I Camped!

Our whole family went camping together!  Well, minus Marcus because he was home on crutches.  But seriously this was a big deal.  It's been years since I've packed up our huge family tent, coolers, and all the other gear for camping trip.  The last time this happened was when I only had three boys because I can't really count the time we slept in a yurt at the Oregon Coast.

Anyway, we went back out to the Olympic Peninsula, only a few miles from Seabrook, and joined up with about ten other families and all their kids.  Ethan set up the tent with a little help from me and then we basically never saw him again.  The little boys played street hockey or just ran around the campground with all their friends and I was reminded that camping and boys is the perfect thing.  I even got to relax and read a book which was a good thing because after all the work of packing, cooking food in advance, and getting all our gear loaded, I vowed I'd never camp again.  Randy lucked out again by being at the office while Ethan and I toiled away.  

Henry with his best buds Karissa and Jack

We shared meals with two other families so I only had to cook once.  We ate like kings!

My cookies are always a hit and survived the drive unscathed

All the teens going for a drive on the beach

The younger kids got their turn too.  There was some DEEP sand to get through and it was a little scary but we didn't get stuck.

Henry was in heaven.  I was disgusted and quickly took away his Nintendo and once he got playing he never asked for it again.  I hate screens!

Lots of card games and the favorite is SCUM

That's Andrew with his plate of fresh, Dungenuss crab he caught in his crab pot.  Delicious!

We spent a day at the beach and even though it was freezing, with the help of wet suits, everyone had a good time.  All the kids spent hours digging in the sand, making tunnels, and jumping off the dunes.  I enjoyed spending the day talking with all my friends, fully clothed and wearing a hoodie.  Beach days in the Pacific Northwest aren't sunny and warm.

Look at that face!  Henry loved jumping off the ledge to the sand below.

Ethan is really good at skim boarding

Look how bundled up all the adults were.  No sunblock needed that day!

boys everywhere!

Occasionally we saw a patch of blue sky