Camping at Hoffmaster and Visit to Green Lake

We spent a few days last week camping with friends at Hoffmaster State Park up in Muskegon and to say we had a fantastic time would be an understatement. We had so much fun. As I was looking through all of my pictures in order to post some of them, I sat here laughing out loud at many of them and wishing it was a week ago, and we could do it all over again. Growing up, my family spent a ton of time camping, so this was very nostalgic for me, as just a flood of wonderful memories came pouring back as we pulled onto the campsite. Thanks mom and dad for letting us borrow the trailer for a few days to allow us to make the same kind of great memories we made for many years.

On Thursday, the only day warm enough, we went down to the beach, and wouldn't you know it - I forgot my camera. Go figure. The kids had a ball. The beach had a small inlet of water that the kids spent all of their time playing in. It was great, because the water wasn't over their head and it was a little warmer than Lake Michigan just a few feet away.

Friday we rode bikes, walked a trail through the woods and climbed up and ran down a few big sand dunes. In order to climb one of the dunes, we left all of our stuff at the bottom, including cameras, so unfortunately, I wasn't able to take pictures of the super fun tree swing that awaited us at the top. Someone had made a trapeze-like swing that swung over the edge of the dune, and of course, like any kids out there, the kids in us had to give it a shot. Needless to say, I almost wanted to call the chiropractor upon return home. Although fun, my 30 year old body is no longer young and the triple somersault I did upon landing was the farthest thing from graceful you will ever see. The older kids posing for a picture on our "nature" hike (Hannah, Isaac, Grant, Reese, and Morgan)

The big dune we climbed. Grant managed to make it about half way up without assistance, and then Eric got his workout in for the week by carrying him the rest of the way.
First attempt at a picture of the kiddos (minus Ike and Cole - Nate and Heather headed back to the campsite already). As you can see, Reese wasn't so excited about it.
Second attempt.
Family pic
I just love this picture. A candid shot portraying the enjoyment of the moment.

Friday brought another highlight - we were able to put all the kids down for naps at the same time (what a feat!) for the chance for a little R & R and a competitive game of bean bag toss.

Kurt and Marcy won the double elimination tourney, but I think it was rigged. It's Kurt's game, and I think he claims he's leaving early for work each morning, but actually practices his bean bag toss skills instead :)

At night, the kids spent some type playing in the creek that ran through the campground. Hoffmaster is definitely not for the super clean type, as dirt is EVERYWHERE, but hey, playing in the dirt and mud makes the best memories.
The creek not only provided fun for the kids, but also made for friendly competition between Kurt and Nate, who challenged each other to a jump across the creek. As you can see from the videos posted below, we do not have any Olympic long jump qualifiers on our hands. Too funny.

Our bathing beauty. Heather and Kristi bathed Cole and Grady in Heather's metal tub, so I thought I'd give it a try with Brooke, too. She loved it!

With camping comes good food (and probably too much of it!). We had so many great snacks to eat, big meals, and campfire goodies. Grant's favorite - plain marshmallows (not even warmed in the fire). Oh well - the rest of us enjoyed the s'mores! What would camping be with out hobo pizza pies, too. While they're a pain in the butt to make, they are delicious! This was our dinner one night, while the other evening we all brought our own meat to grill and a dish to pass. Let's just say that Grant has definitely not slowed down in the eating department - he packed away a quarter pound hamburger, hot dog, 3 ears of corn, some baked beans, and fruit. He managed to top it all off with a few marshmallows later in the evening. I really do not know where he stores it all! It also makes me wonder what the age requirement is to enroll in the Nathan's hot dog eating competition. We could make some money off this kid! If I remember correctly, the guy who won this year ate 68 hot dogs. I think next year at age 4, G would be up for the challenge.

Let the feasting begin!

Saturday morning we attempted to get a picture of all the kiddos lined up from youngest to oldest. I must say, with very active children, this picture turned out quite well!

L to R: Brooke (7 mo.), Grady (13 mo.), Cole (15 mo.), Hannah (2 1/2 yrs.), Reese (2 1/2 years - born 1 day after Hannah), Grant, Isaac, and Morgan (all 3 - born within 3 weeks of each other)

Morgan, Hannah, and Reese donning their high heels. I loved watching them walk around the park wearing these while pushing their babies in miniature strollers. Too cute! It's weird to think that in a very short period of time, my house will be filled with all kinds of girl toys like this! How different from the trucks and farm toys I am so used to having around!

Yes...the kids all kept us on our toes, but they were very well behaved, and we look forward to many more camping trips with all our friends!

Switching topics, this past Tuesday Heather so graciously invited the girls and kids out to her parents' cottage on Green Lake in Caledonia. We enjoyed a beautiful afternoon of swimming, relaxing, eating, and playing.

Running through the sprinkler
Just floatin' around.
With all kinds of water activities to be had, the kids spent a good chunk of time playing with matchbox cars and planes. Go figure!

Thanks again for the invite Heather!