September 24, 2010

Weekend Warriors

We went camping this weekend.  The word camping just rolls off my tongue (or fingers) so casually you’d think we camp all the time.  We don’t.  First of all, I have a husband with sleep problems who hates camping.  Second, camping is just not that easy with Chase (maybe a slight understatement).  Third, camping is a lot of work and requires a lot of gear.  So I’m pretty sure I’ve never taken my kids camping before.  Luckily my kids have a grandma and a grandpa who are willing to take on the adventure of camping with a nursing mother of a barely four-month-old and 3 kiddos, one of which has cerebral palsy and tends not to do so well walking on uneven surfaces.  So it was a challenge, but it was totally worth it.  (I hope my parents would say the same) :) We set off Friday morning for the --- campground at East Fork.  Everyone was in good spirits and excitement was in the air.  By the time we pulled onto the turnoff by Alpine, the kids were sucking in the pine tree air and itching to dangle their feet off the tailgate of the trucks. Of course my parents let them…my dad had to ride too so that Chase could be included in the fun.  And so began a action-packed 2 1/2 day adventure.  I think we jammed just about every activity we could think of into those few days.  And as we pulled out of the campground around lunchtime on Sunday, dirty and exhausted, I vowed to take a camping trip once a year…that is if my parents will oblige…otherwise it won’t be happening!

Here’s the roll call of the events of the weekend:

Fishing, wading in stream, learning how to clean a fish, cooking and eating the fish, hiking, going on walks, kickball, 500, hide and seek, cutting down a tree, Hayes splitting woods for hours on end, scary stories compliments of Papa Bruce, hot chocolate in the cold morning, building fires, s’mores, Dutch oven potatoes, feeding blue jays an assortment of treats including cheetos, grapes, apples, and mealworms, lots of snacks, building  a fort on the hill, building a latrine, received nicknames and awards from Grandma, and I’m sure there were more, but it’s taken me a week to get this written and now I’ve forgotten, but it’s still a lot. These kids couldn’t have asked for more. 

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Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for a truly memorable experience!

Love,  Kel Bel, Crazie Hazie, Looney Lauren, ChaChi Chase,  and Ree Bee

4 comments:

ms said...

Lucy wants to be adopted into the Jackson family while her grandparents are gone! That is so great you guys got to go. Honestly, your parents think of the cutest things for kids (awards and nicknames). I think your mom ought to compile ideas of fun things for grandkids. I'll be her first customer...

Cortney said...

Wow that looks like so much fun! Maybe I'll have to talk Mom and Dad into going camping up here next summer!

Grandma & Grandpa said...

We are already planning for next year. How does early June sound?

tricia said...

Can I be adopted, too? Terri & Bruce are wonderful grandparents and make every occasion fun.

The photo of the bird is amazing.