Nerf War! {Evan's 9th Birthday}

We recently celebrated Evan's 9th birthday with a Nerf War party!

I found this editable Nerf invitation on Etsy.

We hosted Evan's party at our neighborhood park. This has been the site of a few past birthday parties. We set up decorations and food in the gazebo.

I kept the party snacks super simple, Doritos, Cheese Puffs, apple slices, cuties, and a small party tray. 

A local baker made this cute Nerf cake. It was starting to melt on this warm day, but I loved the way it turned out.

Although most of the boys brought their own, we gave out small Nerf guns, goggles, Nerf bullets, and bandanas as party favors.

And, we took a few pictures before the party mayhem ensued. Score!

I went over safety rules and Chris went over the rules for capture the flag, Nerf-style. The sign idea was courtesy of Pinterest.

Then, the Nerf wars began!

(Chris created the barricades from old pallets and I spray painted them to match our color scheme.)

We took a break for snacks and birthday cake.

We played a few more rounds of capture the flag.

All-in-all, it was a fun afternoon. We appreciate the family and friends that came out to help celebrate Evan's special day. Thank you for making the party a hit! 

Camping with Cousins at Cheaha State Park

Over Spring Break, we camped at Cheaha State Park with the cousins.

This park is located in the Talladega National Forest where the scenery is gorgeous and so different from our part of the State. This was our campsite!

This site was perfect, great views, plenty of space for the kids to run around, and close to the restrooms.

There was a trail that ran parallel to our site that the kids loved exploring.

We spent the first day setting up camp and enjoying our site.

The next day, we made a campfire breakfast/lunch (yum!) and went hiking. Our first stop was the Bunker Observation Tower at the highest elevation point in Alabama. (I took a few extra pictures of Chloe on this trip, since she would be using them for a school project.)

The gold medallion at Chloe's foot was surveyed as the exact highest point in Alabama.

Then, we hiked to to Bald Rock...

...where there were, you guessed it, more spectacular views.

On the final day, we ate breakfast at the Vista Cliff Restaurant and said our "goodbyes" to the cousins.

We tore down camp and Chris had one final hike planned. To be honest, I'm not sure where he drove us, but we did walk down part of the Pinhoti Trail. We didn't hike too far, maybe a quarter-mile. We explored a little and then headed home.

This was our second camping trip with the cousins, and it certainly won't be our last. We always have such a good time. It's so fun to get outdoors and spend time with family. This was my favorite family camping trip yet! I can't wait to do it again!