Camping Reunion

It was a mini Jacobs’ family reunion. This weekend, we went camping at Alum Creek State Park. It was the first time that I had been to this state park and I was pleasantly surprised. The weather could have been about 10-15 degrees warmer, but for some reason this summer our camping trips have all been a bit on the cool side. Cool is nice for camping, but during the day it would be nice if it would get warm enough for the kids to swim without freezing. Who would have known that we would be having fall weather in the middle of July!

We were still able to pack in a lot of fun for the kids. They didn’t seem to mind the cooler weather too much. The play ground a short distance from the back of our camp site and we could see the kids playing from our site. This made it really nice and they spent a ton of time on the play ground. The play ground doubled as a huge sand box, which Caleb loved. He spent his time at the play ground digging with his tractors. Alissa loved the play ground. We didn’t want her to go over there without an adult or older kid to watch her, but she tried very hard to make her escapes to get over there as fast as her legs could carry her.

On Saturday, before Matt, Alexis, Emily, Chris, and Samantha (my brother and family) made it to the site, the rest of us went fishing. This included my other brother and his family. We had 6 children all 6 and under trying to fish, it didn’t take long for that idea to turn into rock throwing, wading, and for some full blown swimming in their clothes!

A lot of the time camping was spent in coats and it did rain a little bit. Luckily we had taken the tent and Rod put it up early. We didn’t have any beds in it yet and the kids thought it was a great place to play. It kept them busy for a long time. After Matt, Alexis and the kids got there, the craziness picked up a bit. We went from 6 kids to 9. Luckily, Emily and Chris were old enough to help everyone stay in line. The weather warmed enough on Sunday that we decided to go to the lake beach and let the kids swim.

There were also plenty of camp fires, camp food, and bike riding. Chris loved using Rod’s bike and the buggy to tote the kids around. They all loved it too and took turns getting a ride. The girls were together non-stop. Leah, Sammy, and Rachel were inseparable and had to do whatever the other was doing. The campers ended up becoming a place for a big slumber party! When we left, all the kids were counting down the days until they will be able to play again.


We had a birthday party for all the kids that had spring birthdays. We had decorations, cake and presents.

Matt and Alissa are starting to make friends. They had a rough start, but by the end, they were pals!

We also had a 'friendly' family tournament of corn hole.

On a side note: Leah went to the dentist yesterday to have her tooth filled. It was a very quick procedure and she did great! As we were leaving, Leah said "that dentist is nice". I was so happy it went to well.