I hope I still have some readers that are enjoying my story! This chapter is for the one that wants more one on one with Jarrick.
Chapter 41
Camping
It's Friday morning. Jack and Jarrick get up and cook breakfast! Jack fries the bacon and eggs while Jarrick climbs up on his step stool to make the toast in the toaster. When it pops up Jack takes it out so Jarrick can butter it. Jarrick takes the plate to the bar. Jack finished frying the eggs and sets the plate of bacon and eggs on the bar. Jarrick set everyone's plate and silverware in their spots. Jarrick climbs up and sits on his barstool. Ok bud let me go get mommy. I'll be right back! Don't start without us! Jack went in to wake up Beth. Sweetheart breakfast is ready! She roll onto her back, stretches and says ok Love I'm coming! She threw back her covers and sits on the side of the bed. Jack leans over and kisses her and says, good morning beautiful! She says, good morning Love! Has the babies woke up yet? He replies, yeah and I changed them and went back to sleep. I gave Beckie her breathing treatment already. Thank you Love! Anything for the love of my life! Beth went to the bathroom and washed her face and brushed her teeth then joined the guys in the kitchen. She looked for the monitor before heading to the kitchen. She didn't see it so she asked Jack when she came in the kitchen. Jack raised it up and handed it to her. She set it in front of her. Jack handed her a cup of coffee. She said, thanks Love! You're welcome Sweetheart! Jarrick asked, daddy can I have a glass of juice while you're up? Sure bud. I'm sorry I forgot! It's ok daddy! You forgot everyone's drink and laughs! Jack laughed and said, I know bud! They sit and talk about their camping trip. Jack says, Beth Sweetheart if you need anything don't hesitate to ask you're parents or mine. If it would make you feel better you could ask Viola to come stay with you! I might do that if I start feeling overwhelmed. What's overwhelmed mommy? It's when someone gets upset with a situation and can't get a grip! Are you overwhelmed mommy? No Sweetie, I'm fine! I was just using that as an example!
Jack help Beth get the triplets fed, changed and dressed before him and Jarrick head out for their camping trip. They put them in their bouncy chairs. Jack asks, hey bud are you ready to go? YES SIR! Ok kiss you're mom and we'll go! Jarrick wraps his arms around her. She bends down and hugs him real tight! She kisses his cheek and says, I love you Sweetie! You be a good boy and listen to your daddy, ok? Yes ma'am! I will! I love you mommy! He leaves her and goes over to the triplets and says, I love you all so much! I need you be good for mommy! She's going to be here by herself because daddy and me are going camping and fishing! We won't be here to help her. Beth puts her arm around Jack's waist and they watch him talking to the babies. Jack says, like father like son! Yes he is Love! We're going to miss you both while you're gone! We'll miss you all too Sweetheart! This will be our first time being away since the triplets all come home! I know! Jarrick kisses everyone of them and says, I love you all! I'll see you on Sunday! Daddy says we'll be back on Sunday! Jack went over and picked them up one by one and kissed them and told them that he loved them very much! He told them to be good for their mommy and they would see them on Sunday! As he sat Beckie back down on the floor he wiped a stray tear that rolled down his cheek. He told Jarrick to grab his jacket because it gets a little cool at night back there. Jarrick ran to get his jacket. Beth tells him to not run. Beth walked them out to the back porch. Jack grabbed the backpack and put it over his shoulders. He helped Jarrick put his backpack with his sleeping bag attached over his shoulders. He showed him how to clip it in the front! Jack looked around to make sure he had everything. Oh I forgot our hats. Bud can you go get them off the hook by the front door? Sure and he ran in to get them. Beth yells, SLOW DOWN SWEETIE! YOUR DAD IS'NT GOING TO LEAVE YOU! Jack just laughs and says, he's just excited! She says, I know but he needs to stop running in the house. He might fall. I know, Jack said! I'll talk to him about it! Jarrick came out and handed Jack his hat and put his on! Jarrick you need to apologize to your mom for running in the house. Yes sir. Beth bent down and wrapped her arms around him! He said, I'm sorry mommy for running in the house. I'm just so excited! I kn Sweetie but you might stumble while you're running and you might fall and hurt yourself. Yes ma'am. Apology excepted! Now go and have a good time! Jack steps down one step and turned around and hugged her one more time and kissed her passionately! He pulls back and say, that should hold you till we get back! I love you Sweetheart with all my heart and soul! He touches her heart and says, I'm here all the time! He touched his heart and says, I carry you here no matter where I go! A tear fell down her cheek. He wiped it away with his thumb and says, just 2 nights Sweetheart! She repeats, 2 nights! She waved as they walked out the back gate!
Back inside she cleans the kitchen, puts the dishes in the dishwasher. She washed the skillet, dried it and put it away. She takes the triplets into the den one by one. She goes into the nursery and brings back a blanket. She lays it on the area rug. She takes Daniel and Charlie out of their bouncy chairs and lays them on their belly on the blanket. You 2 need to strengthen your necks. She pulls out a wedge pillow and puts it on the floor. She puts Beckie on the wedge pillow on her belly. She hold her bottom to keep her from sliding down. After about an hour they were asleep. She took Beck and put her back in her bouncy chair and clicked her in. She picked up the monitor, went into the kitchen. Got a cup of coffee and went out on the back porch. She sat down on the swing. She stared back at the mountains wondering how far they've walked so far? She pull out her phone to see what time it was. It's 10:30. She thinks out loud, I wonder just how far it is to where they are going? They've been gone for an hour and a half already. She starts praying.
Kind Heavenly Father I ask that you keep your hands on them. I ask that you protect them from all harm. Help Jarrick to learn what Jack has to teach him. Help Jack to teach him in away that Jarrick can learn. I ask that they enjoy themselves and come home safe. I ask that you be with me and the babies. I ask that nothing bad happens. Lord I ask that you give me the strength and the ability to handle them on my own. In Jesus name. Amen.
She finished her coffee and went back inside. She goes to the office area and sits down at her desk. She opens her laptop and uploads the pictures from her phone. Jack had sent her all the pictures from earlier in the week. She stopped after they were uploaded because she remembered she needed to call the photographer. She looks on google to find a photographer in the area. There are several. She checks to see how long they've been in business and the reviews. She finds one that has been in the area for many years and the reviews are great. Their photos are amazing. She call them. Aspen photographers, Jessie speaking. How can I help you? Yes , this is Elizabeth Thornton and I was wondering if you made house calls? Yes ma'am we do! How many will be in the photos? 5, my husband, myself, a 5 year old, and 4 month old triplets. Oh you are the one with the triplets! Yes we are! Everyone has heard about them but didn't know who! When would you like the pictures made? Next week if possible! Let me look and see if we have an opening! Let's se here...yes we have an opening on Thursday at 2: o'clock. That would be great! Ok thank you. I've been told that if the one that had the triplets called and booked that you get a 50% discount because of the triplets ma'am! Well thank you! There will be a lot of pictures! These will be their first pictures because they' were so sick to being with. So we definitely want a family picture, one with all 4 children, one with just the triplets, and one of each of them by their self. I must warn you though we have one that can't lay down but long enough to change her. That's fine . We'll bring a wedge for her. May I ask what they are? Yes ma'am, a boy and 2 girls! Awesome! We will see you on Thursday at 2: o'clock! Have a great day, Mrs. Thornton and congratulations! Thank you Jessie! She pulls her calendar book from the front of her desk and turned the page. She penciled in on Thursday at 2: o'clock, photos and drew 2 lines under it!
Jack and Jarrick finally made it back to the place where they were gone to camp. It was a long hour walk with Jarrick. His little legs got tired twice on the way. Jack didn't have a problem making the stops so Jarrick could rest. Jarrick says, boy it sure is a long walk back here isn't it? It is but it's good exercise! Builds good leg muscles! The older you get the easier it will get!
Pop use to bring Uncle Tom and I here every summer after school got out! Some times we would stay for a whole week one we got old enough! Boy we had a lot of fun back then! Ok how about I show you how to set up the tent? Great, Jarrick said! Ok, this isn't like the usual tent! This one will look like a small house when we get through putting it up! Really daddy! Yep! Ok first we unfold it. Stretch it out. It will look like a square. Then we put the poles together. Each pole has 3 sections except for 3 and they have 4. After we get all the poles put together, we run them up the corners. Ready to help me put the poles together? Yess sirr! Jarrick watched him put the first one together. Then Jack picked up a bottom section and showed Jarrick. Jarrick picked up one just like it. As Jack picked a section so did Jarrick. Directly they had all the poles put together. Then Jack showed him how to run the poles up the corners which ended in a pocket at the top. Jack let Jarrick run the other 3 corners. Now comes the tricky part! We take these stakes and pull the rope all the way out until the pole is standing. Then we push the stake in the ground. Then we go to the opposite corner and do the same thing! Until we get all 4 corners up. Do you see how we did it? Yes sir but where do those 3 go daddy? Well now we take these 3 poles and go to the inside! Oh this one has a floor in it! The one Pop has doesn't have a floor in it! So now we take the longest pole and it goes in that pocket here in the middle! Then we push it up and some times it kinda hard but you keep pushing up until you get it up all the way! Then you make sure the bottom of the pole is in that little pocket in the center. Then the last 2 poles are easy to put up. You take one of the poles and put it in that pocket at the back in the middle. Then make sure you put it in the pocket at the bottom! Jarrick did it and Jack said, great job bud! Now let's get the last pole in the front where the flap door is! Jarrick put the last pole in! Jarrick says whoooo! That's a lot work! It is , now come outside and look at it! Jarrick follows him outside. Boy daddy it does look like a house! Yes it does! Someday you'll be able to set it up all by yourself!
Now let's get our sleeping bags and put them inside the tent! They put them in the tent. Now let's rest a minute on that old log. Jarrick followed Jack to the log and he pulled 2 bottles of water out of the backpack. He handed Jarrick one. They rested for a few minutes. Then Jack says, it's time to gather firewood. You pick up sticks while I gather the bigger pieces of wood. Ok daddy! When you get an arm full bring it back here and put it by the circle fire pit! Yes sir! Jarrick picked up as many sticks as he could and carried them back and dropped them where he was told to. Then he went back for more. He kept going back until he was told that was enough. He sat down on the log and waited for his daddy to come back. Jack came back from his third trip.
He sat down on the log to rest with Jarrick. They finished their water. Jarrick threw his bottle on the ground. Jack says, bud never leave your trash in the ground. Always put it away. You always want to leave your campsite the same way you found it. Yes sir but where do I put it. In my backpack on the side there is a zipper pocket. Unzip it and you will find a trash bag. Yes sir. I'm sorry I threw it on the ground. Hey bud come over here. Jarrick walked over to him. Jack out his arm around him and said, I'm not mad at you for throwing it on the ground. I just want to teach you that you have a responsibility to pick up after yourself while you're camping. We want a clean camp. So always remember to leave your campsite the same way you found it! That makes a good camper, ok? Yes sir! Jack kissed the top of his head then swatted his bottom and said, now go put your bottle in the trash bag. Jack laughed as he hopped to it!
Ok now let's get the fire started! Hey bud do you see that moss over there? Yes sir! Bring me a handful of it. Yes sir. Jarrick brought it to him. Ok, now we lay that on the bottom then we break some of the twigs you brought. We put a few of them on top of the moss. Then we use the lighter to light the moss on fire. You see how the moss caught fire real fast? As the twigs catch on fire we keep adding more the we put the bigger ones on . Then when the catch we put the logs on it! Now we have a fire! Yep that's a big fire daddy! Yes it is! There's supposed to be a rock here somewhere that we put in the fire to put our skillet on when we cook! Let's look around. Now you won't be able to lift it so if you spot it let me know and I'll pick it up and carry it over to the fire, ok? Yes sir! They look around camp and Jarrick says, hey daddy! There's one over here! Jack went and looked. Sure enough, that's it! Now we have something to cook on and I can make a pot of coffee on it! Jack got the coffee off the clip on his backpack. He says, let's go down to the stream and get some water so I can make some coffee! Daddy why are you using this water when we have bottle water? Well bud, the bottled water is for drinking. So we don't want to use it for making coffee. Besides I'd rather have my coffee made with this running water! Cup your hands together and dip it in the water and drink it like this. Jack put his hands together and dipped them into the water and drank it. It's the best water there is. It's good water because it runs through the rocks in the stream! If I could pipe it out to the house, I would but it would mess up the stream flow. I don't want to change Mother Nature or what God has put here. So we will enjoy it as it is! Jarrick copied what his dad did. That is good! Can I get my cup and get me some more? Sure you can! Just rinse your cup out first. It's been sitting on the shelf at the store, ok? Yes sir! Jarrick ran back and unclipped it from his backpack. Ran back down to the stream. He swished his cup around in the water then got him a cup. He drank it all. Oh that was cold! Get you some more and take it back to camp! Jack cleaned out the coffee pot and his cup. He filled the coffee pot with water and they went back to camp.
Jack and Jarrick took their small camping chairs off Jack's backpack and sat by the fire. Jack had made a pot of coffee. He poured a cup and was just sitting and enjoying being out there with Jarrick.
Daddy are you getting hungry? Yeah a little. Why don't you get the sandwiches your mom made for us? Yes sir, where are they? I think she put them in your backpack. Jarrick looked in his backpack and found the sandwiches and he pulled out a bag of marshmallows, a bag of graham crackers, and a bag of Hershey's candy bars. Daddy look what mommy sent? You're mom sent the stuff to make s'mores? Yep I found them in my backpack! Alright mom! You got to eat your sandwich first, ok bud? Yes sir! How about you hand me one of those sandwiches? Here you go! Jack caught it in mid air. He said, good throw but don't do that in front of your mom. She'd have a stroke! They both laughed! After they got through eating Jack whittled a point on one of the sticks so Jarrick could roast his marshmallows. Jack unfolded the little table and laid 2 graham crackers, half a candy bar in the table. He put the marshmallow on the stick. He handed it to Jarrick. Now hold it above the fire because if you stick it in the fire it will melt and fall in the fire. So hold it just above it. When it catches fire pull it out and blow it out. Then put it on the graham cracker, then put the candy, then the other graham cracker! Jarrick did just like he was told. He put the s'mores together. He bit in to it and laughs because it got all over his face. Jack laughed and said, are you saving all that for later? Jarrick is still laughing as he says, no sir! Every...time I...go to ...take a ...bit it ...sticks ...to my ...face! Ok , when you get done here's a handkerchief. Take it down to the stream and wet it to wash your face off! Boy you are silly! Jack sips his coffee while Jarrick fixes him another one. He watches him lay the graham crackers out on the table. Then he puts the other half of candy out. Then he reaches into the bag to get another marshmallow. He puts it on his stick. Just as it catches on fire he pulls it out and blows it out. He makes the s'mores just as his dad told him. Again it got all over his face! Jack told him, boy you won't do! When Jarrick was done he went down to the stream just like his dad said. He washed his face real good. He rinsed the handkerchief our the best he could and bought it back and handed it to his dad. Jack took it and rung it out and laid it across the table to dry. Daddy when we going fishing? Tomorrow after breakfast. Breakfast what are we having for breakfast? You see, Jack said! Jack poured another cup of coffee.
Jack decided to teach Jarrick a campfire song. Hey bud let's sing a song. He starts singing.
This Land Is Your Land
Words and Music by Woody Guthrie
This land is your land, this land is my land
From California to the New York island,
From the redwood forest to the Gulf Stream waters;
This land was made for you and me.
As I was walking that ribbon of highway
I saw above me that endless skyway;
I saw below me that golden valley;
This land was made for you and me.
I've roamed and rambled and I followed my footsteps
To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts;
And all around me a voice was sounding;
This land was made for you and me.
When the sun came shining, and I was strolling,
And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling,
As the fog was lifting a voice was chanting:
This land was made for you and me.
As I went walking I saw a sign there,
And on the sign it said "No Trespassing."
But on the other side it didn't say nothing.
That side was made for you and me.
In the shadow of the steeple I saw my people,
By the relief office I seen my people;
As they stood there hungry, I stood there asking
Is this land made for you and me?
Nobody living can ever stop me,
As I go walking that freedom highway;
Nobody living can ever make me turn back
This land was made for you and me.
Thiswill be our camping song! This is our land and it is perfect for us and then when your brother is big enough he can come and we can teach it to him! Are you having a good time? Yes sir! I'm having the best time!
