July 6, 2012
-
{oh, a camping we will go}
well. there’s a giant two room tent in my front yard right now.
shayne said he wanted to make sure he could get it up before we got to the camp sight today..
apparently, the two poles laying on the ground beside it are “extra’s.”
a canoe is strapped to the top of our mini van.
atleast we’ll look like professionals.there’s a slew of water noodles. life jackets. and lawn chairs still to be thrown in.
two blue coolers with lots of ice.water. root beer. and coke. {gotta have the essentials}
by the front door is stacked:
every beach towel we own.
every can of bug spray wal-mart sold.
a roll of toilet paper.
five bags of chips.
a giant pot of chili.
and a pair of scissors.
the scissors are partly because you just never know when you might need to cut a bag or something open in the middle of the woods..
and partly {and mainly} because in case we’re attatcked by a wild bear, it might be our only weapon of defense.we’ve never camped as a family before.
so I can tell ya right now..
it’s going to be quite the… adventure!
remember this scene in the movie parent trap?
um, that’ll be me!!
as I write, the song “be okay” is blaring down from kate’s room…
ben is hammering something in the garage.. {probably a concoction for camping}
the little girls are already in the tent..
and the over-all level of the house is high excitement!anyone have any good camping stories?
what’s been your favorite, funniest, craziest experience?
if they involve bears or mountain lions, don’t tell me till next week!!
****here’s a few shots from our 4th of july.
our house was packed. and we had a blast.
there was fireworks and everything!
the ramp ben built off the front steps. the neighbors think we’re nuts!
didn’t have alot of american stuff – but a few things from around the house
made by my sweet canadian friends that wanted me to feel “at home.” 
big football game.
happy weekend everyone!
now… where did I last put that fishing pole?
Comments (32)
Wow you certainly did have a house full. How fun! Party at Ambers house! Wish I was your neighbor
Those “American” deserts look soo good! How sweet of your Canadian friends. 
Have a wonderful first time camping. Just think of all the imperfect camping moments that will give you all the fun memories to look back on and laugh as a family
Little Reese is so darling and getting so big. Have a wonderful time camping!
LOVE that last shot.
Oh happy camping…I love camping. You are going to have so much fun.
I promise (well, for the most part) you won’t be attacked by a bear.
I bet you’ll even do it all over again soon.
Have a Great weekend! Can’t wait to hear of your trip. =)
oh and you look gorgeous as usual! I just wore the same dress as the friend to the right of you
Good old Old Navy
Its their prices I like
Oh!! Baby is such a precious little Peanut….the way she’s eating her fruit-kabob is A-dorable!!
You’re patriotic to the core….and I love that you share your patriotism with our Northern neighbors. <3
Have fun camping. We were on Boyscout’s property the other day walking through the woods and saw a grey fox….After that I was “backpacking” Jake and clicking sticks together just like in Parenttrap!
I love it! I hope you guys have a wonderful time camping!
We used to camp a lot in the winter and summer when I was a kid. We had a full size van, complete with carpeted walls. We used to sleep IN the van. Or sometimes we’d use a tent. One summer, my stepdad backed the van too close to the lake water and got stuck in the mud. We were there an extra 6 hours while they pushed, pulled, cajoled, spun wheels in the mud, and overall got pissy and frustrated. Us kids just played in the lake water longer. ;D
AND I’m stealing the fruit kabob flag thingy.
camping is one of our favorite things to do as a family! We love making smores, hiking, canoeing, cooking over fire. I love being outdoors. great family bonding time. yall will love it!
@Elizabethmarie_1 - oh, you don’t know these canadian bears.. they’re not as laid back as the people!!
@bethro78 - do it!! i’ll stole it from a friend too.
Great pix! Love that you shared the 4th with your northern neighbors. Desserts look fabulous! Can’t share any stories as the only time I was camping was when we went with friends in their RV to the Great Garage Sale (from St Louis – GA)
LOVE your new profile picture! you are stunning!
my mom took my siblings and i (5 of us) camping all the time when we were little…love those memories! and i’m sure your kids will too 
and how special to have your Canadian friends celebrate the 4th w/ you!!! so so special!
hope your camping trip goes well
Ah the sound of “lets go camping” brings peels of delight and excitement and jumping up and down…and that does not even refer to the kids!!! :> Dear Husband just said to me this afternoon at 1:10pm…I thought we might go today! :0
And so we all went into camping mode, to get ready to pack the trailer in less than an hour for 8 people and all the food for four days….aiii yiiii yiii….and then sanity returned to us all and we said lets go camping next weekend instead when we can for sure get a camp spot and have time to pack and not forget diapers, and paper plates, etc. :>
so I understand and love the heightened excitement at your house because that is how it is in my mind…my camping adventures usually involve getting flat tires on the way to and from said camp site so that we could pass on….if you go again and you all drink soda from the plastic bottles…..save up your empties, peel the labels off, stop buy the equivalent of a Dollar General up there and get glow sticks….fill up the soda bottles with water, drop in the glow stick and then have family bowling at night time outside!!! Bring along a ball :>
Hope you have the marshmallow’s to roast…those great big ones we have here are way too big, just stick to the regular large ones and have fun.
Thanks for popping over to say hello as well. I was blessed by your visit.
Have a wonderful time and come back safely! Love the red/white/blue desserts ~
Have fun camping! We usually go to my parent’s cabin, but we may do a backyard camp out this year since we do own a tent.
Have fun! If it’s any comfort I’ve never seen a bear when camping, mind you whenever we’ve gone we’ve gone to a campgrounds so it’s not wilderness or anything. I don’t have any crazy stories for you but I can say it’s always been a whole lot of fun!
You will have so much fun. I love to camp. So close to God in the midst of his creation. My funniest camp story does involve a bear…so I will hold off. BUT, as you can see I am here!
camping is awesome! ! ! R and I’ve been doin’ it for years now, tradition with the kids at Thanksgiving, but we’re up for camping just about any ol’ time. Beach camping is my fav. After last year and a total miserable first night I recommend more blankets/sleeping bags than you think you need. . . course that’s for fall camping. . . so summer camping? hum, lots of good bottled water jugs, trashbags, bug repellent, soap!
Have fun! Some of my best childhood mem. are camping!
Your 4th of July bash looks fab! I’m sure the camping trip will be the same and if nothing else, memory filled! Happy camping!!
i gotta say i’m super excited to hear about your camp trip : )
have a really great time, you can never bring too much stuff … that’s my motto.
and sheesh, you put on a better party on the other side of the boarder than we did here!
you’re beautiful, happy camping. i’m smiling as i type that!!
: )
Your party looks wonderful! I loved seeing the patriotic desserts, and especially loved little Reese eating her kabob! My kids had many a ramp like Ben’s – they put one off the trampoline, covered it with plastic, which also trailed off a ways, and then turned the water sprinkler on. They would jump on the trampoline, land on the ramp, and slide down the slip ‘n slide! They were amazing little adventurers!! Even as teenagers!
We camp often, and my whole family loves it a bit more than I do. I enjoy everything about it as long as I have an indoor bathroom that I don’t have to travel through the night to get to! So we mostly use my in-laws’ travel trailer, and when it’s not available we take an extra tent designated as the bathroom, with a portapotty and paper, right next to my tent! Bill also carries heaters, electric blankets, and in the summer, a window unit! We are indeed a sight to be seen!!
Have a blast!!
So fun seeing pics of your July 4th! And wow…you had a LOT of people there! I hope camping is going well – we have still not gone this summer (that’s just a shame), because 2 trips have been canceled for various reasons. In Ohio, we worry about raccoons eating our food – can’t imagine if it would be bears!
Looks like a FUN Independence Day celebration! We had a big crowd too. So much fun!
Your “American” party theme is great!! Hope you have great adventures camping (and don’t need the scissors to attack the bear…LOL)
never thought about the fact you probably can’t just go out and buy american stuff there
love the decor. Every year I think july 4th is my favorite holiday and then comes Christmas and I switch. I just love all the fun colorful patriotic clothes, and the parade and partying in the summer time! 
Have fun camping! got lots of camping stories just don’t have time now to type them out
so good to catch up with you here a bit. have not been on xanga for several weeks.
i’m so proud of you for reaching out and inviting friends for your very own 4th party… refusing to live in self pity. go YOU. and i love that your girlfriends celebrate you in this way.
harmony saw your fruit kabobs and went mmmmm. they looked amazing.
i hope you are doing well. love how you love summer.
Perfect firework picture!!! We were amazed by the full moon in the sky beside the fireworks… Your children are such a great combination of you and your husband. Each one I can look at and think “he/she looks just like Amber” and then I’m like, “No, he/she looks just like her husband!”
What a fun party!!! The base here put on a big celebration with a petting zoo and go karts and face painting… all for free… so it almost felt like we were in the states!
That is a great party. -And you’ll have a blast! Bears are more afraid of you than you are them. ;]
We LOVE to camp, too! Just got home last night from a few days of camping! We love grilling over the fire, smores, fishing, swimming, sleeping in, and everything else that goes w/ it! =) Such a fun family time!
Your party looks awesome!!! I think it is so cool that you planned that!!
And now I am anxious to hear about your camping weekend! Wondering how it went. We go camping a lot (these past few years, especially) and enjoy it very much. But we don’t usually tent it. I really don’t have any camping stories other than just fun stuff!!
Looking forward to hearing about your camping trip. We are headed off on one of our own on Thursday with the husband’s family. The stories of camping that I have most would not get b/c they are full of those inside jokes that you only get if you were there. That is what a camping trip is made of in my mind. LOL
The 4th of July party looked so fun!! You sure know how to throw a party!
i got your mass text about the party.
but couldn’t get across the border in time. looks like it was a blast. maybe next time. hahaha. i think that camping looks fun…with all.of.the.right.gear. which we do not have. our most recent camping venture was in our own yard. and i got made fun of for my air mattress with fitted sheets. made sense to me! when it’s time to sleep…i want to be sleeping! and i’ll arrange my environment to do so. ha. and that was back in the 90′s. so it’s been awhile.
you made me laugh—love having extra tent poles.
miss ya dear.