i can't believe we waited that long...

needless to say, camping was a success with kendal. unfortunately i (#1) forgot the camera, had to turn around because N remembered it... and (#2) forgot to tell nathaniel to get the battery charger. the battery was nearly dead, so we only got a few pictures (in the 10s, not 100s like usual). but, the ones we got are really good! we set out about 8.30 am on saturday. the car was packed to the max with camping stuff and toys, but we still had room for monk monk. kendal was ready for his morning nap. we stopped in greensboro at a cracker barrel and had breakfast. kendal ate eggs, turkey sausage, grits, hash brown casserole, and pancake. oh, and buiscuit and gravy. he ate a lot. when we got back in the car, he slept for a long ways again. he woke up when we got to the parkway and knowing he would have a full diaper and need a bottle, we stopped at the first park we got to. i can't remember the name of it, but there was a cascade trail there too. so, he got changed, full of milk, and then loaded into the backpack. off we went down the trail... (and notice, kendal always had a leaf in his hand, if he dropped it, he'd reach out and try to grab another one.) after not too far, we got to the bottom where the water was, and we hiked down as far as about half of the waterfall. there was more to go, but it was all steps. and really, a waterfall looks most impressive where it breaks, not necessarily where it lands (since you can't see the upper part of it). so, we stopped there for a quick snapshot before starting the hike back up the hill. the hike up the hill wasn't that bad, but it was bad enough for me to realize how bad a shape i was in.. and how much my belly weighs! i know nathaniel had a load on his back, but i had a load in my belly! next we went to find food. we drove over to west jefferson, crossing the new river in the process. there were people tubing on it, which looked like fun. k was sleeping again, so we grabbed take out from wendy's and headed up to the mount jefferson natural area. with a container of applesauce in hand (it was again time for k to eat) and k in the stroller, i started pushing him up a gravel drive. since i had to pee, i kept going because there were signs that there was a restroom ahead (uphill...) . by the time we got to the restroom, nathaniel (who stopped to read the map) caught up to us and we decided to hike to the "top" of the mountain. on we went, pushing a stroller on this gravelly road. at the top, which really wasn't that far, maybe 0.5 mi or so, was a radio tower, a sign, and a small place to look out onto the town. not really exciting. but, we took a photo anyway... kendal really enjoyed the ride back down the mtn, he hummed a lot of it to the vibration of the road (as you can hear in this video). after we left w. jefferson, we found a part of the new river state park but since it was pretty much ONLY a canoe drop point, there wasn't much to see. so, back to the campground to set up camp. while we put everything out and built our home for the night, kendal enjoyed playing "uh oh" in the plastic container we had in the car. he got tired of that pretty quick, so we laid out a blanket for him and he enjoyed playing with his toys. surprisingly, he was not that interested in the fire. at 7.30, they had a blue grass band playing at the campground. we went down for that, and kendal loved it (so did we). he clapped for the first time while watching the men play. after he got tired of that (it was also bedtime and dark outside), we went back to the tent for a night bottle and clothes change. it was kind of hot/humid, so he started the night out in a tshirt and a diaper only. luckily, the bugs weren't bad. once we all settled down, he went to sleep lightening fast. and, he was out cold. we talked in our normal voices (no whispering) and even kept moving around and he STILL didn't wake up. slept most of the night like that too. he woke up about 2.30 and it was getting pretty chilly. so i changed his diaper and put pants on him. he wedged himself beneath me and we were back to sleep in no time until about 7.30, at which time his big brown eyes popped open and looked from side to side watching the trees. he didn't even cry a bit! we sat him back on the blanket while we broke apart our site and packed the car. he loved it. we were out of there by 9am, he was ready for his morning nap, so he slept as we drove north on the parkway. we eventually turned off and veered towards shelton vineyards (with the hope to eat lunch there), but they serving brunch buffet only and we were not dressed for that. check out the grapes on the grapevines at shelton! anyway, we ended up stopping at a family style resturant for lunch in yadkinville. here, kendal ate more than i did. he had a whole plate full of food (mashed potatoes, peas, string beans, apples, peaches, turkey, cottage cheese, mac and cheese, and i don't even remember what else!) he did great in the car after that (slept again), played hard with grammie and grandpa, and then slept all the way home and all night!!! we won't wait 11-1/2 months to take holly camping. it was a wonderful trip, kendal loved it, we loved it, and i can't wait to go again!!!