Pinecrest 2012

This past Sunday Jeff and I packed up the kids...well the two little ones anyway...and headed out to try a new camping spot that many recommend.

(This was the first family vacation that Dominic had to forgo, due to other commitments. Sad.)

 We were joined by some friends...Alan and Mary!

 We took our bikes.

And Emmy's skates:) 

We had lots of fires. 

And lotss of smores! 

Bunga and Papa came up and joined us for 1 night and most of the next day. 

Pinecrest is an awesome place to camp! It is so family-oriented, with movies and programs for the kids every evening at the ampitheatre, an amazing lake for the kids to swim in, a snack shack for soft serve ice cream...the list goes on!

We spent lots of time at the lake.

Thank the Lord for our new Tommy Bahama "Beach Comber" from Costco to lug all of our stuff to and from the lake! 

The kids had so much fun! 

Papa got some relax time. 

The kids loved their ice cream:)

I had to finish Emmy's. Darn! 

There were splinters... 

And evening walks along the water...

More lake time... 

Emma Kate is a sweets girl...just like her momma. 

 Most of the adults didn't get much sleep at night. It was FREEZING!

And in our tent there were children up many, many times during the night:(

Alan and Mary got some naps in in the afternoons though.

*Sigh*

I remember a time when I was able to get a nap in.

Connor learned how to play frisbee while Emma napped. 

The kids loved having Alan and Mary with us!

We were all sad when they left a day early due to lack of sleep.

The last night we decided to walk for ice cream instead of having smores... 

(Another friend of Jeff's who lives about a half hour away from the campground joined us for the evening...it was so cool to have so many visitors!)

I am so conflicted about camping. It is SO much work!

As we were setting up camp, Jeff looks at me and says, "We could've saved ourselves a lot of energy by just setting up the tent in the backyard!"

To which I responded, "We are making memories for the kids!"

This became the saying of our trip.

Jeff reminded me, "We are making memories." as I slipped back in bed in the middle of the night for the 5th time.

As Emma Kate was having a meltdown at the lake because we had pushed off her nap too long.

As the kids had dripped ice cream from head to toe.

And as we had packed up the car to leave, bikes on the van and all, tried to start the car, only to find the battery was dead!

"We're makin' memories!"

But those smiles on their dirty dirty faces throughout the trip made all the work...

almost...totally worth it.

And as far as the Pinecrest Campground goes...

The Schwab Family will definitely be back!