River Take 4!!

Well this was last and final call for the river...we have officially pulled our camper home for the winter :(  It doesn't seem possible that we have only gotten to the river four times, but it has been so much fun while it lasted!  This weekend we actually even got to spend it with Ethan and Bennett.  Mom decided that before the summer was over she wanted to get the two of them up to the river to do some fishing.  She didn't know how it would go with them since they aren't away from home very often so she only committed to one night.  I wanted to be in church tomorrow so we decided to do the same.  I felt really bad that Austin wasn't here with us on our last weekend but he might get to come up again with my mom and dad.  I guess the ride here wasn't too great with the two boys.  Ethan gets really car sick so he kept saying how he was never going fishing again.  Bennett kept asking to go home.  My mom wasn't sure if they were going to be ok but when it was time to go home today they were really ready to stay longer! 

Here is some explanation of the pictures:
Adah is the first one; then Bennett, Kez and Adah sitting on my parents' step; Bennett taking a walk; Kezzie, Ethan and Bennett burning sticks by the fire (we had a fire going pretty much the whole time we were there because it was pretty chilly); Leora, Ethan and Kezzie playing in Perry's boat; below that one is my Grandma Smith fishing with three of her great-grand kids (Ethan, Bennett and Kez); next row is Adah hanging with my uncle Perry; Kezzie on her bike (I brought enough bikes so all the kids could have one to ride if we went on a walk); Bennett in Perry's boat; Arianna sitting snug in a little lawn chair; Bennett, Kezzie and Ethan 'playing' with the fire and having so much fun; my little fishing girl Kez; next row is my Aunt Cindy and Uncle Perry kayaking with their new kayaks; my Grandma Smith fishing with Ethan off the dock; Rylan hanging out on his bike; Ethan with all of the fish he caught when Uncle Gary took him out in the boat fishing (his smallest was just a couple inches but he had some pretty big keepers too); Adah hanging out on her bike; and the last one is Gary and Ethan going out fishing in the boat!

I mentioned going on a walk with bikes.  When we got there yesterday it was pretty cold and we were already looking for something to do with all the kids.  I got out all our bikes and we decided to go on a short walk/ride.  We didn't get very far and Ethan got stuck on the bike he was riding so he got frustrated and abandoned the bike, Bennett decided he didn't want to ride since Ethan wasn't so my mom was trying to push/carry two bikes!  We weren't sure we were every doing that again!  We did end up trying it again today and they did great (aside from Keziah's chain coming off her bike).  We took a much longer walk and Ethan decided from the start that he was just going to walk.  Today the weather was much more manageable.  But both yesterday and today we had a fire going pretty much all the time.  It was super relaxing and the kids enjoyed gathering sticks to help keep it going.  Last night Ethan and Bennett and Keziah all snuggled in the living room of mom and dad's camper and watched The Bee Movie.  I tried to get a picture but my camera was completely dead.  Ethan was on the couch and Bennett and Kez were all snuggled in blankets on a cot on the floor.  It was so sweet!  After we got the three of them to bed we sat by the fire some more.  I am going to miss the river this year!  It was just too short!  I guess I will be more than ready when next year comes!!

There is a funny story to go with these pictures before I go...this isn't the first time Adah has done this so I had to share!  The picture to the right is a toy my mom got at a garage sale in a baggie with a bunch of other little toys.  Adah plays with it like it's a toy but has twice now all of the sudden set it on the floor, opened it up and started pulling her pants down as if she is actually going to use it as a potty.  This picture to the left is her urgently needing to pee and thinking she is going to go in this toy!  Silly silly girl!  I guess camping with porter-potties has made her think anything with a lid can hold pee!

Labor Day Weekend!

 
What a great weekend with family.  It was chilly at times but so much fun!  I will explain the pictures a bit starting at top left: Leora and Keziah made a tree house for their animals, mom and Adah sitting by the fire, all of us sitting around the cement table having a meal together (pretty much everyone in the entire Smith family was there-even Kevin Donald, Owen and Anastasia came!), Adah standing with the shovel, Arianna cute and warm, Joshua and Austin in Dad's boat: dad said they could take it out fishing with the trolling motor!, Adah sleeping sweetly in her pack-n-play, Keziah eating a late supper (not my finest moment as we were sitting around the campfire to have s'moores, I realized she didn't even have supper yet), Adah holding her hands over her ears as 'the boys' (Josh, Austin and Johnathan) light off fireworks, Keith helping Rylan fish for the big ones, Kezzie and Leora anxious to eat lunch, Kezzie, Leora and Colyn swinging by the edge of the water and the last picture is Adah having fun sitting in Mom's camper (she likes to stay close to me and I am glad about that!).

River Fun Take 2!

We (me, Austin, the girls, and Logan) drove to the river on Wednesday after Austin got done with his last day of football camp.  We swung around the block to pick up Austin's friend Logan and we were off to the river for a nice long weekend!  We didn't get there until about 7:30, but I let the girls play for a bit before going to bed.  Austin and Logan immediately got their poles in the water and caught a small fish.  We put it in the kiddie pool so the girls could enjoy it and try their best to catch it too.  Kezzie caught it with her hands and was pretty proud!
One of the days (you kind of lose track when you are there) Austin and Logan were out fishing in the canoe and some guy came up to them in his boat and asked if they wanted a carp.  They said sure and this guy threw a 15-20 lb. carp into their canoe.  They were a little shocked!  My Uncle Gary had just heard of a carp recipe he wanted to try so he said he would clean it and cook it up.  Everyone tried it that night for supper (not me...yuck!) and said it was amazing. 
We had so much fun being there.  The girls sleep so well in the camper even though we are all in the same room (one morning we all slept until 8:45).  Although...I have to say after the first night of having the boys in the camper with us, I called my sister and had her bring her tent and air mattress since she was coming the next day anyway!  After we got that set up, it was much better in the camper!! They weren't that loud, but they were wispering and moving around so much that I thought we were rolling down the road!
 Mom and dad took the two boys to the fireworks store and that kept them very busy.  Logan had some money so he bought the brunt of the fireworks.  And that's just what they did.  They were either always fishing or always lighting fireworks.  I swear they hardly ate all weekend unless we forced them to come in!  Dad took the boys out in the boat to fish a few times and didn't catch much but the boys had fun anyway.  I guess a lot of what they caught weren't big enough so they had to throw them back.  One of the last days we were there Dad took the girls and I out in the boat for a ride.  Keziah wouldn't stop begging me and grandpa for a ride in the boat so he couldn't resist!  Leora (my youngest cousin that gets along with Kez well) came along for the ride.  Adah loved it too but didn't leave my lap for more than a second.  I think Leora and Keziah were pretty wet from hanging over the side of the boat and dragging their hands in the water!  Dad might have gotten some of that too as he looked pretty wet when we got back!  That picture out on the water is from our boat ride...it was so beautiful!  There is something about being on a boat and completely surrounded by water that just amazes me!  On saturday the weather was really weird.  It rained early in the day and made it feel really muggy.  It got sunny and then all the sudden another storm rolled in.  It poured rain for a bit and then got really cool and comfortable and the sun came back out.  A couple hours later, it poured again.  The kids had a blast playing in the rain and jumping in the puddles.  I took some video of Adah just being plain giddy and goofy, jumping in the puddles but will probably never get it posted (I will try)!!
What a fantastic weekend going on many walks (sometimes coordinating all the people who wanted to join us was harder then actually going on the walk), eating a lot of good food, sitting around talking and watching the kids make memories, and eating s'moores around the campfire.  One of my favorite memories was letting Kezzie stay up late on our last night so she could go with me and Austin and Logan to get ice cream at Dairy Queen.  She just kept hugging my leg and telling me thank-you and I love you, mommy!  It was so sweet!  And the three of them had a lot of fun goofing off in the van on the way there. I think I finally got her to bed around 10:30!   It was a lot of fun watching Austin come out of his shell a little more with a friend (a boy his own age) around.  He was goofy and more outgoing and just a lot of fun to be around.  The boys and I had a trip of our own too...we got to go to wal-mart and get school supplies!!  Yippee!  Let's not forget that with all the fun we are having, school starts really soon!  Now we have to wait until labor day weekend to come back!  And we are already looking forward to it!

River Fun Take 1!

We came to the river early on Friday to get a good start.  This is the first weekend we have been able to pull the camper in and enjoy it all.  It was sooooo good to be back.  It was pretty hot though and to top it off, when I arrived just shortly before nap time was to take place on Friday (in 99 degree weather) I discovered we had no electricity because my uncle was in the process of switching some things around.  This meant that I couldn't run any fans, obviously so no naps were taking place!  Instead I let Austin and Kezzie get their suits on and go swimming.  They had a really good time!  I required them to be tied to a rope since the water was still up a bit!  Mom and dad showed up sometime in the afternoon and by about 7:30/8, the electricity had been figured out (phew)!  The rest of the weekend was a blast.  Keith and Jamie came too and Keith's brother Jim and his wife came and stayed in a tent!  We enjoyed riding trikes/walking, playing with cousins, swimming in the river, playing in the kiddie pool and watching the water from the dock.  Sunday early morning I was woke to the sound of rain.  It ended up pouring rain and causing us all to pack up a little earlier then expected.  It was still a lot of fun despite the rain!!  It is such a blessing to have a place like this to go and enjoy the outdoors with family!  I can't wait to go back next weekend (when it is supposed to be much cooler)!

River Fun!

We've been hanging out the last couple weekends at the river. Labor day weekend we were there all weekend and enjoyed family being there also. We got to watch a nice fireworks display on the river. It was right at dusk so Kezzie even got to watch it before heading off to bed (she was skeptical of the noise at first and then really got into it and loved it). At night it was a bit chilly but we managed to stay warm and sleep well. Adah had to sleep in the pack-n-play since she is too big for that bassinet anymore. Even as crippled as dad is with his ankle, he managed to get out in the boat for a little bit! I enjoyed a nice run while the girls took a nap one afternoon. Austin and his 'cousins' (some of my cousins were there and even their kids) had a blast starting campfires (notice Austin with his torch), searching for craw-dads (and cooking them over the fire), fishing, canoeing and of course letting off bottle rockets! The girls had a blast on our boat ride. Adah was squealing and Kezzie couldn't get enough of splashing in the water. We are sad to see the season end but ready to stay home for a while. We are already looking forward to next year's camping season!

Another trip to the river!

We had another great stay at the river. This time it was during the week because both my mom and dad were off work. We can never go up without them there because we don't have a toilet and we don't really have any way of cooking unless all we do is grill. Plus, what fun is it if we are up there by ourselves?! We are so lucky to have them to hang out with once-in-a-while!

One of the days was unbearably hot. We decided that we were either going to have to go home or take a swim in the river. We put our kids down for naps and then got our suits on. The water was pretty chilly and we knew the only way we were going in was to jump. So we took a run for it off the end of the dock and jumped right in. It was heavenly! We had to get a rope and hook it up to one of the boats so we didn't float down the river. Austin even got in with us after some serious convincing! And after about an hour I heard Kezzie get up and decided to let her come in with us too. Mom lowered her down off the side of the dock and she LOVED it! We only stayed in another 15 minutes or so because Kezzie was looking mighty chilly! Another great childhood memory relived! It didn't take long for us to get hot again that's for sure! So that night we decided we were turning on the air. Mom and dad turned it on in their camper and also turned it on in their old camper where Jamie was sleeping with Rylan. Austin stayed in with mom and dad on the couch and Me and the girls squeezed in with Jamie. We slept so well that night! And actually stayed in there the rest of our time there!

I was pleasantly surprised (as was Austin) when my cousin DeLila and her three kids showed up (the twins are Austin's age). She just graduated from college and starts her new job the next week. It was so wonderful getting to see her and hang out with her! I don't get to see her often enough!

We even got to see my grandma before we left Thursday morn. She came Wednesday afternoon. Kezzie enjoys her company and even got to go out on the dock and do a little 'fishing' with her! Adah still isn't sure of her but she isn't really sure of anybody except mommy and daddy right now! What a fantastic time...not sure when we will get back up there again this year so it was great to be there. I cherish it every time...even when it feels like 100 degrees!

Happy Fourth of July!

We had a wonderful fourth of July! Emily even got to come stay for a night with the two boys! Bennett threw a pole in the water out of frustration so Alicia spent most of the morning trying to psych herself up to go in the chilly water and search for it. Adah really enjoys her walker and it's a nice place to put her down without worry. Austin had a blast playing with all the other kids that were there. One of my cousins was there with her twins and younger son along with Perry and Cindy's four kids. Keith and Jamie were there too with Rylan. The town fireworks were on Saturday night so everybody (except me and Brian and the kids and mom and dad) headed out to see them. Austin went with the others. The girls were way too tired to make it through fireworks! Maybe some other year, right? It was great to get to hang out with family. I just wish Brian would enjoy it too. He came for a night but then couldn't wait to get home and left early the next day.

A nice break!

Over memorial weekend and extending into the next week we took some time to hang out at the river. Austin finished school (YIPEEE) on the 28th so we were free to stay and celebrate. Since my mom was off work watching Rylan for the week (and taking advantage of it by being up at the river), it made it really easy to want to stay up there too (my dad couldn't resist either so he took off work)! We ended up being up there from Friday the 28th to Thursday June 3rd. We had a blast! There were some really really hot days and some cool days too. We even had a couple days that were absolutely perfect! And it only rained one day-just enough for me to see if there were any leaks in the good ole camper! Everything held up great! The kids all slept really well with Adah having an occasional cry in the night. Daddy even came and stayed one night with us! Keziah really got into playing with Perry and Cindy's kids this year too. She is getting older now and enjoys pretend play a lot-which makes life easier for me! Aside from the occasional bump and bruise, there was nothing major to report! Austin of course had a wonderful time with Joshua. They enjoyed going out in the canoe and fishing across the river from the lots. Austin always looked forward to the night time because Grandpa (my dad) took him out every night fishing until 10/10:30. They would go to an area that entered into the main channel where there was a deep pocket there. They seemed to always come back with some nice sized bass and walleye. And of course if you are going to catch them, you have to clean them...so Austin got a good lesson in filleting! Almost every night we would enjoy a good campfire and an occasional s'more. I tried to let Kezzie stay up about every-other-night (until 9/9:30) We also enjoyed many walks with the kids. Keziah always insisted she walk. We never could understand how she had so much energy to go so far and still press on the rest of the day! She is so full of energy! One of the funniest things that happened that week was after it rained we decided to take a walk after being cooped up from the rain. As you can imagine, there were many puddles along the way. I originally told Kezzie to stay out of the puddles since she had her tennis shoes on, but she just couldn't resist. After not listening one time and getting all wet, I decided to just let go for once and let her get wet and dirty (I knew we were going home the next day). The entire walk she and Austin we jumping in every puddle they could find. She would come to one that wasn't very big and say, "Wook (look) at this one Austin, it's perfec (perfect), it's just my size!" She is so adorable! We got back to the lots and she discovered an huge one to play in. I caught some video of it until she ran off looking for Austin (she loves that kid).

We are truly blessed to have this luxury of a place to get away. I am already looking forward to the next time we can get up there. And as you can imagine...so are the kids!

River Rats!

(click the image to enlarge it)

It's official...my kids are some regular river rats! It's great! I will never forget all the memories I had growing up here on the Mississippi River in Prairie Du Chien. My parents' first camper was a pop-up and I can remember waking up on my end of the camper and being able to look out at the river. We camped in ours for the first time this last weekend and I got to experience that memory again as an adult. I couldn't stop smiling as I watched Keziah get to experience things just as I did when I was her age. My parents are gracious enough to share their lot with us so we can have many more weekends just like it!

The top left picture is of Kezzie up past her bed time, sitting around the campfire. You can tell she is looking pretty out of it and mesmerized by the flames! She was just trying to stay awake in hopes of getting another peanut m&m (we tried giving her a marshmallow and she still really hates them-something with the texture, I think)!! The next one is of us out on a boat ride ...Keziah enjoyed hanging her arm over the edge to touch the water and Adah just relaxed in my arms and fell asleep. I don't know if Adah was ever fully asleep but she was lulled by the rocking and humming of the boat! The next one is of Leora and Keziah playing in/near the water. The water was ice cold but it was pretty warm outside. Leora asked her mom if she could get in the water and she was told she could get wet up to her chest. Leora had a blast jumping off the dock and into the water while Kezzie sat watching. Kezzie wasn't quite brave enough to do it too nor would I let her (I didn't have anymore shorts to change her into and I didn't feel it was warm enough to put on a suit). She had her water shoes on though and just stood with the water up to her ankles. While getting packed up to come home on Sunday, Kezzie kept herself occupied by playing in the little pool filled with river water! It was exceptionally hot that day so I had no problems letting her get her suit on and 'go for a dip'. It was really sweet of Josh to take Kezzie in under his wing like he does his three younger siblings. Austin wasn't around to help keep Josh company so he moved to the next best thing and that was playing with the younger ones. He rigged Kezzie up a pole without a hook and she sat by the water's edge practicing her casting! Rylan and Adah mostly played in the pack-n-play or on a blanket laid out on the ground. We took a couple of relaxing walks and Kezzie and I stuck our feet in at the boat landing. With all the outdoor exposure I was left with two VERY tired little girls on Sunday! Kezzie fell asleep before she could even turn her book to the next page! And I threw a picture in of Adah in her bed in the camper. I got this really old bassinet at good will for $4. The legs fold under so it sat really nice on the couch next to my bed. It is a really nice size too so it should last her all summer. She slept through the night in it both nights that we were there!

I look forward to many more fun times like this!

Where Memories Will Be Made!

Here it is...our new (occasional) humble abode! It's going to be so much fun for our family! I LOVE it! Some of the photos are of it set up in our driveway getting ready for camping and the other ones are of it all set up at the Mississippi river all ready for camping! Once I got it set up at the river I realized there is an awesome canopy with a screened in area too! There are a few more things we need to get before we can fully do things on our own (cook, do dishes, etc) but we are getting there! Thanks for all the wonderful help mom & dad and Gary & Alena!!

Trip to the River!

I am thinking this might have been our last trip this year to the river. It's sad to see the summer go since we enjoy being here so much. It was a fairly decent weekend. It rained before we arrived on friday and didn't rain pretty much the rest of the time we were there. We went on a couple walks, had a trip to Wal-mart (of course), played with play-dough, colored in coloring books, and went on a boat ride. Kezzie loves riding in the boat and insisted on wearing her life jacket as often as possible in hopes that she might get to go out in it. She was born to be on the water! I think at one point Kezzie even snuck in an Elmo movie (and mommy snuck in a nap). We found Austin's old fishing pole from when he was little (don't know why we ever got him a pink and purple one) and it fits Kezzie perfect! She had fun pushing the button but didn't understand that in order to reel it in she had to release the button. Needless to say there was a lot of frustrating moments! Austin did a lot of fishing off the dock but did get to go out with Grandpa a couple times. The fish weren't biting the greatest but Austin doesn't care as long as he has a pole in the water. We stayed up really late on Friday night sitting around the campfire. My aunt and uncle (Perry and Cindy) were there with their four hilarious children (Joshua 13, Alicia almost 12, Jonathan 6, Leora 5-I think I have that right). They are so much fun to be around and I look forward to seeing them again soon! Grandma and Kezzie went on a walk to the boat landing and I caught up with them...when Kezzie realized I was coming she was really excited and came running to me. I had to take a picture of that look on her face! Kezzie didn't sleep the greatest on Friday night and was up both mornings before 6 but I couldn't blame her...there was a lot of fun to be had! We had such a great weekend and can't wait to come back again next summer! Now to figure out how to manage that with another kid! Maybe a camper is in our future!

Day Trip to the River!

Today the kids and I took a little trip to the river. Dad is on vacation all week and spending it in Prairie Du Chien so we decided to go visit him for a day. We woke up and got started on the road. Even making the drive was exciting because just yesterday we picked up our new van. It's a Chrysler Town and Country-fully loaded! We traded in the good 'ol blazer for it! (Maybe someday I will get a picture of it). So the kids were excited to watch a movie on our 1.5 hour trek! When we got there dad was sitting in his lawn chair admiring the river. I joined him and before I could look up Austin had his fishing pole in the water! Kezzie found a worm in a bucket that Austin had been breaking pieces off of and it was her friend for the remainder of the day. She was giving it kisses (mostly just sticking her head in the bucket and giving it 'air' kisses but I did catch her actually making contact with her lips a couple times-YUCK!) and hugs and carried it everywhere she went! After eating a nice lunch Kezzie laid down for a nap and Austin and dad went out in the boat fishing. I laid down and started a new book and eventually fell asleep myself. It was so relaxing and peaceful with the windows open and the breeze coming in! Such a beautiful day-mid 70's! Just as dad and Austin were getting back from fishing (after not having much luck with the water down) Keziah was waking from her nap. We then decided to go out on a boat ride. Kezzie found a lot of fun squishy fishing things in the boat to play with and dad drove us up next to some ducks and other birds for Kezzie to see. She LOVED it! She loves the water and really likes helping papa drive the boat! After getting back from our scenic ride we started super. Dad made tacos for us all. They were delicious! Although we were the only four up there that day we still had a blast. It was really nice to see dad and spend the day with just him for a change. Kezzie stayed awake the whole ride home and after a MUCH needed bath, is finally in bed at 9:30pm.