Camping in Medora

I've shared before that camping in the summer with my family are some of my favorite childhood memories.  Ryan and I hope to create the same opportunities for our kids.  This summer, my parents took us camping!  We headed to Medora, about four hours away, and completely worth the drive.  The scenery was beautiful, the national park was a fun place to explore, and the outdoor musical was surprisingly entertaining!

This was our spot.  See that pop-up camper?!  A while back I went to an open house at the outdoor rec. store on base solely for the free burgers they were serving (come get dinner, kids!).  I threw my name in the prize hat and ended up winning a free boat rental!  I asked if they would swap for a free camper rental, and they said YES!  So we took the camper, and don't you know that was the highlight of the kids' anticipation in our camping adventure?!

Rooke said his favorite part of camping was riding his bike around the campground.  His spirit of adventure was uncontainable!

There were a few different trails from the campground that led to the Little Missouri river.  We took this one each morning to go throw and/or skip rocks, whichever your skills allowed for!

The Medora Musical has been running for 50 years and we were pleasantly surprised by the performance.  The town exists for tourism in conjunction with the national park, and was a quaint spot to enjoy.

We spent time on both full days we were in Medora to drive through Theodore National Park, and do some light hiking.  The landscape was beautiful, offering strike contrast to the forever-prairie-land we typically see in Minot.  

While driving on the first day, someone in the van spotted that bison on the hill.  See the brownish-looking spot?  We were so excited to have actually spotted a bison!  Little did we know what was waiting for us just around the corner . . .

. . . this!  At least twenty bison had stopped traffic and we timed it perfectly to get a front row seat.  They are massive and strange-looking creatures.  It felt surreal to see so many up close.

The kids worked on getting their Junior Ranger badges.

Our last morning at the campground before driving back home.  Camping is always a lot of work, especially when you go with young kids, but it was worth it!

Practicing the Discipline of Gratitude {July}

In July, I was thankful for . . .

1.  fun neighbors to play with

2.  The reinforcements arrived!  And went straight to work.

3.  Her pouting didn't stop him from showing love.

4.  Freedom.  Family.  Food.

5.  my parents' love shown in halloumi cheese that they brought me all the way form Cyprus.

6.  Rooke's courage to try something new (and losing his first tooth on the same day!).

7.  a mommy bird built her nest in our backyard bush.  It was close enough to the house that we could hear the three babies each time she brought them food.  My ears grew to love the sounds of their chirping.  And I was reminded to find joy in the chatter of the three precious ones I get to feed 

all.  day.  long.

8.  Mom's Afternoon Off!  It's pretty much all about not sharing treats.

9.  poolside snuggles

10.  a morning of garage sale deals with my mom!  Some of my most favorite memories of growing up involve Saturday mornings, garage sales, and my dear mom.

11.  hearing my parents share about what they see God doing in London.

13.  identifiable produce is actually growing!

14.  the red bike parade kept passing in front of our house!  It was so good, I couldn't bring myself to end it.  Summer nights are meant for staying up late, right?!

15.  my dream of having a kitchen fairy has come true.  This man cleaned up after every single dinner, and most other meals, every day since he arrived.

16.  he enjoys books.  I remember well the days when we would go to Barnes and Noble for the train table.  It doesn't seem that long ago.

17.  our family photo book arrived!  The kids didn't mind that it was the book from 2013, and that I'm still a year behind.  

18.  my parents like to play games!  (ask them who won!)

19.  My brother-in-law called.  To talk about Thankfulness.  I'm thankful for him!

20.  opportunities to explore creation with my kids

21.  we were just saying we hoped to see bison when we rounded the corner at the exact moment that this group were crossing the road and stopping traffic!  It was surreal to see this many wild bison freely roaming right in front of us!

22.  fun ways to beat the heat

23.  happy kids with an ice cream treat on the drive home.  And a happy mommy who got to ride in the other car with a sleeping Bridgette!

24.  a zucchini . . . from our garden . . . it worked!!!  Never has a single zucchini been so celebrated, or eaten so quickly! =)

25.  my talented and patient mom made happy curtains and shams for my room!

26.  technology that allows us to feel closer to those we love who are far away

27.  the joy this precious girl brings to our family

30.  the longest day of our travels went really well.  And it's behind us!

31.  Kaye K - storybook reader and storyteller extraordinaire!

Golfing!

Rooke took a two-week golf class this month!  He had six lessons, a set of clubs his size, a shirt and visor, and on the last lesson the families were invited to ride in a cart(!) to watch the players hit through a few holes, and then eat pizza together - I'm so glad he took the class.  My dad is a golfer, so he was a good encouragement for Rooke, and I was proud of Rooke for trying something new.

We girls had fun in our own cart!  I'll admit to being pretty excited about driving a golf cart for the first time. =)

Summer Fun

We've been making the most of our summer . . . here are just a few things we've been doing:

Saturday mornings are always special breakfasts for our family, but in the summer I find that the slower mornings mean we enjoy even more special breakfasts together.

Shaving cream on the trampoline!!  

Rooke FINALLY lost his first tooth!  At 7 1/2 years-old, he has been waiting a long time for this event!  I was so excited for him!

We enjoyed a picnic evening with the Camerons, which included riding bikes down the hill in their condo parking lot . . . so much fun!

I love thunderstorms in the summer . . . the lightning on this particular evening was remarkable!  It went on like this for several minutes.  

The heavens declare the glory of God!