First camping trip!

We went camping with the girls for the first time ever the first weekend of April.  I was very unsure of how it would turn out, but overall, it went very well.  The weather was great (pretty chilly at night, breezy and perfect during the day) and the kids ran around like little crazy happy people.  The tent was so novel! They easily spent 30 minutes running back and forth after each other, or rolling up in the screen flap door.

 

We shooed them out to set up sleeping bags and whatnot and they inspected the campsite, anthills and all.  The chairs were great sources of fun, even though that pink chair is in our back yard every day. Then it was time for a hike while the men started a campfire.

 

 

Charlotte was obsessed with singing, "Following the leader, the leader, the leader..." from Peter Pan (her new favorite movie).  The stick she's carrying in half the pictures was usually slung over her shoulder, just like John from Peter Pan when he leads the Lost Boys.

Paige is not in many pictures because she was almost always strapped to my back or slung on my hip or over my shoulder.  Unfortunately for all involved, she was mostly a miserable baby the whole weekend (and preceding week).  Let me just say:  I HATE teething!  Even with ibuprofen to take the edge off (pun intended), she wasn't happy anywhere but mommy's (aching) arms.

On the way back to the campsite, we watched some silly horses roll around in their pen, then went to check out how the fire was coming.

See the giant blaze?  It took some coaxing, but we were able to cook dinner.  It really did turn into a fair-sized fire after dinner.

Charlotte was poopered out after her first day of wilderness adventure.  She didn't even bother to eat s'mores.  (Well, really just marshmallows and Hershey's bars because I forgot the graham crackers.)  I guess she hasn't realized that's the best part of camping yet...

Mommy was poopered after her first night of wilderness sleeping!  Paige was nicely contained in her pack-n-play, but Charlotte was a sleeping bag thief.  When I came into the tent, a couple hours after the girls fell asleep, I found C rolled up in my sleeping bag, like she had grabbed the foot end, held on, and rolled towards the head twice. I moved her back to her side, but a lot fat of good it did!

We gave Charlotte the only cushioned mat we had to put under her sleeping bag, but she rolled around soooo much that by the middle of the night she was completely off of it and onto my sleeping bag.  She tossed and turned and "snuggled" with me - by snuggled, I mean hit, smacked, and kicked, not to mention random times of fluttering her hands all over my face like a blind person. I'm definitely not going to volunteer to sleep with her any time soon!

The next day was very relaxed.  We went on one last hike, then headed home, to our soft, soft beds.

The duck pond

About a mile from our house, there is a great little duck pond.  I've known about it for a year, but we just now went and visited the ducks.  I regret waiting so long - the ducks were so nice!  They never swarmed or got a little too friendly or anything.  One even politely took a piece of cracker from Charlotte's hand!

First:  the outfit.  Charlotte picked it out and I think she looks AWESOME. She asked for this tutu three days in a row, then totally forgot about it and hasn't mentioned it since.

She stuck close for a few minutes, but soon got brave enough to venture off on her own.  If you look closely, you can see ducks coming in the water - they were everywhere! Her and her little friend Adeline stood by the water for 20 minutes feeding the ducks and turtles. You can't tell, but there were dozens of turtles!

 

 

 

A trick with an apple

The cousins were having some lunch on the greenhouse steps when Aiden got an idea for an alternate use for apples.  No doubt apple glasses will be all the rage soon.  Charlotte certainly thought it was great, and funny too. 

 

 

First train ride at Landa Park

We visited Landa Park in New Braunfels with Opa and Oma, Oma Patsy (my dad's mother), Cyrus, and Aiden.  Fun for all!  They have some new, really terrific playgrounds that all three kids enjoyed...kinda. Paige's face maybe says 'help me' more than 'this is awesome.' Also, Charlotte wasn't her most smiley - she still didn't feel 100%. (Chicken pox - this is a really long overdue post!)

 

 

 

After we "fed" the ducks (we had no bread so the kids offered them dirt and grass, yum!), we all rode the train.  When I say all, I mean all - look in between Oma Patsy and Opa.  That is a dog head.  Brie, to be specific.  It was Brie, Charlotte, and Paige's first train ride, and they all seemed to enjoy it.

After the train ride, we hiked around and tired the kids out.  Aiden and Charlotte got a lesson about the springs from Opa, then did a bit of toddler-sized rock climbing.

 

We had lunch at Oma Patsy's house, then Charlotte went to investigate her make-up counter and help herself to beauty products.  It's so sweet to me because me and my cousins used to do the same thing!