Camping at Blue Springs State Park -or- How To Take A Camping Trip In Less Than 24 Hours

We are crazy. I know we are crazy because we went camping last weekend. With a potty-trained-ish toddler, and a seven week old baby. And three other kids. And two tired parents. C-R-A-Z-Y. But fun!



Here's my advise for your less-than-24-hour camping experience--in 10 easy tips.

Tip #1) Wait to start packing until after lunch. (Any earlier, and you might make a list of what to bring, which is counter-productive for a short trip.)

#2) Have your kids help pack. (This is very important. It ensures that neither the father nor the mother has a clear idea of what they are taking on the trip. This is crutial for tip #5)

#3) Bring a baby. (Enough said. However, if possible, bringing a baby that is a heavy spitter-upper is even better. Only bring 5 bibs.)

#4) Bring a nearly potty trained toddler. (4 extra undies should do the trick. And 2 emergency diapers. Yep.)

#5) Do not bring bug spray. (If you had that you might stay longer, and that is not the goal.)

#6) Arrive at the campsite at dinner time. (That way you will hustle more when you set up camp, and be extra hungry for dinner.)

#7) Do not bring water. And...

#8) Bring lots of sugary drinks. (This is very important for getting the most out of tip #4. Sugar is said to move the bowels...so that will help you keep your camping trip short.)

#9) Go when the weather is nice and warm. (Or slightly hot. It will help motivate you when it's time to pack up.)

#10) Choose a campsite that is less than an hour from home. (By far my best tip.)


SO--even though I followed all my own tips, we still had a great time--that is, after I made an emergency run for bug spray.

Peter, Zack, and I stayed in the tent most of the evening while the guys made dinner.



The big kids were totally entertained by the many grasshoppers they found. They took tons of pictures of them.



There's at least 4 in this picture. I think they had rounded up 7 or so by the end of dinner?



Still was doing some bug swatting even with the spray...



We had a good night...truly amazing with such a tent-full of kids. Here's a good-morning picture.





This is my favorite picture of all...Tim using Grandpa's cookware. A million thanks, Grandpa, for setting us up. Tim is my dream husband--cooking breakfast over the campfire. And good-looking to boot.



They weren't sour dough pancakes, but they were Gluten Free and tasty.





Peter obliged us by sleeping through breakfast. (that's a picture of him sleeping in his cradle in the tent.)



The kids had a good time with their hatchets out in the woods. (I know...scary. But with 5 boys, what am I going to do?) We may have come home with poison ivy...the jury's still out on that.



Tim took the boys to swim in the fresh spring--68 degrees year round! Brrrr... Peter and I stayed home and napped.







It was a great first trip with 5 kids for us. I think if we wait another month we'll have a good shot at a really pleasant time. Really made me miss you, Mom and Dad, and Grandma and Grandpa. Thanks for all the precious memories of camping growing up.

The Beach!

We have been waiting and waiting to go to the beach! Zack has been asking daily for at least 10 days, "Is it time to go to the beach?" I finally started crossing days off the calendar to help him see time pass.



We had perfect weather. Perfect water. Couldn't have been better. SUCH a blessing!



We went for our annual family reunion. It was fun to see everyone and get to visit some.



The kids played so well together. They dug in the sand, snorkeled, and swam in the pool. The pool was the preferred location, but I didn't get any pictures there. I was always in the water with Zack, who was SO busy!!

Here's a pic of all 4, plus their cousins, Judson and Mary Grace.





Zack wore himself out. Here he is, "not" taking a nap...





Trevor enjoyed the wildlife... He caught this jelly fish (it's in a red bucket. It was clear with purplish brown marks, and was about 4 inches across.


He and I also went out on the last night to find crabs. We took a bucket and flashlight, and just walked around. They were scurrying here and there, and when Trevor would see one he would drop to his hands and knees and scuttle after it. Here's our final catch--they are real little...about dime size.



A couple more pics...

Kearney Trip 2014

What adventures we have been having! After our Anniversary trip, we celebrated Mother's Day, and then the kids and I packed up and followed Mom and Dad toward Nebraska! Here's some pictures of our activities over the last 3 or so weeks...

Cherry Pie--Home Made by William!!! A delicious Welcome-Home dessert!



Everyone helped make Mother's Day lunch: Steak, potatoes, broccoli salad, and fruit salad, with strawberry shortcake for dessert. Yum. It was fun to have Mom here to actually celebrate with her.





...Even Zackster helped...and no fingers were lost.



On our way to NE, we stopped in Montgomery for a field trip with Trevor's Homeschool Alabama History Class. It was great. We went to the Alabama Archives Museum, with was really cool, and then to the capitol building. Zack was a trooper and participated in some of the tour just like a big boy. Other times he just trailed along at his own pace.



Here's the pretty ceiling they are looking at:



Trevor ate it up. He really loves history. I loved our tour guide's approach to handling the confederacy. She pointed out that if we don't learn from our mistakes, we may repeat them. The room Trevor is in here is the room where the Confederacy was established, and it has been permanently set aside as a sort of memorial.



After our tours, Zack was out like a light before we even got back on the interstate. Perfect. ;)


We made our way to Branson and spent a day there. We went to a skate park that was right on the banks of a stream. Here's a bunch of pictures from that.

















We also ate lunch at a cute little cafe, and went mini golfing. The mini golfing was INSANE. The kids were like pinballs. Grandpa did an amazing job keeping his cool.





We finally made it to Kearney, and had such a great time. I did a terrible job at taking pictures, unfortunately. Here's what I have to show for it...

Uncle Miles showing the forklift to the boys. A big hit.







We went out to see my old horse, Shadow, again. That is always a highlight for me. We had to go get him from pasture. I loved seeing Zack out running around in the Nebraska prairie. :)









After a fun time riding the horse, Mom and Dad took us out to eat. It was in a small town, and I got a kick out of the curb appeal. The kids were asking, "What restaurant?"



They loved it inside, though! All 4 walls were lined with taxidermy.


And then, here we are on our way home. Just me and my 4.5 kids. It was a great trip, and we had fun riding together. Zack was a trooper--took good naps and spent lots of time just sitting and looking out the window. We hardly used any of the toys I brought along for him. The big boys were fantastic, too. Trevor especially had a lot of work to do, passing things back and forth, and helping Zack out.



Here's one parting shot--one that mom took--just to give you a good glimpse of our little one to come in just 3 more months!



PS: I am appalled at my lack of pictures. Not a single one in here with Kim or my grandparents. Just sick. We had such a good time with them, and THEY got good pictures...I just can't find a great way to get them all on my blog!