Well, hello there, Crazy Crew!

(minus the Wingos, who were not here for this photo, sigh)

We had the best time this year at Kennedy Meadows.
I mean, best!
Jason and I left just so overwhelmed with the amount of gratefulness we have for these friends of ours. We reflected on the previous years. Almost the same group (with some changes here and there), but how we have grown (both spiritually and literally!). To be able to share each other's hearts at such a deep level and to be so like minded in many ways, it's a treasure.
We don't take it for granted.
We thank the Lord continually for allowing us to be a part of such a great tribe of people!

I struggled (again) with toting around my real camera. Thankfully I now have an iphone because it was much easier to carry around forging rivers and such. :-) I was torn between wanting to be in the moment, holding a baby, and wanting to capture a moment. I usually just let vacation mode take over, which means less pictures, but usually ends with regret over not having an image capture a certain experience. Oh well. At least my words will do some of that.

Fishing. It was the name of the game all week. Since the children are older, they have longer attention spans and really were obsessed with fishing!
(our little cabin and a little fisherman)

The two pictures below captured the essence of this week. This group of kids, they blew us away with their kindness towards one another. We never had one issue, not one. They broke off in little groups doing things kids do. As moms, we took so many mental pictures, seeing them interact with one another, caring for one another. Sharing, encouraging.

This looks posed, but it wasn't. We found a special little swimming hole that took a bit of effort to get to. The walk there requires the crossing of a river and a small hike through the woods. Each time we did that hike, the sun pushed through these giant, glorious trees and highlighted the tops of the children's heads, running, hiding, racing to the end.

Birds greeted us at our destination every time! To the left was a large dam created by fallen logs and twigs. It was a river stick heaven! (captured by my phone on the collage at the end). To the right, a meandering river complete with a rock to jump off of and mountains that climb so high. Occasionally, a pack of horses would walk along the trail. It was so quiet there. Untouched. Not one form of civilization in sight. I don't want to forget that.

It seemed easier this year. Jason and I both joked that perhaps we're just used to the the wrench these twins through us. Perhaps. But we both really enjoyed our time and left rested and refreshed.
I had about an hour with just the twins and I down by the river. It doesn't happen often.
We ate and read books and played in the water. They are such a joy. They had a great time and even though they became whiny at times and affected some of our plans, they were good little campers!

We've had such a warm year, it was fun to see them all bundled up! This is what they do when you tell them to smile. Cheeeeeese. :-)

They were the first to wake each morning. Because we were sharing such a small, combined space, we would quickly grab them from their crib and snuggle with them. We had one each. Gus chose me each time. He quickly became a Momma's boy that week. I want to remember trying to get an extra ten minutes of sleep, with a baby on my tummy, and three other children sleeping soundly.

Just another example of how the week worked. Everywhere you look, children were feeding babies, helping each other, chasing each other. It was so communal!

While it was sweet and special, we still had our fair share of laughs.
The annual girls pictures. :-)
Again, I have to document the dynamic here. So good. So easy. So pleasant.
It's what makes a vacation, a vacation.

The jumping picture!

Our wild family. Giving up having a perfect, smiling picture has become a great relief and in the end, captures the reality of who we are. Love it!

The last day, we found ourselves not wanting to leave (which happens every year!). I begged Jason to follow me to a special spot that we had found earlier in the week. It was again, a bit of effort to get there but well worth it for our farewell picnic.
Pictures can't do it justice. Surrounded.

I'm not one to be emotional, but I sat there, with my twins by my side, my girl, shirtless, splashing in the river, and my oldest boys fishing upstream with their dad, just speechless. Grateful. Our God, he created this for us. He knew I would be sitting on this sandy little spot by a moss covered rock that eases into a patch of wild green grass on this exact moment. He knew I would be reflecting on my childhood. He knew I would be dreaming of the day I could take my kids, and just go...go into the woods, where the trails and the wind takes us. He knew I would be thanking him.
He knew it was worth it.

Later, when we saw the above picture, we were cracking up because while I snuck Gus being all lovey, Elias found the littered beer can that we had picked up earlier and was trying to drink from it. Gross.

Below are the shots that were captured with my phone. Some of them were posted on Instagram.
Most of the crew is on Instagram, so we had a combined hashtag, #kmed4life You can view all of our picts by clicking on the link.

And last, but not least, our annual "kids on a log" picture. We outgrew the log, so we're having to move to the stairs of the lodge!

A really good time! That completes our sixth annual year.
Until next year!