3rd Annual Ensign Family Camp Out

This year we all met up in Plum Branch, SC again to enjoy a night of camping. Each year the number of campers has grown. It's great to have so much of the family together!

Cooper did as he had at our last little camp out- he wanted to be held & cuddled by me the entire time. I feel really bad for all the family that had to endure listening to Coop cry. I hope it didn't put too much of a damper on their trip. 

The camp food was so yummy! There's just something about camping that makes food that much more delicious! For dinner Kyle made frito/chili pie. I had 2 helpings & wanted like 5 more! :) For dessert Jen provided some HUGE marshmallows for old school smores & a pinterest creations-Smores Cones! Both hit the spot! For breakfast we had bacon, eggs, & pancakes. :) I love food! ha!

The evolution of Camping Coop with someone other than me holding him... 

He's initially ok.

Starting to realize something's not right...

& then the explosion when he sees me.

Love my boys.

All snuggled up & warm.

Coop fell asleep while I was holding him.

Silly pic with all the fam.

Kyle made a "sherpa bed" for Moose.
I think she likes it!

I felt like I didn't get to spend a whole lot of quality time with the family due to Cooper-such is the life of a mom (I'm learning). Fortunately Marc ALWAYS had his camera at the ready so he got some good pics.

Due to the craziness of this last camp out. Kyle & I have decided that Cooper is on a 1 year camping probation. Sorry Coop but it's for the best. One day you'll enjoy Father/Son camp outs but you'll have to wait.

Cabin Fever! 2011

Kyle wanted camping tent style. I (& baby Cooper) wanted a little bit of luxury-no air mattress included. Together we decided on a renting a cabin in North Georgia for the weekend. :) Friday we took a half-day & headed north. (I ended up taking a full day off because I had a lovely stomach bug-that's another story for another day). Anywho! I don't remember much about Friday due to the meds I was on & slept but the cabin was great! We were on the side of a mountain & the view was beautiful! Kyle ended up going to dinner solo & enjoyed some yummy BBQ while I had pretzels & gatorade. Kyle also got to relax in the nice hot tub while I watched from a distance. (Hot tubs are recommended when you're preggers)

Our Cabin! Can you find Moose? :)

Don't be jealous that I got to lounge on a Black Bear & Deer Couch all weekend! (Again can you find Moose?)

Saturday morning started off good. I was feeling a lot better so after a little relaxing we headed out to see a waterfall! The waterfall was pretty pathetic but it was nice to be out & about enjoying the great outdoors! For lunch we decided on some good ol' country cooking. Whether or not my body was ready for fried goodness-my mouth sure was!! I had some BBQ, fried okra, slaw, & cheese biscuits. Kyle had fried catfish, mac & cheese, & collards. Dessert was the BEST! Banana. Pudding. (I so wish I had some right NOW)

Pretty amazing waterfall huh? We've definitely seen better!

Saturday afternoon/evening we had some friends (the Malans & the Carrons) come for the night. Tressa & Chris made us a great dinner of lasagna & homemade bread-SO good. We played some games & ate way too much. I called it night pretty early but the rest of the crew stayed up late having a great time.

Finn in Moose's bed. They are so cute playing together!

Jared teaching Finn fire safety... I hope. :)

Chris & Tressa baking up some bread & cooking lasagna!!

iPad time! Even Finn got in on the fun!

Sunday morning we woke up & the Malans cooked us an amazing breakfast! Have you ever had German Pancakes?! They are delicious! After stuffing our faces with more food we packed up & headed out. On the way home the Malans & us stopped by Tallulah Gorge. It's a beautiful place! Kyle's hiked all over it so he took us to be best view with the least amount of work. :)

German Waffles. Enough said.

Kyle & I on the back porch of the cabin.

Tressa & Chris

The ladies!

Another honorable mention-Kyle & I truly enjoyed having cable for the weekend. Well let's just say we basically watched HGTV the entire time with a side of Food Network & MTV. :)

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!