Soldier Creek Part 2

If Dana was anywhere in sight, that was where Emma wanted to be. If Dana wasn't there then Allen and Carrie's dog was the next best thing.

But when she got both Dana and the dog- then life was really good!

Poor Ross is really trying to start the day with a good attitude after a very rough night in the tent with Emma. The fake smile is almost convincing- but not quite.

Emma made a game of getting in the tent with her shoes on- a big 'no no'. She really enjoyed being chased out.

But she always got them off so she could come in again.

After much pleading, we got Uncle Allen to sing his famous Fred the Moose song for us.

This is my cousin Aaron enjoying a roasted star burst. I know it sounds weird- but it is really quite good.

My Grandpa Wallace finally agreed to tell his famous "Millicrab" story. (Millicrabs are the creatures that are made when marshmallows are dropped in the fire- that is why they get so big!)

Our Camping Trip to Soldier Creek

This is my cousin Tanner. After charring one of his marshmallows on accident, he took my dare to eat it. He was very pleased with how disgusted I was by it.
That smile on Ross's face is one of triumph. It took all day to get that little bugger to sleep.

This is our sunburned and VERY tired little girl who REFUSED to take a nap all day!

We both bought new shoes right before we went camping- aren't they cute? (Mine are on the right.)

One of Emma's prime sources of entertainment on this camp out was to periodically move her chair around.

This is a little ball of energy and noise cleverly disguised as a little boy named Nathan. He took a break from his perpetual movement to re-charge his batteries with an ice cream sandwhich. This is a little ball of energy and noise cleverly disguised as a little boy named Nathan. He took a break from his perpetual movement to re-charge his batteries with an ice cream sandwhich.

Grandma Jones finally helped Emma get some water for her cup.

Before that she was trying as hard as she could to discover the mystery of the big orange water jug.

It was Grandma Jones's 67th birthday while we were at camp (let's see if she ever checks this blog at all and decides to correct me). Heather and Caulene made sure that she enjoyed it in style.

This is my Uncle Jay giving me the best 'Take-the-Picture-and-Die' look he could muster up- it was obviously not as effective as he would have liked.

My cousin Genavive showing off her lovely hat- she designed it herself.

My sister Caulene is showing her enthusiasm for being awake at 7:30 in the morning on her vacation.

This is what I found after leaving Emma alone for a few minutes while I switched a load of laundry. She is getting very agile, and way too fast for me to keep up with.

She was trying to organize all of the candles, and was frustrated that they would not all fit in one holder. It looks like she may have picked up a little bit of my OCD.

She also inherited her daddy's love for watermelon . . .

. . .except that Emma prefers her melon dipped in butter.

She has now decided that she is way too big for her high chair. She is growing up so fast! I guess its time for another baby. :)

I am a Genius (or rather I am an Expert- same thing right?)

I have been a part of a Mother's panel/blog thing for the past few months. It is basically a place for a bunch of bored moms to go and give each other advice on questions and to talk about how much we love/hate our roles and children at the moment. Well, this last week I put up a response to a question regarding tutoring children. Someone was asking for the best place to send a child struggling with reading, and I put up a post stating: If my kids need help in school- I want to be the one to help them. There is no reason to pay for someone else to teach them, when helping them can be a bonding experience that will help both of us become stronger and smarter. I want to be able to stay abreast of whatever they are studying as long as I can- even if that means I have to do some studying of my own while they are in school.

Well the head honchos of the website really liked that comment, so they sent me a $25 gift certificate to Amazon, and have made me one of their Expert Moms regarding education and academics.

What is my point you ask? Well- just that since I have now shared this insight with all of you, I feel that you should pay the dues of being so closely linked with an Expert Mom of my caliber. I accept cash, checks, gift certificates, confectionary items, free meals, free babysitting, (pretty much free anything) and long letters or comments full of glowing praise.