Glow Stick Fight, Hike to Scott's Toilet, falling down and The Plague

Our next family outing was a Camp out to Palomar Mountain State Park. On Tuesday we drove about an hour and half away. The camp site was nice, not too overrun with nature and not too established with concrete and paved roads. Every once in a while we felt all alone. Then a car would circle our camp and reminded us where we where.

Its not easy to do outings with the kids. At first it was hard for Brian and I to just be alone with them. It was boring, we did not know what to do with them. As the kids have gotten older that got better. We can play with them and enjoy their different stages Brian is so full of curiosity and wanting to try new things. Susan always makes us laugh and Katie teaches us a lot.

We still have the getting along problems, I don't think Brian and Katie will ever grow out of, the constant name calling, fighting, arguing.. "He called me Cake-ie!" or "She looked at me funny!". I really hope (and so does Brian sr.) that I will get over my constant nagging occasionally yelling at the kids, "Stop looking at her, don't call names, don't throw that, stop hitting, don't...No!...Stop!...Now!..AAhhhhhh!...etc..." Our outings are not perfect but we are trying, and as we do, the good times have outweighed the bad. So now let me highlight the good and bad of our camp out. The kids finally fell asleep after I told them (maybe even yelled) a dozen times. After I washed there hands and faces with warm water from a pot on the stove; And after we decided they need to sleep in our tent. Once they were asleep Brian and I could be alone by the fire. Very romantic, except that Brian was feeling home sick for camping with the Scouts and other rowdy boys. Camping reminded him too much of, jumping over the fire, getting all dirty, eating all the unhealthy food so the chance for romance was shot...for a while

That went on until the glow stick I was swinging over the fire (after I read that is was not flammable) melted a hole and sprayed glowing liquid on the rocks by the fire. Brian thought that looked fun so the took the glow stick and swung it around. We had fun playing with the glowing liquid throwing it all over each other and the ground. Covering everything with glowing dots. That satisfied both being a little rowdy and flirty he was so fun after that!

In the morning we went for some nature walks. First was Scott's Cabin, and Doane Pond. (Brian's younger brother is named Scott and the kids liked the idea of finding a cabbing for Uncle Scott) From the Pond "Scott's Cabin" was 1.2 miles. We took Susan along in the stroller. When it got to hard to push her Brian lifted the front and I held the back. After thinking we should turn around about 3 times we finally did. The path was covered with ferns and some other kind of green plant and not being botanists and the possibility of poison ivy we thought we should turn around. (After we got home we looked up poison Ivy and as it turns out, it does not grow in CA). As we walked to the car we passed the bathrooms and decided that was Scott's Cabin.

The pond was neat, we talked to a man who said he comes every 2 weeks to fish in the small lake. He said they keep the lake stocked with trout every few weeks. The fisherman pulled the fish he caught out of the water and let the kids touch them. Brian (Jr) has been begging to go fishing we told he he can only go if he will eat some fish. He has not tried any yet so it was good to show him how alive the fish are and what it would look like to catch one. At the lake there was a loud moaning sound, I thought it might be a cow but lower pitched, Brian thought it was a locus. The trail led us next to the lake and closer to the loud moaning. We were cautious as we walked pass, but could not see any animal. Then we saw in the lake there were huge frogs! The moaning was the big frogs in the lake.

Our next hike was a much easier stroll or nature walk to an open meadow. This time we left the stroller. Susan loved the freedom and ran most of the way. She did not want to hold anybody's hand and often tripped and fell. She never fell hard but every time she fell she would land on her chest and put her hands up trying not to get them dirty or touch the ground. While she waited for Brian or I to pick her up. Every time she fell we laughed, she was so tough not to hold our hand and not slow down. When she wanted to run faster she raised her shoulders like a football line backer ready to charge, but if she fell she was too dainty to let her hands get dirty! She caught on that falling down was making us laugh so she started falling it on purpose. Once we got to the open meadow we could see a fog coming through the trees quickly. We walked back to the car to end our outing.

As we drove through the mountain and out of the camping site it was foggy everywhere! Brian had to drive extra slow because he could not see more than a few car lengths ahead.
The kids all fell asleep in the back of the car as we drove home. At the campsite there were signs posted warning that squirrels might have the plague. On the drive home I had a bad head ache that lead to nausea shortly later Brian pulled over to let me throw up. He got me a blanket and my pillow and I eventually fell asleep. When I woke up I felt better and decided it was not the plague.

On the way home we stopped for lupper (lunch-supper) at KFC. This is blog-worthy because of Brian jr's reaction to Brian Sr's order of a "Buffalo Snacker" he laughed hard and looked so cute!

When we got home it was cloudy and rainy, for some reason all my memories of camping as a kid we come home to a thunder storm so the clouds and rain felt right.