If You're Happy and You Know It...

Clap your hands!  This is Charlie's new talent.

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Camping!

Our camping trips have been slowly evolving. When it was just Jared and I, we would often backpack to a remote site for a long weekend with a tent that weighed just shy of four pounds. Hiking ten miles a day would be nothing. Then came Elsi. One of her first possessions was a doggie backpack so she could carry her own supplies. She didn't slow us down much, just took up some extra space in the tent. Then came Clara. Now we had to look in the "family camping" section and invest in a monstrous six-person tent that comes in its own backpack and weighs nearly 20 pounds. Needless to say, our backpacking days are over for a while, but we won't give up camping. Clara has her own sleeping bag and usually tells us when it's time to go to bed in the tent. Then came Charlie. I was nervous that he wouldn't share our love of camping based on the failed attempt over Memorial Day weekend, but last weekend, he proved me wrong. We spent three nights at Pillsbury State Park in Washington, New Hampshire with our good friends, Amy and Jay and their kids, Anna and Jack. We had a great time.

There was plenty of dirt and mess.

There were sparklers.

There was definitely snoring.

There was sun and sand.

There were boat rides and fishing.

There was a wood chopping lesson,

and a dance lesson.

(video)

Even though Charlie was already in bed during the dance lesson, he is convinced that camping is a good time!

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Clara's Birthday Party

We celebrated Clara's third birthday with some of her closest friends at a local playground that had a kid's pool. We had perfect weather for a pool party - sunny and in the 90s. Everyone cooled off in the pool before a picnic lunch and burning more energy on the playground. It was a great day.

(slideshow)

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Teeth!

Two teeth (and some Cheerios) have recently made an appearance in Charlie's mouth.  Hopefully, this explains why he's been waking up every night since the Memorial Day tent incident!

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Vacation - Part 2

After a weekend in the big city of Chicago, we were glad to leave the public transportation behind and head to the Upper Peninsula for the rest of our vacation week. Here are some of the notable events.

Clara got her first fishing pole and tackle box for her birthday - pink with lights! She caught her first fish in Gaylord before we headed to the cabin. It was this big!

We arrived at Baldy Lake on Tuesday afternoon. The kids loved walking from our cabin to the neighbor's cabin on the trail that Grandma and Grandpa built.

We had a bonfire, went for boat rides, played on the beach, went fishing, and enjoyed the sunshine and fresh air.

We celebrated Clara's third birthday with a few presents, a fish fry with the family, and cupcakes.

With four kids under the age of 5, three dogs, three parents, and two grandparent, we were surprised that only one kid fell in the lake! Clara was glad Aunt Jenny was right there to pull her out. Someday, she will be glad that I didn't have my camera handy to document the incident. Darn.

We broke up the long ride home by staying at Aunt Chris's house on the lake in Port Huron. It felt good to stretch our legs on the beach.

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