Camping during the Monsoon Season!

Ah! Camping in the nice cool forest after the afternoon rain!  All set up and enjoying a fire. Kadee is set up behind Alex and Emmee is set up behind Clinton.  JT and Burton came up Thursday.

Chloe would climb into our trailer.  She was doing raspberries at the kids when they came in after her and I caught her cute little face!

Karsen brought his bike.  This is after he went riding through a water/mud hole several times! He had a lot of fun.  I have a video I'll be posting later.

Levi and Bensen did really good.  They'd sit and play with toys in the chairs or on someone's lap until they got hungry or tired!

On Friday we had a big storm hit AFTER the boys with Elizabeth and Emmalee and sisters went fishing! So we stayed under the tarp until it started to flood and the kids wanted to get in the trailer.  So we ferried them through the mud and water to the trailer and waited it out.  Shortly after getting in the trailer there was a HUGE strike of lightening & thunderclap.  It struck somewhere behind us, very close. Really scary!  The babies where all in their tents sleeping. Kadee went to check on hers and Natalie went to check on hers so it was me and Emmee with the kids.  We decided to have prayer and several of the kids wanted to do it, so we let them all do it one right after the other.  Well, Elise started and a very sweet spirit filled the trailer as she prayed.  It was a really neat experience.  As each child took their turn, the rain slowed and our prayers were answered.  The babies slept through the thunder and lightening and everyone's tents were pretty dry after all was said and done.  

Bensen loved looking through the window at all the rain and water.

The kids found some games and toys to keep themselves occupied for a little while.  When the guys all got back, Elizabeth came in and sang activity songs with them.  I have another video of that I'll post later too!

I took this out the window with a screen on it! You can kind of see the mud and water.  It was starting to soak in and it looks like a little sun came out!

A better picture of the mud and water.  Not a real good place to try and cook so the boys decided to move the tarps and stuff to dryer, higher ground.

Here they are moving the big one.

The kids had cabin fever so we let them out to go sit under the tarp while they finished moving everything. Stanley made french fries and we had a good time.

All new setup with ditches to drain the water away from the cooking area if it rained again!

Juliette blowing bubbles for the kids.  She got some big ones that would float all the way up into the trees.  The kids loved trying to pop them.

Do you remember the big lightening strike we heard so close.  Well, it struck a tree right by Burton's tent! The truck wasn't there at the time, they were fishing! But it blew chunks of tree bark all over the place.  One was over by Emmee's tent!  We were so blessed the tree didn't explode or catch fire!

Here's a piece of the bark in the lower right hand corner with their tent in the background.  The tree that got struck is the second one from the right - it's fatter then the rest and within a yard or so of their tent!

The top of the tree with the bark blown off!

Emmee catching a nap after all the excitement!

We had a country store for the kids.  They earned money to buy stuff by picking up garbage, being of service, etc.  The kids got bubbles, stretchy bugs, squirt guns,  airplanes, braceletts and candy. 

Packing up and getting ready to leave before it rains again.  We got all packed up and it started sprinkling just before we had prayer.  Most of them left about 11:30.  Burton and JT luckily stayed behind because Stanley's truck wouldn't start.  So Burton gave it a jump and then JT's trailer lights wouldn't work.  So they worked on that for a while. The temperature dropped about 10 degrees and the clouds started coming in low.  They finally got them going and it started to rain as we got the awning rolled up and we ran to the truck soaking wet and left about 12:30.  It was pouring and the water was running on the road. The tires slipped a few times as we were leaving.  But we were blessed again! The rain didn't start until we were leaving! 

On the highway just after the turnoff to Black Canyon Lake.  Raining buckets! 

Down the road on the way back to Payson.  There's usually a really pretty view and if you look real close you can see the mountains trying to peek out of the clouds! 

This is further down the road by Ox Bow.  The clouds were so low and pretty!  We had a great time! Don't know that we'll go again during monsoon season.  But if we do, we'll be better prepared then we were!  It was great to be out of the heat too!  Love Camping! Next year maybe ALL the family will be there!