Family, isn't it about.... CAMPING?!!

I'm sure everybody knows by now that my family is made up of a bunch of die-hard, dyed-in-the-wool, camp-till-you drop crazies. We start camping as soon in the season as we can, and keep going till the snow starts freezing our "piggies" off.

We kicked off our camping season this year at Whitney Pockets. (If you've been reading my blog we've gone to this same spot, every year for the past eleventy-something years) Leila was solemnized into the family by participating in this, her first Tent/sleeping bag experience, and I must say she did very well for 3 mo. She slept through the night, stared at the camp-fire, and even smiled as we drove along miles of bumpy roads.

Cooper mostly enjoyed being able to roam freely and not have anyone tell him to "spit out those rocks!", because I, after a certain point, gave up trying to compete with the obviously delicious and irresistable rocks. This was the first trip for cooper that he could run without tripping so he was able to keep up with his cousins and participate in all the mischevious toddler things they do. Among them: getting into the candy, shoveling rocks into our lunch, fighting over trucks, and concorses of other equally deviant behaviours. His life of recklessness led him to fall on a cactus and recieve a palm-full of hair sized splinters. Annie came to the rescue with tweezers, and Mom had a spray bottle of bactine... and after several dramatic minutes with the tweezers and medical tape, his hand was cactus free. He did not, however, come home unscathed. He is to this day recovering from a nasty sun-burn, and a severely chapped face (from hours of 4 wheeling no doubt). He refuses any type of relief in the form of lotion, or otherwise... claming that "It huwts!"

Ben and Tasha piched in with me and Jesse to produce a carne asada meal like no other (they didn't stay the night, owing to Tasha's large and cumbersome belly).

Jesse got some quality time in with his .22, and also, at times, his son. Just Kidding! We all know that Jesse was BORN to be a dad, he love's his "sun-boy" and absolutely adores his "Leilars". He spent hours on the 4 wheelers with Cooper and slept side by side with him at night. I fit in there somewhere too :) Thanks Mom and Dad for such great camping traditions!