Camping Continues

I would have loved to continued the story of how our first camping trip was just joy and pleasure but at 3:30am it took an odd turn. No the kids did not get up screaming in the night. Jennifer wakes me up and tells me that she does not feel very well. I get up with her and stand watch as she walks up to the bath house and before she gets back I realize that I am not feeling so well either. Oh NO! We both got food poisoning from Bojangles'. This ought to make for an interesting experience. We did not want to use the camper bathroom because it was right next to the kids room and we were afraid to wake them up. No sleep and constant turns running up the hill left us exhausted and not at all wanting to be camping. Should we pack up and leave? No we don't feel like doing that either. So we called Granddaddy to come over and at least feed the kids breakfast - while we formulate a plan. Plan formulated... Granddaddy & Grandmother load up the kids and take them to Lisa's house. This will give us some time to re-coop and the kids time outside the camper to play with their cousins. Kids gone, pop in a movie, watch none of it, and sleep. Reality came back about 4:30 and left us with a crowded camper because it is now raining. Yeah, Rain... As if this is not tough enough. We take turns keeping a half eye on the kids and watch the clock creep by till it is finally bedtime. Bedtime arrives... Sleep or screaming? Pretty much the same as the night before. Evan took about 20 minutes to fall asleep. Wow we made it! Not so fast... The storm of all storms hits and wakes Jennifer and I up. Our first thought was it must at least be 3 or 4 am. No... 11:45pm. This storm was a doosie. We sat there and wondered when we would hear the first peep from terrified kids. They slept through the whole thing. We woke up the next morning feeling better or at least well enough to pack up and head home. Now we have survived. This is what they looked like when we opened the door the first morning. I asked Evan if he had fun camping and it was a YES.

Charlotte still sleeping in her spot. I thought I put her on the other side? Mommy bought them some magnet alphabets to stick to baking pans. They had a blast. Quick breakfast before we hit the road.

Last shot just before we hit the road.

1st Camping Trip - Day and Night One

The time has finally arrived!!! I circled this date on the calender back when we bought the camper. We decided to make our first trip to Hard Labor Creek State Park in Rutledge, GA. We picked this weekend and this site based on Jennifer's niece Victoria's birthday party at Chuck E Cheese. It was close to family so we had a outlet in case of disaster.

We spent weeks nesting the camper and getting filled with all the items needed. But all the prep work means nothing if the kids don't like it. We left home loaded at about 10am, made a pit stop at the outlets to get some shopping done, and arrived at the campground at 12:45. Jennifer and I set up the site while the kids played with rocks. They loved the rocks. They put them on the table, in chairs, and of course on each other. Here's the a shot of them enjoying lunch. We left to go to Chuck E Cheese for the birthday party. This was an adventure all in it's self. They had fun and all loved Chuck E. This was the first of many Chuck E visits. The party ended and the kids did not want to leave. We grabbed some Bojangles' and headed back to the campsite. Quick dinner and then we walked up to the playground. It was covered in pollen so we would at least find out if any kids had pollen allergies. Nope! They just played, had fun and got covered in yellow pollen. We did our best to get them warn out before bed time. We have been blessed with beautiful sleepers! No really, they sleep really really good. But it is usually in their crib. Pack-n-plays have presented challenges, but they get use to them and adjust rather quickly. How would they handle all sleeping in a loft, all together, and in a strange place? This would be the deciding point to this weekend and our camping future. They all cried at first but the girls stopped and were out. Evan took his time going to sleep but he was finally out. They did not make a peep all night. Can we call this a success? Check back and see Day and Night Two!

Developing Personalities

As you know each of the little ones look different, well they all act completely different as well. Evan has fallen in love with drawing. He carries his Elmo magna doodle around with him all the time. He loves to get in a lap and take turns making shapes, animals, trucks, and cars. His favorite shape is a circle. He draws them over and over, big and small.
Charlotte has turned into our little fashion queen. She loves to dress up and you will very rarely find her with out a bracelet on. She has to get first choice on the clothes for the day. If she does not get to pick first, Jennifer will most likely have to take Ellie's off and switch or dive back into the closet for a new outfit. Shoes and bows are a must in her wardrobe. The first thing she wants once she gets out of the bath is a bow - and she must pick it!!!

Ellie is our chatter box. She puts new words together every day. She loves to say pleeeez (Please), tank uew (Thank You), quackers (Crackers)and a lot of other things we have not figured out yet. She is just like her momma. Every time I burp she says scuewz uew (excuse you). It is so cute I have to burp just to hear it. I excused her burp tonight and she giggled. She is definitely the ring leader in the bunch.

Let's Go Camping

Jennifer and I both grew up going camping with our families and have wonderful memories of life with a traveling home. We decided to pass these experiences down to the triplets. I have been researching different sizes, brands and towing constraints for several months. We had a couple needs and several wants when picking our vacation on wheels. Late January we hired a baby sitter and went to the camper show in Atlanta. This would give me the chance to show Jennifer exactly what I had been researching. I knew we would either leave with a new camper or at least narrow the field down to a couple brands. We searched and fell in love with several campers that were too big and had found several we would consider. Then we walked into the Zinger. Jennifer loved it from the moment she walked in. She shops with her eyes and the interior was different from the others we had seen -so it was moved to the top of the keeper list. I'm just glad she did not shop for husbands that same way because she would have passed me by. Pressed for time, we met with the owner and set up a closing date. I got to go pick it up a couple days after the triplets birthday. I wonder what they would think of their new camper?

They loved it. It has bunk beds in the back that will accommodate all 3 of ours for a long time. Charlotte picked out her bed first.

Evan and Ellie peaking out the window on the top bunk.
They just realized they had a sky light.

Jenn and the kids checking out the dinning table.
We are still getting it loaded with essentials and then a practice run in the front yard. Wish us Luck!