Last weekend was a fairly momentous occasion for our little Ringer clan! It was the first time since having kids that we went camping! In true fly by the seat of your pants fashion (which we seem to do a lot of) we decided when Giles got home from work that we would actually go. The weather wasn't the best and we really didn't know how sleeping in a tent would go so we had mostly decided not to go. Anyways, we quickly packed (which means we brought way more than we needed because we weren't thinking...only putting everything in the van and going) and off we went to St. Malo! I'll try to keep the shock and surprise out of my voice when I say....it actually went really well....better than I had expected, although my expectations may have been quite low! Either way, we were pleasantly surprised, and encouraged to do it again...maybe for more than one night to make all the packing a little more worth it! Here are a few photos to give you a taste (minus the occasional cries and whines which means this might even make it better than being there at times!) of how it all went down!
Giles rigged up the jolly jumper between two trees for Willow! It worked really well...there was a slight incident in which she did make one fall...but later got right back on the horse and didn't seem to remember anything traumatic had happened!
Avery now makes faces, such as the one above, when I ask her to look at the camera! I think we can thank a Dora the Explorer book for this one!
This is our tent (above) which I thought was pretty massive. The front half is actually a vestibule type area so its really just the last half where we are sleeping, but its nice to have room for all our stuff under cover from the elements (and animals). Then we got to the campsite we were sharing with Greg and Vicki and their kids and our tent was put to shame. Their green wonder tent (below) has room for two single blow up mattresses and one double blow up mattress with room to walk around them in there. This might not be that interesting to some of you...but trust me, this tent is worth talking about!
I love this man...more than the day I married him! (This is our little joke, because we really didn't know each other that well when we got married!) I can tell that he's thinking about how much he loves me too in this picture! I bet you wish you were the one writing blog quotes now, eh Giles!?!
Oh Avery...sometimes I look at her and the quirky things that she does and I really have no words! She makes us laugh the hardest and scream the loudest (in our heads or pillows of course)! This bowl was actually on her head for quite some time.
Of course, Xander's bike had to make an appearance! We went for a walk and while keeping him on the side of the road was not always enjoyable by anyone, he did have a great time letting loose!
Here is Avery...awake and asking to walk!
Here is Avery ten minutes later, fast asleep! A much needed siesta! Don't get me wrong, the night in the tent had gone well....but it certainly didn't reach the amount of time these little bodies are used to at home!
I love this smile!
Giles managed to put the backpack carrier down and she still didn't wake up! Then you know she was tired...in case the whines and cries beforehand hadn't already clued us in!
My girls...fast asleep....for at least five more minutes....and then we were back on the move!
Xander was having such a great time playing with Daniel and Sarah! They were really great about including all the kids in their play! I think they got a little frustrated that Willow wasn't more interactive and welcoming of their attentions, but this will happen soon enough!
Gotta love those eyes...I guess you don't, but you'd be a crazy person then! I might be a touch biased though!
Xander did some experimenting on different sliding techniques! An experiment that has continued on our slide at home and one that he's trying (thankfully with little success) to get Avery to participate in as well!
Thank you Melissa Jede for giving my arms a much appreciated break from Willow. She's light, but gets heavier and heavier the longer you hold her!
I must give a shout out to Mark Jede who attempted to play Monopoly with the four kids! With all the little pieces and things I can't imagine it was a very relaxing and enjoyable experience! I actually deliberately moved away from the playing table so as not to involve myself in the chaos! Sorry about that Mark!
Greg was sporting his sweet hat from Mexico...which I must say went really well with his old school five speed bike...not the one pictured behind him of course!
Cal Funk came to our site for periodic visits and was shockingly easy to corrupt!
I love the way Avery moves into a space (once she's comfortable) and owns it! Sometimes she takes a little while to warm up to people or places, but once she does....look out!
Lets just say the ride home was VERY quiet! If you notice the light outside I would estimate that we were in the van by 6:00-6:30 and we left at that slightly awkward time because Giles had taken these two swimming and on the drive from the beach to the campsite Avery had fallen fast asleep. We decided not to wake her and just took off. We gave Xander a hot dog which was still half eaten in his hands when he also fell asleep! My memory is a little fuzzy but i think they slept through till the morning, even without supper!
Sorry this was so long this time....thanks for sticking with it if you've made it to this point!
