Last week, we packed up the car and headed out of town. With family in tow, we left the great state of Texas and went to Turner Falls in Oklahoma.
The first night, we thought we were crazy and almost regretted the whole thing. Getting lost in no where land, being pulled over by a cop, and setting up camp in the pitch dark. Even better, Tanner managed to fall right onto a cactus. I just assumed it was tiny rocks on his hands and tried to brush them aside. But he screamed. Then I came to the lantern and saw the full magnitude -- 100s of sharp hair-like needles in his hand.
Anthony got to do the dirty work and pulled them all out -- and he thought Tanner would NEVER forgive him for inflicting so much pain upon him. But he did. The next day, his hand was as good as new.
But the next day proved to be well worth the trip.
We hiked up to a beautiful waterfall and the kids played in the water.
In Oklahoma, this is as close to a beach as you're going to get.
The water was the clearest water I've ever seen, just a little too cold for my taste. I did, however, enjoy a great little snooze on the beach.
The boys ran off and did a real hike.
While us girls just sat and let the kids play.
Skipped a few rocks.
.While Tanner just threw grass
Explored a few castles. Walked up 100+ stairs (trust me, the next day my calves were feeling the repercussion).
Tanner running the entire time. Just watching him made me exhausted :)
And somehow, FOOD always seems to taste better when you're camping. And with Michael in charge of food -- we were guaranteed never to go hungry and ate lots of yummy food -- chili and tin-foil dinners, s'mores, pancakes, sausage, eggs -- can you tell yet the food is always my favorite part of camping??
And I've never seen Tanner happier. He was definitely in his "element." With an endless supply of dirt at his fingertips, he could not have been happier.
Cousins to play with. And by the end of the trip, little Sophie was calling Tanner her boyfriend and they couldn't get enough of one another.
Tanner also loved to go exploring in the trees and woods around our campsite.
He even had the unfortunate pleasure of landing face first on a rock. Right as I was running to him saying -- 'Oh, Poor little guy' -- he was up and running away. Nothing could stop him from enjoying the great outdoors.
But he looked like he had gotten in a bad fight -- see!!! He was SO ready for that nap on our way home.
So besides having our little ray of sunshine awake at the crack of dawn at 6:00 am,
And sleeping on a half inflated air mattress
And having to use a port-a-potty with no toilet paper (don't ask).
Our trip was a HUGE success.
