Camping With Friends

Camping is always more fun with friends. And we hadn't been camping with these particular friends since Clara was two I believe. Last weekend we went to Village Creek State Park and Glenn and Becky pulled her parents' pop up camper with our Jeep. Since they were bringing their dog Reggie and there's not a lot of space in the Jeep, Leah rode with us. I felt so bad leaving Kate all by herself, but we just didn't have room for one more. We decided to take a break from our dogs this time and had a friend watch them.

Here's a view from the front seat as we made our first unscheduled stop. Their trailer lights weren't working, so we headed straight for an auto parts store for a quick fix. Then Robert needed to pee but wouldn't go standing up, so I put him in a pull up in case we couldn't get stopped in time. I guess we only had one other bathroom break on the drive there, so not too bad. We pulled in right at dark, so we had a fun time getting two campers all set up in the dark. Oh, and it had dropped into the 50s too, so we had chilly kiddos who needed some pants and sweatshirts and who hadn't had dinner yet.

It got pretty chilly that night, so we got to try out our heater for the first time. Worked like a charm, so we were nice and toasty in no time. Someone else forgot to figure out how to work their heater beforehand, so they were googling it at 1 a.m. trying to get some relief. Not mentioning any names though.

The weather the next day was absolutely beautiful. We went on a hike to a sandy beach that's designated for swimming. It was about a 1.5 mile hike from the trail head so we got some good exercise in that day. We hadn't planned on letting the kids swim since it was such a long way to haul towels and clothes and such. They had a different idea though and they eventually ended up soaked after being told they could wade in the shallow water.

They did great on the long hike, but Robert had had enough about a half mile away from the car. I got to carry him a good distance, myself completely spent from the excursion. We made it back to camp, had some lunch and then I went to get Robert down for a nap.

That booger wasn't tired in the least! He was bouncing off the camper walls for a good 20 minutes. All the while, I kept dozing off. At one point, I woke just in time to see him creeping off the bed. I had to position myself so that I would feel him if he tried to crawl over me to get out. He eventually conked out and got a good nap in.

We just hung out and enjoyed each other's company for the rest of the day. The adults played a board game, the kids played and fought and ate and fought some more. We enjoyed hamburgers for dinner and then smore's on the campfire.

One thing I loved about this park was the two benches perfectly positioned by each campfire.

That night wasn't cold like the night before. It was very pleasant, as was the next morning. Robert sported Buddy Walk shirt number two on Sunday. After packing up, we had planned to ride our bikes to the playground before loading up to leave. There was a fair amount of drama at this point, so the group ride didn't happen and we decided to cut our losses and get on the road.

We're so thankful for fun times with wonderful friends.

More Camping

We went camping at Huntsville State Park again this past weekend. JDog joined in on the fun this time. It was nice being able to pass off the job of Chris' helper monkey to him :) He got to help him hook up the camper, back it into the site, and set it up. Oh, and he made the mistake of asking Chris if he needed any help before we left on Friday. Chris handed him the manual and told him to figure out how to sanitize the water hook up paraphernalia. And then the kids took turns asking him to play and walk and ride bikes. We got good use out of him.

We got some kinks worked out and had water in the camper this time. The potty wasn't as stinky either. We managed to bring everything that we needed and the entire weekend went off without a hitch. Well, except for Robert on the second night. He was beyond tired and when it was time to put him down, he went ballistic. I was attempting to wipe him down with a baby wipe and he started clawing at his chest trying to "get the soap off". It was scary. He has scratches all over his chest from that little freak out. We left him in just a pull up and Chris finally got him calmed down and he fell asleep in his arms.

We got him into bed and he woke not long after, screaming. We figured out he was probably having a night terror because he was completely out of it and could not tell us what was wrong. Screaming fits of rage and night time at a state park do not mix, so Chris got him into the car to drive around. He got pulled over, Robert still screaming like mad. Of course, Chris didn't have his wallet on him, so no i.d. All he had was a screaming, half naked toddler strapped in his car. The officer found two of Robert's cars sitting on the back bumper, so it was obvious Chris had been driving veeeerrrry slowly through the park. Chris explained what was going on and he asked Chris to roll down Robert's window. He said something to Robert and Robert screamed in his face. The guy was like, "Alrighty then, carry on." Ha! He eventually came out of it and Chris brought him back, awake and calm. He went right back to sleep and slept the rest of the night. So, note to self, Robert needs naps when we're camping. If not a nap, then at least a normal bedtime.

He woke happy and ready to go the next morning. Here they are the first morning with their hot cocoa.

We went down one of the trails in search of a letterbox. Clara brought her walking stick and Chris found one for Robert. He was such a little toot that morning. He wanted to do the exact opposite of whatever we wanted. You want me to go down the trail? Nope, I want to get back in the car. What's that, it's time to go you say? Heck no, I'm staying and heading back down this trail. The stick helped convince him to walk with us for all of about 5 minutes. A game of hide and seek in which Clara ran ahead a ways and hid behind trees worked for a few minutes too.

Our first letterbox!

Letterboxing is like geocaching. You follow directions to find a hidden box. Unlike geocaching though, there is a notepad and stamp in the treasure box. You have a family stamp that you stamp on the notepad and write a little note and then you add the stamp from the letterbox to your journal. We were a little disappointed to find that someone hadn't put it back in it's container. It was just in a ziploc bag next to it and the notepad was soaking wet, so we couldn't add our stamp.

Just a little further down the trail we found our second one. We'll definitely be finding more letterboxes.

That night the kids had fun running around in their headlamps and we enjoyed smores by the fire that JDog built.

This picture doesn't do Robert's dirty face justice.

Clara searched high and low for a friend and she was excited when Carly, who is also in 1st grade and had no other older kids with her, showed up at the campsite next to us on Saturday. Carly was a little, um, pushy, but they had lots of fun scootering around together all day. Sunday morning she started shouting down the road, begging me, "Can I pleeeeeeeeeeeeeze keep Zoe? Puleeeeeeeze? Why not? Puleeeeeeze?" After telling her nicely about five times why she couldn't have my dog, I resorted to ignoring the child.

A cold front came through and we woke to temperatures in the 60's on Sunday. We noticed that the leaves had started falling on Saturday afternoon. Seriously, we didn't see any leaves dropping that morning, but by afternoon, the sky was filled with them falling in the breeze. Autumn officially started on September 8th in Huntsville if you're wondering.

So we now have another successful camping trip under our belts. It's hard to venture back to reality when you enjoy such a relaxed, slow paced time out of doors. It's amazing how a mere two days feels like you've been gone a week. Next month we'll be venturing out of our comfort zone and to a new park.

A Few More Camping Pics

Daddy needed a rest (and a change of clothes) after putting up the camper so quickly in the rain.

Clara scootered all over and had lots of fun. She got to take a walkie-talkie with her so she felt really grown up being able to go out of our sight. I, on the other hand, was a wee bit apprehensive. It's hard letting go. All the campsites look alike and I was afraid she would get lost or hit by a car or bicycle. She did great though and thoroughly enjoyed her new found freedom.

I didn't really have a suitable pair of outdoor sandals, so I hit the outdoor store near our house before we left home and lucked out when I found these Keens on clearance. They're a little more manly than I would've liked, but they were a great deal.

Here's a peek at the inside. It threatened rain all weekend, so it was very nice to have a spot where we knew we'd be dry. It was sooooo nice to have with the dogs. This camper is geriatric corgi approved. They're 12 and 13 years old now, so camping is getting to be a little much for them, but this was perfect. They stayed cool inside, couldn't get our beds all hairy and we were able to leave them inside for short times while we went and did stuff. They can't walk too far, especially in this heat and they would always bark like crazy if we tied them up at the campsite.

I know nothing about pop up campers, but apparently the back pop out feature on ours is unique. It slides out in the back to have a spot for the table.

Robert took a snack break while Mommy and Daddy packed up to leave.

Camping in Style

So, the day before I left for Pecos, we bought this.

And Chris spent the week familiarizing himself with it, fixing a few things hear and there and purchasing some do-dads for the hitch thingy so that Friday we could take it camping at Huntsville State Park. He got to set it up in the pouring rain, which he thoroughly enjoyed.

I'm still not convinced that he had the tougher job. While he set up, I got to entertain two kids and two dogs who desperately wanted to not be in the Jeep. Jeeps are very small and so was my fuse by this point. I pulled out the camera and had them make silly faces. This was Robert's first attempt at making silly faces for the camera, I do believe. He was trying to copy me by crossing his eyes and sticking out his tongue. This boy cracks me up sometimes.

 More camping pictures to come.

Robert's First Camping Trip

We went camping at Huntsville State Park last Sunday. Since we had date night and the walk, we decided to just wait until Sunday to go. We decided to stop off and see 'ol Sam Houston before heading to the park. We lived in Huntsville for four years and our eldest was born there, yet we had never been to see the statue. I wanted to get a picture of Clara in front of him since Huntsville is her birthplace and all, but she wanted nothing to do with Sam. She was terrified of him for some reason. Robert was intrigued though.

Sam is the tallest statue of an American hero (I think that's right). He is 67 feet tall (again, don't quote me on that). He stands right on the side of I45 and you can see him from miles away (I do know this for a fact).

This picture gives you a better perspective on just how tall he is. Clara is clinging to me for dear life just in case Sam up and decided to go for a walk and stretch his legs or something.

On to the park. We just walked around some (but not too much since we were all walked out from the day before) and just let the kids play around the campsite. The previous campers left a log smoldering in the fire pit and for some reason, the smoke was killing me. I had a horrible headache and my throat and eyes were on fire. I don't usually have problems, but I was in pain.

I believe Robert was also in pain because of those teeth. He was a bear all day. He didn't want you to pick him or redirect him, or take something away from him. If you did anything he didn't want you to do, he let loose screaming.

Ok, maybe he was cute for a few minutes here and there.

Clara helped Daddy put up the tent.

That evening, Robert was just acting worse and worse. I had given him Tylenol and then right as it was getting dark, I think I took something away from him and he came unglued! He was screaming and would not calm down. It sounded like we were torturing him. Chris decided to drive him around for a bit and see if he would calm down.

I couldn't even get him in his carseat he was thrashing and screaming so much. Chris had to put him in. I was actually starting to worry it was something more than the teeth. He drove around for a little while and Robert fell asleep. When Chris got back we discussed what we should do. I did not want him waking during the night and doing that and we also didn't know how he would do anyway since this was his first time camping. We decided it would be best for me to take him home and come back the next morning. He slept the whole way home, I gave him some Tylenol and put him down and he slept all night. I'm so glad we didn't attempt to stay the night. That might have scarred me for a very long time.

So Chris and Clara had a little Daddy/daughter camping time. Which is good since they were supposed to go on an adventure guide camping trip this weekend, but we seem to all have a case of the sniffles, so unfortunately camping got cancelled.

We got up early the next morning and drove back to pack up and do a little more walking around. This next picture is blurry but I put it on here because Chris says he looks like a family member on his side. Any guesses?

Clara was soooo excited when she found this feather. Look at her face. She flew around with it for a long time and it ended up coming home with us.

Robert's first camping trip.

And because you all know how much I love a good flashback comparison photo, I give you Clara's first camping trip. Also Huntsville State Park, Thanksgiving weekend 2006.