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Friday, September 2, 2016

6 Months: Soakin' Wet At Beaver's Bend

A couple of weeks ago we got to enjoy a lovely camping trip up to one of our favorite places, Beaver's Bend. We went last year around this time for Nick's birthday, and thought we better just do it again! We were joined by Nick's cousin and family again, which made it that much better!


The first day (and night for that matter) it rained. And rained. And rained some more. Seemingly confined to the camper and/or bus, the kids defied such thoughts by playing outside regardless of the constant dripping. They were so excited to be there that they could care less about being wet. Here they are drying off inside and playing with the grown up's finished game of Jokers.


One of the things the kids like best about Beaver's Bend is all the space to ride bikes. Here Nadia is trying to get the chain back on Ryder's bike.


The first night we enjoyed one of our favorite restaurants, The Grateful Head pizza oven and tap room. When we got back, we lit our first fire of the trip and made s'mores.


Nadia's got her hands full!


All lined up.


The next day was absolutely beautiful. The kids were happy about it.


Down by the river.


This boy is such a Mowgli.


Ryder on top of the mountain.
Actually it's just the hill back up to the campsite from the river, but the angle makes it look really steep.


With the nice weather, we decided we should take a hike. We only went a mile or so, but we got to see some great views and get some exercise.


Me and my girl.
She's a bit of a slow hiker, but hey, those little legs take a lot more effort to get places.


Family shot!


Ryan and Lis.


Nick always has to catch something when we're out and about. Here he caught this cool horned lizard.


We stopped at a creek that ran down the hill into the river. It was absolutely beautiful, and the kids had a great time walking around in the cool water.


Everyone enjoyed the nice cool water after the walking we did.
The guys are back there looking for crawdads.


And here it is: my 6 month picture.


Later after we got back and took a nap, we went swimming in the river with some floaties. Well, I didn't swim much, the water was stinkin' cold, but everyone else did.


Nick used a twin air mattress as a raft.


Ryder's turn!


Hangin' around the campsite.


Lovin' the camper.


Gathering wood for the fire.


Everybody doing their part.


Playing games in the dark- level: genius.


The last day we woke up thinking we'd have one last fire before we left. The weather had different ideas. Here Nadia and Jasper are holding a plastic bag over the fire to try to keep it dry while it catches.


While most have given up, Jasper continues to coax it up.


Eventually we all decided it was time to pack up and get out. Here's a view of Broken Bow Lake on our way out. We ended up spending some time at the local coffee shop eating, drinking and shopping. After that, we headed home.

It was a really enjoyable trip despite all the rain. We needed some family vacation time after a long summer, and this was just the thing. Still one of our favorite places to visit.


I have one last thing to include that has nothing to do with our trip, but it's exciting none the less!


Ryder started school!


He was so excited. He's doing pretty good too, considering Mommy is still kind of a mess getting everything together. This whole pregnancy seems to be a series of things catching up to me and me not being ready for it. Let's hope the baby doesn't pull something like that on me!