Camping with Friends!

Last Friday night we took Harvey out for a super quick camping trip.  We were eager to camp for the first time this year, even though we had a busy day on Saturday.  We also thought this was a great time to bring a few friends along.  

It was a HOT day, but luckily we found a great site with lots of shade.  (no a/c needed)

 ALL the kids playing in the water...although I did tell them that if they fell in, they'd be sleeping on top of the picnic table and NOT inside the camper!  That big one in red was the worst listener!  He didn't fall in, but it was close!

 LOVE this boy!

 Beautiful view from my perspective!

 Sometimes you just have to plank....right.in.the.middle.of.the.street.

I think we were mean and yelled, "CAR" right after this picture. 

 Fire Sticks....it's all about the fire sticks!

 No one was hurt in the making of this picture...but I think it was close.

 This little guy visited us a couple times....he really enjoyed the burnt Jiffy Pop Popcorn!

 This is always a fun part of camping that lasts about, oh .83 seconds!

Sleeping so peacefully....wish that could have been me!

Thanks Harvey for helping us make another great camping memory!

Camping and another Bike Race!

 Andy had another bike race this past Sunday, so we decided to take Harvey (the pop-up) up a day early and set up camp.  We went to Kickapoo State Park near Danville, IL.  It's a great park.  We did a little hiking while we were there and found this super cool tree that the beavers are obviously enjoying too!

Our dare-devil dad just had to try to make it across....it's higher than it looks in the picture...and a little too wobbly if you ask me.  But he made it....of course!

Maggie had to try it too!

Our campsite was great....lots of shade and some pretty good neighbors too.  Grandma and Paca even drove down to come cook-out with us.  It was great to have them join us!

We tried cooking biscuits over the open fire.  After a few tries, I think we finally figured out how to do it!  Just add butter and cinnamon-sugar....yum!

This is about the only picture I got of Andy at the race.  At the finish line.  I guess that's a good thing!

It was another great weekend!  Hope you all enjoyed yours as well!

Our new toy!

Yep, we did it. We bought a (new to us) pop-up camper!

Andy has fond memories of camping as a kid and really wanted to share those experiences with our kids. I couldn't agree more!

Andy and I used to do a good share of camping before kids. And after the kiddos came along we did do some tent camping a few times. But as I have gotten older, and as I'm not able to handle the heat as well, we thought this would be a step up for us.

Oh, and the kids are so excited! They could hardly sleep last night and might even get to sleep in the driveway tonight.

So now the big question! Our new toy needs a name...(cause we're weird like that) and we need your help!

Remember Ginger, our GPS (Ginger Patricia Sullivan)...well, Ginger is a girl. So I think that the camper needs to be a boy...just to even things out.

I think we should either name him Pete the Pop-Up or Harvey!

Harvey because every time we are in the van the kids point out every single stinkin camper, RV, or pop-up! Just like the "slug bug" game....they yell (at the top of their lungs) "RV...RV...RV!" Well, when you say it really fast and over and over...it sounds like Harvey!

So, this is where YOU come in. We need you to vote for a name....or give us suggestions for an even cooler name!

I'm really excited about the blogging material I will gather on our little excursions ....Stay Tuned!

Oh, a camping we will go....

Andy decided last Thursday that he would take a half day on Friday and we would pack up all the gear, get the kids ready and do a little overnight camp out. Andy and I used to do our share of camping back in the day before kids. All we needed was a tent, some food and some cold adult beverages and we were set.

So Thursday night I started a list. You know, the list of food, list of clothes for all of us, the list of camping supplies, the list of the lists. Since we were just going for the night, we thought it would be a pretty cheap start to our weekend. We ran to the store to pick up a few things...and 75 dollars later we were ready. Andy got home about 1:00 on Friday and by the time we got the van packed with all the gear, food, bikes and Charlie...we were ready to hit the road.

We didn't travel too far. This was really the first time for the kids had camp. We did go a few years back when Max was about 6 months old, talk about hauling the gear, but last summer the kids were afraid of bugs, so we decided it was better to skip it. Anyway....we only went about a half hour away...just in case we would need to venture home in the middle of the night.
The evening was great. After putting up the tent, we played on the playground, colored, played hackysack and rode bikes. Grandma & Paca even came out to roast hot dogs with us. It was really a great time. A perfect first camping experience for the kids.


So the park we went to was pretty much all RV's. Okay...no big deal....but I think we were seriously the ONLY tent. Everyone was driving around on golf carts. It was almost like a little city within this campground. Do you have the mental picture in your head? I told Andy, "This should work out great, we won't have any people staying up late playing loud music and partying."
I know, I'm totally old!

Boy, was I wrong. Of course, after playing all afternoon, my kiddos were tuckered out, thank goodness. They pretty much crashed about 9:30 (which is really pretty late for them) but then the people just up from us, were hangin' out and talked till about 2:00 AM. It wasn't that they were super loud, but it was just annoying to hear some lady cackle every few minutes. I thought the noise of all the bugs outside would finally put me to sleep, but nope...I was awake. At about midnight...another group started playing their music. MIDNIGHT! Don't these kind of places have quite hours...oh yes! They do! At 10:00 p.m. So where is the ranger? Isn't there someone to monitor these things? Aren't these RV people old? Shouldn't they be sleeping?

Needless to say, I was crabby. I was cold, yet hot from all the blankets and I was dry, yet damp from the dew. I think I finally got a little sleep before the birds woke up and then the kids. I can honestly say that right then at 6:18 AM, I was really to pack up and leave. We finally got up and out of the tent, walked up to the potty, came back to start some water for some much-needed coffee. The kids nibbled on doughnuts and chocolate milk while we were trying to get the water hot for coffee. It wasn't working. So now I'm crabby and have no coffee. It was not a pretty picture. I went into the tent to try and hide my frustration. I folded up all the blankets, got the sleeping bags back in their bags, so that Andy would know that I was ready to go. Like he didn't already know. He looked at me and then said to the kids, "Why don't we pack up and hit McDonald's drive-thru for breakfast". I have never loved that man more. We didn't get dressed. We didn't even brush our teeth. I just wanted to get home.

All and all it was still a great camping experience and the kiddos had an awesome time and THAT is what it all about.

A little side note:
The kiddos played on the playground while Andy and I got packed up. Right as we were getting ready to leave, we heard Max screaming. He fell off the ladder of the playground. He was walking, there wasn't any blood so we went on our way.

TO BE CONTINUED........................