Finally!

Kick back and relax because you're going to be here for a while! There are actually 58 pictures in this series of 8 posts, all about our trip to Kentucky. I didn't realize I was being so excessive until it was too late. But at least it's done. You can read them as is, or start at the bottom because they appear in reverse order from the way I typed them. Either way, enjoy!

Jeeping & Camping: On the Trail

Friday and Saturday were the two full days we spent in the off road park. We belong to a local club called Northwest Indiana Jeepers, and we took this trip with them. We really only spent the two days in the park together, and did our own thing the rest of the trip. It was nice because there was another family with two older kids that came, so I had a woman to talk to. The sad thing about Jeeping is that you usually get the best pictures of Jeeps other than your own, particularly the one in front of you. For some obstacles we would all stop and go through one at a time, and then I could get out and take some of our own Jeep. We plan to post them on the NWIJ site, and then we can all swap, and hopefully someone got some good ones of us. But here are the ones I do have. John should really caption these, as this is not my area of expertise. You'll have to ask him, he'll give you an earful.

"Mud Terrain" tires, did you notice? :)

Jeeping & Camping: Julia, Julia, & More Julia

You sure can work a floppy hat, baby girl! Julia loves water bottles. If you ever find yourself in need of something to occupy the child, a water bottle works every time. Easily amuzed, what can I say?

You must be jealous. This is the face I am blessed to wake up to. I want to cry, the sight is so beautiful.

Poor baby. I set up this picture to show how big the bags under Julia's eyes were first thing in the morning. She has always been a great sleeper, getting 12-13 hours at night, and then usually only taking a cat nap during the day - not much of a napper, she likes to get all her sleep in at once. Well, tent camping was rough for her. She would wake up at dawn when the birds got loud and the light started coming through the tent. No dark, quiet, bedroom for sleeping late. She was happy, just exhausted. She took more naps than usual, all of them in the car seat.

Zzzzzzzz.....

Hot and sleepy, but she was a trooper in spite of it all!

Love, love, love this picture! She belongs in magazines.

John opted not to test his rock crawling skills here, on account of the rocks being so sharp, he was afraid he'd puncture a tire. (The rocks close to home are smooth and rounded.) I thank him for that responsible decision! We sat on them to eat lunch, though, and Julia posed of course.

I believe she's showing you her first tooth there on the bottom.

Bath time! I lucked out because there was a big sink in the bath/shower house intended for washing clothes and things like that. I can just imagine trying to hold her in the shower, yikes. She loved the sink, too. It was very convenient because we all got dirty enough to require baths every day!

Julia's first s'more. Of course, it's just a graham cracker, but fortunately for me, she doesn't know the difference!

She wasn't so sure about standing on those rocks, hence, the funny face.

Julia loves swings, although you probably didn't need me to tell you that!

No, she didn't actually slide down, but she sure looks cute perched there! Kristen was going to go down with her, but even her teeny bottom wouldn't fit in that narrow slide. It makes Julia look big!

Kristen taught Julia something new on this trip. Can you guess what it is? Oh sure, it's cute now. Just wait until she's three and getting punished for it, then she'll have her Auntie K to thank. Hee hee.

Car snacks! Doesn't the trip home always take twice as along as the trip there? Lucky for us, Julia had some sleep to catch up on and in between naps she enjoyed her new ability to eat solids. Between that and a giant bag containing practically every toy she owns, we were able to keep her occupied.

Overall, Julia did amazingly well, and I honestly didn't want to come home. I suggested staying another day or two, but Kristen quickly put her foot down. She was "camped out", pardon the pun. I definitely see many more camping trips in our future, with or without Auntie K. :)

Jeeping & Camping: Father's Day

Happy first father's Day John! On behalf of the baby girl, I'd like to write a tribute.

"My Favorite Things to Do With You, Daddy"

By Julia Faith

Sleep in late.

Go for long walks on the bike trail.

Play video games.

Say "da da" all day instead of "ma ma" to torment Mommy.

Eat whatever you will feed me.

Poop while Mommy's gone so you have to change me.

Work in the garage.

Watch football in "the position" on the couch.

Ride in the Jeep.

Thank you Daddy for including me in all the things you do, even though I'm small and even though I'm a girl. I know you love me because of all the time you spend with me. I can't wait to be bigger so I can do even more with you and learn everything you know. I love you!

We celebrated John's first Father's Day while we were on our trip, and I know there's no place he would have rather been! That morning I made him Mickey Mouse pancakes, per his request. That was my first attempt, but I'm proud of it, lopsided ears and all. Julia smiled big for the camera, and then tried to grab the pancake, of course! I think she did end up getting a bite or two.

John, in his first moments as a Daddy.

You've come a long way since then, and I love the father you've become. I couldn't ask for more than you are, as a husband and a father. Happy Father's Day, you deserve it!

Jeeping & Camping: Daddy

It's day one and John is taking the doors off already. Yes, it is heavy, but I made him stop and pose. Hee hee.

Is your heart melting like mine is? I love the way they're both turning their heads in toward each other.

Hot day, cool water. Baby girl loved it.

Out on the trail.

This was the evening we were all cooped up in the tent with the storm raging outside. Daddy is trying to get Julia to wind down and go to sleep. She looks pretty droopy.

John with two of the loves of his life. I like to think I make a third!

Jeeping & Camping: Mommy

I love my baby girl! While I enjoy being the official family photographer, that means there are rarely any pictures of me. Two of these I asked for, one I took myself, and the one in the Jeep was actually a surprise! This first one is awesome, I love how Julia has been resting her hand on my chest lately. And it was so cute when she was trying to get to my hand through the mesh on the pack n play.

Jeeping & Camping: Windswept

Made you laugh! Her hair sure does look longer when it's blowing in the wind, doesn't it? Julia loved riding in the Jeep with top off. And I love the pictures I got out of it! She was so funny. Of course, she only got blown away when we made trips to the store or gas station at higher speeds. Out on the trails, we moved along slowly.

The last picture is at camp. John got a site with electric so we could have a fan at night when it was crazy hot. Our first couple days there were the hottest, and then the rain cooled things off for the last few days. That rain was a blessing, really. Anywho, when we parked Julia in front of the fan to cool her off, she would stick her feet straight out, and her hair would go wild.