The Jamboree! 2009

The Annual Jamboree ~ 2009

This year the Jamboree was a much more reasonable size, 30 or so people. Recall last year, upwards of twice that number. Some say even more than that. We spent four glorious days in the woods with our friends and family. Just relaxing, eating and passing germs.


Abi, still looking squishy and sporty. We will call this her Richard Simmons.

I love the progression here...

Another of my favorite moments from camp. Billy brought along some hand-me-down army guys he got from his "big guy" cousin Nathan. He found the perfect tree stump to set them all up and played for hours with them. Self entertainment is a skill best taught camping, I have decided.

Camp Creek. I had no idea such a place existed until this year. It's another of AZ's gorgeous little secrets and so close to the Ranch and the Jamboree. Just a few miles off the Young road.

Love this, look at Squishy's bubbies. They are squeezing out at every angle. What's even better is that she is completely unaware of the major wardrobe malfunction going on.

Hard to tell, but look closely and I am pretty sure any passers-by would have had the strangest thoughts about what was going on here....there are no people to be found, just all of our clothes and shoes and "things".

Andrew Mings, a handsome boy.

Billy, another of those handsome boys!

Ah, but wait! Audrey is breathtaking, isn't she? I think she makes the perfect little woodland nymph. Shh, don't tell her mom, but she spent most of that afternoon at the creek in the buff! Wouldn't you though? If you could be that little and cute and innocent?

Audrey is the only one who caught me snapping this picture....

I think she is funny.
So after all the frolicking in the creek it was time for lunch, right? Well Russell certainly thought so....

He found this tasty little morsel all on his own and proudly trotted it back to the lunch table. Apparently he felt we should have brought him a sandwich too. Needless to say, very little eating happened afterward.

After what should have been a great picnic lunch in the forest we headed off to the fish hatchery. Why not, right? The kids thought is was pretty neat. I thought it was hot.

My TROPHY!! I never win anything and certainly not when it pits my cooking skills against Bette's. However, I did win the Salsa Queen of Chicago after a blind taste test pitting Erin, Bette and myself against each other. Sounds like dangerous territory doesn't it? Me against my in-laws? But I won!! I won this beautiful sliverswan and an icy cold sports drink. Salsa Queen! --Thanks to Bette for covertly dissecting the Antlers secret sauce and sharing with all of us to make our own even tastier versions!

Emily James 5 years and 11 months.

This would be a picture of a bull standing 10 yards away from our camp...starring right at me. I guess he wasn't into paparazzi.

This is my family...completely in harms way.

Julie Zimmerman is in charge of appetizers....mmm...mmm. I am almost positive no one eats like we do when they camp. It's what makes it so much fun.

Need I say more?

12 kids not counting infants. Poor Fred has to work on his toddler song book. This crowd is getting big enough to require an entire band. They love when Fred pulls out the guitar and sings for them. They hound him, and us, about it pretty much constantly until the Saturday evening performance. Poor Hayden was sick this year though and missed the whole thing...

...Abi, in turn, had to enjoy it twice as much. Only fair, right! She danced and wiggled away in her seat. One of Fred's many biggest little fans!

Marshmallows!

S'more Please!

Travis and Newman....Campin' Pro's.

Abigail, 2 years old. She had a really rough start...She is (was) strangely terrified of pine cones. Weird, I know, but true. She just freezes up whenever she sees one. Then proceeds to scream until help arrives to move it out of her path. The first couple days were rough, but after some intense pine cone therapy she managed to overcome it to a certain extent. Travis and Uncle AC taught her to say (in Abi speak) "bad pine cone" and kick it out of the way. My city girl did remarkably well though considering her idea of walking with nature is from the parking lot to the restaurant. Last year 2 days was her limit and she spent the other 2 crying in her tent....lucky me. Thankfully, we have made a HUGE amount of progress.

Billy, 3 years old. "If I can't see you, you can't see me." Get it? He's all camouflaged out in the woods and his eyes are closed...

Abi and Uncle AC.

Newman's youngest, Tia relaxing with a great pillow. Russ is the best camping dog!

So the Jamboree this year was a little less crazy than last. I don't think anyone is complaining. Everyone still had a great time, even the kids. The kids, by the way, are oddly absent from all of my pictures and not because I wasn't taking them....They had so much fun this year just being kids and playing in a crowd that they were gone entertaining themselves the whole time. Just think in another year all the kids will be big enough to go play on their own we can play Boggle uninterrupted!