Camping...not Sleeping

On our long awaited campout we lost part of the family: The tip of Doug's index finger. While giving Miranda instructions on how to use a hatchet, Doug pointed where she should chop. Being anxious to get the job done, she went ahead with a big wack. Unfortunately, Doug's finger was still pointing. Apparently, she has pretty good hand-eye coordination! After a pretty constant flow of blood for the next 10 minutes we were able to get it bandaged up, but the throbbing pain continued throughout the night. So a part of Doug will always be at Madame Dorian Park.

The campground is named after a brave member of a exploration party. I don't think she would be too proud of the shabby campground that bears her namesake, but the price was right-FREE! Plus it was only 20 minutes from home. We hardly slept a wink b/c the neighboring campers (and perhaps some cans of beer) were talking around their campfire until dawn-literally, but the kids managed to be relatively happy.

They thought this old bridge was pretty cool. Too bad there is all sorts of graffiti on it. I tried not to get any naughty words in the picture.

Inspiring Story

It's always good to hear a good story on the t.v. Check this one out. It made me cry the first time I heard it told on the radio. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVw1PANUcdg

What a weekend!

The long awaited Father & Sons campout was this weekend. This was Carson's first campout with the men of the family. If dirt is the measurement of how much fun they had, this gang had lots of it. They came home filthy. Unfortunately (for me and them), they had to come home earlier than expected b/c it got a bit warm. Summer temps decided to role in on Friday.




Miranda and I had a good time without the boys. Our friends Hipolito and Sonia Velez treated us to go see "Prince Caspian." Miranda thought it was pretty cool to still be out and about @ 10pm. Saturday morning (after doing our chores, of course) we did a bit of yard-saling (spell check says this is not a word. I say it is). I got some pretty good deals and Miranda scored a Barbie doll for $1.00. That's my girl. Never pay full price for anything. Okay, we do make a few exceptions to that rule. I picked up a pasta machine for $3. I checked online and it retails for $50, so I felt pretty proud. I've never made homemade pasta before and thought I'd give it a go. If anyone has a tried and true recipe for a basic pasta, send it my way. If it turns out not to be my thing the kids can always use it for playdough!

I'm so tired!

Why do they say kids can sleep anywhere?

Carson had an accident in his pants on Friday while I was getting ready to go out of town. I got a
little side-tracked when getting him some new underwear. He got a little comfortable. Garrett was glad that I didn't get his privates in the shot.

The Balloon Stampede

We went to Walla Walla for Mother's Day and the Balloon Stampede. Carson was pretty impressed. As for the older kids-not so much.

I realized that there is a big smuge on the camera lense. (Hense the cloudy look on the left)Sorry Garrett.

I think Tanner and Max would have rather stayed in bed. There was no force involved in this activity. They were given the option to stay with Grandma.

They heat up the air with butane once they fill the balloon with big fans. I like this part because you can look into the balloon while it is still laying on the ground.

Happy Birthday Grandma Knighton!

29 again! Hope you have a wonderful birthday Frances.

New Batteries!

We finally got new batteries for the camera. After a somewhat futile attempt to take a group photo of the kids, I resorted to individuals. I think it would take a miracle to get 5 kids all looking at the camera and smiling at the same time.