Canoe Camping

Last weekend we went canoe camping on Rocky Lake. It was a trip we took last year when Liam was just eight weeks old. We weren't sure how he was going to do this year being older and more mobile. I had tried him in his life vest around the house just to get him used to it. In the house he hated it so I feared a canoe trip filled with his screams. Thankfully, once we were in the boat and on the water he was perfectly fine with the life jacket. The best part of Rocky Lake is that we can camp on an island. This year we went to Rocky Lake with our friends Angie and Chris and their children Eliza and Sam. It is great to have Eliza and Sam around as they are fantastic at entertaining Liam. It is so cute to watch them play with him and take care of him. Sammy and Eliza are also great little campers. They had a ball swimming, canoeing and camping.
The downside to camping this time of year was the mosquitos. They were horrible for a period of about two hours. The kids all tried to be tough but they were being eaten alive as were the adults. Baby Liam as the kids call him, has quite a lot of bites on him now. One bite that I could have lived with out this camping trip was a leech bite. Yep, Liam had his first leech on his wee little leg. I had just told Angie the day before that it was no big deal if there were leeches in the lake. If one happened to latch onto any of us we would just pull it off. I was not so calm and collected when I found the leech on Liam. I might have yelled out like a girl and made Mike pull it off Liam's leg. Luckily, Liam didn't seem at all phased by the leech and continued to be happy to be out in the canoe with us.
We were totally amazed by how well Liam did sleeping in the tent. We thought for sure that he would not want to go down for a nap or for bedtime in the tent. Boy did he prove us wrong. He was amazing in the tent. He went right to sleep and seemed to be really happy hanging out in the tent. We are so lucky to have such a little nature boy.
Angie, Chris, Mike and I decided that since our Rocky Lake trip was such a success we would try Kayak camping later on this summer. Should be fun!

Rehoboth Beach Trip

Liam had his first trip to a real sandy beach. Beaches around here just don't count, really. We met up with the entire Dunlap clan for a week at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. My Uncle Jess and Aunt Linda have a condo there so they and my cousins Byron and Jenn as well as their significant others stayed in their condo while Mom, Dad, Ty, Leanne, Quinn, Colin, Trevor, Sarah, Ashton, Mattie, MIke, Liam and I all stayed in the condo next door. Boy was it crazy sometimes with all of those kids in one condo. As crazy as it was, it was fantastic to get to spend so much time with the family. I am not sure that Liam knew what to make with so many people around. He is used to the relative quiet of our three person home. Having the cousins around to entertain him and love on him was a definite pleasure though. He would trail behind them as they all went along their way doing the things that small children will do.
The first few days, Liam was not at all sure what to make of the ocean waves. He has been dipped into the frigid ocean waters of Maine but being near the waves of Delaware is an entirely different experience. The first few times we ventured near the water he would get quite scared of the waves rolling up towards him. Eventually, he grew to love them. On many occasions he would set off crawling away from out small village of umbrellas and towels and jet towards the wave without so much as a backward glance. We would trail behind him trying to determine what he would do. It soon became apparent that he was fully ready just to crawl right down to and in the water. We would scoop him up right as the water came sweeping past his knees and he would laugh. We certainly have a little water baby on our hands.
Liam was also a huge fan of the sand. He was perfectly content to sit and play in the sand and eat a ton of it as well. One would think that after your first mouthful of sand, you would not put more in your mouth. Liam seemed to think it was tasty as he would just keep shoveling more in. I guess he really believes in becomming one with nature.
Rehoboth has a nice little boardwalk that has a small amusement park for kids and grownups alike. Trevor was addicted to skiball the entire time that we were there and he seemed to pass on his addiction to Ashon. Liam just loved to got to Funland and watch the people and see the lights. Mike did take him on the Merry-go-round but he was not at all sure what to make of that. The rest of the cousins though were totally into the rides. At one point Colin, Mattie, Ashton and Quinn all were on these little kiddie swings, it was ridiciously cute.
I am sure that we will have many more beach vacations to look forward too. Next time I have no doubt that Liam will be ready to go all the way into the water and take on the waves.