Finally! After a four-month layoff we were able to return to the woods! Yayyyyyyyy! This also happens to be our 3rd annual trip with the Williams family so there is even more to be excited about! Until it is time to start packing…
Ugh. The part Kelly and I hate the most: loading up the camper. I always feel like we are taking our entire home with us and all we have is a bunch of stuff that we “may need.” After the 17th trip of the 54 I make to the camper and back, I normally begin my complaining. Kelly is so good about ignoring this poor version of me, but unfortunately it doesn’t make the beginning of the trip too much fun. This year Kelly took me by the shoulders and said, “Listen. We can do this. This experience can be fun but we’ve got to be in the right mindset. Come on!” It was motivational for me and I managed to do so for a little bit. I changed my mindset by saying things more positively … instead of “why are we taking so much stuff?” I said “I love how prepared you are in making sure we have everything we need.” Not sure this was really helpful but it sure did increase my mood for the drive to Goose Pond in Scottsboro, AL.
Like most Fall trips, we do not finalize our reservation until the week of since campgrounds north of us can be hard to find when the weather is changing. People typically like to look for fall foliage this time of year. I tried DeSoto, Cheaha, Cloudland Canyon, and 20 other places before eventually booking a repeat trip to Oak Mountain State Park. A few days before departure time I thought I would take one more look and that’s when I find Goose Pond. The pictures looked good and when I called they had several waterfront sites open. Sold! Our plans changed in a hurry when we knew we would be on the water!
Anyway, we got there about 30 minutes before the Williams and began set up. Unfortunately this was a tough one. The site was slightly slanted and difficult to back into. It was very dark and there was very little light around. I managed to make it work but it was a lot of trial and error, and even more frustration that my kids had to see. We were able to get it all done and fortunately so were the Williams, which meant the adventure was on.
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| Rough moment here- In excellent parenting I basically said you get off the picnic table and we are going straight home. But go ahead and smile for me:) -Kelly |
We did not have much time left in night one so the kids played while the parents made sure camp was good to go. The kids all went down about 9:00-9:30 so us adults sat around the campfire and also watched some college football. Let me explain: this campground has cable TV hookups but unfortunately my coaxial cable was about 4-5 inches too short. No worries though because I recently bought an adapter for iPhone lightning phones with HDMI. This was huge because I was able to project everything on my phone to the screen without having Apple TV or some other streaming device that requires Wifi. Big development, we recommend this to anyone doing the same! Regardless, we had good times and great conversation until we realized it was 11:30 and that children rise early on camping trips.
The first morning was perfect. Even though the kids rose early it was cool enough and with plenty of cloud cover to make the morning feel just right. Mark loves to cook so he worked up some grits and sausage that really hit the spot. We sat around the fire and ate a hearty breakfast before tackling the day.
The kids played with their toys, ran around the campsite, and we took a few walks to explore and stretch our legs. Mark and I also took the boys to the playground for a few and also watched the boats out on the water. Avory had just gotten a new kayak so he also took it out on the water. Eventually Mark and I went to Wal-Mart with Avory and Cora so I could get a coaxial long enough to work my TV, meanwhile the girls had a lot of fun kayaking.
It was a Fall Saturday and Mark and I had plans to enjoy lots of college football. Around 1:30-2:00 Cora got her nap started, I watched some football, Mark took Carter and Avory out on the water with the kayaks, and Kelly and Katelyn took Caroline and Aliza to Wal-Mart. Once everyone got back together we enjoyed more hang-out time, more playground time, and eventually some awesome Conecuh sausage for dinner. The boys managed to get a soccer game going and the girls found every possible scenario for their princesses you could imagine. It was a very good day, with a special bonus of Carter getting his tooth knocked out by a football. It's a good thing because mommy was about to tackle him to pull it out. The tooth fairy generously left his 4 quarters, Carter was very concerned how the tooth fairy would find him while camping.
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| For those that know me- I cannot handle snot and gross teeth pictures. Yuck. -Kelly |
Finally, the sun went down and unfortunately the Williams had to start packing and head home as both tents they brought had broken zippers:( It is always fun camping with them and we are so glad this is a tradition! It's always an adventure trying to get a good picture of our families together!
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| Worst selfie stick EVER |
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| Cora's back there somewhere! |
This particular night the kids were very tired so they nestled in pretty well. We watched a Shopkins episode and a Ninjajo one as well, and then tucked everyone in about 8:30. Every time we are able to go camping I usually get some pretty good sleep. Typically once Kelly and I put the kids down we get to bed also because it’s not worth risking waking them up when you come back in the camper. I decided this would be one of my long-sleep nights and I shut my eyes about 9:00. It was good to log so many hours!
Our last morning was awesome! I worked up the best fire you can imagine and Carter was quite possibly the most helpful little boy in the world. He worked super hard to collect wood for us and he managed to also stack it all neatly next to the fire. Very impressive. Using this fire, we pulled out my tripod to cook some sausage over the open fire. This is always a highlight because it’s just so much fun. The sausage was great, the coffee hit the spot, the breeze was just right, the fire cracked perfectly, the lake glistened with a hint of morning sun on it, and … imagine this … all three kids sat calmly around the fire. What??! Kelly and I took a moment to note this rare occasion and are frankly still surprised it lasted a few minutes.
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| First time we've really seen Cora cold- she wasn't sure what to think! |
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| A few minutes of solitude for Mommy! |
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| Breakfast dessert |
Of course it didn’t last long because they are active kids. We made another trip to the playground and then came back for hangout time. Carter, right as we were getting ready to enter pack-up mode, decided he wanted to go kayaking after he worked on some math! I told him I would take him for a few so we started getting ready. Right as we set the kayaks in Caroline decided she wanted to go too. Eventually everyone was in a kayak and heading for the water. A little rain shower came through and caused us to rush back to the camper so we could load up. As always, loading up is harder than we want. It took some time and lots of patience, but we managed to get it done and head home!
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| This is "Hairy Chewie Clayton", found right before we were about to leave and road home in a Solo cup that he constantly escaped from and is now in a cocoon in his cage:) |
All in all, this was a great trip. We hit a good stride with the kids, and of course we always like having the Williams with us. It was a blast! We can honestly say this trip was the first time we have truly enjoyed being a family of five. I know that sounds a little harsh, but it just seems that anytime we have tried to do something out of the house it just isn't very enjoyable. Of course we all had our moments this trip and probably always will, but Cora seemed to relax more on this trip, and therefore we were too and we all seemed to be more in our element.
