The Great Outdoors

It was only five minutes away and it was only one night but I did have second thoughts. Not because of missing the babies (they were being looked after by grandparents) but because I could have had a night off. A quiet hotel and a good night's sleep was very tempting. But instead I opted to join Brian, Blake, Garrett and Renee for the Family Camp Out at Lake Poway. And, I have to say, I'm glad I did.

Most of all, I was looking forward to spending some quality time with Blake and Garrett since so much of my time and attention these days is focused on the twins. We all had a great time, and especially the boys. Here are some highlights:

Garrett had his first boat experience and even caught the first fish!

Blake may not have caught the first fish, but he sure caught the biggest.

Of course it wouldn't be a true camping experience without a bonfire and smores.

We celebrated Christmas in July as the boys sang Christmas songs and decorated a nearby tree with glow bracelets (which, incidentally, made a good marker for our campsite in the darkness). Here's the tree with the flash...

and without.

Blake and Garrett took advantage of the perfect stage created by the flashlight and the tent and had fun making shadow puppets (these were dinosaurs).

And sleeping in the tent topped it off.



Our campsite at dusk.

Our campsite at dawn. Hard to believe this is just miles from home.

It was a memorable night for several reasons but mostly because we were able to spend some time with Blake and Garrett doing not much more than enjoying the sights and sounds of nature and the great outdoors together...and hopefully creating childhood memories that will last a lifetime.