Pinecrest!

Ok, don't faint or anything, but I just got back from three days of camping.

Can you believe it?!?

Well, don't, because by most people's standards, it wasn't technically camping. The fam and I took advantage of Jay having three days off and went to Pinecrest (near Sonora), where we rented a small cabin and hung out in the wilderness. And you know what? It was a blast!

Now let me make it clear that it's not being in nature that I don't like, it's the whole sleep-in-a-tent-bathe-in-a-river-cook-over-an-open-flame-eat-burnt-food-squat-in-the-woods that I object to. That is my memory of "camping." So when we decided to go to Pinecrest I insisted on the cabin, and even Jay agrees that it was a good call. The little ones were much happier, and so was I. And everyone knows that if Mama's not happy, no one's happy.

The highlights of the trip are as follows:

Jay taking the girls fishing. I told him they would probably get bored after 5 minutes, and I was close. I think it was 10. But they did a good job and had fun in the boat. The lake is really beautiful and I had fun taking a tour around it.

Swimming in the pool and the lake. The water was cold, but that didn't stop us. Well, it stopped me from going all the way in. I'm a wuss like that. Dexter is going to be an Olympic swimmer, though, because he absolutely loved the water. He didn't even flinch despite the temperature. He just sat there in his baby-floating device, splashing and laughing away. I wish I got a picture. I also wish I got a picture of Jay realizing that he still had his wallet in his pocket as he's waist deep in the lake. Hiking about 4 miles around the entire perimeter of Pinecrest Lake. The kids made it the whole way around with minimal whining! They were such troopers, even when we had to negotiate through Jay's "shortcut." We treated ourselves to some ice cream at the General Store after we completed our adventure.


Slamming Bea's finger into the van door. Yep, that was my fault. I am usually so paranoid about that very thing that I *never* close my door until the kids are out of the sliding door. And the kids are paranoid too, so they *never* put their fingers near my door. Well... all the stars must have been aligned because both things happened and poor Bea's finger got caught. We were lucky that nothing more than a scraped finger was the result. Here is the scene of the crime:

Excitement over bar soap. I guess my kids lead pretty dull lives, because I think they were more excited about the teeny bar of hotel-style soap in our cabin than anything else. At least it encouraged them to keep their hands clean!

Overall, we had a wonderful time. So wonderful, in fact, that we extended our stay by one day. I would go back in a heartbeat, especially if we stayed in the same place. The scenery, the activities, the cabin, and the people were all spectacular. I highly recommend it!

No, this wasn't our cabin. :) There was a great playground for the kids, including this adorable house!

Cutie pie!