In the tops of the mountains

This weekend we had our 1st annual Iverson reunion......... and I loved it!

I'll admit that I was not really excited to go, because the days leading up to it were filled with sickness in our home....and along with sickness comes crankiness and exhaustion. Not exactly the makings for a good time in the outdoors if you ask me. Luckily the sickness went away and as soon as we headed up the twisty road to our campsite......I was so glad I was there!

We camped near Puffer Lake on Beaver Mountain and it was beautiful! We played games, sat around campfires, some fished, some hiked and nearly everyone got soaked. It rained quite a lot which chased us into a large huddle under the tarp to wait out the down pours. It was so nice though....being out of the heat. I really couldn't complain, that is until my nights were rudely disrupted by Adeline's night terrors, or sleep screaming, or I'm trying to make this experience miserable for my mommy tantrums.....or whatever you want to call them. You could safely say....she "wasn't a happy camper".....at least not during the cold damp nights.

Poor girl.

This was her very first time camping and I think she quickly got annoyed at not being able to crawl in the mud and jump in the puddles like the bigger kids. Maybe next year chica! In all honesty though, she was a trooper!

Of course Emilee capital L.O.V.E.D-ed it! She rolled in mud, ran up and down...up and down....up and down. Washed her hands in the creek. Played with cousins, and aunts, and uncles. Gave mommy heart attacks every time she stumbled around the fire pit. She screamed into the vast expanse of creation with her loud/squeaky voice and basically lived it up in every possible two-year-old-I'm-running-free-in-the-mountains kind of way!

I would say her shining moments included her outdoor potty chair photo shoot and her performance on Sunday morning during our devotional. As we sang our closing hymn "I Stand All Amazed", she moved to the middle of the circle and entertained us with an interpretive dance routine. When the hymn was finally finished she let out a long dreamy sigh and then proclaimed...."that was a good song!"

I loved spending time with everyone! My husband comes from an amazing family! They are all so loving and accepting of one another and it is always a joy to be in their company!

I'm already looking forward to the 2nd annual Iverson reunion! Unless of course I'm pregnant with twins by then.....which may be the case considering two of my sisters-in-law have notified me on separate occasions that they had dreams that I was pregnant with twins.....yikes!

As of today.......not pregnant with twins.......not pregnant at all (just to clear that up)! I'll keep you posted with any new developments on that one!

For now.....here's to sleeping in my own bed and 10 thousand loads of smokey laundry! Better get to work!

Daddy Daughter Campout

Tyler is the world's greatest daddy! If you need evidence, you will find it in these photos! He took our two year old on a hike/camp out, and she had the time of her life! I think he had a pretty good time too!

There were frequent stops on the hike, for snacks and drinks and relaxation in the shade. Apparently it wasn't the fastest hike Tyler has been on, but no doubt one of the most memorable.

Good friends make everything more fun!!

Gathering Pine Cones to bring home for mommy!

Muddy and wet after the rainstorms!

Does it get any better than campfire and marshmallows?

Giddy about the sleeping bags! This girl loves anything to do with tents and sleeping bags!

Good Morning Sunshine!

Headed home!

By the light of the moon

Finally.....after almost three and a half years of wedded bliss we made it to the mountains for something we thought would be a regular part of life for us.....camping!!

We have gone camping a few times during the last few years, but never just our little family. So since Tyler had some time off of work, we decided to make a quick over night trip to the nearby mountains and some much needed rest and relaxation for my hard working sweetheart!

Immediately upon arriving, Emilee headed directly for a fast moving creek running through our camp site. She ran fearlessly as she cried "Waa Waa! Waa Waa!" which is baby for water! She wasn't happy dipping her fingers in while being held by mommy, she wanted to immerse her entire body! I knew that we were in for quite a challenge. She deffinately kept us on our toes the entire evening.

When darkness finally came, we set up her bed between our two sleeping bags and hung a battery operated lantern in the tent so she had a little light. She settled right down with her bottle and peacefully fell asleep! Tyler and I sat around the fire for about a half hour more before sneaking into the tent and settling into our sleeping bags. Within ten minutes I needed to pee!! Oh no......I forgot about my constant nightly trips to the bathroom. After leaving the tent to pee multiple times, I was starting to get really cold and really frustrated! I could not stop shivering and finally left the tent in a frustrated huff. My sweet Tyler was already outside warming rocks in the fire to put down in my sleeping bag, but I was so cold I knew I needed to warm myself in the truck if I was ever going to be able to sleep.

When I returned to the tent he had stuffed his sleeping bag into my bag and loaded it up with warm rocks and water bottles wrapped in towels. That's right......he sacrificed his own sleeping bag for his obnoxiously cold wimpy wife. Instead he laid down the sun shade for the windshield, laid on it and then covered himself with one wool blanket!! I felt like scum.

By now it's about 1:00 a.m. and we are finally.....finally getting back to sleep when what do I hear, but a sweet little voice in the dark. "Hi....hi mama!" I rolled over to see Emilee sitting up in her bed, her big blue eyes beaming in the moon light. She was more than thrilled to wake up between mommy and daddy! She thought it was time to play and quickly threw herself onto her daddy squealing with excitement! Oh.....it was hard to be upset seeing her so happy, but we were exhausted and not exactly up for a tickle fest. After about an hour and a half she reluctantly settled back into her bed and drifted to dreamland. I think Tyler and I got about 3 hours of sleep that night.

Wow!! What a memory. No sleep, lots of work, and a new found respect for our own parents! It is a wonder they ever took us out to do anything. It is true that you have to work for anything worth while and as far as I am concerned being surrounded by my little family on a cold, restless, moonlit night is something to be cherished....at least now that we've survived it!