Lake Perris Camping Trip

 

 The last week of March our family spent five days camping at Lake Perris. This was a much needed time of refreshment, and we really enjoyed it! It was especially nice to find a camping place with a lake to swim in nearby! This trip was for the three young men whose birthdays fall in March and April and are all very fond of camping.

 The guys set up the tents- one for sleeping and the smaller we called "the pantry tent."

 Setting up the family tent.....





The finished campsite buzzing with activity....

 Timmy really enjoyed riding his bike, something Daddy did here when he was a boy too!

 Each day Mom assigned a pair of us kids to do meals for the day....

 Enjoying a sausage, pancake and syrup sandwich.....

 We tried to make our meals simple...chicken, cheese and green sauce quesadillas.

 Another pair on breakfast duty making eggs and sausage....

 Hot tea in the mornings was a very fun treat!:)

 With Resurrection Sunday coming up, the younger ones practiced for choir daily.;)

Evie really enjoyed riding on the back of whoever was going for a ride on mom's bike.





 Eating lunch before heading off to swim....

 Towel costumes....;)

 When Evie saw us older ones carrying our towels she wanted to carry hers too.

 This picture is a joke....Mom asked Isaiah to pose like "one of those guys who thinks he's the greatest thing since lice bread.";)

Enjoying a ride!

 Wrestling on the beach in an attempt to dunk Isaiah!

 At first the water was cold but once you got used to it, it was a lot of fun!

 After a quick dip the little ones were ready for their towels!

 Taking each other down...usually we all talk about dunking when we first get in the water and take our time, but if you don't hurry up and do it, you become the next target!

 Lighting a fire....

 After dinner each night, we enjoyed having one of the guys share from the Scriptures, singing and making s'mores.

 Braving the beetle who they named "Dexter".....

 Gathering kindling for another fire.....we are so thankful to have been able to use wood as a lot of places are banning it now.

 The lovely scenery surrounding us....

Choir practice for Natey and Josh before having some fun...

 And the games begin! We had a lot of fun this particular day inside the tent as it was pretty cold and rained just a bit.

 Hugs are always fun!

 A game of telephone was going quite well here!

 Caytlin wondering if she got it correct before passing it on...

It started with the smaller ones so it usually came around pretty that what was originally said

 Don't be fooled by this picture this is a very staged shot.

 Daddy arrived Thursday afternoon-Isaiah's 14th Birthday! He came with lots of treats among which were ice cream!

 A picture with the birthday guy!

 Waiting for everyone to get ready to go boating!! Thursday they have a special for renting a four man boat $30 for three hours. We took turns riding.

 Building a nativity set out of Pine cones. We used the dried out pine needles as hay.

 Dad came bearing birthday donuts! We really like custard filled. Dad's favorite is apple fritter.

 There is a small island in the middle of the lake which we shuttled everyone to and most of the kids climbed to the top of the hill.

The view from the top of the hill

our rental speedboat- these two guys jumped ship (with permission) a bit before shore and swam to the beach area

later he guys enjoyed a little archery

We enjoyed playing monkey in  the middle with Dad at the lake. This particular lake has sand by the shore in this area.

some friendly splashing...

Joshua is a very loving older brother. (Actually all the brothers are.)

 Roasting hot dogs and marshmallows on our last night....It is hard for Dad to get time off from work because he is such a valuable and needed employee. So we are so grateful for the time he can get off to be with us.

We were grateful for the opportunity again to enjoy the beauty of God's creation, to live in the wide open spaces for a few days and spend time together as a family simply! This trip was a real blessing after spending so many hours studying and doing school it was a wonderful and refreshing break.

"Nevertheless He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.”
                                                                                                                Acts 14:17