Our Fantastic Family Of Four Forever Believes

"Other things may change us, but we start and end with family" Anthony Brandt

Monday, October 06, 2008

CAIDEN'S BIRTHDAY WEEKEND: CANEY LAKE/ULM FOOTBALL TAILGATE AND GAME

This was absolutely one of the best weekends we have ever had! Jerry and I and the kids had a blast! This is something that we will have to do again! Jerry and I have decided that we will do a state park at least once every 3 months. This little weekend get-a-way brought our family so much closer. We feel so united as a family. Every one of these kids had a blast, and are still talking about!
The girls felt right at home, and they camped out just like the boys!




We picked up ALL the kids from school, and then we packed up. Oh my, the car was so loaded down! When going camping, there are so MANY things to have to pack!! There are clothes, pillows,blankets, medicine, I ALWAYS pack up a First Aid kit. When in the woods, you have to be prepared for anything. Bug spray, sting bites, AND YES, poison ivy, which I am glad to say that no one came in contact with! Of course, I had Caiden's asthma meds on hand, ALWAYS. We must not forget the food, we had food in every compartment of the car. We also packed all sorts of board games, and playing cards. Oh, we can't forget the birthday cake, Which was snug between the arm rest of Jerry and I! We had the car so packed down that Each kid had something beside them or underneath their feet! We even had bread and hamburger buns on the dashboard! We wanted to make sure we had EVERYTHING needed for an exciting weekend!
The ride there was great, the kids were so excited, and talked about what they were going to do first!
We finally arrived at Jimmie Davis State Park, AKA, Caney Lake. The first thing the kids did was run down the the fishing dock. They were wanting to check everything out! And you can guess you did the unpacking.....mom and dad, of course! We finally got everything in the cabin, which took about 6 trips! I then started to make things seem like home, I put things in the fridge, set up chairs, put sheets on the bed, put the kids suitcases in the "bunk bed" room. There is just a warm feeling about being in a little cabin with all sorts of fun things planned, and just making it our little get-a-way home for the weekend!
It was so fun to see the kids running down the little trail, and heading to the dock. They just stood there, looking and the beautiful water.
They found a little duck decoy sitting on the pier, and they threw it out in the water, and they watched it bobble in the water!



Jerry and I were just standing there with smiles on our faces, we love to see kids happy...and they were happy. Jerry was so looking forward to this trip. He has been working so hard, and he was just as excited as they were, he deserved some time with us and some time to relax!
After they played some on the pier, they decided that they were ready to start picking up limbs and sticks for our bond fire. This is what I was looking forward to!! Roasting weenies and marshmallows, I was just like a little kid myself! I LOVE sitting around a BIG campfire,with my family,it is just something about nature, I love camping! I grew up in a hunting family, and as a kid, I loved to go to various hunting camps, sitting around that bond fire, and getting up very very early to go hunting!


Our Cabin





The boys scoped out the area, and gathered up all sorts of sticks of various sizes.
Jerry also told them to collect pine straw too, for it burns quickly, and our fire would have a much better start with this!
The girls helped out to, and I think we actually gathered more sticks and limbs than the boys...well, it was a close race anyway!
After that, I went inside to prepare my Spiral Ham, We had ham sandwiches for lunch Saturday. I love to cook, and I truly believe the best tasting food is food that is cook for several hours, letting every little bit of juice set on it and simmer. I cooked the ham on the very low settings for 7 hours, and I must say, the ham was delicious!! The kids all love it and wanted more!




The kids then decided that they wanted to play cards. We had regular playing cards, and UNO, which they LOVED!
It was so cute watching Jerry be the dealer and teaching the kids new card games! Jerry is such a great dad! He is always interacting with our children and he is so involved in every aspect of their lives. Caiden and Bailee are so blessed to have him!
When Jerry and I were planning this trip, we were trying to come up with different things we could do, and I decided it would be fun to use little candy packets as their "money". The kids all loved that, and even ate a few pieces of their "money" during the game!
O f course, Caiden was trying to hide all of his winnings, He had just won a big hand, and he was showing that NO ONE was getting any pieces!




After a few games of cards, Jerry decided it was time to fire up the grill!
The kids stayed outside, and walked around exploring every inch of the woods
They even gave Jerry some pointers on how to cook, They were telling him how they like the hamburgers cooked!
They played a little football too! Even the girls!






Then we all walked down to the pier to set the sunset.
It was so beautiful, it really was! The kids were all amazed at how the reflection of the sun on the water had changed.
We just stood there and watched this beautiful change!













Caiden even decided to help his dad cook, Jerry was more than happy to let him flip the burgers! It was great and heart warming to see them two talking and joking around. I love my boys!

After a few games of football and relaxation time, the burgers done and it was time to eat!
The kids took thier plates and parked in front of the tv. There was so much to do outdoors, and they did only watch tv while eating and getting ready for bed!


Then it was time for Caiden's Birthday party! We sang "Happy Birthday" and got ready for some cake!
He was just happy to have us all together as a family..plus Bo!
He picked out a Yankee's cake, for he has had just about every sports cake imaginable!He had a Saints cake last year and wanted something different. He was a lot of fun having a birthday party in a cabin in the woods. Something different, something to always remember.
He got to cut his own cake, and he got the first piece of cake that he wanted.



He was so happy that he got to cut his 1st birthday cake!
Oh yes, YUM, checking on the ham, it was coming along nicely. The kids asked me what that great smell was!
The time had come.... I had been wanting for this all day....Bond fire time!! Caiden got the weenies ready and the marshmallows! While shopping for groceries, I found the coolest marshmallows. They were vanilla and chocolate. I grabbed a couple of bags and they turned out to be soo good. They were for sure good when melted!
The kids got so excited when Jerry lit the bond fire. They were jumping up and down and they already had thier sticks ready to put into the bond fire. They were ready for a good time of roasting weenies and just sitting around a good old campfire and telling stories!
I was just as excited as they were. Jerry enjoyed it too!

Emily and Megan were having a blast feeding each other!



Caiden and I decided to chill out and talk about how much fun we were having!



After the bond fire, we all decided to go back to the pier and look at the stars. This was a time to relax and take in nature, the kids really liked looking at the stars. They kept aruging which star was the brightest and biggest.




After looking at the stars, we played a few more games and then let the kids have time by themselves and Jerry and I got some time alone. It is always good for mom and dad to spend time alone. This builds healthy relationships for stronger families. We are Caiden and Bailee's role models, they look up to us and they mimic what they see. If they see that Mom and Dad have a good solid relationship, then they too can learn from us and build healthy adult realtionships with others.
After time with each other, it was bed time, for we had a big day planned for tomorrow, and we wanted everyone to be well rested! I got up the next morning, cooked everyone bacon, eggs, and sausage, so the kids could be well fueled for the activities.
Jerry and I had a Savenger Hunt planned out for the morning. It was the Girls vs Boys and they each teamed up and went to special places to discuss stratergy and so fourth. Each list was different. They had to find different things.

Jerry was to go with the boys and I was to go with the girls!
We had 2 digital cameras, and they had to take pictures of different things
The Savenger Hunt Lists

These are some of the things the girls had to take pictures of.






These are what the boys had to take pictures of


After several minutes of running around crazy, walking a lot trying to get everything on the list, the girls and I finally returned to the cabin to meet up with the boys to see and compare what they got. Come to find out, they had been waiting on us for awhile, which I thought was crazy, for there were alot of things on that list, and it required alot of walking and thinking! They cheated a little bit, boys will be boys! We compared pictures and came to the conclusion that it was a tie!The deal was that the loser had to take a pie in the face! So, Jerry and I decided that EVERYONE would get a chance to throw a pie at whomever they choose! The kids were loving this idea! Brotherly and Sisterly love was about to be shown!!

Megan and Emily were so funny! They enjoyed rubbing pies into each other faces!

And My Bailee Grace got her brother real real good!

Caiden got to push a pie into Jerry's face and he loved every minute of it!
Then it was my turn, Jerry really made sure that he got me good!! It was a blast, and the pies consisted of whipped cream and chocolate sauce. So it was kinda like a treat to have it smeared all in your face!

The kids had so much fun with this, we smelled of whipped cream and chocolate, but it was a great smell. Our hair was soo sticky, but we didn't mind, we were camping for heavens sake, this was what it was all about!!



This was truly the best part about our trip!

After the Throw-A-Pie-In-Your-Face, we all took turns taking a shower. The girls could still smell the great smell of whipped cream after washing thier hair! The kids decided to play some more card games, waiting on the Ham sandwhiches that I was preparing!


I finally got everthing ready and they all piled up in the kitchen for lunch! Since this was Caiden's Birthday weekend, He got to call the shots. We had the cabin booked for 2 nights, but he decided that he wanted to go tailgating and watch the ULM football game. He said that he wanted to be around Pappaw cooking and playing football in the groove. So we packed up and waved good bye to our wonderful weekend of nature! We had so much fun! I even told all the kids that if they made Honor Roll next 6 weeks, I would take them back! They promised me that they would try thier best, for they wanted to come back!
Thank you Caney Lake, we had such a great time and we will be returning soon! Caiden so much enjoyed his 1st Birthday weekend!

Jerry doesn't get to home come much, being that this is prime Hurricane season, but he so looks forward to ULM Taligating and the game! Caiden does too! I knew that he would probably not be able to attend many ULM games, and I wanted him to get to go to at least one.
I also wanted him to be able to spend time with his parents. For his family has always tailgated and supported the ULM Warhawks. So, Jerry,Caiden, and Bailee left Saturday afternoon for the tailgate and game. Bo sooned joined them and they had a blast!
They got to hang out with Pappaw and MiMi , and see a pig being roasted!

Caiden and Bo got to play football and hang out.




They got to watch the Ulm game. I am so glad that we had such a wonderful weekend. There is nothing like spending time with your family. Caiden had such a great time and he got to go camping and he got to do one of his favortite things, play and watch football! Caiden and Bo, and Jerry are so excited about next weekend, for we will travel to New Orleans to watch the New Orleans Saints play! Who dat, who dat say gonna beat them them Saints, who dat???!!