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I don't even know what to title this entry. Independence, Camping, or My Brother? Okay let me explain each and maybe then you'll see why its a choice.



Independence.

Now I know where I get mine from. MY MOM! This week my mom decided she wanted to take the kids and go camping. Now usually that's not a big deal, but for some reason my dad didn't feel like going so he put up a fight. I have never known my mom to back down from anything she wants and by golly she wanted to go camping and to hell with him. At first I was a little worried about her pulling a big ol camper trailer with my two boys and 6 yr old nephew Ayden in the suv with her, but as I followed her in my van with the babies and saw that she could handle it I relaxed. When we arrived in the Jemez mountains 45 minutes later my next worries were how were we going to set up the camper without my dad or brother. That is after all the mans job right? Wrong, my mom set out the tasks and before I knew it we were done. Propane tanks hooked up and ready. electricity going. Leveled and straight. Beds made and lunch ready to be served. To say I was impressed by her would be an understatement. Proud would be a more fitting word. Way to go mom. Im proud and impressed and I love you.



Camping.

Now you probably figured out why I haven't written anything else since my first entry. For those who didn't catch on. Because I went camping with my mom and 5 kids.
I grew up going camping at least once every 3 months, so this is nothing new to me. Although when I married Dave and realized he basically camps for a living it isn't our first choice for a getaway weekend. The boys thought it was fun to hike around looking for snakes, spiders, scorpions and other natural wild life. Until they actually found something and would run back to the camp screaming like a bunch of sissy sally girls. Ashley and Nick were in camping heaven sitting in the muddy banks of the river. The first night we roasted an entire bag of marshmallows and nobody got sick. Ahh camping there is nothing like it. Sitting outside in the heat. Getting eaten by mosquitoes. Smelling of sweat and smoke. Watching for falling stars in clearest of skys, and sleeping with 5 kids that either talk, wiggle or even fart in their sleep.



My Brother.

The next morning to my relief my little brother Jason showed up. Okay he's not little anymore. He is 28 with an awesome wife Stacey and 2 crazy kids Ayden 6, and Surraya 1. Now remember I said we were already set up, but I didn't say we were starting to get a flat tire on the camper. He fixed it and then took the boys exploring into the wilderness. Then we decided to go up to the lake and fish. We didn't catch anything, but it was still fun to try. Since we used all the marshmallows the night before Jason gave the boys some hotdogs to roast on a stick. Grandma asked Dylan to make her a hotdog and she wanted it burnt. As Dylan is cooking we notice his stick is on fire and we start laughing because we know that at any minute the stick will break and he will loose the hotdog. He pulls it out of the fire and starts to blow out the fire just as he does the hotdog falls on his face. Jason starts laughing so hard I put the flashlight on him to see whats so funny. Dylan has a perfect black greasy hotdog mustache above his upper lip from one cheek to the other. Me and Mom start cracking up I started to cry and almost peed my pants. The joy of that day and night came to a crashing halt. At 3am while asleep Nick fell out of the camper and hit his head on the pavement. He has a cut that required 5 stitches. Thanks to my brother he drove as I held my baby to the closest emergency room 45min away. He is fine now and acts like nothing ever happened, but for me the sound of my screaming baby will haunt me forever. I thank God that it wasn't worse. It could've been so much worse. The area he fell out of was right over the hitch and propane tanks. Saying thank you to my brother just doesn't seem like enough. I will be forever grateful that he chose to be with his family then go to work that day. I love you brother.

All in all I had a good time. Maybe we will even try to go again and this time I'm sleeping in tent with all the children. Okay maybe not a tent, but on the floor of the camper at least.