Camping Trip 2014-01

That really ought to read "Camping Trip 2014-One and Done", but The Coach says we are going once more this summer whether I like it or not, so I leave it as is.  

We typically start our camping season with our annual trip to Jellystone on Memorial Day weekend.  However, this year was different.  The Coach had a new job, and we were scheduled to move the Tuesday after Memorial Day.  The timing was bad all the way around, and we couldn't go when we normally do.   The kids were really disappointed, so we surprised them with a trip to Jellystone for 4th of July.  

It sounded like a good idea at the time.  I mean, how hard can taking Bo camping really be?  Holy moly.  I was paranoid the entire time.  Bo wanted to be too close to the fire, he wanted to be too close to the edge of the pool, he wanted to run out in the campground roadways at full speed, but only when a car or golf cart was coming.  He wanted to do ALL of the wrong and bad things.  ALL of them, and ALL the time.  He wore my nerves down to a raw nub.

The Coach even struggled with the little guy.    

Who me?  In the sink?  For no reason whatsoever?  And crying because I hurt my tongue because I put it in places it shouldn't be?

Sleeping was the only time we were safe.  

Trying to hide Dad's hat. 

And this was supposed to be a picture of Jack.  But look in the background.  Bo has somehow gotten hold of The Coaches toothbrush and is vigorously chewing on it.  Gross.  

We did have a great time though.  It was a lot of fun, and Jack and Justice really enjoyed themselves.  And Bo was happy when he was in the water.

I bought a pretty neat floatie-thingie for Bo.  It was two pieces.  One was a vest with a tube attached, and the other piece was an inflatable boat that you sat in with the tube on.  Once you graduated from the outer tube, you can learn more body and core control with just the vest/tube.  I really liked the puddle jumper float that Jack had, but Bo isn't big enough yet.  

He was only in both parts for the first few hours.  He just up and jumped in the pool with only the tube/vest on and we realized he didn't need it.  He loved the pool.

Once we took off the outer tube he was all set.  He was everywhere, all over the pool.  It took him some time to figure out how to keep his core balanced to keep from flipping over, rolling over or tipping over, but once he had it, he was all over the pool.

There was pool bingo.  And what a cool game that is.  If we get a pool, I will make sure we have bingo.  All the bingo letters and numbers are written on ping pong balls and tossed into the pool.  Swimmers pick up the balls and read the numbers to the score keeper on the side of the pool.  

Justice is officially the pool bingo champ for the second consecutive year.  

They also had a "neon pool party" this year, and that was fun.  They turned out all the lights in the pool and tossed at least two hundred glow sticks in the pool.  

The kids got to take home whatever glow sticks they got at the pool party.  The entire campground was glowing all night.  

They also had watersides.  There was another waterside, a really high one.  I have no pictures of that one for some reason.  

Bo only went on the waterside a few times.  He mostly just chilled in the sun and watched, working on his golden brown tan.  Ha.  

There were carnival games on the 4th.  Cornhole, ring toss, etc. 

Two suckers in his mouth already, like he needed another one.  I asked Justice if he noticed that particular girl was wherever he was at for the entire time we were there, and he said "huh?  really?" and scratched his head for a second.  "No, I didn't notice until now."  

Boys are so dumb. 

Jack could play corn hole all day long.  The Coach is going to make some boards to have at home.  

The boys favorite part of "Yogi Camp" as Jack calls it, is tie-dying shirts.  They both really look forward to it.  And Jack's shirts are looking better every year.

Jack didn't feel like smiling, so Justice thought it would be OK to help him.  It was not OK, and Jack was sure to let him know right after I took the picture. 

I sure love Jack.  He's such a complicated little guy.  He is rarely smiling, he is mostly grouchy, and he has complex thoughts.  I worry so much about him sometimes.  He just really never seems HAPPY.  I don't know how it feels to be unhappy all the time.  He says: 

"I'm happy, I just don't act stupid like Justice to show it."

Well, OK.  

And then I get a smiley picture with a genuine smile in it and it warms my soul.

Yes folks, that's as happy as it gets with Jack.  But it's far better than this look, which is typical.

Jack loves to roast marshmallows.  He burns them all though, and never eats them.  He just catches them all on fire and gives them to me.  I like them burnt, it's all good with Mama.  

Wait a second.  Scroll up to the picture of him with s'mores all over his face, then look at the one below.  See anything different?

He lost another tooth.  He came crying to me and told me that his tooth was super loose and he guessed he wouldn't be able to eat any hot dogs that night for dinner.

I just happened to have a towel in my hand, and he barely got the sentence out and I had pulled the tooth and handed it to him.

"HOW THE HECK DO YOU DO THAT, MOM?????"  

Ha.  

The kids love to ride the pedal bikes.  This year was even better because Justice won an hour of free time on two bikes after winning one of the games.  

One of the reasons I like this place so much is because of the staff.  This was our third summer in a row camping here, and the staff remembered both boys.  They were even happy to see them.  It makes the kids feel good, and it makes me feel good.

They painted ceramics.  Justice painted a random owl and Jack "painted" a Yogi bear bank.  Jack paints a bank every year.  Jack also has all the banks full of money, because he is extremely tight with his cash.

See everyone looking up in the sky?  This was a rocket launch.  The kids got to keep their rocket.  Jack was so disappointed because his went so high that it disappeared.  Justice found it for him though the next day.  Jack was pretty excited.  

And on the last day, they had candy-bar bingo.  Every kid brought a candy bar, and the prize was ALL the candy bars.  And unfortunately, Justice won.  The whole pot.  I didn't get the picture until after he and Jack had eaten three or four a piece.  WAY too much candy.  

Every morning at 9:30, Yogi comes to the flag pole and they raise the flag.  The kids take turns, and everyone says the pledge of allegiance.  Pretty great stuff.  

And the annual Yogi photo…

The Coach wants to go back one more time this summer, although we usually only go once per summer.  He thinks we will be traumatized and never want to go back if we don't do it again.  

"Maybe the baby will be better next time", he says.

Ha.  I know better.

But I'll be happy to go back again.  The kids are in love with this place, and it's a good time for everyone.

Even The Bad One.