Daddy’s View

Once again, the D family gathered at Raccoon State Park for the annual camping trip.  Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Bev, Uncle Mike, Michelle, Michael, Uncle joe, aunt Traci, Josh, Jake, Aunt Deborah, Uncle Jeff, Aunt Cindy, Brianna, and this year Tyler came with us.  We bought a camper earlier this spring, so we had plenty of room for Tyler.  Eric was, of course, very excited as he anticipated the camping trip.  Every time that he saw our camper in the driveway, he asked if we were going camping.  He was especially excited, because Tyler was coming with us.

We loaded up the camper and the truck on Friday morning and headed for the campground.  When we arrived, nobody was there.  Grandma’s and Grandpa’s RV was there, but they were not.  Aunt Bev’s and Uncle Mike’s camper was there, but they were not.  No doubt they were out having fun, either on the lake or on the golf course.  We set up our camper, and just as we finished with all of the work, Aunt Deborah and Uncle Jeff showed up.  Shortly after, Grandma and Grandpa returned from their golf outing, and Aunt Bev and Uncle Mike returned from the lake.  Eric was excited to see everyone!  Uncle Joe and family did not show up until later, and Aunt cindy and Brianna arrived on Saturday morning.

 The anticipation reaches an all-time peak, as we pull out of the driveway!

 Eric kept falling over in this chair.

Saturday was a fun-filled day!  We played games and split into groups for a scavenger hunt!  Eric and I were together on the same team.  Michael was our team captain, and we had Uncle Joe, Aunt Deborah, Josh, Brianna, and Grandma on our team.  The hunt required some significant travel around the campground, so we all piled into Uncle joe’s suburban.  Eric and I sat in the very back with the hatch window open.  Eric enjoyed this a lot!

Pooped after a long day!

 Eric’s bed in the camper.

Eric is so proud of his bed in the camper.  I fixed it up special just for him.  I installed a safety rail to keep him from rolling out of bed, and I installed a safety cover over the electrical outlet.  Mommy also appreciated these safety measures.  Eric slept well on the camping trip.

On Sunday, we packed up, closed the camper, and headed for home.  Another great weekend with the D family!  Eric had fun, and so did Tyler.  Tyler is already looking forward to next year!  Same as the rest of us!  On the way home, we made our traditional stop at the Dairy Queen in Avon, IN.  We ate lunch, and of course had ice cream.  Mommy and I realized that this was the first time that Eric ever had ice cream from a cone!  It was a new experience for him.  I enjoyed showing him how to lick around the edges and keep it from dripping.

He just can’t stay away from the water balloons!

It’s that time of year again.  Carmel Fest celebrates Independence Day in a big way.  Mommy, Eric, and I went on July 3rd to walk around, get some dinner, and Eric played on a couple of activities.  It was a fun evening.

On July 4th, I took Eric to the parade that runs through downtown Carmel.  Mommy was not feeling well, so it was just us boys for the morning.  I promised Mommy that I would take plenty of photos of the parade for her.  Mommy loves parades!  this would be Eric’s first parade.  He was very excited about going.  We drove downtown and parked the car.  Eric and I had to walk a few blocks to the parade.  Luckily, I remembered to bring his stroller.  Unfortunately, I forgot to bring a chair for myself to sit.  I grabbed our emergency blanket from the trunk and put it in the bottom of Eric’s stroller.  I thought I could sit on it when we found a spot to watch the parade.

The parade was fun.  There were lots of loud fire trucks and police cars; many marching bands; cool cars; clowns; dancers; motorcycles; and more.  As promised, I took may photos and video for Mommy.  I bought us some popcorn from the boy scouts, as they walked up and down the street before the parade started.  Popcorn is one of Eric’s favorite snacks.

When the parade was almost over, Eric announced that he had to go potty.  Wow!  I was surprised that he lasted this long.  It was very hot outside, and it was a long parade.  We had to walk about 2 blocks to find a rest room other than a few bars that were open very near the parade.  We found Bub’s was open, so we went in to use the bathroom.  When Eric was finished, I bought us some ice cream, and  we went back outside.  Eric could not decide if he wanted to go back to the parade or sit in the shade.  The decision was actually made for us, as the parade had already finished by the time we came out of Bub’s.  We sat across the street in the shade of a tall building, while we ate our ice cream.  After a few minutes, it was more like drinking our ice cream due to the very hot weather.  Eric and I had very much fun at the parade!

When we got home, Mommy was just a few minutes behind us.   She had gone over to Grandma G’s house.  Grandma, Aunt Carol, and Tyler were all coming over to go to the Carmel Fest.  Eric and I agreed to go with them.  Carmel Fest 2 days in a row and a parade!  A very busy weekend indeed.  Not to mention a backyard party later that evening at a friend of Mommy.

Later on the fourth, we went to a party.  Eric had a lot of fun playing with the other kids at the party.  He threw water balloons and played baseball!

On the way home, Mommy tried to take his picture in the car, but Eric held up his cup to block his face and told Mommy, “No pictures in the car, Mommy!”

At home, we threw some “poppers” on the ground to listen the the loud “crack!” sound that they made.  We also had a few small fireworks after the sun started to set.  Eric stayed up past his usual bed time to see the fireworks.  He also was still holding on to the water balloon that he had brought home from the party.  After a while, I told him to go ahead and throw it on the sidewalk.  I figured the sooner he let it go, the easier the separation would be.  He had carefully carried it out of the party, and asked me to put it in the trunk until we got home.  Instead, I found a safe place for it in his cup holder, and I told him not to play with it while we were in the car.

This was a very long but fun weekend!  Eric really enjoyed the Carmel Fest, the parade, the party, and the fireworks!  So did I!

Grandpa G passed away in June.  His body finally gave in to the cancer.  Eric knew that Grandpa was sick.  He had seen Grandpa in the hospital on more than one occasion.  Eric had been up to visit Grandpa just a couple days before he passed.  Mommy took him while Grandpa was sleeping.  On the day that he passed, I sat with Eric and explained as best I could that Grandpa was not here with us any more.  That his body had stopped working, and his soul had gone to heaven to be with God.  Eric was too distracted at the time and just wanted to go play.

Mommy explained later that we would be going to a “goodbye” party for Grandpa.  Eric stayed at home, while Mommy and I went to the showing.  The next morning, we took Eric to the funeral.  Eric behaved very well.  I think he understood that Mommy was very sad, because he held on to her and gave her lots of hugs during the funeral.  After the service, we went up to pay our last respects.  This would be the first time that Eric would see Grandpa since he passed.  I explained to him that we would be saying goodbye to Grandpa.  I carried Eric, and Mommy and I went to Grandpa’s side.  We stood silently for a moment, then Eric said, “Goodbye, Grandpa”.