Memorial Day Weekend

So ever since Ron and i met, we talked of going camping. And as "these things" happen, time ticked along and we never got around to it...

But we did THIS weekend! The whole gang and then some! :-)

There is a local campground we've passed 100x on the route to Watkins Glen and Seneca Lake. Ferenbaugh Campgrounds. I remembered them and thought it might be a good 'first time' place to bring the whole family for camping. It's only 5 miles away so if we forgot anything crucial, or the kids, i guess, completely wigged out and we HAD to come home, we could. I'm happy to say, the only running home we did was to let Beegsley out, which was an excuse to bring back a couple things.

The van was PACKED to the brim, for only one and a half days. But we had to bring SO MUCH! Tents, blankets, coolers, camp chairs, clothes, Henry-comforts... well you get the picture. Ron masterfully fit in everything, and we were on our way by 3pm on Saturday. The weather was great. We set up camp on a cozy, grassy area under a coupla big trees bordered by a little creek. Really nice and cushy. And it was close to the office, pool and bathrooms. But don't forget, boys and going "#1" in nature go hand and hand.

We had several friends come to visit, which was really cool. Our friends Bethany and Eric, whose son Taigan became friends with Sam in Kindergarten (thus how WE became friends!) brought their three boys for the entire day on Sunday. All the boys get along great, and her three are just about about the same age as ours. We went for a hike, went swimming, tossed footballs and baseballs, went for a hayride and roasted s'mores! We all had such a good time together!

The boys did great with the whole tenting thing. Sam was a little scared the first night. All the shadows and sounds and cars and yelling was making him uncomfortable. Tommy, on the other hand, didn't care about all that, but did take a long time to actually get to sleep. The second night, after Bethany and Crew took off, the boys were out within 2.2 seconds of finishing their story books (oh yeah - had to pack THAT kinda stuff too!). Needless to say, Hank was easy breezy, like he had never left home, happy as a clam everywhere he was. The tent that Ron scored at the Re-Store for $10, in perfect condish, was big enough for all of us and Hank's pack-n-play! NIIICE.

We will do this again, for sure.

Tent Fun

Sam asked if Henry could play with him in the play tent. I was at the sink doing dishes at the time and said, "sure... that sounds like fun. Gimme a second." When i went to the living room to move Hank, Sam had already done the deed. I have since seen Sam carrying Henry. Most of you might think this is dangerous, but it's usually only from Point A to Point B, a few feet. Never to the CAR or something. And never while he's hooked up to a feed.

So i said, "huh... okay. Have fun!"

And boy... did they! Sam and Hank do indeed have a special bond, and I love watching it evolve...

"Sammy?.... Where ya goin'?..."

YMCA's Healthy Kids Expo 2012

Samson participated in a 0.75 mi run at the YMCA's Healthy Kids Expo on May 12. The boy LOVES running, and so any time i see something having to do with a run, i sign him up.

We left Hank at home with Nanny, due to the chilly morning temps, but T4 headed down to be there by 8:00 am. Sam and Thom had a good time "warming up" by running around the cones that were set up. Sam saw a couple friends that he knows.



Sam's race started at 8:30 and he was raring to go! Soon enough, he rounded the bend to the finish. He hasn't learned the art of sprinting with a few feet left to go. Instead he petered out! But it didn't matter; he still clinched 2nd place for boys in his age group, which meant receiving a big heavy shiny medal! He was SO PROUD of that thing, he wore it all day. He'da worn it during his baseball game later that day (talk about being worn out by bedtime!), but i said he had to leave it home.