Annual DeMille Family Camping Trip

As soon as it starts to get warm the kids always ask when we will be going camping. They love to be in the outdoors, eating dutch-oven, getting dirty, climbing, fishing, hiking, roasting marshmallows (and this time, Starbursts) and probably not having to do chores too. Unfortunately this year we will probably only have one camping trip. We are really sad about it but we are trying to make it up to the kids in other ways.

I forgot my camera this trip so my awesome sister-in-law, Anna, took pictures for me. So if you notice the improved quality of pictures in this post it has nothing to do with me. :) You can see more of her mad-skills here.

Fearless Allison climbed about 30 feet up in this tree - TWICE! the scary thing about it was that the branches were all really small so they really could have broken at any time. You can see her in this picture climbing up...when the rest of the kids stopped she continued to climb another good 10 feet past where she is in this picture.

No fear at all...

This small branch was what was keeping her from her death...

I love how my sister-in-law really captured my pleading with Allie to please come down...safely!

Allison: "But Mom, I like it up here...it's fun.!"

Mom: "I don't care, get down before you break your neck!"

Finally she got to the ground and I was a much calmer mom.

Abigail pouting...I don't remember why.

Abigail and Ella...best cousins and best friends.

Abigail knew Anna was trying to take a picture but someone kept walking in front of her so she improvised. :)

Abigail and Ella eating together.

Abigail helping Ella put her shoe on...

Abigail and Ella laughing together...

The designated chefs at all campouts...but I don't think they mind since they get to "taste-test" the food.

Aunt Anna got lots of cute pics of Asher...dirty face and all.

Notice, he has a different color cup in this picture...hmmm, I wonder whose it was.

Asher pleading with his Uncle...

"Yes...I want to go up"

"I'm flying"

"Thanks, Uncle Robert...you're the best!"

And this is everyone's favorite...Asher completely mesmerized by the fire!

Austin roasting a starburst...mmmmm.

The end...of a great camping trip!

Allison and Emma BFF's

I love that Allison has a BFF! I love even more that it is her cousin and that she lives down the street! I always had a BFF growing up...Michele. We did everything together. We stayed up late, made up dances, prank called, had food fights, recorded ourselves singing and talking, and sometimes we even fought like sisters, but mostly we giggled! When I look back at those memories they really are priceless! When I look at these pictures, they remind me of those happy childhood memories that Allison is now creating for herself. She loves her cousin Emma. She loves doing everything with her. Sometimes they see each other on their back porches and yell to each other until one of their parents says, "just go over there already."

I took these pictures one night when Emma was sleeping over. I let them take a bubble bath in my big tub and they loved it. I loved listening to them giggle and giggle for over an hour. They just didn't want to get out.

Catching Up...Post 5: 4th of July

The 4th of July was pretty uneventful this year. We did what we do every year. The kids rode the train and got dirty at Chris's grandparents house. We ate lots of food. And watched the fireworks from our backyard. Have I mentioned that is the most awesome part!?

I like this picture of Chris!

All the kids wanted to grab the flag when they passed it.

Austin is playing football with Uncle John and some of the cousins.

This is some orange soda, mixed with some dinner, red vines and a little bit of dirt!

"Momma, kiss me!"

Last Trip through Diagon Alley...or maybe not!

So, call me sentimental but I am really sad that the last Harry Potter movie is here and gone. Ten years ago, in October, I was nursing Austin ALL DAY and starting the Harry Potter series. I read the first four books within two weeks...and it only took me that long because I was fighting with my sister over them. :) I remember when book 5 finally came out, being poor college students, we couldn't really afford it so I put myself reluctantly on the library waiting list...I was number 22! I was so disappointed but my dear husband who loves me so much surprised me with a copy he pre-ordered for me. He hid it in the fridge. Hehe! Then book 6 and book 7 came out and Chris and I read them together (I had him hooked by then) completely neglecting our children for the next 48 hours. Now Austin, who was newly born when I started the series has read every book at least twice and some of them more than that. He is almost 10! It has literally been a decade of our life reading and going to see the movies. I am sad that it is over but we are already planning our trip to Florida to go to Harry Potter land in three years!

Because Austin is a big Harry Potter fan, we thought it would be fun to take him to the midnight showing of the last Harry Potter movie. We had so much fun! We went to see the double feature: HP 7 part 1 and then HP 7 part 2. Austin dressed up. Chris and I were going to dress up as well but Chris REALLY didn't want to and his brothers threatened to sit somewhere else if we did. So just Austin dressed up and he made a super cute Harry Potter. There was a costume contest but "Voldemort" won. Nonetheless, Austin did win some free popcorn during the trivia contest. The final movie was everything we could have expected! It was really great and I actually want to go see it again. We had a great night and it was absolutely worth the loss of sleep!

Thank you to J.K. Rowling for making such an entertaining book. You absolutely deserve your billions!

Catching Up...Post 4: Las Vegas Trips

We have been to visit my sister and brother and their families in Las Vegas a couple of times so far this summer. My sister has a pool and the kids LOVE, and I think that is an understatement, to go swimming. I think they spent 6 hours everyday we were there in the pool. They swam so much they had rubbed themselves raw in several places from their life jackets. They also rubbed the skin off their fingers and feet. Allison's feet still aren't healed completely and it has been over a week. But they didn't care...they just wanted to be in the water.

They just jumped in all day. They taught themselves how to do front flips and back flips...well maybe more like back flops. At one point, Austin said to just call him 'Diving DeMille.' Then he dove down in the water and came back up a half second later, choking and coughing on water. It was kind of funny.

One of the cool things about metropolitan areas is the shopping. My sister took us to a HUGE out door mall called "Towne Square." They had a really neat park in the center. I didn't know it had water or we would have come a little more prepared but they had fun anyway and didn't mind getting their clothes a little wet.

Asher didn't really want to play in the water even thought it was 200 degrees outside. OK, more like 112, but still too hot to NOT want to get wet. His poor little face was turning so red (unfortunately one of the traits inherited from his mother). I finally just took him and ran him through the sprinklers to cool him off a little which he didn't like. But at least I knew he wouldn't have heat stroke anymore.

They had this cool maze for the kids to go through. It was a perfect height for kids (and OK maybe short people like me too). Parent could climb up on the outside play area and look right down into it so they wouldn't loose their kids in it.