We started camping as a family when Evan was an infant. He was 4 months old on our first trip. Eric's parents let us borrow their pop up camper, which is incredibly kind and generous of them. It's been so much fun, and we keep getting better at it. There's a lot to learn about the best and easiest ways to camp with kids. We have had some TERRIBLE experiences, but we've also had enough great times that keep us coming back for more. Last week we took Riley out of school on Thursday and Friday to go camping at Hueston Woods State Park. Eric did not get much of the vacation time he requested for the summer, so they gave him this block of time off instead. We had never been to Hueston Woods, but it was on the way to our final destination, Winchester, IN. It looked great on the internet, and we were not disappointed. It was by far the best camping experience we've had so far. The state park is amazing, so much fun. The camp sites were very nice with clean bathrooms, always a plus with kids. Our site was directly across from the playground and the boys had a ton of room to ride their bikes. We had a great time at the Lake Acton beach, again it was incredibly clean and was such a pretty lake. We spent an entire morning at the Nature Center, which also serves as a home for a rescued mountain lion and bobcat. We went hiking and creeking, and then finished the trip at the lodge's swimming pool. The weather was perfect, lots of sun and not too hot or humid. We are getting better and better at cooking meals while camping, which makes the whole experience a lot easier. I just wished we could have stayed another week! On our next camping adventure we're going to try tent camping. We'll probably go sometime in July, should be interesting.
We left Hueston Woods and drove another hour to Winchester, IN. Eric had been invited to come and share about our life in Franklinton at the Winchester Friends Church. My brother-in-law's parents attend this church and we were able to stay at their home. We had a wonderful time visiting with Jeff, Mary, and their church family. They all have such a gift of hospitality and we felt so welcome. In fact, Trey felt so welcome he didn't want to leave. In a short 24 hours the little guy became incredibly attached to Mary. We started to drive away on Sunday afternoon and he tells us to stop. I turn around to see tears on his cheeks and he said he would stay with Mary and we could come back and get him later! We look forward to another trip to Winchester in the future, and hope that some of our new friends will come visit us in Columbus as well.
Last night we celebrated Pickle's birthday. Small stuff is now three years old, which is really hard to believe. His birthday is the 9th, but we had to celebrate early because his friend Maggie will be leaving for vacation and he couldn't celebrate without her and her family. We were going to have a picnic at Darby Creek, but of course the weather didn't cooperate. We've moved the cookout to our house instead. Evan didn't care, he just wanted cake and a new Wiggles movie. I have pictures, I even downloaded them onto the computer, but for some reason I can't get them on this blog. I'll have Eric do it later. This weekend we're headed to Mimi and Pop Pop's to celebrate with them and the next weekend we'll do it again with Nana and Papaw.
I should add a few thoughts on life with Pickle in honor of his third birthday. He is a beautiful child, even without his three front teeth. He is full of energy, attitude, and words. He is the leader when the three boys play together, the youngest bossing the older two. When he is good, he is very, very good...and when he is bad, well, that's another story. He is much more difficult to discipline and direct than the other two were at this age, but at the same time is so much fun to love, hug, and kiss. He keeps us all laughing, and he knows he's funny. He loves the Wiggles, playing Star Wars with his brothers, playing Uno and Candy Land with his mommy, and the "shark game" with his daddy. He's learning how to dress himself and he's mastering the potty. But, he's still my baby, my baby boy. Happy Birthday Pickle! We love you so much!
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