River Take 4!!

Well this was last and final call for the river...we have officially pulled our camper home for the winter :(  It doesn't seem possible that we have only gotten to the river four times, but it has been so much fun while it lasted!  This weekend we actually even got to spend it with Ethan and Bennett.  Mom decided that before the summer was over she wanted to get the two of them up to the river to do some fishing.  She didn't know how it would go with them since they aren't away from home very often so she only committed to one night.  I wanted to be in church tomorrow so we decided to do the same.  I felt really bad that Austin wasn't here with us on our last weekend but he might get to come up again with my mom and dad.  I guess the ride here wasn't too great with the two boys.  Ethan gets really car sick so he kept saying how he was never going fishing again.  Bennett kept asking to go home.  My mom wasn't sure if they were going to be ok but when it was time to go home today they were really ready to stay longer! 

Here is some explanation of the pictures:
Adah is the first one; then Bennett, Kez and Adah sitting on my parents' step; Bennett taking a walk; Kezzie, Ethan and Bennett burning sticks by the fire (we had a fire going pretty much the whole time we were there because it was pretty chilly); Leora, Ethan and Kezzie playing in Perry's boat; below that one is my Grandma Smith fishing with three of her great-grand kids (Ethan, Bennett and Kez); next row is Adah hanging with my uncle Perry; Kezzie on her bike (I brought enough bikes so all the kids could have one to ride if we went on a walk); Bennett in Perry's boat; Arianna sitting snug in a little lawn chair; Bennett, Kezzie and Ethan 'playing' with the fire and having so much fun; my little fishing girl Kez; next row is my Aunt Cindy and Uncle Perry kayaking with their new kayaks; my Grandma Smith fishing with Ethan off the dock; Rylan hanging out on his bike; Ethan with all of the fish he caught when Uncle Gary took him out in the boat fishing (his smallest was just a couple inches but he had some pretty big keepers too); Adah hanging out on her bike; and the last one is Gary and Ethan going out fishing in the boat!

I mentioned going on a walk with bikes.  When we got there yesterday it was pretty cold and we were already looking for something to do with all the kids.  I got out all our bikes and we decided to go on a short walk/ride.  We didn't get very far and Ethan got stuck on the bike he was riding so he got frustrated and abandoned the bike, Bennett decided he didn't want to ride since Ethan wasn't so my mom was trying to push/carry two bikes!  We weren't sure we were every doing that again!  We did end up trying it again today and they did great (aside from Keziah's chain coming off her bike).  We took a much longer walk and Ethan decided from the start that he was just going to walk.  Today the weather was much more manageable.  But both yesterday and today we had a fire going pretty much all the time.  It was super relaxing and the kids enjoyed gathering sticks to help keep it going.  Last night Ethan and Bennett and Keziah all snuggled in the living room of mom and dad's camper and watched The Bee Movie.  I tried to get a picture but my camera was completely dead.  Ethan was on the couch and Bennett and Kez were all snuggled in blankets on a cot on the floor.  It was so sweet!  After we got the three of them to bed we sat by the fire some more.  I am going to miss the river this year!  It was just too short!  I guess I will be more than ready when next year comes!!

There is a funny story to go with these pictures before I go...this isn't the first time Adah has done this so I had to share!  The picture to the right is a toy my mom got at a garage sale in a baggie with a bunch of other little toys.  Adah plays with it like it's a toy but has twice now all of the sudden set it on the floor, opened it up and started pulling her pants down as if she is actually going to use it as a potty.  This picture to the left is her urgently needing to pee and thinking she is going to go in this toy!  Silly silly girl!  I guess camping with porter-potties has made her think anything with a lid can hold pee!