Camping Finale: Out With a Bang

....And I do mean that literally. Last we left you, we were on our way back to camp to start a fire for dinner. So we begin the prep work, and the boys get the fire going like champs. Though, the longer we went, the darker the sky became, until it finally just opened up. Seeing it coming we had already picked up most stuff except the tent, since it was waterproof and had the fly on. So when the rains came, we headed to the car to wait it out. We waited, and waited, and the rain came harder and harder, until it finally seemed to conquer our little fire. The storm was literally on top of us with thunder and lightening, and then you hear this deafening crash, and at that moment we saw the bark of a tree fly right off of it.

It was nothing less than unbelievable. These are the pictures if you have never seen lightening hit a tree and see the bark get blown off. The tree was still standing, as was the clothes line tied to it. It looks as if it was just peeled, and it was very smooth.

Oh yah, this was on the campsite across the road from us. The boys were a little distraught at that idea. They were glad to be in the car. But about this time the boys became worried about their webkinz that they had left in the tent. (They would be so scared.) So Matt being the great dad he is, ran out in the storm to bring back two little pets from our tent, just in time before they were carried off by the flood that was pouring into our "waterproof" tent. You guessed it, our tent proved not to be waterproof, not even the rain fly. It was pouring into the tent by bucket fulls. So much for night #2, this was the official end of our trip.

So Matt systematically pulled all our wet things out of the tent and loaded them into the car, along with the wet tent and tarp, and off we went. But not without first checking to see how good their fire really was, and it proved to be awesome. These are the still red embers left even after the storm. So we at least would have had a fire. Good Job Boys.

As we were pulling away, the sky cleared, but without a tent, you really are done. So we made plan B and headed home, just in time to get caught in a traffic jam on 85. Then after coming through that, we caught up with the storm and drove through the driving rains this time, yuck. Once in Charlotte, we stopped for a pizza for dinner that night and as we waited, the storm passed us for time #3, yes, you heard right, 3 times we went through the same storm. We finally made it home only to find that our A/C was out yet again. But Plan B was still OK, it would be like camping in the house now, no big deal, right? That was until I was unloading the car and found that my trunk was full of termites, hundreds and hundreds of termites!!!! Yes, I do scream and throw fits at times like these, me and bugs like that don't get along. So Matt came running to the rescue, I put the boys to bed and we collapsed into our very hot bed late that night for the conclusion of our 1st Lucas family camping trip. Plan B was officially done. As was any other plan that had to do with camping.

Will we do it again, you ask??? I can not answer that one just yet, I am still seeing my therapist for my bug counseling. Happy Camping!

The 1st Lucas Family Camping Trip

So this year we finally pulled ourselves together enough to actually take the boys camping like we have been wanting to do. We decided to go down to Kings Mtn. since it was close and fairly easy for our first trip. We drove down Friday evening and got there about 6 and quickly got to setting up camp. It was drive up so we just popped our tent and started on the fire for dinner. Matt had lots to teach the boys about how to be a proper pyromaniac, along with things like how to make a good skewer for your hotdogs and marshmallows.

Like father like son, Christopher uses his new pocketknife to make a skewer just like Daddy does. Really, there is no guessing who this kid belongs to. Dinner was great, as was the fire and s'mores. Sleep was a little hard to come by, but that's camping for you. It didn't help that some moths had gotten up under our rain fly and their flutter sounded much like, how did Matt put it??, "a raccoon peeing on our tent". Hmmm...

Saturday morning was fun. We went for an easy hike out to the historic farm they have out there. It was great with exception of Sammy's massive nose bleed. It took us a while to get the bleeding to stop, but fortunately there was a restroom not that far away. That was helpful, since I don't seem to ever remember to bring a first aid kit, EVER. The picture below was the boys in the outhouse, yes, there was a place for both of them, and even old corn cobs you could throw in.

Later in the afternoon, we went canoeing around this little lake. That was really nice. In certain parts, the grass had grown up from the drought, but now had water so it was like rowing in a field with glass on top. It was really cool, except you occasionally stir up the fish. Boy when they get startled, they can really jump, like the one that jumped out and hit Matt in the arm. It was probably an 8-10 in. fish. They were both very surprised.

So after all that we just had to stop at the Trading Post for ice cream and a game of checkers, which, Sammy and I won. Thank you very much. :) Now it is back to the site to start our fire for dinner. Please stay tuned for the next post, more pictures, and the conclusion to our family camping trip. You are not going to want to miss this.

The Final Cliff's Notes

So, I don't know exactly what happens when they turn 9, but I was not prepared for this. It came with a dance as well. Sorry I couldn't get the video to work.

This should have gone along with my post about the boys when they got their tools. It was an all out battle of the tool guys. We did relay races with their tools and had a good time with it. I thought it was pretty funny how they each had everything for their store as well.

We went skating this year for homeschool day. The boys had a lot of fun with their friends and even learned how to skate...without mom's arm.

This butterfly set up was one of Christopher's birthday presents. It was very easy and quite interesting to watch. Unfortunately, the boys were having a fun-filled weekend with grandma and missed the actual hatching, but I took pictures and video, and again can't figure out how to put it on. Anyhow, I believe this officially catches me up on all the pictures and fun we have had until now. So I will try to do better about keeping up to date.

Cliff's Notes 4: the rest of the birthday

What you have to know is that in our house, 1 party is just not enough to fully celebrate a birthday. So we have a small family party on the actual day, a friends party and a larger family party with grandparents. Depending on the year and day, we have been known to combine them, but then you get the mega party. Though it can be a little crazy, we are so thankful to be able celebrate our children in this way and so appreciate everyone who makes them special as well.
So above is Christopher's cake. He is always very specific about how his cake should be, and it always has a message written out. When he turned 4 he asked for a 4 layer chocalate cake with sprinkle frosting, crayon candles, and AR-MY GUY written on the top. This year he wanted a chocolate cake with white frosting with oreos on it with Star Wars legos on top and the side to read Webkinz Rule with all the names of his webkinz on it. I don't know where he gets it. But here it is.

He was so excited about his coonskin cap that Aunt Katie and Uncle Keith got for him, it also came with a pistol, and as you can see below Sammy got him a new pump action rifle. It was about time to stock the arsenal again. :)

And then, what birthday would be complete without a new webkinz. He ended up getting a new Cocker Spaniel and a Kangaroo. Thanks to everyone who made this day special. We love you all.

Cliff's Notes 3: The Birthday

Ok, so what do you get with 5 boys, Nascar Speedpark and shakes at the park? A great birthday party. They got to play a game of lasertag, do 1 race, and then took them to the park for shakes. Talk about easy and fun, they all had a great time. The funniest part was seeing the intense "I gotta win" looks on each of the boys faces as they went around the track.

Cliff's Notes 2

This is Ringo the Racoon, and Shasta the Husky. These are the pets of preference in our house, no shedding, vet bills, or food costs. Though it does cost my boys about 30 minutes a day of care in the virtual world. If you don't have a Webkinz in your house, you just don't know what you're missing.



Found these shirts and felt they were too good to pass up. If you have trouble reading the shirts, this is what they say:
Sammy- Getting in trouble, It's what I do best. (yes, we agree..)
Christopher- Whatever I did I'm sure I have a good excuse. (ain't that the truth)

Cliff's Notes

This post and the next, soon to follow, will give you just a quick glimpse into all the things I could blog about and forget to. So here you go...the cliff notes of blogging.


This is called "An Ode to Good Friends". Our good friends, the Whites, moved this spring leaving a pretty big void in our daily routine. The 2 o'clock door bell is sorely missed.








Then there was Easter, and who knows how many eggs. My in-laws always go all out for Easter with the boys. We are all so blessed by their generosity and love. (and so are the little animals that find the left over eggs that couldn't be found.)












2 little monkies hanging in a tree....T-R-O-U-B-L-E!!!!!
(This was taken on a tree in our soon to be yard.)

My Comedian

This is Sam. Sam is a comedian....or at least he is working on it. Yesterday I asked him to help rotate the laundry per these instructions. "Sam, can you take the clothes out of the dryer and put them on the floor in the hall and move the washer into the dryer." He cheerfully went and started doing what I asked. Then he calls me for help. So in I come and see him with his hands wrapped around the washer "trying" to lift it. I asked what he was doing, and his reply was "you asked me to put the washer in the dryer, but I can't pick it up..." Very funny my boy.