We left around 9 am Thursday morning and arrived close to 3 pm. The drive up went pretty well. We stopped about halfway at the ever-so-healthy McDonalds to get out and grab a bite to eat...Caden fell asleep shortly after, which we thought was perfect timing for a good nap the remainder of the way but false...it was only 30 minutes and he was confused/not too happy once he woke up. I eventually crawled back there with him, fed him some yummy chips and played some Thomas to cheer him up.
Road selfie that Gary was so excited about and a quick stop at McyD's halfway through.
That's the tired-about-to-fall-asleep stare...and then poof. asleep. and then poof. awake and not one bit happy about it...until I crawled back and, lets be honest, he just wanted some company...
Once we arrived we got all our stuff into our room and walked down to the campsite to see who else was down there. Gary's aunt and uncle had a campsite right by the river with a few 'steps' down to a little spot that was just perfect for Caden to play in. It had a big log sectioning it off and leaving it at just the right level for Caden to play in. He loved throwing and playing with the rocks down there and it's always so fun to see him explore new areas and just get dirty and enjoy his surroundings. We hung out here for quite a while the first afternoon and a good amount of time the next morning once some more cousins joined the party.
So pretty and peaceful at this spot. Loved seeing him play in the water, throw and build with the rocks just getting all dirty as a little boy should.
Day two was Fourth of July! Made some yummy french toast in the room, got our cool Fourth of July clothes on, had to change shortly after to go play in the river-we hung out at that little spot in the river most that morning with some cousins and had a great time there. We even saw a bald eagle swoop down, hang out on the branch you see above Cadens head and then do a big swoop around an area before going out of sight-talk about Happy Birthday America! Pretty cool to see.
Gary and I got put in time-out on the bench outside of our room after we laid Caden down for naps and bedtime while he fell asleep. Darn the luck. It was nice little catch up time for us. This mad scientist bird came and hung out for a little bit...just hopped on over, hung out, did his business and then left...the nerve.
Night three was planned for a big fireworks show, but that didn't stop them from happening later on Fourth of July of course. And even though Caden stayed up late, all those 'pop! pop! mommy!!' kept little man up until I laid him in bed with me and then shortly he would out cold. Couldn't help snap a picture of how cute he was and that little leg folded over the other one. So peaceful seeing him sleep.
Day three was a bit more tricky because the older cousins that he loved to chase and keep up with went on a float trip with the family (as well as Gary and his cousins/aunts/uncles) so that entertainment was gone, Caden was over the cool river spot, the playground they had was good to have...but I would say a tad over his age and could use some good TLC any day now..so we did what we could entertainment wise then I pulled in the reigns and took us in for some good a.c. and dvd time. It was much needed and he was just a bit spent and needed a break from everything to refuel for the night ahead.
Refueling with a.c., Mickey and Pringles.
Playing with glow sticks before the big firework show. He loved running around with his cousins.
Fun times, and the always 'glad to be home' feeling once it was all said and done. Glad for Caden to be back in his own room-get him back on a more normal bedtime and be back in our own bed. Ahhh..nothing better than good family time and then a good return to our humble abode.
Now...who's going to plan the next one, hopefully sometime before another 15-20 years has passed?! :)
