Family Camping: Leisure Resort, San Marcos River

LONG post, with LOTS of pictures...yes, indeed! I am making it a point to "blog" more. WHY? It is my newest way of documenting memories, since I no longer "scrapbook". While I LOVE my blog readers, I am reminded that this blog is not only for you all, but for me and my family, TOO! That is why I am including SO MANY pictures in one post...I want to REMEMBER it ALL, because it's going by WAY TOO FAST!

Mike and I are so drawn to the Texas Hill Country and it's surrounding rivers...we've taken many trips there, just the two of us. This year we felt like our boys were finally old enough to tag along. So...our family vacay included camping (well, semi "camping") at a resort on the San Marcos, River!

The picture below is why we LOVE to head west...beautiful, flowing water surrounded by ancient pecan trees!


Now we can talk about the semi "camping" I mentioned above. We did stay in an air conditioned cabin (in the picture below), equipped with beds, a bathroom (w/ a shower), a microwave, a small refrigerator, and a sink. Although we didn't "rough it", we did do ALL of our cooking OUTSIDE on the picnic table you see in the picture below! After all, that IS the FUN of camping...cooking and eating!
Cooking outside while camping involves building a fire. First we needed to find some wood...here the boys are helping chop wood...

We had burgers, roasted marshmallows, PANCAKES, bacon, eggs, quesadillas, and FRESH PEACHES (my new LOVE).

It didn't take us long and we were enjoying the river...Mike and I had to "teach" the boys a few "river rules" before letting them play. They had never been in a river, let alone felt a "true" current. Mike was so good...he took them out, let them feel what the current was like, how strong it was, and then what to do if they get caught in the current and can't stand up, etc.

These ropes, in the picture below, were SUPER FUN...not so much for Cade and I, but Mike and Drew LOVED them. The river current was really strong at that particular spot, so if your hands slipped, you were going to be taking a ride!

Luckily, we quickly found a "jumping" spot. Of course, Mike jumped first, making sure all was okay. I love that I was able to capture the boys waiting and watching as Daddy jumped.

Next went Cade (yes, he went before Drew)...I ADORE the SUN FLARE in the pictures below...

And then Drew (after some coercing from Daddy and me going up to where he was)...

I didn't jump!!

A quick insert here...I am SO GLAD God blessed our boys with each other! They are polar opposites when it comes to personality, and that is why it works! It's a good thing God knows what He is doing!

I was even in a couple of pictures from this trip...I making it a point to be in more pictures as well...

SWINGING never gets old...

This resort had lots of entertainment...PUTT-PUTT GOLF was a FAVE for the whole family...


Drew was SO TICKLED...he got a really good hit...

The boys picked out a PINK golf ball for me...

~Insert~: random FAVORITE pictures of CADE:

I love that Cade enjoys having his picture taken...he poses and looks right into the camera!

Cade will occasionally grab one of Mike's caps and wear it for a couple of days...

He still loves to sit in laps and he still loves his Daddy, too...

Unlike his brother, Cade actually ATE the marshmallows he roasted (below, top picture). In the bottom picture, the boys joined two other brothers in a game of football...

and random FAVORITES of DREW...

He is our CURIOUS child, so you know he was dying to see what was inside these shells...

Drew also likes FIRE...

We used to call him "SMILEY" because he was always smiling...now he does a lot of pouting, too. But here he is SMILING, and BIG...

The next two were taken by Mike. He worked very hard to get that bottom picture of Drew peeking over the playground equipment...

Cade wanted to take a break from the river, and visit the pool (Cade is like his Momma...when it comes to rivers, put us in a tube or where we can SEE our feet.)

I wonder how much longer Mike will be able to toss Cade around...

With muscles like these, I guess for a while longer!

He's got a couple more years to toss Drew around. In the bottom picture, Drew is showing us his "airplane" dive...

Finally (yes this post does have an ending), we get to the puppy pictures. This is NOT our puppy, but two friendly boys were willing to let us play with their puppy. I couldn't resist...I had to get the camera...


We had such a good time. What I enjoyed the MOST, was time spent with all 3 of my boys...cherished memories!

Camping @ Yogi Bear Park...

Ready or not, here they come...LOTS of pictures from our recent camping trip. This was our second summer to visit Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park Camp and Resort in Waller, TX. It is a great place to "camp" because they have air conditioned cabins and nice bathrooms...now that's what I'm talkin' about! I am not into the whole primitive camping thing...how is that relaxing?? You can relax more in the comfort of your own home than in a tent with no A.C., no H2O, no electricity, etc. in the HEAT of July! Anyhow, that is just my own opinion. At Yogi Bear Park, there is so much to do! Take at look at us enjoying a few of them...

First, there is the pool area that resembles a mini water park...this large, yellow bucket dumps gallons of water every 10-15 mins. or so.

Here' s Jacob, my nephew, and Cade going down the red slide...

and Daddy and Drew on the green slide...

The newest attraction is this slide...it is enclosed like a tunnel and is pretty tall. Cade and Drew have just finished sliding down...

There are also regular swimming pools. Drew is having some fun in the water...

This is precious little Faith hangin' out at the pool. She belongs to some friends of ours that joined us this year, making our trip that much more FUN!



The top picture is Walker with his mommy, and my friend, Kat (also Faith's mommy)...the bottom picture is Kat and Faith chillaxin'!


Here is Miss Callie, my niece, enjoying the water, and (on the right) giving a smile with her pearly blues!

And Miss Callie again, ready for another trip to the pool...
The picture on the right features all the kiddos, along with BooBoo. The pictures on the left are of Drew playing putt-putt golf and sportin' his blue MOHAWK...

CRAFT TIME is always fun, too. Kyle, my nephew, painted a ceramic cobra. Drew chose to paint a truck. Jacob and Cade colored T-shirts...

BooBoo, Yogi's son, was greeted by Drew and Kyle as we waited in line for the HAY RIDE that we never rode...the line was too l o n g, and we were all too HOT!

Cade spent A LOT of time to play the DS...(Grandpee is in the background).

Top left: Clayton, my B-I-L (Mike's older brother), drinking a MONSTER. Maybe he is gonna drink the one sitting next to him as well...YIKES!

Bottom left: Mike doing what he does best...COOKING!

Right: Clayton and Mike being BIG, HUGE KIDS...they were being oh so friendly by splashing some strangers sitting at the bottom of the slide! It was pretty funny! And the strangers thought so, too.

*If you look close enough, you can see that they both have a tattoo on their chest. It is 3 vertical columns, connected by 2 slanted columns, to make an "M". Meaning: 3 brothers, all connected, making an "M" for "M"aple. The youngest brother, Cody (who also has this same tattoo, in the same place), was not with us on this trip and therefore, is not in the picture.

Last, but NOT least...Cade ready to go to the pool. I love these two shots!

So, if you are looking for somewhere to take the kiddos, I highly recommend Yogi Bear Park. What places can you recommend for vacationing?