The Great Outdoors

Well, I just celebrated another birthday (mixed feelings about that as it is)... camping. It wasn't so bad- my birthday fell on our last day there, so on a positive note; for my birthday I got a hot shower and to sleep in my own bed! We went on our annual Thelin family camping trip with almost the entire family (Nipper stayed home with the triplets). We camped at Timothy Lake, on the base of Mt. Hood, OR. It was truly beautiful in the forest, and besides it raining and freezing on our last day there, the weather was mostly pleasant during the days. One day we went to Ski Bowl and did the Alpine Slides. They were kind of a bust because they didn't go fast and they weren't in the best condition, but the kids liked it. We went to Kahneeta, an Indian Reservation, where they have a big pool heated by hot springs with slides and hot tubs (guess where I spent most of my time). We played at the Lake (well, the kids and dads did- I just sat on the shore and read a book), rode bikes, ate a ton of good food, and stayed up late around the campfire and visited. It was a great trip, I absolutely love this tradition, and I am very glad to be home and showered.

Celebrating Kristin, Ashley, and JaNea's birthdays before we went camping. I let Peyton have a small piece of cake and some ice cream. She thought she had died and gone to Heaven. She was hysterical eating her treat!

Shoveling it in before I could change my mind and take it from her

Jerai and Boyd came in town a few days before the camp-out, so one day we went to the "beach" on a River in Washington. The kids had a blast. I didn't get any pictures except this one- can you spot my little beach bum? (Hint: it's dirty!) Alpine Slides [Remember how Peyton likes to fib about her age ("I'm 3!")? Well we used it to our advantage. They had an age restriction on the Alpine Slides- 3 and up. So when the girl asked how old Peyton was and she told her she was 3, she was able to ride with Jade on the slide!]Marley and I racing on the slides (I'm pretty sure she won)Kahneeta Swimming pool (having lunch on the lawn). I love this picture of the cousins all hanging out.Group shot on our last night- we all look pretty amazingMarley and Max brought Jerai and I each a bouquet of flowers they picked themselves (it was their own idea). It was so sweet!Jerai's birthday is a week after mine, but she left Oregon early, so we celebrated both our birthdays the last night camping.Kristin brought glitter to do glitter nails. It was a hit with all the girls, and the boys wanted to do it too, so instead they each got blue glitter "superhero tattoos" on their hands that they loved.While we were doing nails, Jade was...These 2 are going to be great friends.I mentioned how beautiful Timothy Lake is, right? On a clear day you can see Mt. Hood perfectly...On the day we left, you couldn't see Mt. Hood at all.I got voted "most white trash outfit" or as I like to think of it, the "best outfit" awardBirthday Dinner at BenihanaCan't believe I'm in my MID 20's! I'm only in a little bit of denial. (I think I would feel a lot younger if I didn't have a child)