The Fish Family Camping Trip

We have just ended our first ever Fish Family Camping Trip. Wow...what an adventure! After a week of getting our camping gear ready and organized...packing Culley and I's clothes for two weeks in a small carry-on bag...and planning the menu and grocery list for the week we set out on our first camping trip on July 5. We started our driving at 3:00 a.m. Culley did a tremendous job, sleeping until 9 and only fussing for probably an hour total of the 16 hour drive to Indiana. We spent the night at Brian's parents' house then headed to Potato Creek State Park for five nights of rugged camping. Although the first day was a bit hectic with trying to get set up and everything organized...and after a few setbacks we were ready for dinner at 7:00 p.m. Culley was a bit clingy...it was tough to walk on some of the terrain and quite honestly she heard the word "no" rather often as the fire was hot, the stove was hot, the road was dangerous, the dirt wasn't safe to eat, etc. However, with only two rough nights and a couple of clingy days, we had a fantastic time.

Wednesday: Today was incredibly HOT. It reached 96 degrees and the humidity was any one's guess. We began today with my poor baby waking with a horrible diaper rash. Not a great beginning for a week of dirt and sweat. Not to mention we went to the beach and swam in the lake. This was an interesting experience but Culley absolutely LOVED it! She remained clingy and after a hot afternoon nap we headed to Walmart to get ice. We also drove back to the Fish's house so Culley could take a bath. Her diaper rash was getting worse and she just needed a good bath. Once we got back to camp we took a 6.6 mile bike ride up hills, down hills, around curves and through the woods...Culley fell asleep for about 45 minutes, which was a HUGE mistake. Once we got back to camp bedtime was immediately a goner as she laughed and played in the tent until after 11:00 p.m. All in all this was probably the toughest day with the heat, Culley's clinginess and a rough bedtime. I was ready to throw in the towel for the week. But I'm so glad I stuck it out.

Thursday: This morning it rained. A rather large amount. Once it stopped, the only place for Culley to play was in the mud. My daughter...who hates to get her hands dirty...played like a champ in the mud. For some reason she was much more comfortable and began to roam around the campsite. We did cheat a bit today. Culley needed a good afternoon nap so we headed back to Grandma Fish's for naps and ice cream. Today we have begun to see an extremely stubborn and independent heart in our daughter. She was quite disobedient and we had a few challenges that we haven't had before. I guess I now know how to specifically tailor my prayers, huh? We sang around the campfire before bed and Culley had a GREAT sleep.

Friday: This morning we went for another bike ride. This trail is beautiful and fun to ride. It's a bit winding and I think Culley may have gotten a bit "car sick" as she hurled all over when we stopped for a snack. It didn't phase her and she kept right on being her social, independent self. In the afternoon we went for a hike and then Patsy and Elson came over for dinner and games. Today was probably my favorite day...until...1:30a.m. Yes...this mother hasn't camped with a little one before...and definitely not in an area where it can get below 60 at night in the summer. This night was COLD and I didn't bring winter jammies for Culley. She hates to be confined in her sleeping bag or under blankets so she kept kicking off her warmth. At 1:30 a.m. she began to whimper and whine and cry in her sleep because she was so cold. After about an hour of warming up in our bed we finally put her on the floor next to us so I could keep putting covers on her when she kicked them off. Needless to say, we were all quite tired the next day.

Saturday: Another great day. We had a lazy morning...played at the play ground where Culley became a big girl as she went down the slide and she went swinging on the big-girl swings. Then we came back for naps and Brian's family came to the campground for games, dinner, and fellowship. We had a GREAT day. Our final night at the camp ground ended with a huge thunderstorm that Culley slept through. Brian and I enjoyed sleeping in a dry tent listening to the thunder and rain.

Sunday: We packed up and headed back to Brian's parents' house.

Highlights:
On our trip, Culley learned how to say "uh oh" and she said it so much I heard her saying "uh oh" in her sleep one night :)

When Culley would walk around the fire and we'd remind her that it was hot...she would make the funniest face as she thought that if she looked away from it, it wouldn't be there. Problem with this little strategy of hers is that she would look away from it and walk right toward it! This gave her mommy and daddy a few heart attacks...but we make it through the week with zero burns.

My daughter seems to have both Grandma Lambert's and Grandma Fish's ability to make friends and be social. EVERY car that drove by, she would wave to them and tell them "hi". She would tell most of the kids that rode by on their bikes "hi". In fact, most of the kids didn't know what to do with her. :)

Another mile marker for her was she was able to swing on a big-girl swing. There weren't any baby swings at the playgrounds so, by my standards, she was forced to grow up a bit too fast as she went swinging on the big swings. She did a great job and we had no injuries.

We had a great time. My descriptions above don't give justice to the week...but the best part was watching Culley adjust to her surroundings and it seemed like she grew up right before our very eyes. For those of you in Kansas...you may not recognize her! As much fun as it was, though...I am thankful for a shower and bed for the next five nights before heading home. :)