A couple of weeks ago we loaded the kids and their friends into the back of the pickup and went exploring the area around Donkey Hill. We found a section of the creek bed with a wooden bridge covering it.
Kids usually climb trees to go up.
This time, they climbed the trees down.
It scared the pee out of me, by the way.
We were keeping Courtney's kids while she was out of town
and I was terrified that something would go South on my watch.
Tom told me to chill.
He also told me to chill when I was freaking out with all of them in the bed of the pickup while we were flying over bumps and ditches.
Husbands are gifted in the department of ignoring danger, common sense, and basic cause and effect situations.
The kids made it down.
And what goes down- must come up, right?
Who needs indoor rock climbing when you have the real thing?
I stood on the bridge and shuddered thinking of all the snakes that were napping under those leaves. Gah!
Tom saw the thought written across my face and told me to chill again:)
Bryce thought he was hot stuff.
He was hanging with the best of 'em.
They played, for what felt like an eternity.
We were on our way back home when it was decided that we needed to turn right back around and go have a fire on Donkey Hill.
The boys prepped the fire while the girls went to stock up on goodies at the store.
Cajun, Popcorn, and Peanut were excited to have us back so soon,
though they didn't appreciate the flash.
We grilled hot dogs and made S'mores...
played campfire games and talked about the future.
Tom and I enjoyed time to ourselves when the kids jumped on the trampoline with their flashlights.
The boys brought their iPods...because Minecraft must go on...even in the wilderness.
Kess kept disappearing.
We always found her in the same place.
She loves Cajun and he loves her right back.
Tom and I decided it had been a perfect day.
Nobody wanted it to end.
but the sleepy eyes were coming out
and we knew we had to wrap it up.
Every day I spend on Donkey Hill - it gets harder to get back in the car and go "home".
Emotionally, we have already moved in here.
It feels like where we belong.
Counting the days until we don't have to drive away...
when we can walk across the field and hop into bed.
It feels so far away...but close enough to taste.
The process has begun!
Until then...we will chalk it up to another great day on Donkey Hill.
