Our big campout- June.

Yesterday, amam and papa had a big surprise for us- we were going camping! Henry and I were really excited because we've been reading a book about when Curious George went camping.

We had a minor hangup when mama called all the state parks and they were all full. Mama couldn't believe that campgrounds were full in October, but we're in the south and it's still warm. We finally found a private campground that had openings and took off.

Mama put me on a blanket, but I kept crawling off and stuffing my mouth full of dirt and sticks. So they set up the pack and play and I was forced to play in it for the rest of the weekend.

Henry thought it was pretty funny that I had to stay in bed and he got to load rocks into his dump truck. It took him a bit to get used to being out in the country. He fell down once and wouldn't get up on his own because he didn't want to get his hands dirty. What a city boy.

The campground we stayed in was a real trip. Pretty much, you paid your $20 and that was the only rule. No registration, no marked sites, and no requirements to keep your dog on a leash. There were dogs roaming everywhere! If you wanted a fire, you had to walk around and look for an unused fire ring. There was also a stage that featured live bands all afternoon. If there weren't other families there, we might not have stayed because it looked like a place that might get a little rowdy after the sun went down. But we were pleasantly surprised that the campground stayed fairly quiet all night long.

Henry had so much fun, he fell asleep in the car on the way to get more firewood and slept for 2 hours before he woke up very disoriented demanding marshmallows.

Our friends Mister Paul and Miss Susan came camping with us and provided plenty of distraction for us kids and good company for mama and papa. Here's Henro and Miss Susan taking a walk in the shadow of Pilot Mountain.

Mama and Mister Paul also tagged along.
Miss Susan is Henry's new favorite person because she spent hours helping collect acorns with Henry.

After they had a good supply of acorns, we spent a while throwing them in the pond.
Last night Henry had a mishap and stumbled in the water up to his knees. He was pretty upset for a few minutes, but resumed throwing acorns.

I was pleased to get free of any meddling arms and enjoy the beautiful day.

Then I tried to stuff a few leaves in my mouth before anyone noticed.

Mister Paul and Miss Susan were great company. They tolerated that our potato packs contained eggplant and mushrooms instead of potatoes and two kids that were deprived of naps and prone to frequent breakdowns. After Henry filled his belly up with applesauce and marshmallows, he demanded to go to bed in the tent. We both fell asleep with no problems. Henry slept through the night. I had problems staying asleep and decided to channel my cousin Natalie at the 2005 Door County Seibert vacation, where she refused to sleep the whole week. Like Natalie, I was very pleased that mama and papa got me up and I got to continue enjoying the campfire well after my bedtime.

We thought about hiking to Pilot Mountain, but realized these places always seem closer than they really are. So we went back to our campsite for another granola bar.

While we were cleaning up, mama got goofy and decided to make a dress out of the tarp.

Then we got silly when I tried to get in the tent after it came down.

Mama and I think that next time, we'll just try to sleep like this. It seems like much less work than trying to set up the tent.

Pumpkinfest- Henry.

Mama says every state has things it's known for. Ohio has county fairs and jello. Wisconsin had cheese, sausage, beer and the Packers. She's been trying to figure out what North Carolina can call its own. And she's pretty certain the church festival/sale is it.

Since there's literally a church on every corner, there are endless possibilities for children's consignment sales, bake sales, holiday bazaars, and various produce themed festivals. Yesterday, we headed over to a Methodist church for their Pumpkinfest.

We had heard people refer to this church as the "Pumpkin Church," but were never really sure why. It's because about a week before Pumpkinfest, they fill up the front yard with about 10,000 pumpkins of all sizes.
Then for 3 hours, they have a big party where you can go buy them and do other fun pumpkin related activities.

Don't worry, I'm not going to drop this pumpkin on Juner's head. I was trying to balance it there.

We took a break from the pumpkins for some pumpkin muffins. Yum!

Juner loved hers and mama couldn't pick out the raisins fast enough for her liking. She ate two before the day was over.

I decided I wanted to paint a pumpkin. I was very pleased with the final result.

We left my pumpkin to dry and snapped a quick family picture.

When we went back to pick up my pumpkin, someone had taken it home with them. Apparently, all pumpkins painted by 2 and 3 year olds look the same to some people. But the good news is that I got to paint another pumpkin! This time we were sure to put my name on it.