Our 1st Camping Adventure

This past weekend our family was invited by another area church to their annual Family Camp. They rent out a campground with a bunch of campsites and families come to spend 2 or 3 nights in nature. They provide a few activities & meals, but mostly you're on your own. We didn't really know too many people there, so mostly we spent time just us, but enjoyed meals we didn't have to prepare ourselves!

When we got there Thursday afternoon, we had just enough time to get set up before the rain came in. It poured for a good hour before it started to clear out. There was a 3-walled "lean-to" structure on our site. We put a tarp in front of it and it stayed perfectly dry. Jacob's portable crib & our air mattress was inside there. We put up our tent just outside for the kids. It did get a little wet inside, but they didn't mind too much.

The last time I went camping was when I was pregnant with Leah. So naturally we didn't have ANY gear. We borrowed a large bug tent, some camp chairs, and an air mattress from some friends at church. Here's what our campsite looked like:

We managed to have a little campfire the first night after dinner. The first night, I didn't really sleep much at all. I never really do in strange places. Leah didn't sleep well either-- she's a lot like me! Everyone else slept okay and enjoyed themselves.

The next day we had breakfast with some of the other church people. They cooked a full meal.

Then we enjoyed some time on Emerald Lake.

We had a picnic lunch and then Brett and the older three went on a pedal boat. As it turns out, none of them could reach the pedals. So they came back fairly quickly when Daddy got tired!

Jacob & I took a nap on the shore while Leah and Andrew went swimming some more. (Abi was only pretending.)

Back at the campsite, we started a fire again and roasted some hot dogs for dinner. As you can see, Jacob did NOT want to sit in one place. He got extremely dirty because he would not stay on the GIANT blanket we had out-- he'd rather play with rocks.

Leah got to decorate her doll's hair and her own with some of the other kids there for camp. They did have some fun walking around with a few of the other kids that were their age. 

For dessert we had banana boats on the grill-- fill them with chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, marshmallows & anything you want. Melty and good!

After dinner a new adventure began. For the third time that day, we noticed Jacob have a spell where he would stop breathing for a few seconds-- his lips would turn blue and his face pale. Then he would seem really "out of it" for a minute or two before returning to normal. With his breathing condition, we didn't want to ignore this-- especially since it wasn't just once. So I took him to the nearest ER. It was in a town we go to all the time, near to home, but it was not our usual hospital. They decided to admit him to monitor him overnight. Of course, I had not come prepared to stay overnight. So I showered there and put on the same smelly camping clothes I had been wearing. (The really nice nurses did loan me some scrub pants, and there was shampoo & soap in the shower.) 

He slept fine and had  no more episodes. They determined the episodes were tracheal spasms that were happening as a result of under-dosing his reflux meds. So I honestly hadn't given him his meds in a couple days because we were camping and because I really thought he was doing better with the reflux and the breathing. PLUS, he is now refusing baby food so he has been eating a lot more finger foods that are probably irritating his throat. Besides that, he was only prescribed about half the dose he should have been taking for his weight. So essentially he WAS stopping breathing for a few seconds each time his trachea closed up. It was very scary but hopefully the situation is going to improve now. I had to keep him entertained for several hours the next morning while hooked up to all these wires with no real toys to play with. 

Thankfully, they let me eat off his meal menu and after lunch they released us. As soon as I got back to the campsite, the rest of the family  had already cleaned up the site and had gone on a hike. We packed up the car and after a quick trip to the camp playground, we headed back home, not really feeling like camping much anymore. We enjoyed the camping trip but definitely not the hospital part! We do hope to do something like this again next year!

July 4th Weekend

I always love the 4th of July holiday-- I love the warm weather, cookouts, fireworks, being with family & friends... I felt a little crafty the day before July 4th so the kids made a fireworks craft. We used twisted up pipe cleaners in the shape of fireworks and dipped them in paint, then added glitter.

On the day before July 4th we always go up to Burlington to a giant party given at the home of a church family's son, an attorney who has a huge house & yard. There's usually at least 300 people there-- he has tons of food & drinks, a bounce house for the kids, lawn games, and fireworks. We didn't stay late enough for the fireworks this year, but we still enjoyed the food.

On July 4th, as we've done the past 3 years, we went to the parade in Bristol, VT-- the longest running parade in the state. It's always really fun. We also always get friend bread dough (think funnel cake, only with maple syrup on it), which even Jacob enjoyed!

The parade always seems to run late so we wait forever. The kids played on the playground a little while but it was pretty hot. Jacob got tired and cranky but didn't fall asleep until the parade actually started-- I guess he needed the noise. He slept through probably the first half of the parade then sat and watched quietly from his stroller.

The kids were candy- catching experts by the end, even Abigail this year. They always ran out and dived to get as much as possible and we ended up with a huge bag-ful by the end.

As if we didn't party enough, that evening we had a cookout at church with another group. The kids enjoyed lawn games and running around outside.

Then we came home and enjoyed sparklers on the porch in our pajamas. What a day!

Summer Days

Warm days in Vermont go by quickly and end all-too-soon, so we soak up every minute we can. In just the past 2 weeks of summer, we have already done so much. The kids ask every night, "What are we going to do tomorrow?" Days at home are rare, but I, for one, appreciate them. Here's a few things we've been up to, in no particular order:


Andrew is still doing his taekwando once a week, and he loves it. There was a special event in town a few weeks ago & Andrew's teacher invited any students who wanted to come and break a board. He did it well and felt so good about himself! (I'm pretty sure his teacher bent it a little to help it along, but don't tell him that.)

Jacob is sitting up well on his own now and can sit in the high chair at restaurants. He even enjoys a French fry here or there. He also enjoys eating anything he can find on the floor at home. 

When I'm cooking, the two babies are usually right underfoot. Jacob has discovered the joy of Tupperware & cooking spoons. Abi loves to sit right on the island counter where I'm working and help me stir or pour. Or tell me that she wants to use a spaghetti noodle to roast marshmallows, like this picture.

Abi has always been my amazing sleeper. She will often sleep in til 8am, then crash & burn about 1pm, sometimes earlier. If I don't wake her up from her nap, she'll sleep sometimes 2 or 3 hours! (Which makes it hard for her to get to sleep at night, of course. She is a night owl.) She sometimes willingly puts herself to bed. She gets pretty sassy if she doesn't get in her nap. And she rarely likes her picture taken.

Night time can be long when Daddy has a meeting. We have to eat dinner early many nights, so there's still several hours before bedtime.  Occasionally we'll play games, or the kids will go back outside to enjoy the long daylight. We love the sunsets at our house.

Leah and Andrew got to go see a movie in the theater. I don't think it was their first, but they don't really remember ever going. They saw Finding Dory with their Daddy and loved it!

And the other day it was so windy out we decided to fly a kite. We got that kite WAY WAY up high. It was hard to even hold it down! Abi loves her little brother and was holding his hand. He just loves the grass and could care less about kites and such.

Another thing we have enjoyed every summer is the library's Summer Reading Program. We actually go to 2 different libraries, both which offer story times, crafts, activities, and prizes for reading certain amounts of books. I love that the kids get excited about reading so they can put stickers on their charts. We've probably already read about 40 books so far.

Summer's only half over and who knows what else we'll find to get ourselves into?!

Lake Day

Last year we discovered this great lake pretty close to our house. There's not a LOT of beach space, but there is a lot of grassy area, some sand, and then a really great shallow entrance into the water. Since we don't live near the ocean, it's a great little "beach" spot for our little family. The kids loved it last year and this year was no different!

Jacob was quite a fish. I thought for sure he would hate the freezing cold water and the sand, but he sat down and immediately started splashing his hands in the water and did NOT want to get out. Two things he loves, put together-- baths & being outside! 

 Of course, all that sun & playing wore him out & he fell asleep for a good hour.

We built a sand town with a pretty cool moat with running water. The kids got in a physics lesson, learning how the water runs.

Before we left we played on the playground, and Jacob is finally interested in the playground kiddie swings. He had a blast.

And of course no lake day is complete without ice cream.