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So this past weekend was our annual Hales Family Campout. Grandpa Hales and Uncle Robert came down from Alaska, Karen came from Washington, and nearly every one of my cousins made an appearance. It’ll probably be a while before we’ll all be together again, and we had some great adventures—the gasoline fires, the rattlesnake, the lost toenail, the broken arm—and some great hangout-and-chat time as well.

It was as completely awesome as I could hope for.

It’s funny to see these campouts grow up—when we were younger, my grandpa would drag us up to some far-off area 50 miles away from the nearest flushing toilet. Now, however, my grandpa stays in a trailer and my grandma stays in a near-by hotel. When I was younger, I spent most of the campout playing with my cousins—now I spend it playing with their kids. It’s awesome(ly weird).

My cousin, Amanda, who is a year younger than me, has a two-and-a-half-year-old daughter (my first cousin once removed?) who is pure entertainment. She’d come up to me and say, “Jenn, what’s your name?” I’d tell her and she’d say, “Jenn, would you like to take me on a hike?”

Absolutely I would.

We went on several “hikes” over the two days I was there—looking in the windows of every tent in our camp and visiting the older kids’ “clubhouse.”

After one of our hikes, she jumped up on my lap and we had the following conversation, which was probably my favorite moment of the campout:

Liesel: “Jenn, where is your little boy and little girl?”

Me: “Um…I don’t have any kids right now. Maybe someday.”

Liesel: “What is your little girl’s name?”

Me: “I don’t have any little girls right now. But I like the name Lily.”

Liesel (after a long pause, taking in this information): “Will Lily take all my toys? Tell her to not take my toys.”

Apparently our unborn children are totally awesome bullies. Watch out world!