The Annual Door County Pilgrimage

We departed Sunday morning for Shawano. The plan was to spend Sunday night in Shawano and pack our meals for camping and then move on out to Door County on Monday. After our arrival we did our Super-Walmarting, where we stocked up on food for the next week. On Monday we were up early--thanks to Ky--and began the packing of our food, and camping supplies. One mid-size car, a baby, two adults, and a large dog--but Dad fit it all (we knew he would.) We departed right after lunch, feeling the car's pain under all the extra weight.

We arrived around 4:00 and quickly scouted out our campsite at Penninsula State Park. Rob and I swore we had reserved a different site than the one given, but how do you do that when we didn't print out our reservation info. Anyway--we were pretty disappointed to find our site VERY close to other sites and the bathroom a hop-skip away. Turned out in the long run, it was actually a good site for a preggo lady who has to go--And, nobody else stayed on the 2 close sites until our very last day--so we were able to avoid neighbors.

We quickly got to work getting up the tent and unpacking chairs, etc.... Ky was excited. A month or so ago we had gotten a book from the library called "Fred & Ted Go Camping." We had told him we were going camping just like Fred and Ted. So for the whole week prior and for our camping week he kept saying "We're camping like Fred and Ted" or "We sleep in a tent like Fred and Ted." It was very cute. For dinner we cooked some brats over the fire and ate our yummy vegetable packets. AHHHH...this is the life. After dinner we went down to the lake front which was a five minute walk from our campsite and took pics of the sunset. Daddy showed Ky how to throw rocks in the water and that soon turned into Ky's favorite camping activity. Every day he asked "Can I throw rocks in the water?"

That night was an adjustment for Ky. Last year, he slept really easily in the tent. This year, it took a few nights to adjust. First of all, I went to the bathroom and came back (it was dark out) and Ky had no idea who I was. He was kind of scared of me and clung to Dad. We had to put a flashlight on me to show him who I was, but even then he still seemed a bit concerned. We put him in his Pack n' Play (which he will be too big for in another couple of months--darn!) and then Rob and I played games in the tent until he fell asleep.

The next morning we were awakened by Bear. I think Bear thought he had to protect us. (He usually is very good camping--and actually the first night was Bear's worst night.) He was growling and started barking a couple of times. And of course that woke up the young lad a little sooner than we had hoped for. So we put Ky in bed with us and were able to get a little more sleep. That day we spent the morning hiking. We tried to balance our days with a morning hike and then a different activity in the afternoon. This was for the sake of me who has been dealing with stretching tummy muscles that don't do well on long hikes--as well as some lower back pain. The hikes were not as fun as they were last year. The mosquitoes were attacking us, despite bug spray. You had to walk pretty fast at times to keep ahead of them. We went to the beach for a short stay after that. Bear was comfortably in the car (the temp was actually pretty cool.) Ky and Daddy flew a kite for the first time. This was amusing to watch since Daddy had clearly not flown a kite in a LONG LONG time. I had the idea behind it, but was not going to run anywhere with my large stomach. Dad got it up a couple of times, and even Ky got it up (briefly) once with help from Dad. But in the end Ky went back to old reliable--kicking the soccer ball.

If I haven't mentioned it before, this child is very gifted with balls and coordination. You would be impressed to see what this 2 year old can do with a ball. Not to mention it is a daily request--"Please play soccer with me." The nice thing is kicking the ball around helps him get out a lot of energy--so I am very happy to oblige--especially when he is more than willing to do most of the chasing.

Oh yeah--please be sure to notice Rob's pregnancy picture. It is always fun to have him attempt to bond with me and the feelings of pregnancy.

The end of that day we took Bear for a swim--which he loved. Since we moved from Milwaukee and the park was across the street, Bear has not gotten as much swimming time. He was a very happy dog that night and slept pretty well too! For dinner we grilled chicken and more vegetable packets. You know there is just something wonderful about food over the fire! After that we attempted to introduce Ky to S'mores, which turned into a hassle and a burden--not to mention that he didn't really seem to appreciate the S'more idea. He wasn't patient for the marshmallows to roast and then he didn't really want to eat the sandwich together--and then when he finally tried, the gooey goop went everywhere. And of course it is dark and now it's in his hair and on his clothes.

And then we tried putting him to bed--big mistake. He was so hyped on sugar, it was well over an hour before he went to sleep. Rob and I then made a responsible parental decision. No more S'mores for this boy this camping trip. We would just have to hold the burden of eating them on our own. :)

Day 3 was another day for hiking, but first pancakes and sausage. YUMMY! I love camping food! We filled ourselves up and took off on a couple of trails. The first trail we took we encountered a very scary deer. Yes a scary deer! So we were walking and suddenly I hear these hissing noises and this deer runs from the left side of the trail. Anyways we stop to admire it--and show it to Ky. Turns out this deer has stopped and is facing us in a rather defensive manner. Then he started hissing at us and stamping his feet. I should correct myself--she. We are pretty sure we must have been near some of her babies. At this point we decided it was best to get away from the area. (BTW--I did try to take pics of the deer--but we started moving very fast to get away from the rabid deer, so they came out all blurry.) Now I have been around a lot of deer in my life, but never one like this. We took off and the thing followed us for quite some time. I was afraid it was seriously rabid or something and might attack--and can you imagine Rob running with KY and me with my big belly. Yeah--not a good idea. Anyways--to this day if you ask Ky what the deer says he will start hissing. So now we all know that deer do make noise.

Shortly after the deer, we arrived at the lookout tower which Dad and Ky climbed together. I figured it was best not to overdo things and stayed on the ground with Bear. Next we walked an obstacle/fitness course, where Ky enjoyed doing everything that Daddy did. (Once again my involvement was minimal.) There is a pic above of Daddy and Ky doing push-ups together. Very cute. Ky also practiced walking a balance beam frontwards and backwards and did amazingly well for a two year old. I am telling you--he is a very coordinated lad. I easily see him turning into an athlete.

After our hikes we returned to camp and showered. Then we were off to drop Bear at the kennel. We had made some reservations for him the last couple of days so that we could do some non-dog activities. On our way back from the kennel we stopped at a couple of our favorite little stores--Orchard Ridge. You can see Ky eating his free apple cider pop in the pic above (and if you look back to last summer we have the same pic of him--different age of course.) Then we played a bit on their swing set and indulged in their yummy donuts and jams of all kinds. After that we stopped at the formally known "Ray's Cherry Hut" which is now just "Cherry Hut." We were disappointed to find that the management had changed so much of the store. The prices were up, they had less stuff and they did not have ANY spiced cherry jam--which we always look forward to. Needless to say that store will no longer be on our annual pilgrimage.

And finally before dinner--we of course ate our ice cream at the infamous "Not Yet Licked." Ky had minimal ice cream. He was too enthralled by the giant play structures--which was good for me and Rob--we got more ice cream for ourselves then :) Then was dinner time. We ate outside at a local restaurant (I forget the name--which of course means they didn't make much of an impression.) The food was okay. Really it was nice to just relax with our meals and people watch. Then home we went--back to the campsite.

Day 4 was going to be our beach day. We got up--it was still a bit chilly and chose to go on the nature trail--which has interesting facts along the way. Well---we were badly attacked by mosquitoes--so it turned into the nature run. (This is the worst the trails had ever been for us!) When we got back to the nature center, Ky entertained Rob and I by singing "No More monkeys jumping on the bed"--you can see him in the pic with his finger pointing up. Then we played a rousing game of checkers. I was the Bears, Ky was the fish. Ky kept cheating and moving his fish to illegal spots so I simply declared myself the winner.

We then went back to camp for lunch and a nap before the beach. Ky however refused to nap. He cried, he sang, he talked..and finally Rob and I had enough and decided let's pack up our stuff and then just go to the beach--yeah--then he fell asleep. So he got a 10 minute nap (because Rob and I were ready to go to the beach.)

Of course once there, it conveniently clouded up and got cold. ARGH! Just our luck. Ky however did not mind and enjoyed playing in the sand. He enjoyed scooping up buckets of water and bringing them up on the beach. He also had fun helping Daddy dig a giant hole. (Notice the pic of daddy standing in the hole next to Ky.) (Also notice the cute pic of Ky's butt crack--it appears those shorts did not fit him so well around the waist--I had a lot of fun snapping pics every time he bent over :) --Do I have some fun pics to show future girlfriends or what!)

So back to camp after our chilly beach time. This time for yummy burgers. Rob and I fought to get a good fire going this time as well. Usually we don't have this problem. After a long wait the food was cooked and we were ready for bed--that is Ky to go to bed so Rob and I could eat more s'mores.

Our last day we spent the morning packing up. We planned to get some icecream at Malibu Moo's (similar to ColdStone) and then head to Whitefish Dunes for more beach time. Ky was a big helper with pulling out the tent stakes and putting them away--but by the time everything was packed up, he was definitely ready to go. So off we went. We went to Whitefish Dunes for the first time ever. This is a state park located off of Lake Michigan with natural dunes. It took some time to get there---and conveniently by the time we got there it was cloudy and cold--AGAIN....So much for beach days. Ky however had an excellent time. He didn't care. It could have been snowing and he would have been happy as a clam. We were actually fortunate that the beach closed at 3PM (whoever heard of a beach closing at 3 PM?!), so with everyone else leaving it was easy to get him to go to. We will try the beach again--it was a nice place, however next time we will aim for a warmer day.

After that we were off to pick up Bear and head back to Shawano. The journey went well--Ky slept a lot. Bear was excited to see us, however when we got to Shawano he started giving us the cold shoulder--he was a bit angry about the kenneling. The next day we relaxed in Shawano and met up with our friend Wendy (from Madison who was also vacationing up north.) It was a good time to chat--and she introduced us to the Dairy Cove--which was lots of fun.

Sunday was our last day--and we really spent it packing up the car and then driving to Mequon--which I will continue in the next blog.

So a few closing notes on this trip....beware of park rangers. They really do check your park sticker to make sure they are valid. We took Rob's car camping since it has the bigger trunk---but ideally like to use my car when we are doing family outings to the park and such. So when we bought our park sticker, I cheaply laminated and taped it on his window. Well we got busted. The ranger was very nice about it though and didn't fine us or anything--but told us to fix it. Meaning--unlaminate it and stick it to the window. We were leary of the rangers after that.

Ky was an excellent camper. And the boy continues to astound me. His memory in particular. To this day he will say "remember when we saw the deer camping." Or he will bring up other stories....He also is showing sure signs of potty training. He told us often when he needed his diaper changed. We are working on it now with some progress, but I will save that for another blog entry--Oh yeah--and Ky when you need a good embarassing story, remind me to tell you your pooping like a big boy while camping incident. I won't blog it--as to save you some privacy in life, however I will be more than happy to share the story with you some day. And I am pretty sure I will not forget it!

Baby #2 is continuing to bloom and blossom. I don't have the food cravings I did with Ky with this one--but I am always longing for sugar. It makes it a struggle---but I am in control. However, I just got a call today from the doc and I failed the gestational diabetes test. This doesn't mean I have diabetes---I just have to back in for a more thorough test to find out if I do. Let's pray that everything comes back fine. The last thing I want to have to worry about is my diet. Also my iron came back really low. This actually annoys me--I warned them before that I struggle with my iron. They gave me a blood test in the beginning and told me everything was fine and now 20 weeks later test me again to tell me that I need supplements. I wish they had been testing me more regularly in the first place and have caught this early--especially since I have a history and informed them from the beginning. All else is good though. I have started feeling hiccups now. Ky had hiccups ALL THE TIME! Every day!! This one only gets them occasionally. I am at 30 weeks now as I am finishing writing this. I am excited to meet this new little one, but am panicking as the time ticks down. There is still so much I want to complete before he/she comes. Let's pray for a full term baby! I need the full 40 weeks!

Oh yeah--one more camping comment--so we are at a store and Rob is buying some stuff and is holding Ky in his arms and the cashier is talking with him. I am totally oblivious and not paying attention. We leave the store and I say to Rob--what did that lady say to you--well turns out she said to Kylan "I don't know where your mommy was when you were born because you look just like your father." Alright--understandable comment--but from a preggo who carried that child for 37 weeks, was in labor for 24 hours without food or sleep, and then sliced open to have that beautiful child removed from my body--I was offended. Good thing I was oblivious when she said that otherwise I might have said something to her I would have regretted later. :) Perhaps the next one will look a little more like me :)

Okay--that's it for now. The next blog will be Birthday's & Father's Day in Mequon.