Camping 2010!

Let me tell ya- Kyle LOVES this time of year! He loves the leaves changing & the cooler weather- especially now that we live closer to the mountains. (I like this time too but I'm more of a spring time-beachy kind of gal) Kyle planned 2 camping trips for us so far & both were a blast!

Our first trip was to Amiacola Falls State Park (an hour+ north of here) where it was just our little fam (Kyle, Moose, & myself). We had a great weekend just soaking up the outdoors, cooking over a fire, & just enjoying each others company. We did a little 'hiking' (we had Moose so we couldn't do anything too intense). It actually turned out being over 500 wooden steps up the side of a waterfall. Moose wasn't a fan so she was carried most of the way. Also that weekend we stopped at a pumpkin patch (my first experience ever) & loved looking at all the gianormous pumpkins (I felt like Charlie Brown), dried corn cobs, gourds, etc. It was probably a highlight for me. :) Oh & we did our first Geocaching!

Camping Trip #2 was to Hamilton Branch State Park near Augusta (a good halfway point between us & Hartsville) We had Marc & Pat, Karl & his 2 boys, along with Tiffany & her girls join in on the camping fun. It was a blast being able to enjoy each other's company! Our tent is always put to shame by Karl's cabin-tent & Marc's mega dome but I'm sure we will be investing in a bigger tent soon-this one is getting worn out. Anywho! We had 2 campsites-one was for eating, cooking, & the warm fire while the second was for sleeping. We played hang man with the kids, ate all kinds of yummy snacks, the guys played frolf (frisbee golf), froze our booties off at night, trekked it to the bathrooms, & enjoyed the sunrise/sunset right on the lake. All in all it was a blast & we hope to keep the tradition going! (This was our second year)

Happy Camping Everyone!

Dad's Visit!

The week after Labor Day Dad came to visit for a few days. I didn't have much planned for him because I had just started keeping my friend's baby & I knew Dad was cool with just hanging out. For a while Kyle had been begging me to go to our church Cannery so we could start up our food storage. I had never been & I didn't want to go alone but the friends I have here all have babies & the cannery isn't open on the weekends! So when I found out Dad was coming I knew I had a partner in crime! ;)

We went on Wednesday morning & it was fun! Upon arriving we met an older couple that were good friends with the Mary Lou & Ace Ensign crew! (Kyle's gma & gpa) Small world! All 4 of us teamed up to make the canning easier & faster. We donned our hair nets & went to work! I was the official labeler! Intense-I know! haha We were done in less than an hour & it was fun! I am constantly amazed at how well organized the church is. I love the order of everything & how simple it all really is!

Here we are with our goods & rocking our hair nets!

On Thursday evening Dad & I loaded up a bag of snacks & took the train downtown. After we met up with Kyle we made our way Dad's first Braves game! After arriving at Turner Field we got in line to buy tickets. While we were in line a guy walked up & offered us his extra 4 tickets for $40. We only needed 3 & we didn't have that much cash so he ended up selling us the 3 tickets for like $25. We didn't know where we were going to be sitting-we had initially planned to get seats up at the top so after we got in & found our seats we were 9 rows back on the 3rd base line! woo hoo! We walked around so Dad could see all of the sights & then settled in for the opening ceremonies & the first pitch. The first inning was AMAZING! The Braves came full speed & even hit a couple of homers! Unfortunately after that they totally stunk it up. We had a yummy dinner though because there is nothing like footlong hot dogs at a Ball Park!

Showing off our seats!

(If you haven't noticed-Dad is always talking during pictures! haha)

That was basically all we did when Dad was here. One day I did make some yummy sugar cookies from scratch! They were SO yummy if I might say so myself! :) There is no telling how many I ate! ha!

Some of the cookies are Star Wars shapes. & no it's not Christmas but I only had red & green sprinkles! :P

It was nice having Dad come to visit. I hope he enjoyed a few days of nothingness!

Labor Day Wknd 2010

Kyle & I couldn't wait for Labor Day Weekend to get here. We were SO excited to go home & see the fam! Since the last time We haven't been home since June & during that time some things have changed but the good news is there is MORE family around. Now Kyle has 2 sisters (& their families) living with his parents so Ensign Headquarters (EH) is packed but full of fun & love!

We rolled into the ville Friday night & hunkered down at Karl & Onna's house (which they recently purchased & fixed up-SO cute!). Saturday morning I headed to the big EH to dig into some yummy breakfast casserole while the boys played frisbee golf & the kids went to a primary water party. I felt like a hobo most of the day. I had my pj's on until dinner time & everywhere I went I had my bag of clothes & shower stuff with me just in case I needed to actually look presentable. (Don't you love that you don't have to dress to impress with family?! Maybe it's just me & I'm sure they hate it but it's too late because we'll be together for eternity! ha!) Anywho Kyle & I did get to spend some time with my mom, Kevin, & Trevor. Most of Kevin's family was battling sickness so by the end of our stay we were actually able to see the whole fam! It was great seeing Mom & Kevin. I hate being so far away from them.

Saturday night marked the start of BATTLE DIP Ensign style! Let me tell you-there was some fierce competition! Kyle & I made our usuals (you can't mess with greatness) pineapple cheese dip & Kyle's chili cheese dip. I don't remember exactly who won... I think Onna's Black Bean Raspberry Dip brought down the house. Some of my other faves were Bryce's (the dark horse) Buffalo Chicken Dip & Karl's (idk what it was called but it was hot as fire dip)! haha The top 3 will be showcased at Thanksgiving! Word on the street is a Battle Dessert is in the works... After stuffing ourselves with dips we played some fun games-Celebrity & the Couch Game.

After church on Sunday Kyle & I enjoyed 2 amazing home cooked meals. Lunch was with my family & some of the good eats were: brown rice, roast, peach pie & ROLLS! Kyle also had his friend, Tom, eat with us. He just got a job with Sonoco & is new to the area so he joined in on the fun. After eating way too much we waddled on over to the EH to have dinner. Some of the highlights were pretzel salad, funeral potatoes & ROLLS! Can you tell I LOVE carbs/starch?! That night we were supposed to go to Kev & Sue's house for games but their kids were still battling illnesses so we played some more games at the Ensign Headquarters. The games: Curses, Rukus & Murder (very Sunday appropriate huh?) haha

Monday morning started with the Ensign tradition of washing all the cars. It was good teamwork & we had some fun music to listen to while we worked. The boys played another round of frisbee golf & before we knew-it was time to pack up & head out. :( After spending some time with Mom, Mama, Papa, & Uncle Gary we grabbed Moose & made on our way back to ATL.

All the kids love Uncle Kyle & his iPhone!

Can't you tell they are closely related?! Just look that their Ensign calves! :P

Mom loving on baby Lauren!

This is just a peek into the fun we had!