So much has happened this month. I was overwhelmed. Maybe if the sun had shone more than three days I wouldn't have been quite so down. But luckily we went camping and left the gloom of Houston behind for the sunny hill country of Texas. Sebastian insisted I get pictures of the sunset and of the sunrise. So here's my sunset pictures for you all. We actually spent the first night in Blanco State Park. But I didn't get a picture. For anyone curious, it's right on the edge of town (you can walk to downtown, which is pretty small) and right on the Blanco River. Very much a KOA feel to the campground. But nice. Anyway, we went there because a huge group of people from two different wards in our stake had filled up the campground at Pedernales. Or so we thought. When we actually went there after setting up camp at Blanco, there was multiple campsites available. So the next day we took down all the stuff and moved to Pedernales.
Anyway, we drove up Thursday, and then that night we had a great big huge gathering and had desserts altogether. My friends told me that my dessert was the best. Thank you. Thank you. I made mixed berry crisp in a skillet. I showed Mom the recipe last week, and then I realized that I didn't really follow the recipe much at all. Anyway, it was delicious. I cooked the crisp topping first and then put it on a plate while I made the berry part, and then spooned it over top. It was really good! Ana had come up a day earlier with friends and we didn't see her much the first two days.
After setting up camp the second time Friday morning at Pedernales, another group arrived and apparently they had reserved our spot, so then Leo and I spent the afternoon moving all our stuff again to a different site. We actually just carried our tents down the road with them still up. Anyway, that's how that day went. Meanwhile my friend Brittney B., watched my kids down at the river. We met up with them just as they were heading back up the trail.
I have to say, my cooking this time was so good. No modesty. Anyway, it was Megan that inspired me with her delicious dutch oven every night at Bear Lake. That is still my favorite camping trip ever. But I mixed up all the seasonings and onions already cut up, etc. in bags before we left and had all the ingredients for each meal in it's own special Walmart bag, and so then I could just grab the bag, dump it in the skillet or whatever and it was so fast! Kind of like freezer meals. The first day we had grilled apple, ham and swiss cheese sandwiches. The next night we had delicious steak that Leo grilled perfectly over the fire (it was a cheap, junky steak too, and it still was wonderful!) and corn, soybean and tomato skillet something or other. Britney and Truston joined us and said it was the best camping meal they'd ever eaten. :) Meanwhile the kids had hotdogs. My breakfasts weren't all that great though, the pancakes all stuck to the skillet, Ana finally managed to get them to not stick on the Bodine's skillet, and I simultaneously burnt and undercooked the hash browns. Oh well, the kids only wanted hot cocoa anyway.
This is Lily, Truston and Brittney's youngest. She is so adorable!
And Brittney and Reed.
Nicolas crashed. All the kids slept really well the first night and we only were sleep deprived a little bit due to being cold. However, Nicolas did not get a nap in.
And these are my sunrise pictures for Sebastian. Not that I actually would have got up to take sunrise photos. Oh no. These are because Leo and I got about 2 hours of sleep that night because Nicolas and Jubal tag-teamed us all night long. When one was sleeping the other was crying and vice-versa. It was the worst night of camping in my entire life. Much, much, much worse than when Elena was a baby and crying at that one reunion. That doesn't even compare. Luckily it was warmer, so it wasn't bad getting out of the sleeping bag and rocking them standing up. But by 5 AM Leo and I just gave up and got up.
Early morning camp photo. The day before that night happened, I was like, I LOVE this--why don't we go camping every month?!??! Then I was made brutally aware of why we don't. Oh well, we survived.
Elena and Audrey G. They're in the same class at school. It really was fun camping in a big group like that. The kids always had lots of friends to play with. And more tomorrow about Saturday.
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