1 Family x 12 (September)

We had a crazy weekend.....the bookends were NOT awesome but the middle...the middle part was perfect.  So, for now, we're going to focus on that middle like the frosting in the Oreo.  It's the only part that REALLY matters anyways.

Ritterbusch Family Camping Trip

A few weeks ago my parents decided to join the family of camper owners!!!  They bought a great little hard sided camper that's slightly smaller but significantly nicer and newer than ours!  We've been toying with the idea of a camper upgrade for next year and hanging out in theirs this weekend sealed the deal for me!

So, since they had a new camper, and we all wanted to check it out, we planned a last minute family camping trip to the Mississippi Palisades this past weekend.  The location worked out great...about half way for all three of the families and just over a 2 hour drive for us.  We've been doing a LOT of camping and traveling this summer (we always do!) so having a shorter than normal drive was such a nice treat.  We should probably camp there more often.  The camp ground was pretty empty on Friday night but filled in a little more on Saturday but we had a great set of sites, near the end of a road so the kids would walk/play/run between our sites and we weren't too worried about them being in the way.

Joey and Andy came out on Saturday early afternoon after Kayden's soccer game and we spent the afternoon lounging by the campers and just relaxing.  We'd planned to hike, but it was HOT and we quickly lost most of the motivation to carry the kids around on our backs so we opted for the easier route of driving to the lookouts,taking the quick hike out to the areas where you could see and then jumping back in the cars to see the next one.  HA!  We were lazy, that's for sure.

Mom had a cute little fall project for the girls, making squirrels, which they loved. And she planned an amazing charcuterie tray for the adults.  Guys, believe me when I tell you, it was so good!  Mom, I'll be wanting one of those whenever we come home (hint hint)!  That's the problem with being good at something, then everyone wants you to do it over and over again.

We ate too much, drank too much and had a great time.  As one does, when camping.  We can't wait to do more family trips now that we're all sleeping in beds off the ground, with air conditioning and all the modern amenities of home. HA!  Some of you are probably thinking, why don't you just stay at home then?!  But, the truth is, there's something about camping that forces you to put your phones down, sit by the fire and just talk with the people you are with.  We had a great time and we can't wait to make more memories like this one!