Forked Lake Camping 2016

In mid-July, we camped at Forked Lake, in the Adirondacks.  Locals pronounce it "for-ked" so as to distinguish from nearby Fourth Lake.  Most of the campsites around the lake can only be accessed by boat.  We reserved four sites in a row that were also accessible by trail.  We had five families with a total of 11 kids (and one on the way).  None of us had camped at Forked Lake before so it was definitely an adventure.

The kids ages were:

•  7 mths
• 1 & half
• 2
• 3
• 4
• four 5 year olds (including Parker in this group)
• two 7 year olds

The older kids did great walking in and out of the campsite and even helped carry stuff.  The three Moms with a two year-old and under (myself included) had some difficulty with the little ones and sleeping.  But we powered through and had more good memories than bad!  The water was very shallow and warm enough to swim, so Parker had a blast.

The campsites were farther away from each other then we expected, but the kids loved going between the sites on the little interconnected trails.  On Saturday evening we had gathered at one site to cook dinner when some thunderstorms rumbled through.  Three of the families had tents nearby so they ducked in there.  One family was still down at their campsite.  The Goforths made an adventure out of it and tried to find the driest spots in the trees.  Parker and Graham loved playing in the rain.  That's what extra clothes are for!

On the way back on Sunday, we stopped at a waterfall and grabbed lunch in Old Forge.  These camping adventures will only get easier and more fun as the kids get older...we look forward to so many more!

 

Clambake 2016

In mid-July, we invited our crew over for a clambake (done on the grill) and for a planning session for our upcoming Adirondack camping trip.  The food turned out pretty good, but the company was the best!

Camp Sisol - 2016

After our IL/MO trip, it was time to get used to a whole new schedule for Miss Parker.  With her days at the Wolk Center over, we enrolled her at Camp Sisol for the summer.  This camp is done through the JCC and held at their property just south of Rochester.  It has a bunch of land, an outdoor pool, and mess hall.  This was a great arrangement for us, because we could enroll Parker in before and/or after care, which is held at the JCC, so we could pick up kids from one location still.

Although it was a big transition and her first time riding a bus, Parker did great because she already knew so many of the kids.  Here she is ready to board the bus the first day.  There were some tears, but she got right on without a lot od dawddling.

Parker got to swim every day at camp and can now confidently swim on her own.  She hasn't passed the "deep end test" yet, but I imagine she will next year.  Here is her swim report card from the end of the summer.

The camp did an amazing job of posting videos and photos from camp every week on Facebook.  Here is one of Parker and some her buddies.

Her unit head was Donna Grayson.  She is a teacher for Rochester City Schools and just started doing camp this summer.  All the kids called her Momma G (so cute, since Parker has her very own Papa G).  She won the "Golden Apple" award from a local TV station the first week of school in the fall...she was awesome!

Parker loved camp but did get sick of the bus ride because it was so long.  She will definitely go back next summer, but we will probably mix it up with some other camps as well.

4th of July & St. Louis 2016

As mentioned in the previous post, we started off our Midwest trip in Illinois and then drove to St. Louis on July 4th.  The Johnsons followed behind a couple hours later and we were very lucky to have a house all of our own to use!  My sister's in-laws were in Florida all week and live 3 minutes from the Claytons, so we got to use their home.  We got settled in and headed down the road to the Heritage & Freedom Fest.  We rode rides, ate food, and drank beer until it was time for the fireworks.

Nice photography, Mom!  Annie and I with our lifelong friend, Laura, visiting from CA.

 

 

 The next day we headed downtown to go up in the Arch.  The kids did great waiting in lines and it was a fun adventure.

 That night the Claytons hosted a big gathering so we could see extended families and friends.  I didn't get any photos, but it was so nice to see everyone.

On Wednesday, we all went to Grant's Farm.  The temperature had finally broken and it was a pleasant cool day.  We didn't mind a couple brief showers passing through.

 That evening, we headed to Busch Stadium to cheer on the Cardinals (oh wait, except for those pesky Pirates fans we brought with us...)

The Johnsons headed back the next day and we stayed another night at my parents house.  My Dad made his classic pork steaks for our special guest, Larry, and we made homemade ice cream on the deck.

 The we headed out for the drive home.  En route, we decided to stop in Pittsburgh instead of Cleveland.  It made for a tad more driving but it was worth it for more family time.

It was such an amazing trip to have both sides of our family together.  Amazing memories for us all, we miss them so much!!