back down the mountain.

we just returned from an amazing week of family camp at forest home. it was such a fun week. a time of spiritual rejuvenation for jenny and i, and pure fun for our kids. the highlight for our children was definitely the zip line. when we went last year, the boys were so bummed because they didn't meet the height requirement. so this year when we measured them the first day of camp, they barely made the cut. you've never seen such excited kids! and poor kaitlyn cried for 5 minutes straight after we measured her and she was a few inches too short. i have to tell you how proud i was when we climbed up to the zip line platform, which was at least 35 ft high, and both the boys never hesitated. they just stepped right off with no fear. and then, when we did it again, they both zipped upside down! well the story doesn't stop there. the last day of camp, we hiked back to the zip line because the boys wanted to do it again. this time though, the zip line operator asked kaitlyn if she wanted to go...even though she wasn't tall enough. kaitlyn was so excited! and again, i was a proud papa as my little 3 year old climbed up and stepped right off - no encouragement needed. i thought i have to coax her into it once she got to the top, but nope - not at all. here are a few pictures from the zip line. i actually took some of these pictures "in flight." it was a bit difficult to get myself facing the correct direction as i slid down the line, but it was a fun challenge.

getting geared up

the intimidating staircase

the second zip line day

micah on his way to upside down

kaitlyn on the platform before the ride down

even mid flight she never stopped smiling

after a successful ride

noah turned into an absolute nature boy. he lived for using his hands to catch creatures most would refuse to hold. his empty water bottle was always filled with everything from giant ants to crickets to lizards. here is a picture of a "stink bug" he caught despite our warnings and also a blue belly lizard.

cowboy micah. even though he was a little under the weather, micah couldn't be held back from riding the horses.

have you ever seen a happier kid?

i know i put a lot of kaitlyn in this post, but she is just so darn cute i can't help myself!