The Highs and the Lows of Camping

This camping trip had quite a few highs and lows. You could look at this two ways. First were the temperatures. It was 94 when we got to our camp site on Friday. That's hot to be outside setting up camp, playing, and going to sleep. Everyone was a little cranky when they went to bed and it just got worse. It was hot. The kids were crying, Dan was snoring and I wanted to pack up and go home! Thankfully, Sunday night was cooler, bordering on cold...maybe temperatures in the high 50s or low 60s. We still had snoring and tantrums (a DS came mighty close to being thrown in the dumpster that night by Mean Mommy and I don't throw things away), but at least we weren't sweating. We also had highs and lows with behavior. We had crying, arguing, tuning out, time-outs...and then there was the kids' behavior :p.

Here are the kids before the crying and bickering started requiring a game of musical beds.
Friday night, Allie ended up on the floor in the middle of the tent, Jae ended up with Dan and I ended up with Caden. The second night, I ended up with Jaelyn and Allie and Caden ended up in the floor while Dan basically slept on the ground because Allie played with my fingernail clippers and put a small hole in one of our air mattress. I had to hunt under Caden (gingerly so I didn't wake him) in the middle of the night for my ear plugs because Dan was snoring so loudly. We need a battery for his c-pap machine desperately.

There were 4 things around the camp that kept the kids relatively entertained: the bikes, the hammock, the trees and the dirt! When they weren't arguing over the hammock, it was loads of fun.


Allie couldn't resist playing in the dirty, nasty sand. She kept sneaking water from the spigot to make mud pies. You would not believe how dirty she got.We had a great climbing tree where Caden and Jaelyn spent most of their time.
Can you spot my monkeys in their tree? They got pretty high. I was picturing one of them falling and breaking a bone the whole time. Thankfully, we only went through a box of bandaids. We were very boo-boo prone on this trip.

Friday afternoon, we ventured out on our bikes to visit an observation tower and check out the big guns.


Even with the heat on Friday, we built a fire to make s'mores and roast marshmallows. Honestly, it wasn't very enjoyable.

We've determined that camping for our family needs to be a late fall and early spring activity. We couldn't take the heat.

Saturday we made a trip to the beach in the morning and again in the evening with a bike ride sandwiched in between. We've never been to the beach when it was warm enough to really get in the water or where we didn't have to worry about tar balls and oil. The kids had a blast playing in the surf and the sand.

I love this picture. It's looks like Allie just poured Caden out of her bucket :p.Look at those happy faces!

Saturday was also Dan's birthday! Happy Birthday, Danny! I improvised with hostess cupcakes and a pink candle (it was all I had).
We packed up our gear Sunday morning after breakfast and headed to the beach for one last hour. It was cool and nice on Sunday morning. The fog was rolling in before a storm. We took the frisbees to throw around and had some fun, family time.

I was really glad to get home Sunday afternoon. Our trip wasn't nearly as relaxing as it's been in the past. For me, it was probably the fact I started on antibiotics for a sinus infection on Thursday. I'm not sure what every one else's problem was :).

Gettsyburg, Pennsylvania

We took a day trip to Pennsylvania today. The last time we toured Gettysburg was in 2000 when Dan was at Aberdeen for his Officer Basic Course. We decided the kids are old enough to start learning some history and enjoy the museum rather then whining and complaining about being bored. And enjoy it, they did.

This museum wasn't here 10 years ago, or if it was, I don't remember it. The tour starts with a movie about the basic history of the Civil War and the Battle of Gettysburg. Then they take you to see the Cyclorama of the battle field. The only other Cyclorama I've seen is the one in Atlanta and this one was equally as impressive and amazing.


I knew the kids would get a kick out of seeing the guns and the cannons, but they really took their time and read the displays. Jaelyn loved seeing the different flags. We learned about the importance of the flag bearer and why it was so important to protect your flag and capture the enemies flag. Caden enjoyed playing with all the touch computer screens where he could see maps of the battlefield. I don't know that he really "got" what it was all about, but that's okay. Allie was drawn to the more household items. There was several displays of furniture with bullet holes and displays of camp life for the soldiers. Allie's favorite thing, she said, was a table runner that had been made out of an old hospital canvas tent. Someone had crocheted lace around the edge and embroidered flowers on it.

I was captivated by the stories and the pictures. Over 600,000 men died fighting the civil war. I can't fathom that number. There was one wall of just pictures of soldiers who were killed at Gettsyburg. It reminded me of a staircase at the Holocaust Museum in D.C. I read one story of a dead soldier. The only identifying thing on him was a picture of 3 children. The story and description of the children circulated through newspapers. Eventually, his wife heard the story and was able to claim his body. How sad it must have been to live in those days, which of course leads me to think about today and Iraq and Afganistan. I won't go there, but in my opinion, it's time to bring our soldiers home.

After the museum, we had a picnic and then did part of the auto tour through the battlefiled.

The view from one of the observation towers

Big Round Top

The view from the ground below one of the observation towers

After the seriousness of the day, it was time for some sillyness. We headed to Bear Country...Boyd Bear Country, that is! 4 Stories (if you count the basement, and I do) of fluff and figurine fun!

Would it be horrible for our Christmas picture to be filled with sun tanned, tank top wearing kids???

The kids wanted to adopt a baby animal out of the adoption center, but for $49.99, I don't think so. Instead, we found the Christmas in July sale in their barn and found these cuddly, cute animals for $5 each. I bought Christmas presents for the kids and teachers too!

Can't Believe It's Monday

I'm not sure where the time is going. I'm amazed that it's already Monday. The days are flying by in a blur. Saturday, the day after Christmas, has left my memory...literally. Dan says we went to Kohl's to spend my Kohl's bucks in the morning. That's vaguely familiar. I bought socks because all of my socks have holes in the bottom (poor Mommy). We had lunch at CiCis Pizza and then the kids went to my parent's house to have a sleep-over with Nick and Jared. They had a blast.

The next morning, Jared wanted to know when they were going home because he was tired of being the entertainment coordinator. I'd say he earned the money I chipped in for his Digivice. Dan and I had planned on dinner and a movie that night, but instead we came back to his parents house about 4:30 and took a nap. He woke up and went to a movie alone while I slept.

Sunday, we picked up the kids and had lunch with his parents. The kids had a few hours to play with their plethora of toys before we loaded Allie and Caden up to go to a hockey game. Jaelyn decided she wanted to stay with Grandmother. Nick and Jared went with us and the Hackney's met us there. It's been a long time since I've been to a hockey game. It was so much fun, although a little tame. We didn't see a single fight :0. The Ice Pilots aren't here anymore. Instead we have a lower division team called the Ice Flyers. They were pretty good. They beat a Louisiana team 3-1. The kids watched the game during the first period, played their DSs during the slower second period and watched again at the end. They may or may not have pigged out on hot dogs and cotton candy :p. It was a fun night. Jaelyn said she wasn't jealous, but I would have been if I'd stayed at home.

Today, we took our nephew Caleb with us to the beach. It sounds fun and we are in Florida, but even this part of Florida is cold in the winter. It was in the 40s this morning, but the beach was beautiful....clear blue skies, white sand, what more could you ask for? The kids kept their socks on to play if that tells you anything. We stayed long enough to take a ton of pictures and find a few shells before loading back up into the van.

The rest of our week is booked solid with activities so stayed tuned...

Thanksgiving at Medievel Times

Last Thanksgiving was absolutely horrible. I cried all day long. This year, we wanted to do something fun and different. We don't have family close by and the kids could care less about green bean casserole and dressing. We decided to go to Medieval Times since it was so much fun 2 years ago. This year was even better. We had a great time cheering for our Red Knight who saved the Prince and became the Champion. The food was wonderful. Allie especially loved the soup and chicken. We snuck in chicken nuggets from McDonalds for Jaelyn and Caden. That made them happy, along with the garlic bread and dessert.

Dan and the girls with the falconer, Anna and Amadeus.
Allie looking very unhappy in the gallows.

Jaelyn and Allie with the Prince and Princess.