Labor Day at Village Creek

We had a great weekend at Village Creek State Park, AR, our favorite camping spot for its proximity to Memphis (less than a 1.5 hr drive door to campsite) and because it's a beautiful park run by great rangers. This time we went with our neighbors the Joneses and 2 other families-- we had a total of 10 kids with us which was a dream come true for Alex and Michaela, who we barely saw all weekend because they were running with the pack: biking, swimming, hiking through the woods, climbing a cliff to a burrow they discovered and named "The Hut" (yep, that's Michaela climbing a cliff in a skirt and pink crocs), playing badminton and a rousing game of flashlight tag on the last night.

Sophia held court with the three 11-yr-old girls with us who were enamored with her. Sophia and her baby had plenty to do. Princess Sophia discovered that the window in the door to the royal RV is just the right height for her to safely survey her sovereign state while staying close by me while I cooked inside.

The weather was perfect- hot during the day and great for swimming, and just barely chilly at night, perfect for a fire. For the first time since May, we had to don long sleeves when the sun went down. Alex and Michaela discovered the perfect climbing tree that they spent lots of time up in. Alex said he wished we lived at Village Creek so he could climb his tree every day after school. He was quite sad to leave it. Michaela said Sunday was one of her best days ever and she took a tree leaf home so she could "remember this day always". The only major injury this trip was a wasp sting to Jimmy's finger. We cherish these weekends out in the woods where we can unplug (yes, even Jimmy can unplug!) and enjoy tiny adventures and big ones together as a family.