Vacation - Part 3

The last few days of our long holiday vacation were spent having some quality family time together. We attempted our first family camping trip, which didn't actually go too bad! We went with our friends the Laginas who we always have fun with; the kids played so well together. Our plan was to stay 2 nights, but the bugs (and a bit of rain) put a damper on things, so we just stayed one, but it was a GOOD one! =)

The kids had lots of fun exploring around our campsite and in the woods. Brent was the leader with 3 little ones in tow =)



Carson was a great helper at the campsite!



Big stick!



Ellie really enjoyed riding her bike around, and mastered her brakes too! =) By the look on her face, I am sure this was a 'no pictures Mama!' moment =)




Morning walk to the lake







Water break



Pete's Lake, July 2011...we swam and played at the beach too, but I never brought the camera. The water was perfect!



We have learned this summer that Ellie is definitely like her Mama in one way...in how she reacts to mosquito bites (NOT good!) There could be 100 mosquitos around, and Colin and Emmit will not get touched. But all it takes is 1, and Ellie and Mama are stung all up - no fun! She had bites all over her legs which kept her up a lot during the night. The next day she fell asleep by the campfire and slept here for almost 2 hours!



Boys!



Brent with his smiley face cheeseburger from Colin



We were there for 2 days and 1 night, and I swear we just ate non-stop. Everything tastes better over a campfire! =)



This was our set-up...Colin and I on the air mattress, Ellie on her cot, and Emmit in his pack-n-play. The kids thought this was pretty fun! =)



Emmit out cold! We were a little worried about how Emmit would do in the tent, and he slept like a ROCK! He was practically asking to go to bed at both bedtime and naptime. Lots of clean, fresh air will do that I guess! =)



After our camping adventures, we spent 2 more nights just relaxing and hanging out at my parents. We took a ride up to Marquette one day and hiked Sugarloaf Mountain. Ellie walked all the way up herself, while Colin and I took turns carrying Emmit. We carried them both down - good workout! =) After our hike, we had lunch at Vangos with some friends and cruised around Presque Isle...love, love, love Marquette! =) Colin and I even got a date night in on our last night. Perfect ending to a very full week off!