You look like happy campers to me.

The much anticipated Labor Day camp out was

the best!  Nobody got hurt,  the men caught fish,

the women talked, the food was so good,

 the campfire evenings were

perfect and the cousins played and 

played and played.

 I do get excited to get together. But the closer it gets the

more I start to worry that everyone will feel a part

of everything and it will be fun for everyone. And no one

will be disappointed.  This can actually cause me a great

deal of anxiety!  

But this year I didn't really have much time to

over think things and imagine great things  coming

to pass. I lowered my expectations

for myself and my family.  It really helped.  I didn't get

disappointed and my family was free to roam.

WARNING:  I posted a ton of pictures.

This is a picture of elk that David and I saw

when we were scouting out our camp spot.

There were really about 2 more times this

many elk in this line.  These are cows

and young elk following the Bull.  

At least for this day this bull elk

had all the ladies lines up following him.

Grandchildren checking out the shore

on Big Lake.  (south shore by the store)

More exploring.  I love how children

can explore the simplest of things.

Megan.  She will be 12 in March.

She is a tweener.  But she is honestly

the best girl.  She came into our trailer

every morning very close to 6 am.  

She liked hanging with the adults but

then she would be gone and pushing

smaller cousins on the swing.

This is Mike (4).  He found this short

stick (which is funny because he is

a short boy) and was walking around

like an old man.  

We took these pictures so I could

send them to Quinn, Parker,and

Paisley.

They wanted to say 'we miss you

and wish you were here'.

That's Pete with his toy car.  

I guess you never get too old

for some toys!  You know how you

thought as a child when an outing was

planned and you wanted to bring all

your things with you because it would

be so much fun.  It would be interesting

to know if that is how this grown boy felt.

I have to appreciate all these people.

They are so willing to bring their children

and come themselves knowing that

things were going to be dirty and cold

or hot or uncomfortable.

And they do it with a smile. (Heidi)

This is trout and it is something that Tim and

I share together.  The first time Tim caught a

trout and it was cooked for supper was

at least 20+ years ago on the shores

of Yellowstone Lake.  In recent years he

has turned into avid fisherman.  And if I am

around he will fillet and cook some

and we eat it.  Just the two of us.  No one

else wants to try.  He has learned how to

fillet without gutting or scaling the fish.

It is cool.  

Lee is 6 months pregnant and has 

called every day this summer from

the hot desert.  I think she was hoping

some cool air from home would flow

through the phone.  Not going to 

happen so an even better thing would

be to come camping.  We were so glad they did.

Ben (2) He just climbed up into the high chair

and sat down.  He was there for a while and

then the thrill was gone and he climbed out

and ran away.

I don't know what happened to him

here but he was pretty sad.

Ben and Jett (3)

I wanted to think up some 

great reason why these two were

just sitting in their dump trucks

looking at each other.

The picture will have to speak

for itself!

Then they were off.

This makes Bode (6) look so grown up.

The Granddad and dads were teaching

all the kids how to shoot the BB guns.

I enjoyed listening to David talk to

them.  He has a lot of experience with

guns and hunting but he doesn't do much

so it is sweet to hear him teach the grandkids.

Uncle Pete was trying hard with Laine (3).  She looks

official enough.  

These pictures are more about Boo than

my nap.  She spent her time with me

or running off to other campgrounds

begging for food.  

She loves to get on a bed.

I know her previous owners must

have let her sleep on a bed.  We don't

but this was the perfect time to

let her have a little bed time.

Pete brought rope and made a swing.

I laughed at this sight because 

the cousins all took turns.  They

would get in line (to the left) and

just wait.  I love that Megan is

just in line with all those little cousins.

This site was played out over

and over again.  Some of the cousins

just thought the dirt was the best.

Baby Piper taking a turn on the swing.

David is a good grandpa.

Ice cream from the store.  I might have

mentioned in a post about ice cream at

the store at Big Lake.  We have bought one for years

if we were going to be there for a stop

or as part of a camp out. So we bought an

ice cream sandwich for everyone the morning we were

leaving.  This is Abbey (6) with

some of her sandwich on her nose.

And this is Mike with dirt on HIS nose...

and mouth and cheeks and eyebrows

and chin.  

Little Daisy (almost 2) was a trooper.

She came camping with us last summer

and she wasn't fun!  What a difference

a year makes.  She loved everything.

Something was going on here that

she wasn't too happy about though.

I have to say I carried a lot of little

people this weekend but she was by

far the lightest one.  

The youngest among us.  Pipe (10 months)

thought this was her camp out.  She was

a good baby.  Even if babies can't remember

their baby days I am sure they

are forever shaped by camping.

And they can be so silly and 

little at the same time.

Tim and Connie and kids.

Pete and Brittany and kids.

Heidi and Jeremiah and kids.

Lee and Aaron and Daisy.

I will never understand people who

don't want to be with their grand children.

Yes, I get worn out and will stay behind

sometimes to catch a breathe but

my grandchildren are part of me.

A necessary part of me.

David and I feel that we have responsibilities

to help these children feel a part of a whole

and that they are needed and loved.

Tim was itching to drive David's Big Foot

all weekend.  Finally a need arose

and everyone crammed in to go to

Sheep's Crossing.

Heidi took this picture of Melanie (almost 8).

I was glad to see it!  Melanie moves

from spot to spot and is hard to pin down.

So I was glad there was a shot of just her.

Innocence.

Ben and Jett

OK~So Daisy wasn't into the dirt

or the mud.

This girl is fun!

Doesn't this shot just make you laugh.

You can't see it but Ben and Laine are

both holding the handle of a critter

cage which is holding a small horny toad.

It was so cute as they just walked around.

I asked Bode why he was holding this

limb like that.  He just told me it

was his friend.  You can kinda see that

can't you?

Horny toad bling bling for Piper's hair.

Abbey and I were playing catch with this

ball and Daisy came over and wanted

to play.  

Grandchild blanket laid over Boo to 

make sure she was warm.

Isn't this the best picture of Daisy.

A little bit of heaven.

This is Laine opening a caramel

with her hands covered with dirt.

Makes me laugh.

Bode was the proud owner of a new pocket

knife.  There was discussion between his

parents as to whether or not it was time

for that knife.  It took the wind out of his

sails when he nicked his finger.  

Mike came to his dad  (Tim) and said, "dad

I gotta go...I gotta go now".  So off to the

trees they ran.

Laine used the potty in the

trailer and came out and said,

"grandma, I 'broak' dis".

Lee and Daisy.

Laine, Heidi, Piper and Bode.

Tim with Ben and Abbey

Getting across the stream at Sheep's Crossing.

Cousins at Sheep's Crossing.

I would love to take these children to

Disneyland and other places like that.

I doubt if that will ever be us. 

I don't think they will care either.

They laughed and laughed.

And camping was enough.