Did somebody say "camping?"

It's hard to believe it's been since last August that we went camping.  Unfortunately, Patrick had a big test he needed to study for that kept us close to home at the end of last year. Add to that two failed camping attempts, and you end up itching to get out there in the fresh air and under the open sky.  We usually go camping with two groups of friends.  However, this time our friends Lisa and Shail invited one more family to join the fun.  I kid you not when I tell you that there were seventeen kids to go along with the eight grown-ups.  Yep, we were a pretty large and rowdy bunch!  We just couldn't help it. lol

Our campsites were right next to a huge "forest" that the kids had so much fun playing in all weekend. They climbed trees and rode bikes and scooters all day.

Most of us managed to find a bike or scooter to use in order to make our way over to the petting farm. 

The animals are always a hit. And we lucked out that there were several kid pygmy goats and lambs that were just two or three weeks old.  The kids got to hold the kid goats, which was precious.  My heart just melted at the sight.

One of our campsites was next to an empty site that the kids decided to use for games.  Let's just say that didn't go over well with security. lol  Oops.

Our new friends finally arrived late Friday night.  So we ended up going back to the petting farm with them on Saturday.  I didn't have any camera with me.  So I missed shooting that outing.  Then afterward we hit the pool.  Yes, you read that right.  Being that the lows were in the mid 40s, we didn't bring swimsuits for the dumplings.  But that didn't stop them. Madeline borrowed a suit, and Caleb and Havi swam in their clothes!  I, of course, didn't have a suit, and so I couldn't get in the pool with Havi.  Instead, I watched her on the steps.  She rather quickly remembered what to do- holding her breath, opening her eyes, and then kicking and swimming.  I couldn't believe it!  She had a blast swimming around the steps.  And because I had to watch her closely, I couldn't snap any photos.  Boo.

I did manage to pull out my camera as we were getting ready to have dinner that night and head to the rodeo.

Popcorn was a big hit with all the spectators.  And I remembered to bring my 80-200mm f/2.8 for close ups of the cowboys and cowgirls.

My favorite part was watching the bull riders.  Eight seconds seems like forever! lol

At one point, the kids participated in a calf catch.  They tie two ribbons on the calf that the kids chase. They break them into two age groups, and now that Caleb's ten, he went with the older group.

He got pretty close in that photo above, but he didn't get a ribbon.  One of the younger boys in our group, however, grabbed a ribbon in the younger age group.  He won a swamp buggy ride!  Not bad!

Team Ghost Riders was there with these cute monkeys riding collies!

Then it was time for the cowgirls to do some barrel racing.

After the rodeo, all the kids lined up to ride the mechanical bull.  A few of the dads rode it too!

Our last morning, we had a little church service.  We sang praise songs blasting from the iPad, and Patrick did a little bible study.  Of course there was bible trivia and candy or chocolate was given out for correct answers.  Then we all went to brunch at the restaurant. And after that we started packing up.  

The fathers stayed back at the campsites (working very hard) while the mamas took the kids to the pool again.  Well, first we went to play mini golf, which was a very long bike for Havi.  But we were misinformed about cost and had to turn around because our pockets were empty.

That's when we hit up the pool for a second day.  Once the guys were finished, it was time to head out.  We had such a fantastic time.  It was great to make new friends and hang out with old ones.  While camping does take work on our part, we love how it pulls us out of the daily hustle and bustle of our lives and allows us to relax and just be present.  We love watching the kids have so much fun, and we enjoy the fellowship we have with our friends.  It's such a refreshing time. And thankfully our next camping adventure is just around the corner!