We had so much fun last weekend at River Bend State Park. Our church has had Family Camp there for the past three years so it is becoming a place full of special memories to us and our kids. This year my parents brought Kaeleigh, Micah, & Lily, so the cousins played together in the river, in the woods, and riding their bikes from dawn until way past dusk. It was the first year we let the kids sleep in their own tents. The girls (except for Zibby of course) in one and the boys in the other. Unfortunately, Micah and Ben were telling "scary" stories to each other so, needless to say, I found Ben back in our trailer 2 out of the 4 nights. It is still weird to me that the kids are growing old enough to ride their bikes together (without us), explore a river together (with life jackets on of course!), and sleep in their own tent apart from us. Each day they are becoming more independent. It is hard not to worry over them. I struggle from wanting to hold them back and keep them safe from any danger. It kinda reminds me of that part in "Finding Nemo" when Marlin, Nemo's dad, is in the whale's mouth, with Dory, and he tells her that he is afraid of letting anything happen to Nemo, and Dory wisely says, "Well, if you don't let anything happen to him, then nothing ever will....not too much fun for little Harpo (Nemo)" So true! Knowing when to hold them close and when to let go is part of the balancing act of parenting. I'm sure that it will be a challenge for me for many years to come.
We are looking forward to camping a few more times before the summer ends. Aaron and I decided that it beats a vacation in the Bahamas any day of the week.
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