Camp S'more - Part 2 "We Can Do So Many Activities!"

Pardon the 'Stepbrothers' quote but there are just so many things you can do while camping!  Generally, the family is not too keen on strenuous exercise but sometimes the surroundings are just too pretty to pass up.  For instance, while in Sedona, the family hiked and it became one of our favorite memories.  So while camping at Lopez Lake, the desire to walk and explore the surroundings was a looked forward to event, even for Sienna who tends to frown upon such activities.  Well, there's no frowning when you're camping!

Our first hike involved a morning jaunt around the lake perimeter.  We were also in search of kindling, to help stoke the fire to epic proportions.  Here is Spenser with some great 'kindling' finds.  We loaded them in a plastic bag and took them home to camp.  Shh!  Don't tell the park rangers!

Here is Sienna on the hike, looking good and keeping us on schedule.

And the true schedule keeper, MOMMY!

After some kindling collection, we walked past the lake marina,

then up a big hill, and thankfully down, back to camp.

Our next hike was the following morning, and this time our goal was to collect pinecones.  They make awesome kindling.  Here you see the kids scaling the hill behind our camp, after hitting a pinecone gold mine!

Check out the size of that pinecone!

Buddy and I can't contain our excitement!

 

Our second hike was another success.  Now for our third.  We had no intentions this time, except perhaps to not go too far.  This path took us along the lake, as you can see, it's quite scenic.

Spenser enjoys some brisk walking with his mommy. 

And I think he learned that every hike has a reward, and it's not just bonding with his mom and sister.

Yesterday it was a pinecone on steroids, and today it's a ..............

Sorry - you'll just have to wait for the Camp S'more Sequel! Coming soon.....

 

Camp S'more

Most kids go to some type of summer camp and let's face it, any camps in Arizona would be indoors, and what fun is that?  But luckily Sienna and Spenser have grandparents who love to camp and just happen to live in a gorgeous part of the central coast.  After much packing (on Papa's part) of two trucks, it was time to head to the lake and begin camp set-up.  Here are Papa's helpers.

After clearing a level spot, it was time to erect the tent.  Here are our sleeping quarters.

One more thing to do before the sights can be enjoyed, set up the kitchen tent.

Here is a panoramic view of what Camp S'more looked like. 

Now that the work was done, it was time to have fun, starting with sightseeing and rock skipping-

and catch.

Let's not forget scenic walks, with stops for pictures...

As the sun sets, fire time begins.  Spenser loves this time of the day.

Playing with fire, feeling its warmth, and of course - roasting marshmallows!

As you can see, Sienna likes hers charred.  Spenser likes no blackness whatsoever, which is actually hard to achieve.

I think mommy built a perfect s'more.

And I even enjoyed one myself!

  So that's how the first night of Camp S'more ended.  After sitting around the fire the next thing to do is to go to bed, which is surprisingly early by Samour standards.  We were tucked into our beds by 10 pm, hoping that we would make it through the night without needing a trip to the bathroom.  Unfortunately there was only a one night reprieve in that area, but we all survived and fared rather well.  I've got many more pics to share, but so far blogging is a slow process.  So stay tuned and be patient, you myriad of followers out there! 

Say Goodbye 5th and 7th Grades, Hello 6th and 8th!

Another successful school year is done and the kids have grown, matured, and worked hard.  They now deserve some rest and relaxation, as well as some boredom, but hey that is what summer is about. 

Rob continued his tradition of meeting the kids on their last day and videoing the event.  Here is Spenser on his last day, and can't you just hear Alice Cooper's words, "Schools out for SUMMER!!"

Here is our no longer 5th grader, now a 6th grader.

Rob attempted to video Sienna as well but she wasn't so keen on that idea, as you may expect with a pre-teen.  She could see us across the field and she turned around and went the other way.  Sadly, I won't further embarass her with the video of that.  It's hard to be upset about her reluctance to be videoed when she handled the transition into junior high so famously.  As a junior high teacher myself, I know first hand how tumultuous this time can be, and how many students struggle with the number of teachers and expectations they have.  I'm very proud to say Sienna, the independent and self-motivated girl that she is, shined with no help from mom and dad.  She was like her own parent, monitoring her progress, grades, and workload.  It certainly paid off as evidenced by her final report card!

Her hard work was further acknowledged by her acceptance into the National Junior Honor Society.

Here she is at the induction ceremony.

So let summer commence. 

We'll be taking in the beauty of the Central Coast for the next three weeks.  Hopefully we'll be able to post from there.