Camping in Pictures, days 3 & 4

On our second full day Heather was ready for another hike after breakfast.

We decided to try the long hike up to the water tower, and the way up went very well.
But once we were up on the water tower, Heather wasn't all that impressed by the view and was getting restless.

So we had a little snack in the grass while Tom and Rachel finished their water tower experience.


It did start to rain a little as we were leaving, but luckily it stopped so we could get all the way back to camp. Being well rested meant that she didn't need to fuss in order to fall asleep for a nap.

Unfortunately, the real rain didn't start until after Heather woke up from her nap, so our beach plans had to be scrapped in favor of books and toys in the tent. Once it stopped we decided to drive to a nearby diner for dinner and ice cream.

On our last morning, Heather was ready for more excitement with her friend Robby.
She even held still long enough for pigtails and didn't immediately pull them out. (A new milestone)
For our last morning, we checked out a different beach. We had it to ourselves for much of the time we were there.





This beach had a playground, too. At this one, the seesaw was the biggest hit.


Before we left, it was time for a little snack.


It took long enough to have breakfast, get ready for the beach and enjoy the beach, that it was naptime on our way back to camp. R and I used the opportunity to start packing up camp and make a fire for lunch. Once she was up, we had lunch and finished packing. And we pulled out of camp within minutes of the checkout time.

We stopped at the ILs on the way home, too. Aunt Tara's dog Jake joined us in the pool.



More time on the towel, too.


She fell asleep in the car on the ride home and had a little trouble staying asleep, but we all got to bed eventually.

I'd say it was a very successful camping trip and fun was had by all!

Camping in Pictures, days 1 & 2

Last weekend we took Heather for her second camping trip. We went to the same place that we've been going for 8 years. It is possible that we will branch out at some point, but with a toddler it is nice to go someplace familiar.

Also, the grandparents are conveniently located on our way, so we were able to stop for two visits over the course of the weekend.

As soon as we get there, Heather points to the swing in the gazebo.

After a lite lunch, Heather took a dip in the pool with her daddy. The water was warmer than our last visit.

When she was done, Heather was very anxious to get her towel laid out "just so" and enjoy a little time in the sunshine.

What's a visit at Grandma's without a frozen treat at the end?

We got to camp within an hour of Heather's bedtime, so I was feeling a bit rushed to get water, firewood and food in her belly before a meltdown. But the new environment was enough to keep her entertained. Although she did get a little mad that she couldn't be the one to carry the water jug back to the campsite. :-)

We started day 2 with some fruit and some books at the campsite.

And we decided that we should take advantage of the cooler morning air for our first hike. We started with a shorter hike around the peninsula since it took us a little while to get our act together and we didn't really know how Heather would respond. Everytime we got near the lake, she would start doing her version of "quack, quack", but sadly there weren't any ducks to be seen there like there are at the lake near our house.

After a little while in the backpack, she felt the need to explore on her own two feet.


She seemed to be getting tired, but a nap wasn't successful. So we had some lunch and headed to the beach.

Digging in the sand is serious work.



So it is nice to take a dip in the water to cool off after all that effort. Lakes are especially nice because they are shallow enough to walk in, even when you're less than 3 feet tall. :-)

There is a little playground near the beach, too. It doesn't have an infant swing, but Heather can swing slowly on the big ones with daddy's supervision.

It was definitely naptime when we returned to the campsite after all of that. Our friends Tom and Rachel arrived while Heather was sleeping and I was doing some work.

Once Heather was enough we decided we had enough time for another hike before dinner. This time I took a turn with the backpack.

This time she lasted longer in the backpack. But given the short nap the day before and the short nap this afternoon, Heather just didn't have a full hike in her and she was too overtired to fall asleep in the backpack.

So I used the second nap of the day to start a dinner fire and get a shower. Heather's favorite part of campfire food was the baked sweet potato. Silly girl didn't even want to try a perfectly roasted marshmallow!

Return and words

We are back from our camping extravaganza. All went well. There are photos and stories, but I don't have time to post them until I get past a current deadline at work. I was up until 2:30 last night (at home) working and I'm staying at the office late tonight. We're supposed to post the final documents tomorrow evening. So life should be back to "normal" by the weekend. Although the unpacking might not get done until the weekend. We'll see how much R did during his day off today.

New words include:
Peek-a-boo ("peek-boo")
Robby (her froggy's name)
Puppy
Quack quack ("ack ack" when she sees water and expects to see ducks)
Hoot (what an owl says)
Moo
Baa
Doo-dee-doo (as in a rooster says Cock-a-Doodle-Doo)
Nanny (my mom)
Ba-pa (my dad)

And we are starting to hear some 2 word phrases, such as:
Hi Daddy
Night-Night puppy
Bye-bye kitty

She is also repeating after us, but the words she repeats don't necessarily come back again. And she is more insistent about talking to us, meaning that she gets frustrated when we don't understand. Sometimes we can figure it out and sometimes we just have to distract her with something else. We are deciphering things as best we can as they come. And paying attention to context and where she's pointing can really help.

I'm sure I'm forgetting a few, but I must get back to work. Just a brief afternoon break!