More than a month...

I simply canNOT believe it's been more than a month since I've updated this journal! That must tell you just how busy our lives have been, right? I no longer have a day off... AT ALL.

I work Friday (AM & PM), Saturday (AM), Sunday (9 hours!), Monday (PM), and Tuesday (PM) and have Wednesday and Thursday off from work.

I go to school Monday and Wednesday in Senatobia (a 45-minute drive one way), go to the hospital on Wednesday night to work up my clinical assignment, and then spend 10 hours at the hospital on Thursdays. Wednesdays are about 15-hour days, and Thursdays, start to finish, are about the same. So there you go. THAT is why I haven't had time! I now have Tuesdays during the day to work on school work and some time on Fridays, as well. But where does HOUSEWORK and CHORES come into the picture? Well, rarely. My husband has been my saving grace lately. Let's just say I'm pretty ready for the semester to be OVER and for Winter break to just BE HERE ALREADY!!!! *However, on a side note, I really do enjoy my clinicals. This whole nursing gig is starting to feel more real as each week floats by.


Okay, that said, we had Fall break this past week, and we took the kids camping for the first time. We only had one night to spend, but we made the most of our 2-day vacation since we haven't had a REAL vacation in a long time.


On our way there, we stopped and let the kids check out the cotton fields. They were like blankets of snow that stretched on and on forever! SOOOO pretty!


Like a puffy white ocean!


We stopped in a small town square along the way and found a small independently-owned toy shop. The kids used the souvenir money from Grammy to buy themselves a toy... Thanks to Melissa & Doug, it was a quality one, at that!


Say hi to 'Bananas' and 'Stripes' - named by Melissa & Doug (the manufacturer), not the kids...

Once we got to the campgrounds, memories came flooding back. I spent some really cool Summers visiting this campground as a kid, myself. I have lots of pictures of my uncle Ryan and I on these same cliffs!


Dipping their toes in the cold water!


They ALWAYS ask for a silly picture!

We got everything set up, and I have to say that we had some comfy digs in our little tent with our inflatable mattresses and tons of blankets.


Sophie relaxing in the tent...

We all went on a firewood hunt. I got smart and decided to steal all of the other campers' leftover wood. Because it was a Monday, we were the ONLY campers in this part of the campgrounds! It was SO NICE to have the whole place to ourselves. Most people camp in the Summer. I really have NO IDEA why, though, because who likes to sit in front of a FIRE when it's 85 at night? And how STICKY is sleeping in a tent when there is 95% humidity? FALL is the WAY TO GO! And the cliffs and hillsides are so beautiful with the leaves changing color. It's just PERFECT!


Bryce enjoying his s'mores!


Before long, it got dark. The kids spent a LONG time doing what I did at that age - poking the coals with a really long stick. They were mesmerized!




Once they grew tired of sitting around the campfire, they wanted to go into the tent and color by lantern light. Chris was still sitting beside the fire when he came racing towards the tent. "Now THAT sound was DEFINITELY something walking around out there! Gimme the lantern!!"

We soon learned that the sound we heard wasn't a raccoon (as it was the last time we'd camped there), but a dark little "Shadow" of a friend who snuck up on us.


Chris named her "Shadow," and Bryce named her "Lemonade." :D

Mornings are THE BEST! And I had a rockin' campfire that burned all night long. The coals were still orange in the morning. :)





The big ol' rock next to our campsite...


Down on the cliffs for one more picture.

The cliffs you see here are literally a rock's throw from where we were camping. If you look at the campsite pictures and see the fence, you could stand there and look down a steep little trail that led right to this spot. PERFECTION.

Before we left, I asked about renting a boat so the kids could experience the water for the first time. The only one they hadn't winterized was a pontoon.


This was really cool for all of us. I really enjoyed driving it around that big ol' lake!

The kids were asking about when we could go back before we even left. I hope to do this MUCH more often now that they're old enough. I had a great time with them.

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One more fun little moment I captured -- the kids had "Movie Day" during Spirit Week at their school.


Dorothy and King Kong, of course! :D