Sharing the Memories

Our topic last week was in preparation for our annual family camping trip. And when I say family camping trip, I mean ALL our families. In some ways it feels like we are just one big family on the nights when we all pitch our tents together and start cooking around the campfire. We share a campsite, our food, and the joy of watching the kids play and get dirty.  We were sad that Jen and her family couldn't be there. Although, I'm sure they are not sad to have missed the rain that drenched us from about 1:30 in the morning until we left the next day. Here are a few, or maybe a bit more than a few photos of the things that made this less-than-24-hour camping trip so memorable.

Jenni prepared the kabobs for dinner. They were amazing. Marinated chicken, red onion, pineapple, and sweet peppers cooked over the hot coals make a very tasty and filling meal after setting up camp. The best part is how easy they are--you prepare them before you leave home and the clean up in minimal. Mmmmm!

Rachel brought water color paints for the kids to use while we got camp set up. I have to say that I thought it was a genius idea! Again, very little clean-up and fun for all the kids, from our five-year-olds to our one-year-olds.

While dinner was cooking we took the kids on a nature walk with a set of nature bingo cards. We looked for smooth bark, birds, rocks, and when we found them we all cheered "hula, hula, hula" and spun in circles--the kids really got into it.

We found an amphitheater with a stage at our campground where the kids had a great time doing the hokey pokey and getting their wiggles out.  

We roasted some pretty awesome giant campfire marshmallows made especially for s'mores. And, as you can see, they came out gooey and good! One marshmallow was more than enough to make an excellent s'more and totally fix any kind of sugar fix you might need!

There were other things roasted on the fire this year--like fresh pineapple, yum! We also had a few variations for our s'mores--like Nutter Butter cookies, Nutella, and chocolate and caramel flavored marshmallows. The big hit with both the adults and the kids though, was Starburst candies--not on the s'mores, but just all warm and soft and gooey goodness all by themselves!

One more lesson learned about food on this trip--we have got to keep the Cheetos hidden until after dinner! All our kids, and most of the adults, LOVE Cheetos. And they are such a tempting little crunch to munch! As you can see from the messy mouth and smile on the picture above, we all enjoyed them!

The kids all had a blast playing with their flashlights when it got dark. And the picnic tables became a great hide-out for these little spies! :)

And finally, here are some fun beach shots from our morning trip to the Puget Sound. We camped right by the ocean, and after packing up all our wet gear, the rain stopped long enough for a walk on the beach to explore and take some fun pictures together.