A Weekend With A Star Next To It

This weekend we took the kids camping for the first time ever! It was also the first time that Matt and I had gone camping together! We went down to Pokagon State Park in Indiana and met our great friends, Alli and Andy, and their kids, Jackson and Eliza, at the campsite.The kids were way excited (as was I) and the car was packed almost to the max. The first day there was basically just setting everything up (with a few unforeseen issues) and having dinner, s'mores, and getting the kids in bed at 10:30. The four adults sat around the fire talking until 12:30 and it was so much fun. It was like we had seen them last week instead of two and a half years ago because we just picked up right where we left off! When we finally went to bed we were able to sleep for about an hour before someone......decided that she really didn't feel like sleeping in her pack 'n play in the tent. I wish I was kidding when I say she was awake until the sun started coming up. The only people who actually got any sleep that night were Bauer and Jackson! In her defense she was totally out of her element and it was freezing!The next morning we all (sluggishly) crawled out of bed and got to work on breakfast and a fire. After we had eaten and cleaned up we took the kids to the horse stables and went for some pony rides! You can't really see it in the picture, but Bauer's giving the camera a thumbs up because he thought it was pretty cool.Then we went to rent some paddle boats to go explore the lake. It was a beautiful day, perfect for boating! And, apparently, perfect for napping. Cadance was sitting up front in between Matt and me and, after a while, Matt looked down and she had fallen asleep with her head resting on the front of her life jacket! She couldn't resist the calming effect of the gentle rocking of the waves and the sound of the the water lapping against the sides of the boat.Then, back to camp for some fake sleeping in the tent, lunch, games and......rocket balloons! The rocket balloons didn't last too long, but they were a big hit! They just flew too high and kept wanting to get stuck in the trees!After everyone had eaten, we put the kids in there pajamas and Alli and I took them on a hay ride! They all had a good time (aside from Bauer losing his glow-necklace right away) and Cadance especially had a good time. And I just have to point out, could my kids look any more alike in that picture?? It's the first time that I've really noticed the similarity!

After the hay ride we put everyone to bed at a decent hour, enjoyed another adults-only fire and played some cards! Alli and Andy are the best card players we know and always have great games to teach us. We just stuck with regular Euchre this time because it's such a classic and had a great time trash-talking each other (some more than others)!Up bright and early the next morning (after a much more restful night) for breakfast, playing, and packing. When the Louthains still lived in Michigan, Bauer and Jackson were the best of friends! Even though they were really young at the time, they just seemed to have a special connection that time and distance hasn't worn down yet. They jousted, explored, and played together the entire time and now Bauer keeps talking about how much Jackson misses him and how he wishes they lived by us! I couldn't agree more...We were planning on swimming but it was just chilly enough that we didn't put our swim suits on. We had lunch and let the kids play at the park and then took them to play in the sand for a while. (Notice Jackson trying to run away from the camera? Sorry bud, I don't give up that easily!)As much as we didn't want to say goodbye, I think this about sums up how tired we all were! These two slept almost the entire way home!

We had such an awesome time with these amazing people, I'm so glad we planned this trip! It makes me miss them all the more! Now cue "When You're The Best of Friends"...