a weekend by the campfire

as i'm working my way through the piles of "campfire" laundry, the familiar smell reminds me again of the way i feel when we're camping... like everything is right, in spite of the work and effort that goes into it... like we're in our element somehow, even though the experience is so different than our regular day to day. it really is wonderful and something our family enjoys.

as we were taking down camp sunday morning, the guy camping across from us came over and said it had been such an encouragement the night before to over hear our children reading matthew 2. moments like these make my heart swell up with pride because it was on the kids own accord that they sat around in the tent that night and read the bible together... and to think it was blessing our neighbor and none of us even knew it. i love how the Lord works!

we set up camp on site #16 at kings mountain state park

catherine is indeed my child... i peeked in one of her packed camping trip bags and found this pumpkin. when i asked her why in the world she was bringing it, she replied, "well mom we've got to decorate!" so even while camping, our table looked pretty with fall foliage from nearby woods placed in plastic cups nestled beside our perfect little pumpkin

a dog named rusty was camping next door with his family... anna was completely in love with him

benjamin dragging in a tree that he cut down all by himself

even rocks are more interesting when you're camping

catherine teaching mary scott how to play checkers

roasting marshmallows for yummy s'mores

A Night Away

What a treat it was to sneak away for an overnight trip to Boone and Blowing Rock. Brian and I enjoyed so much the simplicity of sitting and sharing a meal without interruptions and even resting on a park bench quietly, not jumping up to fetch one of the children or address wrong behavior. The opportunity to sleep in was certainly appreciated, as well! Being right in the thick of parenting, it's alway a treat to have a little break. We had a great time strolling the streets of Blowing Rock while checking out the local shops. We topped off our time there with a chat over coffee and dessert... the perfect way to draw our trip to close.

thanks so much, MeMe (aka Mama), for loving and caring for the kids so we could get away