Sage Hen, 2011

We were so super blessed to once again join a very large group of very friendly campers at Sage Hen. Our wonderful friends Jon and Shannon organize this, and their attendance this year was especially impressive as Shannon gave birth to her sweet little boy, Gabriel just weeks before. If you click on here, you can see what my beautiful friend, Shannon, looks like (think: Anne Hathaway). If you click on this link, you will see my personal favorite picture of Shannon. Sage Hen is a wonderful spot to gather as a group....the site held 7 families and there are trails and hillsides and a lake just a short jaunt away. last year, 20 kids and 14 adults showed up. This year, 16 adults and 24 kids were present. The kids completely outnumber. Similar to last year, though, no adult was tied up and forced to eat too many marshmallows.



The frogs were rampant, the kids were rampant, and the trips to the outhouse...well, they were rampant, too.


Here, Liv names all the frogs with help from her friends. I told you they were rampant! I will refrain from showing you the rampant trips to the outhouse. You're welcome!


The kids loved digging and exploring,


getting dirty and chasing butterflies...


...and eating their fresh catch.



A campfire is a must for a camping trip. But songs around a campfire during a camping trip is a dream and exports one immediately to their days of youth. I was a happy camper to think that our girls will remember these beautiful times spent singing praises with "family" friends.

By the way, I love Holland's hands in this picture. And I really love these pics of friends Holland and Stellan together. It brought back immediate memories from last year's trip when he sweetly showed her how to use a bow.

Sage Hen is already building some wonderful family memories.
Thank you Jon and Shannon!

Bull Trout Lake, 2011

Back in July, we were able to get away for a couple days to Bull Trout Lake with some friends....we had a very leisurely time....well, as leisurely as it can be with a 2-year-old. I think my favorite part of camping is the lack of phone and computer and to-do list.

There is nothing more relaxing than to launch out onto quiet waters in red canoe.

To serenely witness first hand the jumping of fish and the moving of clouds and





the shouts of "Reesie the Garden Gnome" back at the campsite.


This campsite was unreal. HUGE sites right on the water. It was amazing. So were the bugs. I got attacked. Brian didn't. End of story. Some resentment.

Every time we camp, I include a treasure bag for the girls to find fun things around camp. This guy was waiting to greet us when we first arrived. Unfortunately, (and fortunately) he stayed behind to greet the next guests, as he was covered in sap.


Reesie adores her friend, Mary. The feeling is mutual.

These cuties found flowers for their hair during our hike.


The girls are happy here. This was a process :o).

We even had fun with the cleaning of the fish....



And when you are camping with a toddler, the camera gets a bit lonely. So then you hand it off to your 5-year-old. This is our camping trip, through the eyes of Hollywags:

Summers are for Fishing

and, according to Brian, posing and touching the fresh catch is a must for all fisherwomen--which the girl's weren't happy about. at. all.

But bravery, as Liv shows us, can be learned.


Oh, I love her expression here!


Holland still has another 2 years to learn this skill of touching and posing with a dead fish.



But she perks up enough when she realizes a camera is capturing the moment.



Here is Liv a few weeks later, posing with her fish like a pro. She caught this fish without any help at all!



More camping photos coming soon!!

Mores Mountain

A few years back, my friend Suz introduced our family to Mores Mountain, a 1-mile interpretive trail loop with little elevation change (read: perfect for youngsters). We got to go explore and enjoy the afternoon with our friends Scott and Keri and their boys. Afterwards, the guys would descend Bogus Basin on bike. Keri would descend in car carrying 2 boys. I would descend in car carrying 3 girls and 1 barf bag. It's no fun taking Liv on windy roads. In fact, we never go anywhere, even the grocery store, without a barf bag. The girl can get car sick just thinking of getting car sick.

Anyway, back to my point: We love an afternoon hiking with our girls, and Mores Mountain gives us a beautiful trail that even a tired toddler can handle.

Alpine meadows, canopies of firs, ancient boulders and panoramic views, plenty of shade and wildflowers, and.... caterpillars....

hiking...


posing...





and falling and becoming a dirt monster and still smiling...










and really great friends.