We played outside, visited the playground, and got in a good game of monopoly!  And after the kids were in bed, Aunt Mary treated Troy and I to some tapes sharing the history of my family.  It was interesting and enjoyable.  It was a great weekend for all of us!

Mothers Day

Mother's Day weekend was a fun one for us.  We started Saturday morning out with a fun run.  The kids and I ran around the block at their school and ended by getting dusted with color.  This was the first organized run for both Timothy and Teresa and they did great!  They loved the color.  I, however was not as impressed with the chalky dust that got everywhere.  Thankfully it washed off pretty well.

Once we were cleaned up, we headed to the Monarch festival in Elkader.  Troy has a co-worker who lives there and they invited us to lunch after we checked out the festival.  Timothy and Teresa did some painting on a butterfly, and checked out some real butterflies as well as picked out a balloon and a new book.

Then we joined our friends for lunch on their patio.  They live in an old Bed and Breakfast.  It was a very impressive house, especially to the kids who are used to more modern houses.  They liked all the rooms and the more ornate design to the house.  We had a nice lunch and visit.  On our way out of town we stopped once more at the festival for some crafts and pinata fun.

On Sunday, Troy had graduation for a good share of the day.  But he and Teresa had made a nice breakfast.  Both Timothy and Teresa had nice gifts they made in school.  And I was treated to a dinner cooked by Troy and ice cream out at Beechers.  I also spent a good share of the afternoon planting my garden.  The kids enjoyed the nice weather for some slip and slide fun.  I am blessed to be a mom!