Month: May 2015

Salt Springs Recreation Area

We made our way up to the Ocala National Forest and camped at Salt Springs Recreation Area. This is a great campground with a beautiful spring and is the only campground in the Ocala National Forest that seems to offer full hookup at their sites. Evelyn enjoyed the cool water while wearing her spring suit. We pushed her a little far on Saturday and she was a bit of a handful that afternoon. However, Once she woke up, she was greeted with some chocolate cookies and all was right in the world. We enjoyed pulled pork for dinner the first night. Bagels for breakfast, roast beast sandwiches for lunch, and tortellini on the camp stove for dinner on Saturday. Who said food always has to be cooked on a grill when camping? We enjoyed our stay and will definitely visit again.

Setting up and breaking down camp has now become a breeze as we have figured out all of the subtle nuances our camper has. They all have a personality of their own that you have to figure out. Setting up camp takes less than 30 minutes at this point. Breaking camp takes somewhere between 45-60 minutes. I broke camp in record time this trip, and really patted myself on the back about how much better I have gotten at it, a real “expert” now… until I realized I left all of the food in the fridge and had already packed it all up and folded the roof down. Doh! 🙂

No big deal, we got home and popped it back up, I cleared the fridge, folded it back down, and wheeled it in to the garage. I have found out that patience is a necessary virtue when you own a camper, and I have learned to take the issues in stride. It is actually quite therapeutic, and I have enjoyed learning how to troubleshoot and resolve any issue I have come across. This little camper of ours really is so much fun!

Evelyn’s Words

I know, parents think their kid is the smartest one on the block. But, no, really – Evelyn is SMART!

Her vocabulary has soared in the last few months, she is piecing together words and phrases, using intonation, and corresponding facial expressions and hand gestures!!!

Some of her best phrases we want to document so we don’t forget:

Mickey Mouse Boat

Fireworks…..BOOM!

De-wish-us (delicious)

Hi, Daddy. Hi, Mommy. (a thousand times, spoken really fast, with vigorous waving!)

YOU!!! she points at us with her finger, it gets progressively louder with lots of laughter

Motorcycle, bicycle, airplane, helicopter – the girl has hearing like a fox, she can pick up a sound miles away!

Woodpecker – woo peya

SHHHHH! – Quiet! She hold her finger to her lips and says SHHHH, then YELLS QUIET – it always get a laugh

Peyanyo – Piano

Burp! Excuse me! She has started fake burping, then laughing, then saying excuse me – over and over for extra laughs

Firefighter – can hear an engine coming from two towns over, and announces it each time!

Treat – she is constantly asking for treats (cookies, marshmallows, M&Ms, lifesavers), persistent!

Chocolate milk – there are days when I think Evelyn lives only on chocolate milk and blueberries. She cannot get enough of either.

 

We are on to potty training – pray for us!!! 🙂

On the Road Again….

Since we got this AMAZING pop-up camper in March, we have been camping 5 times! This pop-up camper has definitely changed our view on finding adventure – we plan a trip, go and have a blast, then plan another! Chad blogged about our inaugural trip to Silver Springs. Here are some of the other exciting places we’ve camped so far this year:

United Methodist Youth Camp – Fruitland Park, FL: Our second trip was a family affair. My sister’s twins were being confirmed at church. We wanted to be a part of the experience, we got to spend a quality weekend with my sister and brother-in-law, as well as the extended family. My mom’s camper was also parked across from our pop-up at the camp, so we to spend mornings with my mom – and Evelyn woke up and immediately wanted to go over and wake up Gran! We swam, had Whole30 meals, and shared drinks and love with our family on my sister’s back porch. Great weekend.

Jetty Park – Port Canaveral, FL: Third trip was Jetty Park. This unique campground is located next to the Port Canaveral cruise terminals, so cruise boats are passing by your camper at all times! Evelyn loved this – she especially enjoyed the “Mickey Mouse Boat” as it sounded it horn to the tune of, “yo ho, yo ho, a pirate’s life for me,” and, “when you wish upon a star.” She has been talking about it for WEEKS since the trip. Uncle Brian invited us to camp with him – he was parked next to us and was a great host the entire weekend. We even had a family lunch on Saturday and Gramma Sue came out – Chad cooked souvlaki and I made a greek salad. At one point, we laughed because all the adults were outside and the kids were playing in the air-conditioned campers! Amazing weekend, great location – we will definitely go back to Jetty Park.

Ft. Wilderness – Walt Disney World, Lake Buena Vista, FL: Contrary to this being a kid-friendly venture spot, we actually went without Evelyn!! Evelyn got to spend a long weekend with Gigi and Papa so that Mommy and Daddy could cut loose with Mindy and Mike! We got spots on adjacent loops, so we brought our bikes so we could easily ride over to visit. The weekend was filled with long talks camper side, fun meals, and tons of laughter. Mike had to work on Saturday afternoon, so Chad treated Mindy and me to a sushi lunch at Kona in the Polynesian! We ordered Lapu Lapus – an over the top fruity bar drink served in a pineapple! We had so much fun, we got home on Sunday and booked another weekend at Ft. Wilderness for Mother’s Day weekend! Two weekends in a row at Disney!!!

Mother’s Day Weekend – Ft. Wilderness (again!) – This time, we brought along the little bug Evelyn. She loves the camper! Chad and I have figured out it is easier if one of us attends to Evelyn and the other does the set up. Chad (wonderfully) chose set up, so Evelyn and I ventured to the playground and the marina. What a perfect weekend. The weather was cool in the morning and evenings, so the days were bearable! We took Evelyn on a boat ride (Mickey Mouse Boat, Mickey Mouse Boat) from Ft. Wilderness campground over to Ft. Wilderness Lodge and scouted the pool. We went back in the late afternoon on Saturday – there is a huge kid area with slides and water features. Evelyn squealed with delight at the slides – Chad and I dutifully rode all the slides with Evelyn in our laps – it was pretty funny to see us attempting to get off the slides as we hauled up Evelyn and tried to (as gracefully as possible) stand up and get off the slide before getting barreled over by a kid behind us. We had lunch at Whispering Canyon – the BBQ ribs and smoked sausage was great. Evelyn was a dream all weekend – we played and laughed as a family and got to just enjoy each other. We let Evelyn stay up extra late on Saturday to watch the water parade and fireworks. Now, her new words are, “fireworks…. BOOOM!” Getting to watch her experience the water parade and the fireworks is a new experience for me a mom – seeing life through Evelyn’s eyes. The referent joy I receive from watching her joy just makes me misty! My heart gets so full when I see her happy, as she is getting older, it brings me so much joy to see her smile and understand new things. For Mother’s Day, we went to breakfast at Trail’s End, then let Evelyn run loose on the playground. We got a late checkout (smart idea courtesy of Chad), so Evelyn and I could go to the pool while Chad broke down the camper. Once he was finished, he joined us for a dip, then we set course for home.

I cannot begin to express how much fun this camper has brought to our little family. We get away from our daily routine and experience each other without distractions. I am learning to be more relaxed and just learning to enjoy the moment in an unhurried way. When we are camping, we just spend time doing what Evelyn wants, we take a slower pace, we let the days unfold. I need this!