Earlier this month we went up to Idaho to go camping with my family. I love camping. I grew up camping. And I recently realized that I've only been camping 2 (now 3 times) in the last 9 years. That is just wrong. This was Paige's first camping trip sleeping in a tent. We camped on the middle fork of the Payette River near Crouch, ID. We had a great campsite with the river close by. It was shallow enough that the kids played in it and could ride tubes down the little current. Paige loved having her cousins at her every command. Paige says her favorite part was sleeping in a tent. I loved it all.
Of course, I had to start the trip with a photo shoot. I told Paige if she let me do pictures when we first got there, when we were done, she could get as dirty as she wanted.
I love this picture of my brother carrying Paige across the river. He was helping her catch a fish. These fish only liked flies, so later he caught a few and let Paige reel them in. Once we got back to Boise she went fishing with Poppa at a pond and caught her first fist by her self. At least that's the story she tells me. I wasn't there, so I don't know.
Paige in her cousin's boat. She would ride down the current and then the kids would drag her back upstream to do it again. Oh, to have everyone do things for you.
My nieces and nephew. Out trip was with my parents, my brother and his family, my sister's daughter, and us. My sister didn't come because she doesn't get along with the outdoors (really bad allergies, dirt, roughing it...)
The first fish Paige reeled in with Uncle Brian.
It was great and far too short. Next year we will have to plan for a longer weekend. To see all the camping pictures,
click here.
Why go through the maze if you can go over it?
I love the look of terror on her face going down the slide.
But she enjoyed it.
Her chosen pumpkin. 
The next day we went to Luray Caverns in Virginia. My mother-in-law has a love for rocks. She started a rock collection for Paige. It was fun going through the cave and Paige loved rock shopping in the gift shop. This is actually a picture of a lake. You can see the reflection of the top in the water. It was awesome!!!!
Paige and her cousin on the audio tour. They did a great kids audio tour making it into a scavenger hunt. Paige had fun with it.
Then we headed to North Carolina for a week of beach heaven. My sister-in-law and brother-in-law assemble a group of awesome people every year to rent a beach house (mansion). The house was awesome, the people were awesome (we played games every night after the kids were in bed) and the beach was awesome. The first day it rained the whole day, but Paige discovered the hot tubs so it was good. The rest of the week, the temps were in the mid 70s and heaven. 
Shell collecting Paige
Sand castle building Paige
Pool building Paige & co.
Exhausted Paige (after 6 hours on the beach that day)
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. Paige climbed to the top of the lighthouse by herself. 
The girl has no fear of heights. She kept sticking her legs out the railing. She thought it was great.
Of course there was a photo shoot involved. I actually took her out on 2 separate nights in her ballerina outfit. Here are some of my favorites. 
I love her expression here.
Doing her ballet leaps. 
Her aunt taught her to hold her hands like this when going in circles (I obviously don't know the ballet terminology.)
I call this, "Don't turn your back on the ocean."
The last night a desperately wanted to get a silhouette shot. It took a while to get Paige in the right spot but I LOVE the results.
I love this picture of my brother carrying Paige across the river. He was helping her catch a fish. These fish only liked flies, so later he caught a few and let Paige reel them in. Once we got back to Boise she went fishing with Poppa at a pond and caught her first fist by her self. At least that's the story she tells me. I wasn't there, so I don't know.
Paige in her cousin's boat. She would ride down the current and then the kids would drag her back upstream to do it again. Oh, to have everyone do things for you. 
My nieces and nephew. Out trip was with my parents, my brother and his family, my sister's daughter, and us. My sister didn't come because she doesn't get along with the outdoors (really bad allergies, dirt, roughing it...) 
The first fish Paige reeled in with Uncle Brian.
I noticed that one of the giraffes has a heart patch on his rump. Cute.
My favorite snake. A tree python, I think.
Christie the elephant. Since this picture, she gave birth to a 250 lbs baby girl. They are hoping to have the baby elephant on display mid-September. We can't wait!
It was fun catching this interaction between these bears. 
