Summer Fun

Our summer started with a bang and a trip. The day after school got out, the boys and I flew to Ohio to help Mom & Dad watch Klausy and Kate while Kelli and Klaus went to Napa for Klaus' sister's wedding. We had a ball!!

Aunt Kimmie couldn't stand to not have a schedule and itinerary, so Camp Cool Cousins was born! Our first project was a nature walk to create our camp sign.

Everyone is ready to take off! I love Max--striking a pose!

Pa was our amazing "carrier". Everything the kids found to use on the sign went in Pa's bag. Kate was the fabulous assistant =)

Our finished product. Klaus' contribution was the left side, a cloud and rain, Mason's part was the right side a treasure map, and Max just generally put glue everywhere =)

A lot of time was spent eating. I was shocked at the amount of food those four kids could put away--especially Kate! That girl has to have a hollow leg; she totally kept up with the boys in the food department. Well, actually, she pretty much kept up with them in ALL departments! She's one tough little chick!

Mason being goofy...

Whatever Mason did, Kate was sure to follow.

Saturday was sports mania day! Klaus had a soccer game in the morning and then a t-ball game in the afternoon. The soccer game was the World Cup!

Max went with us to the game and had a great time cheering his cousin on; although, I really think his favorite part was the donut after the game =)

After the crazy day Saturday, the evening was spent lounging. Here are a couple of sweet pics I got:

Grandma and Kate Kate

That's Mase under the blanket with Klaus lounging on him and Kate rubbing his head. It's so nice to be loved =)

One of the major activities for the week was an actual camping trip. Klaus has been BEGGING to sleep in the tent and camp. My sister is good at a lot of things, but camping is not her forte, so Klaus has been deprived of the experience all these years.

I had done some research and found a state park not far from the house. I had my tent and we were ready to go when Pa started to back out and talk about a "backyard camp out". In retrospect, Pa's reasoning was sound--they were calling for a low of 57 degrees that night. The Texan in me, however, thought that 57 degrees in early June sounded heavenly, so I talked Pa into it. Well, let's just say the ground temp is not the same in Ohio as it is in Texas and I FROZE to death!

Pa and Mason tried valiantly to start the fire. The wood was green AND wet, but we were determined! About the time we finished roasting hot dogs and marshmallows, it got going really well =)

Just beyond our campsite was a deep ravine that lead to the lake. The boys, of course, discovered it immediately and went exploring. Miss Kate was not happy about being left behind, so off she and I went! The picture below is fuzzy and you can't really see how deep it is, but let's just say I'm glad Kate and I made it out in one piece!

Kate was definitely the princess of the camp!

After Kate and Grandma went home, the boys had a great time playing with their homemade glow in the dark comets. Pa taught them how to windmill the comets up in the air--no one within a 100 yard radius was safe!!

Once it got dark, the boys, Pa, & I gathered around the campfire for ghost stories. As I was right in the middle of my story, Mason yelled out Look over there! We turned around and saw our nighttime visitor. It was so much fun to watch him, just a few feet from us.

We had a great time in Ohio and it was nice to escape the Texas heat for a week. Next week we're off to Kansas again for some more fun with cousins! I am so glad that my career lets me spend me summers with not only my kids, but my nieces and nephew too!