Labor day weekend was how long ago?!!!

My word.

Can you say abandoned blog?!

HAHA.

I have been so crazy busy that I haven't had a minute to update our family blog. I am SO not complaining. I am beside myself with happiness that I am busy. My business is growing and I am doing something I love love love. (Besides raising and chasing and cleaning after my three favorite little people in the whole world, and being married to a man who gets that I love busy.)

I have had a few people ask what has happened with the whole "She has my business name for heavens sake" saga. I will condense it down and save you from reading too much blah blah blah. I stumbled on her site when I typed MINE in wrong. Who does that? A tired woman at 1:30 in the morning checking to see if her post went in right on the blog.

I was stunned. No...shocked. I had just re-registered my name 3 weeks earlier. I have owned it since day one. I had tried to buy that stupid domain to go with it when I started. I never got anywhere with it. I sucked it up and went with the one I have (www.rememberthisphotographystudio.com) It is long and it is a mouthful. Oh well.

Anyway... I let it eat at me for 2 days. I finally got up the nerve, called up the State and made sure I owned it free and clear. Sure do! :) They told me to get a lawyer and have them send a cease and desist letter. I didn't want to have to do that. So I sent her a nice email saying "please change your name .... oh....and I would love to buy your domain. Seriously...would. love. it."

In the end, she changed her header at the top of her site to "her name photography". She still has her domain name. I can't (or don't think) I can make her change that. CRAPPY. So for now I will just have to be obnoxious and make sure people know my site name.

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On to better things right?! 

Right.

So we went camping over Labor day weekend. I have three basic requirements. Potties, water, and an air mattress. Camping isn't my absolute favorite but for the sake of family memories I will suck it up and do it. Not for a week though, those would not be happy family memories.

We were lucky enough to go with our family friends. The same friends who did the Disneyland fun with us a couple of years ago. Their kids love our kids. Our kids love their kids. We all get along so well that we figured why not spend a couple days in the dirt together?!

I think this post needs some pictures. Yes it does.

 These two have been buddies since day one. Maddie could hardly wait to see Capri. I joke not. The drive to the campground, about an hour, consisted of no less than 30 or 40 requests to go faster so she could see her. It really is a miracle Maddie made it on the trip at all and not left on the side of the road. :)

This little stinker was (cause Labor day was so long ago) going through a "I refuse to look at the camera no matter what you bribe me with phase. This was obviously day one. She did not look this clean for the next two days. At one point she looked like she had a mustache. I could kick myself now for not getting a picture before I took the baby wipe to her.

Our campsite was beautiful. It was completely surrounded by trees and had little trails to the tents. The kids spent hours just going back and forth on them.

I may not have taken a picture of the 'Stache' but I did get one of Hayden playing in bubbles. It seems funny to me that in the middle of the wilderness in the land of dirt I would find my kids playing in a bucket full of bubbles from dishes.

We hiked to the three lakes that surrounded the campgrounds. The kids were in search of the perfect rock for skipping rocks. Well, not Grace. She was just looking for anything she could chuck into the water.

 Hayden was trying his hand at his homemade fishing pole. Poor kid never caught one thing. I can't imagine why?!

The lake was beautiful. It was one of those moments where you wish you could just stop time for a minute and just enjoy it a little longer.

 The kiddos made a fort and of course the girls had to bring their homemaking skills and they made the cutest little table and chairs. They were so sad to leave it behind. I hope another family was able to find it and use it.

 

Our last hike on our way out had trails that went over the water. The kids loved walking on the logs. It was the prettiest hike we went on.

 At the end was a beautiful waterfall.  I think that any hike that ends in a waterfall is my kind of hike. Somehow it makes it all worth it.
 

 Haylie was sweet enough to carry each one of my kids across the freezing cold water to touch the waterfall.

 My kids were clearly prepared for playing in the water right? Nothing says water fun like running shoes and socks. 
 

And then it was time to go home.

I missed my bathroom, my shower, and my bed.