Camping-Take 2

For you that still care about some of the ins and outs of our camping trip. Here's a few more tidbits (ie. those of you that are related to these cute little girls).

Camp Arrival:

After following the little "guide man" on his golf cart to our designated spot, we all just stood there and stared. ...A small bit of yard. Tiny. Surrounded by what seemed to be to be a trailer park. There were that many RVs. Our "neighbors" called it Suburbia.

Thankfully, the lot next to ours was vacant, so it did feel open. As the kids could run around like crazy people and not bother anyone. :)

One thing that Leanne and I had been joking about was that she was bringing the itty-bity tent and I was bringing the luxury hotel. She said she didn't care as long as she didn't hear me say "Okay girls, it's time to go upstairs to sleep." *laughing* No, it did not have a second story. That much I could attest to. But it was a beast...it had three "rooms". Uh-huh. It was one of those.

But instead of setting up luxury tent right away, we decided to go swimming. Being that the had 40 minutes until pool closed. Maybe not the wisest thing to do...go off and play while our fire and tent go undone... but this was for the kids. They wanted some pool action! :)

They had a blast! My girls don't get to a pool often...so they were really timid at first. But by the next day, I was having a hard time keeping them in my sights. They'd go off by themselves (the water was shallow...they were walking it).

Charis's look of determination to brave the water. While, of course, armed with floaties.
Jet loving the fact that he had some boys to play with.
She only had to be convinced to do it once. And then she wouldn't stop.
I love how she can get away with hiney cheeks all showing. You just want to squeeze her. These pictures were taken in the dark. I couldn't see a thing in my camera lens!

And yes, we put the tent up in the dark. And when I say "we", I obviously mean Jet. I did, though, blow up the air mattresses. Just in case any of you think that I stood around filing my nails. :) But swimming first was well worth it. All of the kids were worn out and mine were actually asking to go to bed! Though that could have been because their bedtime is 7:30 and it was 11:30. Hmm...novel thought.

Despite the dogs barking, people talking loudly, children crying...my girls slept straight through the night. ...with their ocean sound noise maker. Yes, again one of those "luxury items" that I refused to leave at home. Another thing that I'd suggest you take with you.


I, on the other hand, did not sleep. For fear of someone falling off the mattress (which happened, twice) or fear of Raegan waking up and wanting to be fed (which happened many times). I was so tired during some of it, I could hardly sit up. :)
But we survived the night and are sooo happy! Raegan ended up sleeping in the car seat!
In order to prove that I was on the trip, Jet picked up the camera and took a shot. Too bad it was right after I woke up. Looking oh-so-pretty. Thanks, hon. *slap slap*
Breakfast...cereal, fruit, and doughnuts. These girls never doughnuts (except on birthdays). But oh well...we're living large.

I still don't know why Charis was so thrilled that we were starting a fire. Selah, on the other hand, couldn't look more bored with life.
And yes! we did do Morning Smores. Apparently from the look on the girls' faces, it's an Art that must be performed with utmost concentration and care.

And finally...the guys. Like I said, I didn't take the time to photograph much. It was nice while I was enjoying camping, but not so nice now that I want to have fun pictures for the girls to remember.

But these are the three guys that my girls love so much. They keep begging to go back to the Camp Site with them. Charis even said that she wants her hair to be cut like theirs. Now That, my friends, is love. :)

So there you have it, the camping trip WAS a hit because my girls couldn't have loved it more.

Camping- Take 1

Excuse me a moment while I stretch. You see, it takes some maneuvering in order to pat myself on the back. Therefore I must be limber.

Ah, yes. *cracking my knuckles* Camp-with-6-Children-aged-5-and-under-Trial-Run has officially come and gone. And I, my dear friends, am still alive. And not only that. I'm already looking forward to next time!! ...which, by the way, is looking like it may be this fall!? Who knew this Momma was Camper Extraordinaire?

Well, okay. So that's stretching it a little. Or...a lot. But I am alive and in one piece. No one can deny that celebratory fact!!

But before I go any further, I must insert a little Addendum to my last post (see below):

Leanne's boys are not abusive. They are just really really really 100% male. They like full-contact play, as you do when you are testosterone-laden. They are not mean spirited. They genuinely DO like my girls. And they do have communicational skills that include something other than fists. Sooooo....while they have been known to "help" my girls down to the ground, it's all been in the spirit of playful fun. My girls have flourished under this WWF style of peer tutelage and I did not intend to insinuate that they were horrible little boys whose not-to-distant futures included Juvenile Detention. (How's that, Leanne? You love me again? Because, you know, if you got any issues, we could just take this outside. *laughing* Ahh, you know I love you and that motley crew of yours. *tease*)

Yes. This is the back of my car. Almost packed. My husband, Jet, was still able to cram a box of food and some other random things in there. Take note of the blow-up bed box. Uh huh. True roughing it gal over here. Though I have to say, even my Experienced Camper, MacGyver-incarnate husband enjoyed that little luxury. I'm thinking that beauty will be coming to every single solitary camping trip we make.

So last we "talked", I was lamenting the mass packing job that was required to spend a night elsewhere with children. Especially if that "elsewhere" included the Great. Out. Doors.

Well, whereas I'm sad to say that no one bestowed upon my Prepared Self a metal of honor...I did end up using the majority of stuff that I packed. All except the medicine junk. and I will not complain about that little baggie being kept sealed! And yes...even that little battery-operated fan was used over and over. Even other campers commented about the "coolness" of it.

Cha-ching. Point for Camper Christin.

The girls were TH-R-I-LL-ED! They had been pacing the house like a pack of rabid wolves for over an hour, waiting for Daddy to come home. By the time we got in the car, they were more than ready. This is us pulling out of the driveway a little after 6pm.

Note to self: Next time leave earlier. In fact, go ahead, splurge, and take a 1/2 day off. Less stress. More time to just chill.
Here's the view of the campsite as we pulled in almost an hour later (due to some rather unclear directions gotten off of the Internet. but that's another story) My girls were beside themselves when they saw the other campers en masse, the water, the paddle boats and the huge, florescent yellow slide. Oh how I love easy-to-please children.

I didn't take a bunch of pictures. Because I was actually living in the moment instead of documenting it. Well, that... and when you're living the rugged lifestyle as I was *insert manly grunt and groan here*, there's always something to do.

Start the fire with the world's first ever Nonflammable firewood. Roast the hot dogs for our 10pm dinner. Set up the tent by the light of the moon...and the Durango headlights.

Wait a minute. I didn't do any of those things. Huh. What did I do? Oh yeah. I was the one running around the in the dark, watching the guys set up camp. and the kids running around like wild animals armed with flashlights. Thinking, "Dang it. I am so completely useless right now. Next time, I'll know more. Yeah...next time." It was my own personal "I am not a loser" pep talk.

One thing I would recommend: Go with another family with children your kids' ages. Your sanity will thank you. ...as will your children.

More to come...

Almost Ready!

What do you get when you add two small children, an infant, and a detail-oriented mom preparing for an overnight in a tent? I'll tell you. An unbelievable amount of stuff.

Gone are the days when an overnight stay can be neatly packed into an...well, overnight bag. These days, that's what I call a purse.

I've got SPF. Bathing suits. Floaty devices for all three girls. Bug spray. Itch cream. Benodryll. Fire wood. Matches. DRY stuff to help get the fire going (since it's been stormy these past few days and threatens to continue that legacy tonight). Flashlights. Cameras. Batteries. Bottled water. Food for dinner and breakfast. Snacks for the times in between. Beach chairs for all four of us. An exersaucer for Raegan who refuses to remain seated in a non-moving stroller. *big sigh*

I'm truly a light packer. Really. I'm not wandering around the house thinking about all the things I want to take. Seriously. I'm just sitting still and thinking through all the "what ifs". What if it's 100 degrees (again) and I need to get Raegan out of the sun, but there's no trees in sight at the pool? Do I take my running stroller since it has a viser-top? What if she doesn't want to co-sleep with Jet and I...should I cram a pack-n-play in? What if someone falls and cuts open their leg, will I have the right medicine?

On and on the list goes. Because...with kids...it's better to be prepared.

You just never know when your handy-dandy clip-on battery-powered fan could be needed to ward off the intense heat. I mean, come on. That cute, pastel, battery-operated size-of-a-pencil propeller is a necessity, right? You know, "just in case".

And inevitably, if you don't take the tourniquet, someone will end up severing an appendage. and OH! how they'll thank me when I pull that sucker out of my pocket. Why, excuse me. But are you bleeding? Need this? Mhhmm. I thought so. Just call me "Prepared."

Somewhere deep inside me and my 'what if' mentality, I'm expecting there to be a Prize. One bestowed by the Head Camp Director over his awe at my Girl-Scoutish abilities to foresee the future and plan accordingly.

I. must. prevail. .

But I have to say that what I'm really wondering about is if the weather forecast is correct. If it will, in fact, thunder storm. Oh glory.

Yes. Still excited. A little worn out from this packing frenzy. A lot ready for Jet to walk in the door and give me his therapeutic hug. The girls, on the other hand, are completely ecstatic. They currently are standing guard at the front door. Shoes on. Cups in hand. Ready to go.

Already, I think this "trial" camp out is a hit and we haven't even left the house. Good times ahead!

A Tradition? begins

Yes, that's right. We're going camping. With an infant, no less.
And the above picture is why I'm going to ask my husband to put the tent together tonight. Just to make sure that we will not be without key pieces. You know, the ones that keep the tent in an upright position. Yeah. Those pieces.

Why don't you do it yourself, you ask? Well, if I try to do it without him, I'll be confused, for one. Very very confused. Plus, I know something would inevitably end up torn, broken, lost, or all of the above. Trust me, I'm not being overly modest. I'm just keenly aware of my limitations. And setting up camp is one of them.

We never went camping when I was younger. Well, I take that back. We did once. But I remember very little about it. I was about 9 or 10 years old. It was with a church small group. And there was one young, newly married couple who were sleeping in the back of their truck. They had a sign on it that said: If it's a rockin', don't come a knockin'. I thought it was hysterical.

So yeah, that's the extent of my camping memory. Impressive, eh? (well, except for the fact that I went to a kids' camp for years and years, but that's different)

But I had heard about a large family who recently went camping and I thought, "If they can do it, I can!" Yes...I'm extremely competitive. Or is it just highly motivated by others? Hmm. You decide.

But either way, it got me thinking. I want to take my family camping. And I want to invite another family with kids to go along. And it can become a yearly tradition!!

Don't you just love how I can go from newly-formed-thought to something that is set in stone for the next 20 years in 0.7 seconds? Yes. Impressive, I know. And the fact that I dragged another poor, unsuspecting family into it (and yes, I had one in mind) just adds to my aggressiveness...Uh, I meant inclusive, loving nature.

So I call up my friend, Leanne. She has three boys, whose ages match my girls perfectly. And who my girls adore. Yes, they were frightened by them in the beginning. *laughing* But once they found out that they were allowed to hit them back (permission given by me and Leanne) to protect themselves, they thought playing with them was the coolest thing ever. In fact, they still talk about one time where "Charis saved Selah" because she pushed the boys off. :) Being with these boys has, without doubt, helped to boost my girls' abilities to stand up for themselves and to not be so "careful". Can you even imagine what camping with them out in the rugged wild would do?!

So why not invite that family to take on the fury of nature with us? I mean, if nothing else, we can just sit back and watch the two genders push and hit each other. Ahhh...such sweet memories that would be, eh?

Anyway, I ramble...So I call up Leanne and say, "Have you ever thought about going camping?"

"You're kidding! You're the second person this week to ask me that. We're going on Friday!"

We talk back and forth for a while. She says that they're doing a "trial camping run" just like the one that I had thought about minutes earlier. "I'm in!" Yes, I invite myself. Why not? If she says no, I'll just sic my girls on her boys. No biggie. *shrug*

She warns me that they very well may end up leaving in the middle of the night. So to just remember that she didn't invite me and therefore relinquishes any and all responsibility for my having a good time. *laughing* She's hysterical, have I mentioned that? I can't get through a conversation with her without wetting myself. And half the time she says, "What did you say?" because, through my laughter, I become speech deficient.

The last couple of days have been a whirlwind of decision making and final detail prep. Because... well, up until two days ago, I was yet to come up with this brilliant plan of inviting myself on someone else's family camping trip. I've been busy.

When I asked the girls if they wanted to go Camping...they both screamed "YES!!!" I laughed and said, "Do you know what camping is?" Selah: "Uh, no. What is it?"

Don't you just love the innocent enthusiasm of kids? If only I could get that enthusiasm for the unknown to cross over on eating certain vegetables? "YES! Give me all the asparagus you got, ma!"

So that's the 411 on this end...we're getting ready to go camping!! (must be read in a sing-songy-voice) AHHH!! And we're all so excited!!!