Looking back.....

I know that it is the middle of winter right now, but I've been wanting to share some photos of our summer 2015. This blog is for family and friends, but it is also a photo journal for us. 

I have been blogging on and off since 2007, and I can't tell you how much we enjoy looking at the photos and reading the story that goes along with them. 

So these photos are for you.....and they're for my husband and kids. Taking photos is one way to capture this precious and fleeting time with my family. Some days I wish the minutes would just slow down, especially when I look at Noah, our oldest, who will be 13 this Fall!

Lauren just said to Jared and I at dinner this evening, "Just think, some day it is going to be just you and Dad sitting at dinner together, when all us kids are grown up and moved out."  I had to smile at Jared. Yes, that is the goal. And it was a good reminder to enjoy these days when our children are young....but not to hold on to them too tightly. It has been so long since it has just been Jared and I.....we will look forward to have that time again, but in the meantime we will enjoy these blessings in our home given to us by our good God. Jared and I hope our kids will always remember how much their Mom and Dad love each other. 

Ok, onto a camping trip we took in June. Luke wanted to go camping for his 5th birthday. It was the first camping trip we took in a good while, unless you count camping out in tents in the back yard. 

Friends of ours from church have beautiful property about an hour north of us. They were kind enough to let us camp for a few days. It was wonderful. We hope to make this a yearly tradition for Luke's birthday celebration. 

Our campsite was gorgeous. We were spoiled with an outhouse and a big utility shed if we needed it. There was a huge black snake in the outhouse when we first arrived. I was so thankful that Jared and Noah were brave and got rid of him.  

The pond was a huge highlight. The kids spent a ton of time swimming, canoeing, and jumping off the dock....oh and splashing each other in face....repeatedly. 

This little dude and I would hang out while the others were exploring in the canoe. Aaron was just on the verge of walking when we were on this trip.  

Yes, Noah is trying to get Nate to smell his armpit in this next photo. I promise to always be real on this blog.....you're welcome.

One of Jared's and my favorite thing about camping is....camp coffee.

Yea...I kind of love him....alot.

And what would a camping trip be without our breakfast staple of Peanut Butter Capt'n Crunch. I loved this stuff as a kid....and still do. Our kids would love to have this every morning for breakfast, but we like to save it for special times like these. 

Noah is staying toasty by the fire on this chilly morning. 

Sweet sleeping baby.

Early morning shenanigans by the fire. 

These two are the biggest goof balls. Noah is always making Nate laugh. And when he gets going, we all do. 

Setting up camp is alot of work, but once that's done, it is nice to sit and relax. I really enjoyed sitting on the bank watching the kids play in the pond. 

Notice the little tent on the left. This is Nate's tent. He got this from his Grandparents for Christmas last year. He was so thankful to have it to sleep in by himself.....because he said he didn't want to hear all of us breathing while we slept. He makes me laugh sometimes with his honesty. 

(Nate has some sensory issues with his hearing and is not shy about telling you what noises annoy him.)

Our family likes to play boardgames, so the kids made sure to bring a couple of their favorites. 

Jared enjoyed his morning reading time smoking his pipe by the fire. 

And then it was time to have fun with the kids in the water. 

Jared wasn't about to miss out on the fun. Jumping off the dock was a highlight for all of us. 

My favorite people. 

Noah rarely leaves home without his guitar. We all love listening to him play. 

The sweet little girlie. She had recently lost her two front teeth, and looked so adorable. And now all of a sudden she looks so much older since her permanent teeth have grown in.  

We got Luke a drum for his birthday, so he and Noah were jamming out for a while. 

Luke reminds me alot of Noah when he was this age.

Aaron would nap outside of the tent in the pack-n-play during the day. 

There was a huge snapping turtle swimming around. We saw him several times. He didn't seemed fazed by us at all. The kids named him Tim. They also named two lizards, Bob and Larry. And a toad they named Majestic. (Luke is standing over my shoulder as I write this reminding me to put down all of the names of the critters they saw.) 

Aaron had a bad cold while we were camping but was such a trooper.

Our Lukey turned 5! It was a birthday to remember.

A sweet young couple from our church were getting married one of the afternoons we were camping, so we actually left for a few hours and went to their wedding, and then came back to resume our camping fun.   

And just in case you were thinking that I didn't join in on all the fun.....think again!