good morning tri ponds

every morning, around 9 o'clock, for the past four mornings, mr tony greeted us with this proclamation and we knew our day was going to be a great one! tri ponds again provided a haven in which to enjoy our summer days as a fam. we camped with the habers, and enjoyed their company immensely. thanks to abby's influence, maxer spent hour upon hour at the pool whereas when it is just us, the younger two always want to leave before he has experienced all he desired.

maxer was able to take a split second from his fun to smile for a pic. then back to play.

running from one attraction to another, the kids enjoyed feeding the goats, bouncing on the jumping pillow, playing at the park, excavating at the beach, swimming in the pool, and feeding the fire.

saturday night included a special story time by mr tony. he took the kids on a lion hunt. adorable. every child was so engaged, and bear's motions were beyond precious. maxer's retelling of the story was even more fun than the first time we heard it.

it even just looks blissful!

life tip for next trip: bear would really like to wear actual pajamas to bed instead of just comfy shorts and shirts. extreme exhaustion may have attributed to the meltdown, but he does care to have quite the say in his apparel. and really, when you look this cute, i guess it comes naturally to want to flaunt your incredibly charming self.

maxer really honed his tether ball skills with this boy we dont really know. i love to watch max's social skills develop. they reached a new level when this boy, maybe nolan is his name, would fall to the ground and max would spank his butt. proud mama right here. please note weston and lily in the background plotting some acrobatics on the slide.

ayla jo won many hearts this weekend. the habers girls were quite fond of this baby girl. the opportunity to just experience my kids is so beautiful, and camping allows for that to happen. i love to just play with them as much as they love for me to be included in their games, watch their tricks and cherish their unique attributes. brad is especially wonderful at seizing this moment. whether playing monster or swimming or sleeping beside his boys, lots of bonding takes place.

brad played some pool basketball with the boys at the beginning of the weekend when there were few people populating the pool.

it seems i feel the need to keep my mouth wide open when posing for pics. it is a good look for me. clearly. aylaroo seems impressed.

blessed to have this weekend with all the good times, delish food, wagon rides, tantrums, tears, giggles, and friends.