CVSD: Day 55

I am caught in this weird place of being hopeful for the future and wanting to plan things, but also being completely unsure of the future, which makes me shut down a bit. I'm sure I'm not alone in this.

We did a little pseudo camping this weekend. And we are dreaming up backpacking and paddling trips. I don't know if they will happen, but talking about our dreams feels good...

We spent the weekend doing some camping-related activities in the back yard. Jack is obsessed with building and maintaining a campfire and is getting pretty adept at this job.

We made some really delicious meals over the campfire including a Philly Cheese Dog, reminiscent of my favorite hot dog from Good Dog. We also cooked chicken strips over the fire and roasted apples for dessert. The kids were stoked to make smores on two different nights.

We are all really missing camping with friends this spring, but are hopeful that there will come a day in the future when we can camp again.

A Wet Weekend at Chester Frost

Several weeks ago we made plans to camp with friends, going so far as to reserve sites at Chester Frost for the weekend. While we had a wet winter and spring, our start to summer has been quite dry.

So we were a bit concerned when the week before our camping trip started out really wet with a high chance of storms. Jack is on swim team this year and most of his morning practices were cold and rainy. We kept checking the weather updates and the forecast remained 90-100% chance of thunderstorms for the entire weekend.

On Wednesday night we looked into the cancellation policy and discovered you had to cancel 3 days prior. Since we couldn't cancel, and the campground was close by, we decided to camp regardless of the weather. Worst case we could always come home.

On Thursday I was texting back and forth with the wives of the other two families who were supposed to camp with us. One of the families was on the fence (they have two really young kids) and the other family thought they could tough it out with us.

I let Daniel sleep in and plugged in my tea pot for hot water outside the camper. Unfortunately the hose was a little too short! But once my water boiled it made an excellent cup of pressed coffee.

Friday morning it rained as we packed the camper, trying to get it read between downpours. The third family officially backed out (if we had a baby we would have backed out too), but the other family was cautiously optimistic with us.

The sun came out momentarily and we kept packing. By 5pm we were on our way. By 7pm our camp was set up and our trout was on the grill for supper. The other family showed up in time for the only downpour we had that evening.

I enjoyed starting a new book while the kids played in the rain.

The kids played legos in our camper and were happy to have friends to hang out with. I had to make a quick Walmart run for dish soap and when I returned the rain subsided and we got a campfire going. Our friend's oldest son was impressed that we managed to get a fire started in the rain. Dry wood and a torch go a long way, even in the rain.

Once the fire was going Daniel took Sophie for a walk and the boys tagged along. While they were gone Daniel texted to tell me he felt like he was taking a walk with the lost boys from Peter Pan. The kids were pretending to hunt deer and whispering and giggling as they attempted to sneak up on any deer they came across.

When they returned to camp we had s’mores and the kids played while the parents visited until 11pm. It was midnight before our kids were tucked into their beds.

I hoped we would all sleep in but Isaac woke us up at 7. Our friends kids were already up as well. After breakfast, we had our first rain of the day. It ended up raining on and off all day on Saturday but never actually stormed. The kids rode bikes and played in the rain. They did not care a lick that they were soaking wet for most of the day. They just changed into dry clothes every few hours.

Before lunch the sky cleared a bit and I took the kids to the playground. We found a dock and the boys decided to get in the water, fully clothed. They were already wet from rain, so I just let them.

After lunch we headed across the park to a pavilion at one of the beaches to celebrate our friend’s 6th birthday. It rained some more, but the kids didn’t care. We didn’t let them swim but they dug in the wet sand and played in the rain and ate cake. What a great way to celebrate being a kid!

After the party we went back to camp. We had brought Jack’s kayak and he was able to take it out in a downpour before the birthday party and then again after the party he took the birthday boy out with him (supervised by D) while I grilled burgers for dinner.

The rain let up again and we were able to have another campfire and s’mores thanks again to dry wood and the blow torch! The kids were pumped about getting to have campfires with s'mores not once but twice in the rain.

It rained all Saturday night but let up for us to pack up camp in the morning. Everyone in our camper slept in and had a late start which meant missing saying goodbye to our friends. But we will see them at church, and hopefully we will get to camp again with them.

We are so glad we took the chance on a wet weekend. We all ended up having a ton of fun and can’t wait to go again. Isaac said he wished we could stay for the whole week and both kids are anxious to camp again.

But first, coffee! This was the only picture I got of myself 😜

Thanksgiving 2017

We have so much to be thankful for.

I’m thankful for family and the opportunity to be together, whether we are silly or having serious conversations around the campfire.

I’m grateful for our children and the fact that they were able to spend several days together, playing Nerf wars and Sardines, going on hikes on our property, and letting their creativity shine.

I’m thankful for the blessing of good food and helping hands to make the work light.

I’m thankful that we can laugh at mistakes like soupy potatoes, or my inability to buy the “right” kind of marshmallows for s’mores. 

I’m thankful that we had the chance to talk with my Nana who is in a nursing home in Canada. I hope she was blessed as we passed the phone around. 

I’m thankful for a warm, safe home with enough beds and floor space to accommodate 15 people comfortably. 

I’m thankful for perfect weather and this chance to be with loved ones. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

It has become a bit of a tradition for the kids to put on a Talent Show for us when they are together (spearheaded by their Uncle Mark, of course). 

Isaac really wanted Izzy to carry him to go for a hike.

Isaac didn't want to miss a drop of ice cream. 


Levi demonstrated the Sock Hop for us to "Barbara Ann"