In the beginning our time together was shared with a whole bunch of other friends at Wild Rivers waterpark on "Carload Monday"... what a deal... up to 8 people can enter for just $60 + $8 for parking - that's a pretty big savings on the regular $25 per person... So you can be certain we packed those cars full!!!
Helena absolutely loves the water!!!
Hunter was a bit timid at first with some of the slides, but you can tell by his pruney feet that he didn't let fear keep him out of the water!
Amber, Jason, Evan, Dad & Helena took a little time out of the water for other interests - cribbage and rest!
Matt set up a tent for himself and Trevor...
because Grandma & Madie & Travis were supposed to be tent trailer roommates... but Madie ended up in the tent at some stage during the early morning and took over.
Our kids were still adjusting to the time zone so we went on an early walk with Grandpa over to the riverbed where we actually saw a coyote!!! Seeing wildlife in the morning... that's pretty close to real camping, wouldn't you agree!?!
Mom slept pretty well in the cozy tent trailer, especially since the other tent-mate left.
Coffee and farkle to start off the day.
My mom got a Wii for her birthday from dad... a great way to exercise and a good way to get the grandkids over to her house... she's pretty smart! Jason set it up at their place while we were together, so the kids loved playing (not so much the sharing part). I love this shot of Hunter trying to copy Trevor's actions... Trevor's almost 8 now... Hunter really had fun with these guys! I don't think he ever really had his own turn at Wii, but I don't think he'd recognize the difference just yet.
The good thing about camping at home was we weren't in a hurry to get anywhere. We did finally make it down to the beach for our first beach day since our arrival. The water was as cold as Travis' face would suggest... needless to say, I didn't spend much time there at all!
Thankfully our family does this sort of thing all the time so the prep doesn't take them too long... if left to me, I'd have spent half the morning just trying to figure out what to take and how to get it all there... I think we'll have some adjustments to make when we get back to NZ, eh? It's so different having a vehicle to throw everything into! In the meantime, we really enjoyed the creature comforts of home.
Cool little Evan kickin' it on the beach!
Grandpa was teaching Hunter the family tradition of cribbage.
Okay, taking an almost one year old to the beach is not the ideal relaxing activity... but after I just gave up trying to keep the sand out of her mouth we both seemed to enjoy the day much more. Of course there are consequences for sand consumption, but she didn't seem to mind that either...
Although, that said, the Pack 'N Play was my best friend on the day and I think every beach-going family should consider taking along such a day-saver as this.
After the beach and our hot showers, we enjoyed a tasty BBQ outside near the campfire in the backyard... looks like a real site, eh!?
Trevor cleared his plate so he got s'mores like the rest of us...
Everyone wanted a turn holding 'baby Evan'.
We made ziploc omelettes for breakfast on the second morning - they're typically more fun to make than to eat... though the kids didn't complain.
After the Ambrose kids left for swim practice and the campout was 'officially' over, we stuck around playing Wii while our kids napped... Amber was a great runner, and in the end Jason beat my record at the dance/step competition - though he probably wouldn't want me to announce that one! 
.JPG)