A Camping Adventure

Our kids love to go camping. Abby started asking when we could go camping in February. This weekend was our first camping trip of the summer. We packed the car up on Wednesday night and headed out Thursday after work. Our destination - Deep Creek State Park in Maryland. This was our first time to Deep Creek - and the weather was less than idea, but all in all we had a great time.

It was an easy trip - much shorter than we anticipated. We found the park without problems and after being reassigned to a new camp spot because we took our puppy and the original spot was in the no dog zone, we got settled in. Our spot was less than private - directly across from the bath house for our loop and intended to be paired with the spot of our less than quiet neighbors. 150 foot of rope, a large tarp, trees and rocks...a privacy screen was errected and things were much better.

The campground itself was very nice. All the roads were paved and were also one way - which made bike riding easier for the kids. The road directly in front of our site was also flat which made practicing riding without training wheels easier for Abby and her Daddy. Each site was equipped with a "bear box" which made securing our food and supplies much easier than it would have been if we had to drag them in and out of the car. And much more secure. No worries about bears breaking into the car for a snack.

We knew that the weather would be cooler in Deep Creek than it would be at home, but we were not really prepared for just how cold it was. The sun finally appeared to stay on Saturday and we all went down to the beach. The kids actually braved the water for awhile, but it was really COLD and they didn't stay in long. They did have fun playing on the beach in the sand though.

We tried to go to the fireworks on Saturday night. The park staff told us all about them when we checked in. The part they forgot to tell us was that parking to view the fireworks was along the road on the shoulders around the scenic overlook and that you needed to get there hours before to get a parking place. When we arrived, all the spaces were gone. We ended up down the road behind some trees. We did see some of the fireworks display...those that were shot very hight in the air. The kids were satisfied...and Abby really liked that she could see them but did not have to hear the loud booms from the cannons.

All in all - a very good trip. We walked around the campground with the map and marked the spots we'd like to try next time we go. Hopefully we'll make time to go on several other camping trips this summer.

Introducing the newest member of the family

We have a new pet - her name is Madison (Maddie) and she is a 7 month old chihuahua that we got from our neighbor. Our neighbors who are renters had to decide whether to pay a pet deposit or find a new home for their puppy. They decided to find her a new home and didn't have to look far. Once our kids found out that their was a puppy who would always stay little in need of a home they were quick to volunteer. Maddie is a sweet little doggy and she is already housebroken. She is mostly good with this kids and seems to get along just fine with Lacey and the cats. I am sure that we'll have many adventures together. Stay tuned.

Another Season Comes to a Close

Josh's baseball team held their end of the season picnic on June 25th at Mary Lou Retton Park. It was a great evening. Much like our season the focus was on having fun and being positive. Our team sponsor - EconoMart provided more pizzas than 12 growing kids and their families could ever possibly eat and cookie cakes that looked like baseballs. Each family brought a little something, too. The kids had a great time playing on the play ground and eating.



When it was time for the awards, our head coach Kevin Morris started by recognizing the coaches. They did a fantastic job all season long of helping our kids have fun and learn about baseball at the same time. And then, when he recognized the players, Kevin talked a little about their progress. He started with the 6 year olds - we had 4 of them - all were eligible to play another year of Tee ball but all stretched themselves by starting C Ball. They were all great little players. Morgan, the only girl on our team for the whole season, capped off her first year with a homerun in her last at bat.



Kevin took his time and praised each kid for their contribution to our team. He also totaled their season stats and wrote them on the bottom of each trophey. It was a great end to a great season. We have been really lucky to have good coaches every year. So far, Kevin has been the best. I hope that he will decide to coach B-ball next year and if he does, that he drafts Josh to his team.


Front row - Shaine, Peyton, Eli, Josh, John. Middle row - Sam, Dreavin, Morgan, Corey, Nathan, Joel. Back row - Coach Jeff, Coach Kevin, Coach Sean, Coach Pat, Coach John.