Monday, July 8, 2013

American Pastime

Why stay in a hotel when the 4th of July can be celebrated with an American tradition....camping in the great outdoors where nature can be admired and smores can be enjoyed near a campfire?!
 
We made the trek to June Lake in our RV to enjoy the 4th of July.  Since we traveled on the 4th, Kennedy wore her festive shirt and star spangled tutu, of course.
Just chilling on the drive, which took all day....seemed like it took 3 days though. 
 Despite Bentley's expression, she was thrilled to be going on a road trip with us.  And thrilled to be wearing a flowered headband.
Uncle CJ hadn't seen mini CJ for a while so he welcomed him with lots of love.
 I think Uncle CJ wants a couple more kids.  Kennedy and Cameron were mesmerized by the older kids performing to an array of songs. 
 Kennedy was trying out her voice to Moves Like Jagger.  Both babies danced along to the beat.
 Leave it to Gramma to plan activities. She planned a scavenger hunt for one of the mornings.
For some reason, Sydney was upset when Papa drew Sydney's name out of the hat to be his partner.  From the looks of their face paint, she should apologize for her original reaction.  They placed first in the hunt!
 A close second earned Braden a cool prize.
 Aunt Sandy and Kendall look disappointed with their third place ranking.  I'm pretty sure there was still a prize though.
 Lyla knows that as long as you pose for the photo and look adorable, it really doesn't matter if you get fourth place.
Face painting was yet another fun activity organized by Grandma.  Papa facilitated tie dying shirts and other stuff to keep the kiddos super busy.
 No chance the bears will spot Braden.
 Partners in crime, these two were probably off to look for some trouble.
 Kendall is so sweet and caring with Kennedy and Cameron.
 Aunt Sandy had not met the babies yet.  They enjoyed the extra attention she gave them.
 Camping offers the opportunity for exploring and trying new things...
 Camping with the rest of the Johnsons meant getting passed around a lot.  Cam loved every bit of this.
 I see a bit of a resemblance between Gramma and Kennedy. Maybe Kennedy will be a dancer one day too.  Or maybe even an aerobics instructor, just like Gramma was.
 The fish weren't biting much but the boat was a nice place to relax.
 Cameron liked cruising around but he wanted a bit more action.
 He talked Dad into letting him take the wheel.
 This cute copilot also got to drive the boat.
 Fishing, swimming, boating...what a great way to enjoy the 4th of July weekend.
 Even Lyla gave fishing a try.  She seems to excel at just looking cute though.
 Kendall and Braden have a blast together.
 Kennedy wasn't interested in any aspect of our boating adventure.  We had to sneak her and Cameron on the boat to begin with because we didn't have life jackets for them.  She clearly didn't appreciate the great lengths we went through.
 We enjoyed time by the fire near Gramma and Papa's RV late one evening, so we put the babies down on their bed.  Daisey would like to correct that statement and inform us that it is her bed.  She just stared at them, wondering what in the world they were.
 The kids made tie dye shirts and Cam felt left out.  Good thing I brought his along.  He also decided he wanted a mohawk.
 Braden woke up daily very early to go stream fishing, but the fish really weren't biting much.  He did catch a few though!
 Daddy and Braden adore this little girl.
 Heading out to cause some mayhem around the campground.
 Braden's hair is almost long enough to put in pigtails.
 Bentley considers herself the 7th grandchild...
Not a bad place to spend a few days being thankful for the wonderful country we live in. It was right nearby that I ran into a bear while hiking with Bentley and the babies in the stroller...when not a single sole was around...

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