Camp Cougar

 Our second family camping trip

{August 1-4}

We arrived at Cougar on Sunday and my mom immediately took the boys so Josh & I could set up camp.  We worked really well as a team, and the boys LOVED exploring their new world with Nanny.

Little Logan down by the lake

Bringing the boys camping is a bit nerve wracking, and requires a lot of stuff, but was so much fun last year & this year, that I have to say it worth all the effort. But we really do have to bring A LOT of stuff: TWO playpens; TWO high chairs; TWO {tiny} camp chairs; TWO pairs of boots, sandals & tennis shoes; and TWO {adorable} toddler trikes.

We camped along with my parents, my nephew Isaiah, my sister Roxanne & her husband Blake, plus their son Ferris. It was so much fun to have Roxanne along this year!

Jack, chowing down on his baby oranges. 

The boys favorite thing to do, hands down, at camping, was riding their trikes.  They pedaled their hearts out, riding up & down the street in front of our camp sites.  Their favorite part of riding was going over the speed bump.

Logan, telling me where the water was.

My mom's dog Sunny.

(Remember her from last year? My, how she has grown!)

The boys' {tiny} Woody & Buzz camp chairs, and their first S'mores ever.

A moment to remember!

Jack really liked the chocolate & marshmallow.

Didn't really need the graham!

Logan preferred searching for the chocolate.

He could do without all the other stuff.

My absolute favorite thing about camping this year was that Josh & I decided to throw the boys' schedule to the wind. Shocking, I know. It's unlike us to stray from their schedule for even an hour.  But the boys are older now, and Josh & I are more confident in our parenting, so we went for it.  In the evenings the boys would wander from person to person, eating S'mores & snuggling.

{Kisses!}

As it would get dark, the boys would say the sun was going "night-night" or to "sleep" because that's what my mom told them. Then they would talk about the stars coming out. Logan didn't really care for the dark. He kept saying, "Dark in there," (Meaning it was dark "out here"). So cute.

We would put them to bed whenever they started getting sleepy eyes.  And they slept fantastic.  Logan woke up one night, and Jack woke up another night. On the third night, they both slept through the night! We were so relieved. They did wake up early, but we're used to that. And the lake was so beautiful in the morning.

 We would go shower or go for long walks in the mornings to kill time and not wake up the entire campground.
The boys really loved the bridge over the creek.

They liked to peer over the edge and down to the rocks & bubbling water below.
I love this picture of them.
Especially Logan's little face resting on his hands.
Precious.

{my happy logan bogans}

Luckily they are pretty cheerful boys in the mornings. So that made it easier to get up with them.

{Jack}

Besides bike rides, walks & creek watching, the boys LOVED playing in the back of Papa's truck.

Adorable Ferris in Papa's hat

The boys were in heaven spending all that time with Isaiah & Ferris. They LOVE them.  Logan especially loves Ferris. He'll hug him, but he really just likes to rub his head.  It's so sweet to witness.

When Isaiah lets the boys do "big kid" things with him, they feel super cool.
Such as sitting on the tailgate eating breakfast.   
They're so cool!

APE CAVES:

Papa leading the boys to the Ape Caves.

Papa & Isaiah

Josh & Jack

Me & Logan

Ready to head down...

{The Cunningham Family}

The boys really enjoyed going into the caves.  Logan wanted to walk by himself the whole time, which we couldn't allow. So in this picture he looks upset.  But otherwise, they really were troupers. I was surprised that the dark didn't seem to bother them. 

For those of you who don't know, the Ape Caves were named for the people who found them. They called themselves the Mt. St. Helens Apes, and in the 1950's they discovered these lava tubes that run almost parallel to the land.

Papa & Isaiah

{Logan & Jack}

My brave explorers

{Jack}

{Logan}

I love this picture.

They look so identical!

They guys would go fishing each night after dinner:

Papa caught a fish!

Josh said even though all he caught was a stick & a three inch bull fish, he enjoyed the peacefulness of the lake at dusk.

 It is so peaceful.

Meanwhile mom & I would entertain the boys.

Here Jack is swinging at the "park", which leaves something to be desired.

We also invented toddler approved sports, like rock climbing where you stand & shout "Touchdown" once you reach the top; and then jump off and land in the dirt.

"Touchdown Jack!"

"Touchdown Logan!"

 

Could you just eat him?

Our second night at camp, Josh's parents & nephew Ethan came to hang around the campfire with us. The boys got some good grandma snuggles in, and it was nice to have an extra set of hands around.  We had fun eating S'mores, talking & laughing.

One morning we went to a different spot on the lake & let the boys practice throwing rocks. They had so much fun watching the splashes they could make. Logan liked to throw BIG rocks, and Jack liked throwing LOTS of little pebbles. 

Lately everything we come upon is a train track.  And this log was no exception.
I held Jack's hand as he chug-chug-chugged along.

The boys enjoyed playing with Ferris (and his toys) on his play quilt. And when Roxanne joined them & started reading, they were overjoyed!

When we were down by the water, Jack preferred to stay on land. This bummed me out, but I am not the mom who forces her kid to swim. He'll get into it eventually. The lake is kind of overwhelming compared to the tiny pool we have our swim lessons in.  So he just dug his little heart out in the sand. 

The boys really enjoyed exploring nature. They liked picking leaves & flowers, and jumping over rocks & roots.

I love when they hold hands so much.  It just warms my heart.

Jack & Logan

Happy boys!

Jack

 Logan

I love this one of the boys.

They look like such big kids.

It is just so amazing to me.

When did they grow up?

 Those big boys hanging around this adorable baby doesn't help their "big kid" status. 

Each time I see them hug or kiss Ferris, I realize how big they have gotten!

Mommy & her bubs

Out on the dock

Logan, Mommy & Jack

When I see this, it takes my breath away. It's just so beautiful.

I can see why my parents have been bringing us here for 24 years.

The last morning we fed the boys breakfast while Josh & I scrambled to get as much packed as possible while they were contained.  They were really good boys & we got packed up in about an hour and a half. 

When we were finally loaded up and on the road home, we realized we had brought with us a stowaway... This little field mouse popped his head up on the windshield as we were pulling onto the  highway.

We ended up having to pull over and let him scamper off into the woods.  

-

Overall, I would say that this camping trip was awesome. The setting was beautiful,the boys had perfect behavior, I felt so relaxed without the schedule stressing me out, and Josh enjoyed a little fishing. It was the perfect family vacation!