Getting ready for #5

The front of Eli's 5th birthday party invitation - a LEGO party!!

1st Camping Trip!

Warning: LOTS of pictures ahead. Great fun weekend = lots of pictures!!

First pop up camping trip in the books and it was AWESOME! We had such a great time in the mountains and we're definitely looking forward to more family adventures. 

Friday morning the boys were stoked to go camping. They knew we were picking them at lunch time and I think they thought if they got to school earlier, it'd make camping happen earlier. They were completely dressed and ready to go right at 7am! Even Ms. Denise at school was surprised to see the boys so early. Her comment to Tim was that "you've got to give a teacher a chance to get some caffeine on Friday morning." HILARIOUS!! 

So all morning, Tim & I got the camper and truck packed. Tim picked up the boys right after lunch and they came blasting into the house all fired up. It didn't take long and we were on the road. The boys did amazing on the drive to the mountains. I had to take a work call and had bribed them if they would be quiet. Well, on my call, they fell asleep for naps! And immediately upon waking, they asked for their gummy bears! . 

We got to the campground about 5pm - Bear Den Campground just off the Blue Ridge Parkway. My truck did really well, however Tim was talking about going to buy a V8 next week! Going to have to postpone that for a while. =) We were able to get a great spot near the bathhouse and there was a swing set there too! We set the camper up pretty quickly - it was easy and went well. Then hot dogs, baked beans and chips for dinner. All Eli & Cole cared about were S'mores! So we managed to make S'mores using the grill to toast up the marshmellows. Funny thing was, the boys ate their S'mores as individual pieces but they loved it. We hung out a bit and then it was bedtime. The boys decided they wanted to sleep together so we gave that a go. It actually went pretty well and after they went to sleep, Tim took our trash to the dumpster. And he was gone a LONG time. I wasn't sure why but when he got back, he told me that a BEAR was hissing at him from a tree at the dumpster. CRAZY!! Of course, we WERE at Bear Den Campground but we did not expect that. Sleeping in the camper was awesome. Not only were we off the ground and comfy, we were able to zip the camper up when it started raining in the middle of the night. 

Of course, the boys were up at 6am Saturday so we had to try to keep them somewhat quiet so they wouldn't wake up our camp neighbors. Muffins for breakfast, a little play time and then we headed out to hike to a waterfall. The boys did great, especially Eli. He was quite the scrambler with all the ups and downs and is a great hiker. Cole did well for the beginning and then decided his legs were "broken" and he had to be carried. The extra weight made for QUITE the workout!! The waterfall was cool and the boys loved it. Being in the woods is just so awesome and I love that these are family adventures. We went to check out the camp store, playground and arcade when we got back. While we were there, it started to rain so the boys & I headed back to our site. Tim was in the store and ended up getting super drenched running back. So with the afternoon rain, Mommy was back on entertainment duty. We had fun coloring and painting. A little later we headed into Spruce Pine to check out the Bluegrass / BBQ festival and ended up making a pit stop in Walmart. Matchbox cars and puzzles were just the thing to finish out a rainy afternoon! Without a nap, the boys went to sleep very early - about 8pm - so Tim & I were able to relax, read and just hang out. 

Sunday morning, up early again! Everyone tells me that they WILL eventually sleep later but we'll see. =) We had an awesome breakfast (eggs, pancakes, sausage - seriously! Tim is a great camp cook!!). Then after another trip to the playground and arcade, it was time to pack it all up to go home. Packing up also went well and we left the campground by lunch. Coming off the mountain was a shock to our system. The cooler weather was so wonderful and when we stopped for gas, it was so hot!! As we were driving home, the boys talked about how much fun they had and how much they wanted to go camping again. YAY!!! A CAMPING SUCCESS!!

The drive home went well and we managed to make the drive there and back without going crazy. The boys are getting to be much better travelers. Amazing how much a weekend away, especially in the mountains, helps your perspective. I came back so much more relaxed and happy. EXACTLY why we wanted to get the camper. SO MANY MORE ADVENTURES AHEAD!!

 Ready to go camping!

 Our mobile party

 Cole & Hulk fell asleep - so cute!

Big Boy Eli took a nap of his own 

Squiggly sign - oh how I've missed seeing them! 

Right angle squiggly 

Gorgeous scenery 

Mountain air is good for the soul 

My parents love the mountains, I was a beach girl growing up and look at me now!!  

Here we are 

All set up - home sweet home for the weekend 

 Playing with construction vehicles

 Trucks go everywhere!

 Daddy with a little camp coffee =)

 Mommy & Daddy - happy campers!

S'mores Friday night 

S'moring over the grill. No campfire this weekend.  

 Marshmellow boy

Love this chocolate milk face 

Painting time Friday night - love these pictures that have paint already there on the page, just add water. Great for travel! 

Mommy's picture 

 Ghost stories. Oh my, the boys were hilarious. Almost every story started off "Once upon a time, there was a ghost. And he pooped!!" Followed by lots and lots of boy giggles. 

Crazy Cole-man 

 Bedtime stories with Daddy

 Look how sweet

Saturday morning, more truck play time. This kept them from waking up everyone around us! 

 The swings across from our site.

 Cole looking at his scavenger hunt card (from Mommy's bag of tricks!) to see what he needed to find.

 Hunting with Daddy - fun stuff!

 Ready to hike

Eli always likes to lead the way 

 Break time - actually he was waiting for us!

 Not my little baby anymore!

Climbing over a fallen tree 

Cole held his own well 

Happy Mommy & Daddy 

 Headed to the waterfall 

At this point Cole's legs quit working and his pouty lip started 

 This picture does not do justice to how steep it was going down to the waterfall.

Going up, Cole in my arms. My arms were so sore Sunday! 

Cookie time with Daddy 

Cookies made the pouty lip disappear. =) 

These two boys sure do make me smile.  

Waterfall! 

 The family that hikes together

has lots of fun together!  

It was so quiet and wonderful out there.  

 It's great letting the boys explore. 

And be proud of what they can do and where they are. 

 Headed to the Rock Overlook

aka - Snack time #2 

Don't jump Daddy!! 

See Saw time at the playground.  

Eli is a total monkey.  

Swinging and climbing. He loves to test himself and see what he can do.  

 Balancing act

 Saturday afternoon puzzles and trucks

Waiting for Daddy to grill the chicken 

Soon to be bed time 

 It didn't take long for Cole to zonk out

 quickly followed by Eli. We separated them Saturday night. 

 Sunday morning breakfast, our cute Camp Chef! 

 Shooting targets at the arcade

Eli & Cole had fun driving the cars 

 Cole even ran a bus off the road!

 More see saw fun

Cole's faces crack me up 

Silly brothers 

I love this one. I'm not sure what Eli was saying to him but Cole was just cracking up. 

Super Silly Duo! 

 Playing back across from our site. Thanks to Uncle Jeff for the construction vehicles! 

 Campsite A16

 Grumpy and Happy Camper

 Family shot! Such a great weekend!!

 We stopped at a Rest Area and Eli started a crazy dance party. 

He just kept dancing on the table 

and got Cole involved. 

 I think we should all start impromptu dance parties more often!