All out of whack.

This is what I get for having a month's worth of blog posts all done within a few days.  The order of the posts is all goofed up.  So read down for at least 4 new posts- all with pictures.

Together--- I guess it doesn't really matter where.

This wasn't exactly the campsite we had in mind.  But the campsite at Harvest Drive certainly had great amenities.  Especially considering we stayed IN MY PARENTS' HOUSE instead of in the camper as we had planned. 

We got the call from Poe Valley that, although they were going to open the campground later Friday afternoon, the site that we had reserved was still considered "hazardous" so we could not use it.  Quite honestly, this was a relief for Jason and me.  We had already cleared all of the cold food out of the camper and unloaded things into the truck.  The kids were happy playing at my parents' house, and we were quite OK with not attempting another run into the mountains.

So we set up our 4th of July picnic at Mom and Dad's.  We cooked all of the food we had planned to make at the campsite and advised Lib and Zig to come hungry and plan to stay a while!

There was lots of water play, lots of giggling and lots of good food.

So I guess, even though we weren't at Poe Valley, we were still together.  And that's all that matters.

Our UNcamping Trip

Although nearly a month has gone by since this event actually happened, I still feel like it is worthy of a blog post so that we can look back on it and remember our July 4th weekend.

 

Let's just suffice it to say that it was NOTHING....NOTHING at all like we had planned.

 

Ever since we decided to get the camper, I have been excited to go to Poe Valley for a weekend with it.  Somehow all of my camping memories as a kid are wrapped up inside that little park, and I just knew my Pap would be smiling from Heaven knowing we were there.  So, we decided July 4th was the time to go.  We booked our site, packed up the camper and were so excited to get there.

 

There was a storm that was predicted for that afternoon, but we opted to leave around 1:00 (the plan had been for 12:00) to go in, get set up and hopefully not be doing all of the hooking up/setting up in the midst of a storm.  As we travelled, we could see very ominous clouds all around us, and we drove through heavy rain for a period of 10 minutes or less, but it never stormed where we were.  No signs that we ought to turn back and reconsider.  So, as we were coming down the mountain about 100 yards from Dick Cramer's camp on the black top road, traffic stopped.  And we sat.  For about an hour and a half, we waited for someone who could come and remove a tree that had fallen in the roadway.

 

Once we were finally moving again, we told the kids how proud of them we were for their patience and got them all excited because we were only 2 miles away from the park.  Big mistake.  We got about a mile down the road (a skinny road, might I add) and traffic stopped suddenly again.  This time, it was a big tree.  With power lines tangled in it.  In other words, we were going nowhere.

There was no way to turn ourselves and the camper around.  One person in front of us tried to do it, and ended up scraping the bottom of his camper horribly.  So it appeared we would be here for a while.  To complicate matters we were low on gas and were concerned that we needed to really save the battery power of the camper, not knowing how long we might need to run off of battery/propane to keep our food cold, etc.  So, we opened up the camper (not the slideouts) and let the kids and I get in to find some activities to occupy us.  We were hopeful that we might get moving--- that was until the electric workers came through to tell us that this was a bad one, and we needed to wait for the big trucks to come through to handle it.  We were supposed to get comfortable.

In the meantime, traffic was piling up behind us.  It was a holiday weekend after all.  And so the lineup just kept lining up.

Before too long, Jason and I were standing outside talking and he said that he thought he saw Zig coming down the road.  I was sure he was hallucinating because Lib and Zig had said they wouldn't be coming in to see us until the next day.  But sure enough, there he was.  And with Libby and the girls with him.  Although I wasn't glad that they were now also stuck with us, at least we had company!  Believe me when I tell you that our kids really needed a distraction.  They were tiring quickly of all the things I had for them to do in our squished, hot tin can.

After about 3.5 hours and a whole lot of trucks/workers, they were able to clear the tree from the roadway and we started moving again.  We had already been warned, though, that there were additional trees down, so this movement was going to be short lived.  But we were trapped, truly.  All we could do was to ride this whole thing out and hope for the best.  We made the turn into the park and just barely cleared a tree that was down diagonally between two others.  This one was later cleared because it wasn't very stable.  We know that because we sat in our new spot for another 3.5 hours waiting for someone to clear another tree with power lines from across the bridge.  We had been told that the park was a disaster area- trees down everywhere, no electricity, no working sewer, etc. 

Around 10:30, the park rangers came around to tell us that they were going to have to close the park for the night, and were suggesting that we just camp along side the road for the night.  Jason opted to ask for an opportunity to turn around, and they obliged us by clearing some barracades and trees so that we could make it to the one safe spot to turn around.  The challenge, though, was squeezing our camper back up through the lineup of holiday weekend campers.  I swear, if there was 3 inches between our camper and the sides of the other ones we passed, we were lucky.

We called my parents when we hit the top of the mountain and asked if we could crash there for the night.  Exhausted and frustrated, we pulled in there around 11:30.  We were so grateful that it worked out the way that it did, although everyone was upset that our weekend wasn't working out the way we had planned for it to go.

This will be one we'll remember for quite some time!

VBS

It was a busy, hectic week for VBS just like always.  But the kids had a blast.  I got the opportunity to work with the preschool group (24 of them between ages 2-5) each night, and we had a blast.

One of the highlights for our kids was the kick off event that was held prior to the beginning of the VBS week where they had a huge slip and slide for them to go down.  Needless to say, the Dugan 3 were quite serious about their slipping and sliding!  Perhaps Mom was not quite as jazzed because I had to put their soapy slippery selves back into the car to take them home.  Suffice it to say that they went directly to the bath tub when we walked in the door.

So much time and effort goes into making VBS week a very special one for the kids.  I will always say that VBS is not designed for people who have jobs--- the running every night really wears me out.  But to see what the kids are learning, and the way the music and stories touch their hearts makes it so worth it to me.  I did a better job of not grumbling this year-- perhaps that had something to do with the fact that I wasn't carrying Mara around the whole week or figuring out how to nurse her in between groups.  Progress.  We'll call this progress.

5 of them!

I've been looking forward to this weekend all summer!  Libby and Zig have been planning for a weekend away at the beach for the past few months, and we were so excited to be on babysitter duty.  Mostly the kids were thrilled to have two days to play together with Brooke and Hayden.  I was perhaps a bit apprehensive about the prospect of there being 5 of them (ages 7, 5, 4, 2 and 1)...but I ate my Wheaties on Friday morning and was excited for the challenge.  I may or may not have threatened my own three within an inch of their lives that they had best behave while we were there.  But whatever works.

 

On Friday night we had a pizza party (Thanks to Nana and Pap!) and the kids were thrilled.  They were just so happy to be together.  We got tubs and set up our air mattress city in the living room.  Everyone settled in to watch Frozen and eat some popcorn.  Mara proved the greatest sleeping challenge on Friday night, and it wasn't long before we both ended up in Libby and Zig's bedroom so that I could keep her from waking up the two bigger girls.

 

 

 

Saturday morning we all got right into playing.  I had brought some new activities with me and the girls and I got into building Legos together and doing some art projects.  I felt super accomplished because I managed a shower and even makeup on my face while the kids were playing.  I totally employed Dora and a few crackers as a distraction with Hayden and Mara, and was feeling pretty good!  My mom came by in the afternoon just as we were finishing lunch and getting Hayden down for her nap, and suggested that she would stay at the house while Hayden napped if I wanted to take the big kids out to blow off some steam.  So that's what we did!

 

 

 

This crew and I headed to the playground where we ran and climbed and played and SWEATED!  

 

So we made our next stop the only one that I could think of to cool off our clan.  McDonalds wasn't too far away, and their cones are safe for Joshua, so that's where we went.  They were so happy.

 

Saturday night we made a spaghetti feast with Nana and Pap, broke out the little pool for the kids to splash in, took a walk (and since I was pulling the two little girls UPHILL in a wagon I considered it my exercise for the day), and then tubbed again because they were all filthy.  Everyone crashed hard and I even had a little time for a tv show and some reading before I went to sleep.  Mara slept much better the second night, but Hayden had a little trouble around 2:30 am.  After we walked a bit, I got her settled back to sleep before 3.  We were all up, raring to go again, before 7 am on Sunday.

Lib and Zig pulled in around 11:30.  The girls were thrilled to see them!  (Me too!)  We were glad to have survived, but so grateful for the chance to spend that kind of time together. 

July...where did you go?

Somehow the month of July has totally escaped me.  Although, by the looks of the calendar, and the fact that there are NO blank spaces on it, I guess there is good reason for my lack of blog posts lately.  We are continuing our trend this summer of not letting much grass grow under our feet.  So I guess I will need to report on July's activities in reverse order.  That ought to give me some good material for the next few days, right?

 

This past weekend, we were so excited to head west with our camper!  We have been planning our "glamping" trip with the Sherrell family for the past few months and have all been really excited about it.  Ever since we decided to buy our camper, Jason and Marc have been talking back and forth, since the Sherrells have been seasoned campers for quite some time.  The guys decided to try out the campground at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Farmington, PA about an hour southeast of Pittsburgh.

 

We headed out last Thursday afternoon after an early lunch.  The trip there took us about 4 hours, but the kids did great.  We were travelling in Jason's truck since we've learned that it is MUCH better to pull our big heavy camper with.  So, despite the fact that the kids were squished in the backseat very close together, they all managed the car ride just fine.  I had to laugh when Joshua declared, upon pulling into the campground, that he was so glad that there were no trees down along the way.  (You'll have to wait for my post on our Poe Valley trip to fully grasp that one!)

 

We got set up in our sites, all hooked up to the water, electric, sewer and cable, and were all set for a great weekend of camping.  These sites were gorgeous- paved concrete pads, full hookups, firewood provided, and a shuttle to come and get us to take us wherever we needed to go.  We have stayed at the resort before and absolutely love all of the things there are to do there, so we were really excited about all of the fun we could have together.  The kids got right into playing and had an absolute blast together.  Sabastian and Josh were as thick as thieves, and literally spent the entire 4 days that we were together playing everything you could imagine.  The girls were also always together, even ending in a sleepover in our camper the last night we were there.  Needless to say, the two families got along perfectly, and we were all pleased at how compatible we were as camping families. 

 

Kara and I worked on meals together, and the guys did a lot of the heavy lifting with the cooking.  We had sausage sandwiches one night with peppers and onions, burgers cooked over the fire the second night, and steaks the third night.  Kara and I took care of all of the side dishes and desserts.  We even made breakfast burritos one morning and ended up inviting our neighbors from another campsite to enjoy them with us. 

 

Friday morning, Marc and Jason headed off to play golf, while Kara and I took the kids to the pool for the day.  A friend of hers from college met them for the day with her family, and we had a lot of fun together.  We had lunch at the pool on Friday and the kids had an absolute blast.  There is a great waterslide there, and they all had a great time going up and down a million times.  For the first part of the day, I was having to also go up and down with Mara because she was scared to go down by herself, but before we were ready to leave, she had gotten brave enough to ride down the slide on her own as long as I was at the bottom to catch her.

 

Saturday was the toughest day for us, because it rained horribly from late Friday night until about supper time on Saturday.  It wasn't a drizzle, but an all out rain, making any of the outdoor activities at the resort an impossibility.  Kara and I didn't mind too much since we had booked spa appointments for the morning.  My massage was my birthday present, and I can honestly tell you I have never had a massage that I enjoyed more than that one.  It was heavenly.  While we were at the spa, the guys took the kids to jump at the Hardy Girls Gym- which is basically a gymnastics center with trampolines and a big foam pit to jump into.  They had a blast, and I'm pleased to report that there were no injuries.  That's a win.

 

Saturday afternoon, we were thrilled to receive a visit from Pat and Bob, who came in from Pittsburgh.  Certainly we had been hoping for a nicer day to be able to enjoy the pool, but that wasn't in the cards.  Instead of swimming, we let the kids get into their bathing suits and jump in the puddles at the campground.  They had a blast!  Then we took them to bowl at the resort bowling alley.  So all in all, I guess we made the best of it.  Thankfully, the rain cleared in enough time for us to eat our supper outside and then enjoy a terrific campfire in the evening.  The kids crashed hard, as they had each night, but this night was even earlier than normal giving the adults a chance to enjoy each other's company without the kids around.



 

On Sunday morning, we all started packing things up, all of us dreading the long ride home.  The kids were all still playing and finishing up their chocolate chip pancakes that we made.  We decided to take them up to see the zoo animals that are on the property and had a nice walk doing that.  They all loved seeing the white lion and white tiger that are there.

We finally returned home around 5:30 Sunday evening and began to unpack and unload the camper.  The only bad part about camping, in my opinion, is the cleanup at the end of the trip.  But we managed to get everything back into working order before the end of the evening.  As soon as I finish all of the laundry, I'll feel much better about that, but I'm getting there.  All in all, we had a fabulous weekend, and all of us are looking forward to the next Sherrell/Dugan family camping adventure.  It's amazing how God brought us into each other's lives, and how many things we have in common.  Regardless of how it all happened, we're grateful for their friendship and for the memories we made during this weekend trip.

Moving and Shaking

What a weekend!  (It's Tuesday and I'm still feeling that way!)  Although it was a busy one, it was a very happy one. 

 

Friday morning, bright and early, I headed for Lewistown to be on hand to help Libby and Zig as they moved into their new house!  For months and months, we've all had the day circled on our calendars, but it was so exciting when it was finally here.  I could not have been happier for them!  Lots of friends gathered there to help any way we could.  Stacie and I found ourselves cleaning up odds and ends of things that were left in the Burnham house, and then went back to clean there before the new buyers came that afternoon.  We unloaded closets, put together beds and just helped do anything we could do to make it easier on Lib and Zig.  I had the best time and truly did not want to leave until everything had found its spot.

 

But...Friday evening was exciting too.  For the first time in months (literally...as sad as that is) we had finally coordinated calendars with the Mowrys to enjoy a night on their deck watching the Lewisburg fireworks.  I was less interested in the fireworks than I was in catching up with them!  The kids had a ball- running around, playing in the bounce house, swinging on the swings.  I love watching our kids all playing together.  We ate some yummy snacks and just enjoyed being together.  Just the kind of evening I needed after the day's events.

 

Saturday found me in the basement for the majority of the day starting to think about how to tackle the monster that is going to be our yard sale for the Turbotville Community Yard Sale Days.  Needless to say, I have big plans.  I am just hoping the same buyers come to the sale that came a few years ago when it was WELL worth our while to be set up out there.  I have dreams of unloading all of my baby gear and LOTS of little people clothing, so we'll see how it goes.  Lots of work to be done there in the coming weeks to prepare.  Lots.  While I was working downstairs, we were lucky enough to be trying out a new babysitter option for the kids.  When I made my post on Care.com to try to find Jen's replacement, a fellow Meadowbrook student, Key Clubber and church goer responded that she would be interested in helping us with the kids.  So I set up a sprinkler for them all to play in while I worked downstairs.  I re-appeared every half hour or so just to make sure everyone was OK, and all was well.  So maybe just maybe we're on our way to finding a new option for a sitter.  Hopefully the kids didn't scare her away!

 

We spent Saturday night sitting on the deck enjoying some music, and Jason and I even got into the hot tub after the kids went to bed.  It was really nice-- truly the first time we've had a chance to enjoy the deck since the major remodel last fall.  If only we were in one place long enough this year to really get a lot of deck sitting time!  But we're working on it.

 

Sunday, Jason had a golf event planned, so I decided to pack up the kids and head for Lewistown for the day.  It was just one of those days that I didn't feel like being at home doing the normal Sunday routine on my own.  So we went to church at Maitland with my family, and then headed back to Libby and Zig's to hang out there for the afternoon while the kids played.  Honestly, I wish I could be with my family every weekend like that.  It was wonderful and went by way too quickly.  I was loading everyone back up for the trip home long before I wanted to.

Mara and her beloved "orange playground" on our walk last night.  She was so happy.

And somehow during our short trip last night, Lauren mastered the monkey bars!  Joshua is still too afraid to try them, but she went swinging through these more times than I can count.  She is so funny--- as tentative as she is about a lot of things, she's also pretty brave about others.  She was so proud of this picture and ran in the house after we got back from our walk and just had to show Jason right away.