Camping, Birthday, and Father's Day

Whew, it was quite a weekend! We were gone for two days and yet it felt like we had been away at least a week. We decided that father's day weekend was the perfect time to experience our first camping trip of the season, and to test out the trailer before we head out for a long trip later in the summer. We camped at Fintry provincial park with my parents. It was so much fun and we packed as much as we could into the two days we were there, we swam, played on the playground, and took in the historical tours. I love history and it was so much fun to learn about such an amazing couple who lived so many years ago, and yet accomplished some incredible feats! We spent time hanging out with family and when we were all together I have no doubt that ours was the loudest campsite in the area! The water was still high and cold but the kids were up for swimming anyway, and they enjoyed playing in the sand. One of the highlights was coming across an amazing trailer! This trailer was an old little travel trailer that had been painted in John Deere yellow and green and named "The Hillbilly Deluxe."  Being a farming family John Deere anything is popular with us, and my mom couldn't resist asking to have Mason's picture taken sporting his John Deere hat and blanket. I have discovered that grandparents have no sense of shame when it comes to finding an opportunity to promote their grandchildren and snap a picture to prove just how cute they are. I was not willing to be a part of the experience so off grandma went with grandpa carrying Mason to ask for the perfect picture. During the photo shoot they discovered that Michael knew the owner through the farm and the photo shoot was extended to not only include the trailer, but a John Deere bike as well, and of course the all important conversation about crops and the weather. While we were there, Bella turned two (her party is yet to come) and couldn't have been more pleased as we all sang happy birthday to her over a pancake complete with the candle we could find in the trailer. She spent the rest of the weekend singing happy birthday to herself and anyone else that might be around. It seems like only yesterday that she was a baby, and now she is a two year old that loves to frustrate her sisters, tease her parents, and talk non stop! She is so incredibly cute and is always up for making someone laugh. I felt blessed to be able to spend father's day with my dad who was an amazing father, he definitely deserves recognition for the patients and understanding that he displayed raiding three girls, and my amazing husband who is also doing an incredible job raising his little princesses and our little boy. I was feeling slightly guilty as I had forgotten the paper and crayons for the kids to colour Father's day cards for Michael, and I knew that Sunday would be anything but relaxing (camping with kids is as exhausting as it is fun); however, he was given a gift from Cheyanne, one that I know meant more to him than anything I could have prompted or helped her create. Cheyanne is our beautiful little girl who has a way of using words to bless those around her. Saturday night as Michael was getting the girls ready for bed he asked them a question that he asks regularly at the end of the day, "what was the funnest thing you did today?"

Saturday had been a day full of fun, we had played on the playground, biked around the campsites, swam in the lake, played with Tyson, and gone on a walk in which the kids got a kick out of hiding and scaring the adults, and yet Cheyanne's answer was simply "the funnest thing I did today was just being with you dad," in an instant she melted her father's heart. Cheyanne had no idea that the next day was father's day and was unaware of how precious what she said was, but in that one comment she not only affirmed Michael in his role as a father (and he is an incredible father) but she gave us a reminder of how important it is to take time away from everything and make memories with our kids. Hearing that one comment from Cheyanne makes the work to get ready to camp, the work cleaning up after camping, and the insanity that can occur during the experience all worth the effort. 

Here's a few more shots of our trip:

"The Hillbilly Deluxe"

Bella's birthday pancake

She loves her broccoli!

The big family dinner (minus the Derksens)