Camping 2009

This year I decided not to go to Higher Ground Music Festival to take the kids camping. I decided we would try the Rice Creek Camp Grounds in Centerville. It is a really nice campground close to our home. I took 4 nephews & nieces and we went from Friday afternoon till Sunday. Todd came during the day & went home to sleep in the air conditioning...........he doesn't like to go camping. :)


Emily pounding in a stake for the big tent that the kids slept in.

Evan pounding a stake into the ground while Sophia watches.

Sophia pounds in a stake for my tent while Emily & I watch.

The 4 kids playing in the screen tent with the toads they caught with their bug catching kits that my sister, Angela, bought them. Emily, Evan, Nicholas & Sophia.

Four toads that the kids caught...........they even named them............Hoppily..........Sir Warts..........Toady.............and Mickey. :)

Evan, Nicholas, Emily & Sophia............they played with those toads alot! :)

There was even a lake in the park reserve that we could walk to, so we went swimming on Saturday afternoon. It felt great since it was so hot & humid this past weekend. Sophia, Emily, Evan & me.

Sophia, Emily & Evan. I went in the lake with the kids. Todd decided to stay on the blanket on the grass & take pictures.

Nicholas perferred playing in the sand on the beach. :)

They had a nice playground at the lake, too. Emily climbing the pole of one of the palm trees.

Evan, Nicholas & Emily in the pirate ship of the playground.

On the way back to our camp site from the lake, we collected sticks for kindling for our fire. Sophia, Evan, Emily & Uncle Todd.

Todd carried the sticks in Emily's Bratz towel............... ;)

Walking back to the camp site & looking for sticks. Evan, Nicholas, Sophia, Uncle Todd & Emily.

Uncle Todd impresses the nieces & nephews by building the camp fire. :)

Emily, Uncle Todd, Sophia, Nicholas & Evan.

The kids started out trying to roast their own hot dogs for supper, but the sticks were too short. Todd & I had to roast the hot dogs for them............but we got a good picture first. :) Next year we will have to buy some longer sticks.

Evan, Sophia, Nicholas & Emily.

Relaxing by the camp fire........Sophia, Evan, Emily, Nicholas & Uncle Todd with his "poking" stick..............for the fire............not the kids. :)

Evan & Nicholas playing with the toads in the dirt..........no wonder they got so dirty. :)

Sophia, Emily & Nicholas in the screen tent where we went to keep dry during the downpour. It started raining around 7:30 pm or so. It was pouring so hard that we were worried about our camp fire. We really wanted to make smores when the coals were right & didn't want the rain to put out our fire.

The rain let up and................

....................our fire was still burning. Yippee! I washed about half of our supper dishes and it started pouring again............so...............

.................back in the screen tent we went.

Sophia, Emily, Nicholas, Evan & Nana (Aunt Sonja)

This time I had quickly grabbed the Uno game out of the van before going to the screen tent, so we stacked up some food/drink supplies & played a game of Uno. :)

Evan(hand & legs), Emily, Nicholas, Sophia, Nana (Aunt Sonja)

The rain did eventually let up again & our fire was still going so we were able to roast marshmallows & make S'mores. Yummmmmm! :)