Families that Play Together Stay Together

This weekend, our family went camping together for the first time. Graham and Tim have been together several times, but this was the first time Wesley and I joined them. One of my best friends, Christine, told me her husband read a survey that said the one thing that most happy families had in common was they went camping together. After experiencing it myself, I think I would agree with the survey. We had a lot of fun as a family. We left behind distractions and obligations and got to enjoy the beauty of God's creation and just being together. Plus, my boys both love getting dirty and doing anything outside.

Now, I can't say that there aren't some difficult things about camping. You have to do a lot of planning and packing ahead of time, sleeping on the ground is not the most comfortable thing, and sharing a bathroom with a bunch of strangers can be a little awkward. Yet, there's just something special about snuggling with your kids around a campfire under the stars, listening to an owl hooting as you fall asleep, and waking up the next morning to see your kids giggling at one another in the tent. The daily struggles seem a little less overwhelming, and things seem a little simpler.

So, come on...what are you waiting for? Get some camping gear together. You can borrow ours if you want. Take your family camping. It's totally worth it!

I think we've got a lot of camping trips ahead of us. Can you see Graham's head sticking out of our tent? Tim got a new tent for his birthday and it had lots of space.

my little guy walking

snuggling by the fire
roasting marshmallows for smores

breakfast the next morning

I did not tell him to pose. He just did it. :)

Foster Falls-for those of you who were wondering (Amy-does it look familiar?)