Surviving a 5 day camping trip!!

... and I think I could have stayed out even longer!! We just got home from our annual Memorial Day weekend camping trip. I was wondering how it would be with Grace being much more mobile than she was last year... but, we had a BLAST!! Both kids were just in their element, running around with all the kids, riding bikes and scooters, playing at the beach, playing baseball, croquet, tubing, etc, etc!!! And the weather couldn't have been any better-- mid 80's the entire weekend!!!!

It felt like an extra long winter/cold spring, and I think we all just needed to get out of the house and spread our wings. Jake, especially, just needed to run and connect with his friends..... and he was the world's best kid!!! (I have to say that it was just a long year this year.... most of Jake's friends went off to morning Kindergarten and then he had afternoon pre-K, plus we always had to be home in the afternoons for Grace's nap-- so I think we stayed home more this year than I ever have since Jake was a baby!!!! We all just do so much better when we're out and about more.) I can't wait for a summer filled with outdoor adventures!!

I have to say that Grace was a total ham all weekend. Even Jacob said, "Mom, Grace sure is funny!" I think her language skills quadrupled over the course of the weekend. She, of course, was usually the first one up in the morning (no black out shades in a tent!!) and she proceeded to greet everyone as if they had rock star status as the groggily came out of their tent. She knew everyone's name and enthusiastically called it out, over and over, until they would say hello back to her! At one point, she was in the tent "napping" when we started hearing, "daddy, Michael, come here!!!" repeatedly. She had unzipped a small "window" in the tent and could see Mike out playing baseball in the big field!

Needless to say, it was a great kick-off to a hopefully fun, family summer!!!!