Goin' Camping!

I feel like this should be the motto for the Seidl family this year! Every set of plans we've made this year seems to have this theme! I don't mind camping and being outdoors, but I am not a backwoods girl by any means. I still like to take a shower every day and have a warm bed to sleep in every night. So with that being said, I am a little apprehensive about our summer vacation plans, but I am trying to keep an open mind. Even when Chris suggests we "tent" it for a whole week! :-) yuck.

For our summer vacation, we are taking the girls on a trip to South Dakota. Some highlights of the trip:
1. seeing Mt. Rushmore for the first time (or as Lexi calls them "Going to see the presidents")
2. Hiking, fishing, and more through the beautiful scenery (including the badlands)
3. Going to see our "old" (like in former, not too old) neighbors, Joe and Carol, who are moving up to Spearfish to be closer to their grandchildren after years in the education field. Chris is excited about the Fly fishing Joe told him about.
4. Heading to Laura Ingalls Wilder's childhood home. I LOVED those books when I was younger (I read them all in the 2nd grade) and I'm hoping I can instill the love of reading and of Laura Ingalls Wilder into my children with those books. I think the 2nd book is when she is in South Dakota, so I plan to read the 1st two to my children before the trip! So excited!

The rest of the trip is going to just be ...well, an adventure. We don't want too many set plans because we want to just be able to figure it out as we go. We'll see!



The second part of the "camping" summer is the girls both attending summer camp. Last year, Brenna took part in the Y's "Princess Camp" right before we left for Florida. She loved it! I still have a picture of her next to the "real" princesses on our fridge--her face is priceless! This year, she is attending with the neighbor girls, Jaeley and Katy. How fun! She is pretty excited to hang out with her friends in their pretty princess dresses and do things like nail painting and crafts!


Lexi is attending her first sleep away camp! As always, it is hard for me to accept how old she is getting. It doens't seem possible for her to be heading to camp without her family or anyone she knows! I'm not sure there is a set age for when children are ready for camp; I think it all depends on the child's nature. And if you know Lexi, you know that she is outgoing and fearless--2 qualities I think she is going to need. We are signing her up for the Y's mini camp in Boone. It is a 3 night, 4 day camp with all the typical "camp" activities. We actually gave her the option between this one and a 2 night Horse camp. Thinking the camp she'd choose was obvious, I was shocked when she said she wanted "the longer one". One more night cover a whole camp about horses?!? She must be excited to get away for as long as possible! :-) Chris and I both wished we'd have attended camp at a younger age and more often---so we're hoping that this is the experience for Lex that Chris and I never had. For all of you who've sent your kid off to camp, any suggestions/advice on things she should take?


Summer is quickly approaching and so are our amazing "camping" adventures! Will keep you posted on how they all turn out!