Sebastian planned a fun family campout for the Albuquerque gang and reserved our camping spot at Fenton Lake way in advance of the Memorial Day holidays. We caravanned to the lake on Monday afternoon and looked for the best spots to set up each family tent.
Mike and I hitched up our trailer to the Jeep and took all our kayaks and some of the Dunlap's equipment. They had their four children plus their two dogs and a friend's dog in tow, and their own rack hitched to the back of their vehicle.
Each family took turns with the meals, and Mike and I had the first night. We cooked hamburgers, brats, and had chips and watermelon for our dinner plans. But we ended up saving the melon for the last day since there was so much food and snacks, and everyone was too full.
Jess and Seb provided all the coolest camping equipment like a huge tarp shade structure, a large propane griddle, a propane stove, six camp chairs, an outdoor movie screen, a great speaker system, a huge refillable container of water for cleaning, a large bucket and cleaning supplies, bottled water, tons of snacks, and extra food for everyone. They also made the fanciest meals! So much planning and so much work, but that's how they roll. They really made the camping experience extra fun and comfortable for everyone.
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Monday, May 29th: First night around the campfire and of course s'mores (thank you Jess!)
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Tuesday, May 30th: First morning at camp and ready to play a little sports and explore the area! Jess and Seb had yummy toasted bagels, butter, cream cheese, oatmeal, cuties, hot chocolate, and orange juice for everyone.
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| Time to go kayaking on Fenton Lake, our first day on the water |
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| Back at camp: The puppies needed extra love and attention since they were leashed all the time except for potty breaks, and we had 3 of them with us on this trip! |
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| The bugs didn't bite, but there were mosquitoes and lots of mosquito bites on our tasty grandkids. |
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| Movie night at camp! It was late and extremely cold during our movie, but we enjoyed watching "Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief" and were happy to get into our tents when it was over! |
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Wednesday, May 31st: Look how cute these doggie friends are together in their crate trying to stay warm and cozy! It rained and hailed the second and third days, so things got pretty wet and cold especially for these poor pups.
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| Back on the lake after the sky cleared up for a short window |
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| Hannah and Elise's first experience kayaking on their own. They both did GREAT, and Hannah was a speedy racer! |
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| Thursday, June 1st: On our last morning we had cold cereal and snacks since we'd used up all the milk the day or two before for pancakes and chocolate milk (sorry Jacob and Shauna!) |
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| All packed up and ready to go home and shower! |
It was wonderful to have all of us together in one place for three days. The girls had no problem finding things to do together including exploring, walking in the creek, and playing in the Dunlap's large tent. And the boys did the same, plus they busied themselves by making video clips of a silly movie they wanted to create. Hudson and Beau were especially awesome in the way they included little Brandon and made him feel loved and appreciated. I was so proud to see our Dunlap boys going the extra mile with their little cousin.
As always, Shauna was a sweet and patient mama to all the children all the time. She has such a nurturing and compassionate heart. I love how she and Jess work together and how they help each other on a personal level. On a side note, they are planning their meals and activities for their day at our next Hobbs reunion at Jared's cabin later in July.
I appreciate how Jacob spends time with his kids and his nieces and nephews. They really love him and his happy and quirky disposition. I loved watching my family work and play together. I know that it's more of a challenge for Sebastian who is super close to his own siblings and their families, but he tries his best and is so good with everyone. I'm very grateful for his warm and diplomatic way of handling situations and putting everyone at ease. He's the best son-in-law we could ever hope for. Sure do love our sweet family!
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