1st real camping trip.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

This past weekend we took a camping trip with 2 other families. I had been researching camping with small children, and just camping in general on the internet, over the past several months in prep for this occasion. Check lists grew from my research, and ideas to purchase tubs to store various items to make of easy packing, unpacking, and repacking, only needing to then unpack again at home. Some of the tubs would house items that are used for camping only so they could remain packed to make for easy packing for future trips. My craziness was shot down buy Stephan. So I made modifications with what I had, and we had ton of walmart bags with lost of stuff in them. Digging for this and that when meal times came about was a little bit of a pain. Over all this trip was a blast, and a great learning experience as to what we do and don't need and my idea to get tubs was embraced and we'll be working on getting them and stocking them through out the summer, and I'll be hunting Craig's list and other areas for a camper shell for the truck to make for even easier packing!! The weekend was fun, temps in the 90s but under the shade of trees it felt much cooler and if we where in the sun it was to be in the lake, so it didn't matter. We delayed out departure day from friday to saturday, for reasons other than the weather and I thanking God for bringing about the delay. a nasty storm blew threw with thunder, lightening, and pouring rain. The rest of the weekend went well, and I've learned of a few things that will need to come along with us next time, some things that may stay home, and ideas of how to make things better. I only became frazzled at shower time, b/c showering a 12month old is not so easy!! Chloe does OK and Molly hates a shower too.. and it just takes forever to shower 3 girls and myself. We are talking another Camping trip w/ the crew, with additional people if their interested, in the early fall.... Enjoy the pics. We had a blast!!

The words of Tristen!

So our littlest is starting to learn and use some words. This is very adorable. So some of her words are, Daddy, Sissy (for Chloe and Molly), Dixie, Doggy, Chicken (as in the ones running around the backyard), kitty. Momma is said very rarely, and is usually hollered when Mommy needs to hurry up and get baby out of bed, or feed her some more of whatever she wants to eat/or give her a drink. It's neat to see her point she'll make a little grunt noise and "eh", then you tell her what it is, and sometimes she takes a swing at the word. Ah yes and she's getting better at Grandma too.. We visit Grandma Kruse (my mom) at least once a week. Then she'll talk away in her own little language, or babble.

Kabuto!

So Steph, took me out to Kabuto a Japanese steak house! Diner was great we took a walk around Short Pump Town Center, checked out C28 . It's a christian clothing store. Very neat, I found a tshirt I loved w/ Proverbs 31:10-31 printed on it though they did not have my size in stock. There where some adorable little girls shirts, and I could have bought the place out. Because these tshirts where not your typical corny christian shirt. We ended the night with some Coldstone for desert. Headed to pick the kids up from Aunt Nancy. A big round of applause for Stephan, this is the 1st time he's pulled of a surprise, and the 1st he's lined up babysitting and diner for our anniversary. We had a great night! Was nice getting out to celebrate! I've been terrible about my camera so sorry I have not one picture. :o(

Mystery Date.

So Stephan has made plans to take me out on a "date" to celebrate our anniversary. I refused to plan anything because I'm tired of calling around and begging for someone to watch ALL the girls. So Stephan lined up babysitting and diner somewhere. I was determined to at least know who would be watching the girls as I'm very particular about who gets to watch the girls, and I need to be able to pack them what they need and that all depends on where they go. So I'm looking forward to actually going out for a surprise diner! I'll let ya'll know where we went!!

Our 8th Anniversary

So 8 years ago Stephan and I tied the knot. So much has happened, the whole sickness (only bedrest) and health, rich (kinda) and poor, thick and thin, for better or for worse... and I'm not ready for any parting so no body here is dying. We have 3 beautiful girls, are in our 3rd home, and it will surely not be our last move. God has blessed us this far and I'm looking forward to where He will take our lives together in the years to come. I'm sure it will not be the easiest road, but together we'll make it through.

Lil tent #1 (playtime tent)

This is one of 2 items I purchased to make our camping adventures baby friendly. It's a Lil Nursery Tent. This will be used for the lake side beach at the camp grounds, and also the camp site, to keep the sun and bugs of this lil cutie pie. This tent arrived today, so we had to test it out in the family room, big sisters hooked her up with a blankie and toys to play with. The bag it goes in is little and everything is light weight! Both older girls can squeeze in there w/ her if they like.

Swim Lessons

Waiting their turn

The Whole crew and the teachers

Chloe and Molly Completed a 6day swim lesson. They pf course are not expert swimmers, but are now a little more confident when it comes to being in the water. The girls learned how not to get water up their noses and now go under water, can float on tummy and back with some assistance. Will jump in, use a kick board to get around, and started on some introduction to swim strokes. Both girls look forward to our next trip to a body of water so they can try out their skills. They also practice dunking their heads under water in the tub! Their instructor was awesome!

Preparation.

I'm preparing for our up coming camping trip with our 3 girls and 2 other families and their children. Making this trip 6 adults, and 7 kids under the ages 6,5,4,3,3,2,and 1. Got that!! 4 girls and 3 boys. I know that this will be a fun trip with the kids having their buddies to play and explore with. The Moms and Dads will have company too, that equals either just chatting or we could bust out a game of some sorts that travels well. I'm looking into some expert like advice as in people who have been there done that with small kids with recommendations on what to bring along to make things enjoyable and tolerable. So that none of us mommies loose our minds! We have done 2 test runs in the tent at home 1 inside in Dec 2008, then again in April 2009. I've learned somethings that need to come along. So I thought I'd share my personal gear list that's grown a little and I have some messages to come consignment shops for what I believe will be my final baby gear purchase for the whole camping gig.

The list goes..

• -our tent of course
• -air beds (1 queen, 2 twins)
• -kidco peapod (baby airbed/tent)(this is set to arrive at my house June 15th!!!)
  
• -sleeping bags for all...
• -FAN (we will have an electric hook up)
• -MP3 Player with portable speakers to play the girls Healing Praise by Kelly Copeland and other misc. music we may wish to listen to.
• blankies & a stuffed animal for each kids to sleep with
• back packs/packed with clothing and personal items (5 bags total!!)
  
• Lil nursery baby tent (to protect from bugs/sun and to use at the lake)(waiting on it to ship)
• Camp chairs (4 total)
• Hook on feeding chair(the kind that hooks to the table, I'm searching for a deal on one, hope to find a used one for cheap, I'll be calling around to all the consignment shops that sell baby goods near by)
• Lanterns and flashlights
• sand/water play toys
• fishing gear
• cooler(s) w/food/snacks/drinks
• various kid entertainment, games, coloring, maybe I can be creative and come up with a scavenger hunt that can be done in a small area or on a hike. (under adult supervision!)
  

That would be my list of must bring items. I would love a sun/screen shelter, to help w/ bugs especially when eating. I'm also considering bringing along my "play yard" like plastic gate pen, for babies, and a tarp w/ quilt. To make a play area for the youngest to be contained in. So she may scoot about and not get totally ticked about being contained to a small baby tent, carrier, or chair the whole time. So it may be a try to pack it, for the sake of we'll try just the baby tent, and if it fails at the camps site but out the pen!! I'm growing more excited about this trip, know I may not sleep as well as I'd like to, still excited. So watch for a post in the next month about our trip! Any advice would be much appreciated, if anyone has it to offer, on camping with kiddies, and babies!!

I've learned

As a home school teacher. This is a challenging job description! Any mom can wake up and put her kids on a bus to allow someone else to teach her children starting at the age of 5, homework is insane and I know that it comes with challenges for the parents.... It was easier to pop out of bed early (blah) and get the kids and myself ready, drop them at preschool, and carry on to work 8hours. Now I have to be the one doing all the teaching, Stephan helps a lot and love teaching math to Chloe. So maybe next year we'll do things a little different, and Stephan will teach the Math and I'll do the rest!! That's a little task off my shoulders. To teach, care for the 3 girls, do laundry, clean house, prepare meals, take kids dance, skating... be involved in a number of different evening activities! All this makes my head spin, and there are days that this mommy needs a break.... and that break just doesn't come and I carry on with my mommy duties. To be a homeschooling mother of 3, is a hard job, and one that I would not trade for the world. I met some amazing moms while the girls took swim lessons, with anywhere from 3-5 children, these women inspiring, and amazing! Each of them where able to give me additional advice and reassurance! I'm looking forward to enjoying every day of summer break with the kids doing fun things in the sun, and hope to get myself better together by next fall... in prep for a kindergartner (Molly), and 1st grader (Chloe)!!! Tristen will have her own playtime, and maybe we can introduce crayons!

Kindergarten draws to a close.

So Chloe has just about completed Kindergarten this year. She has 2 more numbers (math) work sheets to complete, and some reading. Then Kindergarten is over for the summer. We'll start it again in the fall for Molly. Chloe will move on to 1st grade!! Both girls are smarter than they let on to be. Stephan and I will attend a home school convention here soon, thank God for my Mom she's watching the 3 girls while we go to look at all of our options for the girls. This year we went with ABeka because that's what the girls used in the private school they attended, and we could only preview the ABeka curriculum last year. So this year at the convention we'll be able to put our hands and eyes on the other options that are out there. I definitely like the cursive writing, may do some print practice with the girls during summer months to allow them to be able to have neat writing with both. I'm thrilled that this year is just about done, and we can have some summer fun. I started reading the girls a series about a little Amish girl named Rachel Yoder, the title of the first book is "School's Out" and this girl is celebrating with her family by having a picnic. For the summer my friend Warrie is helping me to plan summer camp like activities... like Water day, Bike day, zoo day.. and so on. On top of that we have our 1st camping trip planned for later this month, and plan on having several this summer, and into the fall!!

Dance Recital

Chloe and Molly embarked on a journey into the world of dance this past fall. Friday we enjoyed seeing them all done up, for their 1st dance recital. Both girls did GREAT! I personally enjoyed seeing the other dancers as well, on all of the skill levels. Good Job my little ballet and tap dancers! Can't wait to see the improvement that next year will bring! They will take the summer off, and plan to take some skating lessons, and attend some home school skating sessions, at the local skating rink.

Happy 1st Birthday!!!

Tristen turned one!!! Hard to believe a year has passed already. I'm grateful for the gift God gave us! Tristen got her 1st pair of earrings, we had her ears pierced Saturday. On Sunday we had family over to celebrate her birthday with pizza and cupcakes!! Baby girl got a few new toys and some money to let mommy get her some gear to make camping and lake trips a breeze!! :o)

A personal blog

Hello all who follow... I've embarked on a spiritual and personal journey... and some have recommended I blog it, others a journal. I stink at the journal part.. so have decided this is not the appropriate blog for it so have started a seperate blog to record my 40day journey. So if you are interested here's the link a40dayjourney.blogspot.com And you can also click on me!! and see my profile and it will list my other blogs.. I'll let this blog remain for family related stuff... And will try to keep it up to date.

Newest addition.

Our friend Warrie has 3 min pins and Molly adores her one named Aurora! Then has since she met Aurora asked for her own "little dog". I did some research and to no surprise found a new min pin puppy or rescued pup or young dog was $200 or more plus the potential for vet bills especially with new puppy shots. So daddy said no way.. unless you find one really cheap or free. Then about 2 months ago Warrie's mom mentioned a woman at the hair salon she went to was looking for a new home for her 2 year old female min pin, that had been brought up w/ 2 little girls in the same age range as the girls. We gave it a thought and let it pass.... then the call came again.. Warrie's mom wanted to be sure we didn't want this girl... then Stephan and I decided to go ahead and give it a try. So this girl's name is Dixie, she's a 2 year old min pin. Warrie and I took the girls to meet her the meeting went well and we brought her home! Took her 3 days to like Steph. It's been 2 weeks now and she's starting to be a little less grumpy towards Roupen! I'm sure in the end they'll be great buddies. So Dixie has been a fun addition to the family, with her high energy, and she's very sweet.

Meet Dixie!!!

Hmmmm

Tristen has learned how to sit herself up from a lying down position. She likes to sit up in her crib at night and chat w/Chloe and Molly. So when all was quiet the other night and I was ready for bed, I made my rounds and found Tristen in this position. Too cute....






All will be happy to know we did lay her back onto her back.

HiGh ChAiR

NEW NEW NEW!!! I've finally managed to arrange the house in a fashion that would allow for the space to get Tristen a regular highchair and let me have full use of all 6 chairs around the kitchen table.

PA

We took a long weekend trip to Pottstown, PA to visit w/ Steph's Aunt Judi, Uncle Bill and their children. We where also able to attend their son Will's 7th Birthday Party, and celebrate Grandmom Rouze's birthday prior to leaving. The weekend was full of visiting for adults and children alike. It rained all but the 1st day there. I failed to take my camera so will have to request Judi email me a few and I'll add when I get around to it.

A new home

Our 6 lovely ladies have moved out and into their new home. Their very own coop. Though it still needs some upgrading it's enclosed and they have decided to sleep under what I had intended to be their sleeping quarters. So we have just tossed bedding under what was the old rabbit hut, and they all sleep under there. I'm pretty sure they will out grow that area, and will move into their sleeping/nesting area when the time comes and when Stephan gets it done. These ladies grow bigger by the day, and are full of personality.

Skate Chloe Skate!!

Today was home school skate at the local skating rink. Well Molly spoke up and said she would like to try skating again since last time she had nothing to do with it. So I called my mom and asked if she'd keep Tristen for the 2 hour session so Stephan and I could help Chloe and Molly. Then we arrived to drop of Tristen and out hopped Molly she had decided she was staying with Grandma too. Off we went with just Chloe in tow. This is maybe her 3rd or 4th time skating, and has started to improve and become a little more confident and is starting to get the hang of things. I spoke w/ the woman who works at the rink and there are Saturday morning lessons for cheap and the kids get to skate the 10am session, so I think the girls may benefit from a few lessons. Their Mommy and Uncle Chris once upon a time practically lived in the skating rink near our home in VaBeach! So I'd love my girls to have the skill too.

Backyard Campout!

Saturday we invited friends of our over for a backyard campout as a trial run, to see how our kids would do sleeping outdoors, with the option to retreat to the house near by. The Daytime high was in the 90's and the overnight temp only went into the mid 60's. We borrowed my sister's tent for Matt and Tina to use for their family, so they didn't need to make a big investment, and we had enough extra inflatable beds to get everyone off the hard ground. The evening started at about 5pm, with the setting up of the tents, and then the campfire was started. The men decided diner must be cooked over the wood fire! So there the cooked on the campfire grill Stephan purchased for the men's last camping trip, and to be used by us when we went. Diner was chicken, corn on the cob, and carrots, turned out great! Then because we had the freezer ice cream cones for desert yum! And I've been informed that dry ice will keep things frozen for at least 2 days to ice cream while camping not so far fetched! with all the hustle and bustle I failed to get the camera out sorry! The sun went down, and the kids went to bed, Matt and Tina's kiddies settled in with little fuss, and ours, Chloe settled in ok, Molly did her standard bedtime aske 20questions about tomorrow and messed around in the tent for a few. Tristen had some teething issues, but nothing a little motrin and oragel couldn't aid in fixing. We learned a crank radio is no good for any length of time to get 3 girls off to sleep. All kids where asleep by 11pm, then us parents chatted around the campfire until midnight, had some smores somewhere in that hour, and called it a night! Into the tents we climbed, not a peep from Matt and Tina's tent! Stephan had worked the night before so was wide awake! NOT GOOD!! Each time I went to doze off, Stephan would either roll around, sit up, or get up and out of the tent. This went on until 230am, then I decided I needed to get out of the tent to run in for a bathroom break. So 3am rolls around, after what sounded like a woman yelling help, Stephan rolled over and went of to sleep! No fair, I was so tired, and my sleep had been so disturbed that I was having issues falling asleep. I'd say I nodded off between 330a, and 4a. Problem here we where waking up at 6am to have breakfast and so everyone could get ready for church. The alarms went off the kids woke up. Matt and Tina opted to skip cooking a big breakfast on the campfire and headed home for showers, we rolled into the house, bathed, ate, and Tristen and I napped for about 1 1/2 hours before we had to leave for church. A large coffee got me through the am, and we all took a long afternoon nap, after a little trip to Grandma and Grandpa Rouze's house for Stephan to play a game w/His dad, Joe(his dad's friend), and his brother. Lesson's learned from out back yard camp out.

1. Lay down the rules for kids before the tents are up, and fire is going
2. Have batteries for fan!
3. Have charged MP3 player w/speakers with the kids fav sleepy time music
4. Never camp out on Stephan's 1st night off
5. Do not camp in the back yard.. to much traffic on the road.
6. Pack n Plays just don't work in a tent when you are sleeping on the ground and need to get to baby in the middle of the night or 1st thing in the am! (We are buying a peapod)
7. Have batteries for lanters.
8. Glow sticks are awesome nightlights!
9. I need to get a wardrobe of comfy athletic style clothes for camping purposes!
10. Camping is going to be fun, and we need to go somewhere to do it for more than one night so we can hike, swim, and have a good time!
11. Everyone will be dingy to a certain extent. Showers right at bed time could help.
12. Our Dog did awesome sleeping outside in the tent w/us and only barked when a car pulled into the neighbor's driveway.

SO those are a few. and here is a pic of our backyard campsite the next day! We had fun despite the fact that Steph and I barely slept and that is an easy fix for next time.