Our first camping trip, dance camp, and what's been going on with us

Another busy week at our house. I feel like I kept saying we would have a quiet summer and it's been anything but that! We kicked off our weekend with a customer appreciation event at a local business in our town. The kids enjoyed bounce houses, face painting, and a BBQ dinner.

Last weekend we went on our first camping trip for the summer. Actually, it was our first camping trip in probably 3 years. Payton had been begging to go camping and my in-laws loaned us their camper for the summer so we don't really have much of an excuse not to go.

We loaded up on Saturday morning first thing and drove a few hours to meet up with my family. We decided to combine my brother's birthday (the day before) and Riley's 2nd birthday party. It is a bit early to celebrate Riley yet but we aren't sure when we will see my family next.

We all had so much fun seeing each other, soaking up the sun, and celebrating two important people in our lives. At the end of our fun day, we decided to stick to our kids normal bed time and routine but that was a total bust. It took about 2 hours to get them to sleep and we were so exhausted. I wish I could say the silver lining was that they slept in but no way did that happen. Riley was up at 5am greeting the world with his hellos.

Despite being tired, I do love early mornings with my kids. They are normally pretty happy and eager to learn and explore. We decided to take full advantage of camping and went for a long walk with grandma while most of the camp sites were still slumbering. When we reached the river, we let the kids throw some pine cones in the water and watch them float away, much like what happens in one of their Pooh story books.

It is so beautiful to watch some of the simplest moments God grants us.

The trip was too short and we soon found ourselves saying sad goodbyes and packing up to return home. Our kids almost never sleep in the vehicle and Payton has only taken a handful of naps in the past few years, but yet we were blessed with a beautiful gift on the way home. Total Silence. For most of the trip.

It's been awhile since I have had an uninterrupted conversation in the vehicle with my husband. This time was not taken for granted.

We desperately needed a quiet day at home on Monday, but that was not the case. Payton was signed up for her first summer dance camp and it required the mornings away from home Monday through Thursday. The camp was in the next town over so I had to entertain Riley while she was dancing her day away and pack lunch for our family to eat on the way home.  This was probably the most fun I have ever seen Payton have at an extracurricular activity and Riley had a blast spending quality time with just mommy.

Payton made several art projects (including some 4th of July sandals) and worked more on her somersaults, cartwheels, and backward somersaults. She has another camp in a few weeks and she is talking about it constantly. It's an amazing journey watching her continue to learn.

Riley and I used our time to run errands, take long walks together, and we also made it to a few different parks. He was a great little helper and reminded me that he's growing up fast.

Today is Friday and our first day at home for this week. I'm not used to being gone so much. We spent the morning catching up on chores and then the kids painted outside for a bit. We had an early lunch as both kids were showing signs that they desperately needed naps/quiet time.

We continue to have some amazing things happening on our little acreage. We harvested sour cherries from our tree for the first time since moving to our house. A friend came and harvested most of it as I haven't had the time to do much. Our family is excited for what I did get though! We are also starting to get strawberries again and the kids are loving looking for them daily. Fresh eggs never seem to get old around here.

The hubby works most of this weekend and the next week so I'm hoping for at least a few quiet days at home! Have a great weekend!