The weekend of September 18-20, I joined some girlfriends for a girls-only camping weekend at Hartman Creek State Park (near Waupaca, WI) to camp in a tepee!
Kristy and Amy were there...
And so were Shana and Cheyenne (Amy's dog).
We had gorgeous weather, and the campsite was really nice. It was set back a little from the other sites, so we felt like we had enough privacy...however, with it being the only tepee around, we did get some uninvited visitors a couple of times. There was a trail right behind the tepee, and a couple of families went ahead and took a peek inside while we were by our fire or picnic table. Good thing no one was changing!
Here's the view from inside the tepee.
The tepee was up on a wooden platform that was on a little hill of gravel (to keep it dry). Good thing we brought things to sleep on so we wouldn't be on the hard wood. The nights were pretty chilly. The first night, we burned wood that we had gathered from around our site. It was mostly pretty rubbery pine. So the next night, we purchased firewood from the campground. That was the way to go! We didn't do a lot of cooking (it was our weekend off, after all!), but we had a camp stove to warm water for coffee and other odds and ends.
There were a number of lakes around us, and tons of cool trails to check out. On Saturday, we rented a canoe and a kayak and spent a few hours on one of the lakes just paddling around appreciating our surroundings. Later, we explored near a dam. Here are Shana, Amy, Cheyenne and me.
Here's Kristy exploring part of the dam and creek.
On Sunday, Kristy and I went for a little extra walk after we'd left camp (cuz we didn't have to be home quite yet!). This trail went all around the lake, and there was even another inner trail that was farther from the water and in the woods more.
The scenery was beautiful! We saw lots of cool plants and berries and other pretty nature things.
It was a fun girls' weekend.
When I had left for camping, Fischer was sick with a fever. Upon my return, we headed into one of the crummiest weeks we've had as a family. I'll spare the details, but we're just glad we're all healthy again, and will move forward.
The kitchen has been getting painted! I got an update from our cupboard guy yesterday, and he's on track for having them in our house sometime the week of October 12-16! The new kitchen floor and landing by the back door goes in on October 8th. We have new appliances waiting to go in (stove, hood, dishwasher, microwave, little fridge)...The end is truly in sight!!!
I think we'll be all set to host another Halloween party ON HALLOWEEN (10/31) this year. Hey...and I won't be pregnant or nursing this time! But we're not sending out invites just in case something doesn't come together with our project. So, don't give up other plans to attend our party...but if you don't have other plans, we're 90% sure you can spend Halloween with us :)
And...just because blog entries aren't the same without our little boy...here are some recent pics to satisfy!
We went for a walk with our neighbors Chris and Taylor the other evening, and ended up on a pier by the Fox River trail. Fischer and I had been there a few evenings before, but I didn't have my camera along.
Fischer enjoyed watching boats and geese through the railing. He kept saying "wow". It seemed like he enjoyed the breeze off the water, too.
To get this shot of him watching a flock of geese, I had to hold my camera up and over the railing!
Fischer continues to grow more independent every day. He gets frustrated easily (and lets you know with a ticked-off cry). He avoids a lot of frustration, though, because he communicates effectively with the signs and words he knows. There are still plenty of things to get upset about! Like not being able to use our cell phones or computers...so we try not to have those out around him. It's also frustrating for Fischer to be contained in the living room if we're in there, because he can't wander into the dining room/kitchen with wet paint, other building stuff, and an open stairway!
In the basement, Joe changed things around a bit near our current "kitchen". I had a corral set up with a play area for Fischer to be in while I made dinner. He'd cry every time I put him in it. Joe decided we can take the corral apart and use the pieces to block the basement steps and the doorway to the downstairs bathroom where the litter box is. After we close the doors to the two rooms downstairs, Fischer's got a pretty sizeable area to run around. We just have to remind him not to touch the knobs on the stove and water heater. This makes for a happier boy while he's waiting for meals to be made!
Fischer uses his version of the word "yellow" not only to describe the color or things that are yellow, but also to express happiness. When he sees, for example, that dinner's ready and coming his way, he'll say "lell-lell-lell-lell-Oh!" and clap his hands and sign "please". He's working on the sign for thank you, and is learning to nod and say yes (sounds more like "dets").
So, as things finally come together with our new kitchen, I'll be sure to take photos of the progress so they can go into a future blog entry. With the amount of time I've been averaging between entries, maybe the next one will be to report our project's completion...? Wish us luck!!!
