Last week all of Shane's immediate family went camping for a week on Crescent Lake. With 6 children under 6 years old? Yep we are CRAZY!!! It was a lot of fun. We took the boat with all the toys and a few tent trailers and lived it up. We spent most mornings full force on the boat but afternoon brought wind and rough waters which forced us to enjoy each others company on the beach.
We came back dirty, tan, sleep deprived, and not refreshed like a vacation should offer but we cannot wait to do it again.
There are a few lessons learned that I must document and review before doing this again.
Lakes=misquotes in swarms, which of course I prepared for but I learned a few things. Misquotes can bite though clothing; therefore the 6 misquote bites on my tushy that drove me insane. Repellent must be applied every 30 minutes for adequate relief. It leaves a sticky, filmy, smelly residue over your entire body. It also attracted dirt and cakes it on.
I still love hot things. I was born and raised under the Arizona sun and my body craves the heat. It is possible to sit too close to a campfire, and probably not the best example for your children as far as fire safety.
If sunscreen is not applied, the sun will find those small areas that are not yet tan and burn the life out of them. I.e. ears, top of forehead that is normally covered by styled hair. If you do not get sunscreen on every inch of those babies pail bodies the sun will find the areas you missed. Also you can get really tan lying on a beach all day.
I love wake boarding but no amount of pre-excersize will prevent muscle fatigue and weakness. Also the wake is not as scary as it looks, it is actually the fun part of being behind the boat.
Babies do not take very good naps if they are not in their beds at home. When you sleep in the same room as babies every tiny movement wakes you up and you don't good sleep either. Babies do well because they can find a lot of things to occupy their attention outside but when the distraction discontinues and they remember something that they want from their mama...it is a meltdown.
Our tent trailer is worth EVERY penny. It stores and transports all of our camping gear. Protects and keeps warm. Big enough for all of us...just priceless.
Bathing is necessary before bed especially when dirt is caked on...But you have to be creative to pull it off. One night was in an inflatable dingy...which we forgot to drain the water from and found a drown chipmunk in the morning. Another night we left a clear storage bin the the sun all day and then bathed each child in the water warmed by the sun.
Chipmunks are only fun for 5 minutes and then they are ANNOYING!!! They are not shy and steal food right off the table you are standing at. They are creative about what they want to destroy. No paper product or food not canned is exempt from their rummaging. We were not too upset when we found one had drown...awful to admit.
My babies do better on the boat. They are mild, and sit on your lap nicely. Sometimes we would take them on the boat just to get them to sleep. They are helpful and pull in the ski ropes.
My husband, his dad and his brothers are amazing in the skyski. They are entertaining to watch as they do backflips, skids, high jumps.
Crescent Lake is a great place to camp and boat. The water is overlooked by a ice covered mountain and delivers ice cold water into various part of the lake, yet the water is comfortable after the first run. The water is freshwater and clear. As you ski along you can see the bottom in various parts of the lake. You can also clearly see the foil of the skyski and the guys are doing tricks. It was not busy and we were able to have full reign of the entire lake. We camped and parked the boat right on the beach and pretty much had our own area of beach that few interrupted.
***This wake board picture is from when I was first learning, thus the helmet. After my biff last week I am strongly considering wearing it again.
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