Memorial Day= new camper

We got a different camper AGAIN!  Last Memorial Day was our first campout for the pop~up camper and we loved it!  It was so spacious and kept us dry.  I thought it was the perfect camper for our family and I was so excited to take it out this year until Kep informed me that he wanted to get a "rigid" camper! The pop~up was just as much work as a tent for him and it didn't have very much storage so we couldn't take our bikes on our adventures, a Kroon MUST!  So, we got on Craigslist and found our new VERY spacious camper while I sadly waved goodbye to my li'l pop~up camper!  For some reason, it was very sad to get rid of it and I think it's because we are getting farther and farther away from being TRUE campers!!!  But, now that I have experienced life in a; 24 foot, heated, 4 bunk beds, a queen bed, full kitchen and bath... CAMPER!  I am sold!  I am so happy that Kep decided it was time to switch to the "rigid" campers!

Uncle Tills joined in on our first night in the camper which just happened to be one of our most memorable nights camping as a family!  The kids each have their own bed and on this particular night, both boys were sleeping on the upper bunk beds while Tills was gonna squeeze in the lower bunk with our li'l missy!  Just in case, Tills got too uncomfortable in that teeny bed... we piled the extra mattresses from the front bunk bed onto the floor.  Phew, that was a good call because at 2am there was a BIG thud... Noah fell off his bunk AND all 3 kids stayed asleep!!!  That crazy li'l guy!   All 3 adults were rummaging/giggling around in the dark trying to make sense of how to get Noah back in his bunk!  So, Kep decided to pick him AND his sleeping back up at the same time which caused another scare because Noah dropped to the bottom of the sleeping bag!  Fortunately, he didn't hit the floor and he stayed asleep through all of this rigmarole~ or so we thought!  After we stopped laughing by yet another crazy Noah story, we fell back asleep and we're awakened by Noah's low voice asking: "Hey Parker, did you fall out of your bunk?"  Parker quickly replied with: "No!"  Noah: "hmmm, I think I did... twice!"  hahaha~ this story kept us giggling throughout the day!  The best part of the whole story is Kep had made these really nice wooden rails for both bunk beds, stained them and bolted them to the frame of the beds.  When I walked into see all his hard work, I kept myself from telling him that I thought the rails were too small and that the boys could easily fall out on either side of the railing!  Well, I guess we'll be making longer rails!!! 

Tills you look a little tired, how come!?!  Savannah on the other hand is ready to go!!!

Do you think the boys like their bunks!?!  Each of the kids have these pockets at the head of their bed to store books and toys~ so cool!

We are excited for many more memorable DRY camping adventures in this camper!

Memorial Day campout

It is our tradition for our first summer campout to be over Memorial Day weekend.  We have spent the last 3 years going to Kenai Lake but this year we didn't make our reservations early enough and our favorite lake spot was taken.  But, we are so glad it worked out this way... or we would have missed out on so many fun new memories with friends!  We met the DuHads and the Novaks up at a nearby campground right on South Rolly Lake!  It was a beautiful location with many different activities to choose from~ which offered a weekend full of great times!   

Here are our younger 2 enjoying one of many meals while being entertained by the squirrel that was also hoping for a meal!

 Kathryn, Regan, Kathleen and Sarah hanging out in the rain... it was a wet weekend!

 All our kiddos playing in the rain at the gigantic "sandbox"!  They all loved taking their bikes down here to dig, wade in the huge puddle and to toss the baseballs!

 Savannah being cute by the fire... what kid doesn't love to play with the fire!?!

 i love this shot of these 2!  Savannah has her classic tease~look and David has his classic laugh going on!

Savannah loving her time with Regan!  This young lady is so incredible with our kids and we are gonna miss her family tremendously when they move back to Virginia in July!

 isn't this just hilarious of Parker!?!  This boy has such a great sense of humor and he has a giggle that will make anyone laugh! We feel so blessed that our kids are surrounded by such amazing kids... they always have a blast!

 love these 2 munchkins of mine!

 Kathryn and Savannah... another one of Savannah's favorites!

Noah and Savannah trying to stay dry while eating their hotdogs!  I'm guessing hotdogs are yummier when stacked into towers???

 What's a campfire without some silly friends and Jiffy popcorn!?!

 Noah, you rode your bike into the ground!!!  Good thing you have a handy dad and thanks Regan... for posing the part!!! ;o)

more pix to come of the rest of our memorable Memorial campout

the flipperoo

much against my approval (yes, i'm the cautious mom!!!)  Kep has allowed Parker to learn to do a back flip on the trampoline!  he is only allowed to do it when one of us is standing right by him but it still makes me nervous!  i guess this is just another thing i have to let go of in order to let my boys be the adventurous ones they were created to be!!! or so i am told!!!  ;o)

nice job Parker...

Savannah's a soccer player!

My li'l girl is a soccer player!!! It is just too hard to believe that she is old enough to play but she is and she LOVED every second of her first practice and game!  We were all surprised that she even went out on the field and then we were completely shocked that she ran hard the whole game AND scored a "goal"!  GO Savannah!  The best part is she is on this adorable U-5 team with some of her favorite li'l people... Owen Smith, Breeze Buchanan and Dane DeKruif.  Her sweet coaches just happen to be some of my favorite people... Coach Rebecca and Coach Molly.  What a fun summer we will have being super entertained by these funny U~5ers!

Here she is taking one of her practice drills very seriously! haha!

Doesn't she look tough!?!  We couldn't believe how she actually went after the ball!  yay!

the water breaks... one of the best parts of the game!

Savannah and one of her biggest fans... Uncle Tills!

cousin Hannah's dance recital

Savannah got all dolled up to go watch cousin Hannah perform in her Senior Ballet recital!  Thanks to Hannah and Aunt Connie, she received most of this cute li'l ballerina outfit for her birthday!

Hannah is an amazing dancer and it was so sweet to watch Savannah take in every second of the 2 hour show on the edge of her seat!  She adores her cousin Hannah and of course loves ballerinas!

she pumps

it's so handy to have all 3 children as independent "swingers" this summer!  Savannah is so proud of her new skill... she can pump!

could they get any cuter!?!

Annie and Savannah!  These girls love each other dearly and they never tire of spending time together being super girly~girls!  This spring we had fun having Annie over and these girls went to town in Savannah's very PINK room!  love them!

Savannah's pRiNcEsS birthday party

 Savannah turned 4 and all she wanted for her birthday party was to have her 2 best girlfriends at her party!  Then, I suggested that since we just went to Disneyland maybe she could have a princess party!  Yep, she loved the idea and was more than thrilled to have her new Snow White doll become a cake!  

 These are her best "fwends", Annika and Breeze (she's not a big fan of photo~ops!), after they got done making their crowns!

Savannah we love the little girl that you are becoming and we love that you have such sweet little girls to call your "fwends".  You are our princess and we love every part that God has made in you!

celebrating record snowfall

Yay!  We broke the record and it was time to celebrate with our Backcountry ski buddies in Hatchers!  All of us came prepared with anything and everything (from a mono board to snowshoes) to play in the snow all afternoon.  

 Here's just part of the clan hiking up to a bowl for some fun in the sun!

 Savannah loving some time with her good li'l buddy, Breeze!

 Isn't this view gorgeous!?!  Here we are just hanging out with friends, getting a tan (or burn!!!) and eating some food on our snow couch!  Could life get any better!?!

 Thomas and Parker were determined to make a snow couch for the kids and they did it!  All the kids enjoyed hanging out in their own couch!

 Owen and Savannah, these 2 are so adorable together!  They have no idea that the reason we snap so many pix of the 2 of them... is we're documenting their lives so they will have plenty of pix for prom someday! (we hope!!!)  Owen was cracking us up, acting so cool and sly in his glasses, while Savannah sat there chatting away and sharing her goldfish!

 And of course, the mono board made another grand appearance.  Kep decided he needed a mono suit to complete the mono board's initiation in Hatcher's Pass.  Fortunately, my dad still had one which he was happy to pass onto Kep!  Too funny!

On we go... down the mountain with the men carting the little ones behind.  What an amazing time with friends!  And, what fun to break the snow record set back in 1954 at 132.6 inches, this year we got 133.6 inches!  woohoo!