Camping

We went camping for three days!!!!

For kids that LOVE the outdoors/water as much as our's it is REALLY weird to admit that this was the first time we've ever gone with our whole family.

We've gone with friends before and just the older kids a few times with Brooks, but just us for 3 days (2 NIGHTS IN A TENT!!!!) is kinda a big deal.

We went to Chau Ram Park in Oconee County. 

The campsites weren't my fav but the "ammenities", so to speak, were amazing!

The younger kids liked the "beach" area the most where there was this huge shallow area in the Chau River. There were waterfall/rapids above it and below it (that the kids and I explored) but the younger ones just stuck around here.

 When I say the campsite had much to be desired, I say that because they are SOOOO close together. Thankfully we picked the one at the VERY end with no one around us. Had people booked those sites it would've been a nightmare trying to keep things down a little. Our site was at the VERY top of the hill. When I say "hill" I mean the-slope-that-makes-your-hiney-and-calves-burn-for-days-after-you-get-home kind of hill.

 Chau Ram's claim to fame is the largest suspension bridge there. It moves when you walk on it....it was crazy. But man, that river was the BEST. The whole place was absolutely gorgeous scenery as you can see.

 Unfortunately we couldn't stay by the river the whole time.....we had to.....ya know.....eat. 

Tinfoil dinners are actually one of my favorite things to eat. Period. And man oh man, did the kids and I make some KILLER tinfoil dinners this time. Heavenly.

We were REALLY smart in picking the site at the very end, but apparently it's ALSO the site by the newly-found bees that have set up shop. Lovely. Kellyn kept trying to play with them so we put Royce and Kellyn in the Yeti's front seat to eat together so she wouldn't make the bees mad and get stung. 

 (they shared a tinfoil dinner. I just love how his arm is around her. Neither of these two speak well, but they spend every minute together of their days and they "understand" each other.)

Biscuits over the fire were probably everyone else's fav. Aleeya seemed to make the best ones out of all the kids. They were perfectly golden.

 Biscuits for breakfast. Add honey and it was perfect.

Of course there were creatures being caught.

The totals were

1 turtle

7 lizards

1 slug

23 frogs

2 snake

1 fish

Oh, and this really really nasty spider that was white and gray. It's dead in this picture because a bunch of bees worked together and stung it a ton of times. Nature at its finest.

As if Iris weren't so worried about everything to BEGIN with, she got stunk by a bee....and then bit by a few fire ants. We heard about it for a while, trust me.

Then she was just doing her mumble-grumble-high-pitch-whine-to-herself over and over because "Everyone else keeps catching things and I never catch ANYTHING" (*wail*). 

Thank GOODNESS this slimey slug crawled up next to her for her to catch to temporarily calm her.

 One of my favorite pictures of me as a child has my older brother Matt handing me a frog and me looking down at it just like this. Kellyn is lucky to have older brothers that hand her creatures.

Sleeping arrangements were.....um......fun. We have a huge tent that fits everyone no problem (with the port-a-crib inside too) but the campsite was on GRAVEL....and it's not like we have all the camp supplies that most families do that actually GO camping a ton.....it was camping Princess-and-the-Pea/Gravel style. We brought the usual sleeping bags, blankets to sleep on.......and a crib mattress for me. Oh yea.....I did. I brought a crib mattress to curl up on and sleep. Turns out it's kinda small for an adult to sleep on......huh.....who'da thought?

The kids slept like babies every night though so I guess we can't complain.

The Champ-of-the-Camp award goes to Everly though.

That sweet thing just napped whenever we stuck her down and was a trooper. We pulled the port-a-crib out during the day (it was too hot in the tent) and she would just fall asleep

 THANK GOODNESS IRIS CAUGHT SOMETHING BIG TO BRING HER SMILE BACK!!!!

She caught a snake.

 Not just any snake......it was pregnant.

 Yea....so.....I wasn't disappointed when it "escaped"

Like I've mentioned, the river was amazing. The weather was warm enough (not too hot) that you just wanted to go ride down the river. I LOVE rivers (no sharks, no salt..haha). The older four and I spent hours riding down the rapids just floating down the river and going off a few waterfalls. Then we would make our way back up the river and then Brooks would go down with the older 4 while I watched the younger ones by the "beach" area. It was so relaxing just to kick my feet up and float down a river with my kiddos.

We had a blast. 

And in case you're wondering out of all those creatures only ONE (turtle) snuck it's way into our Yeti on our way home. I would say that's a win for the Smiths!