Cullens Online

An Interactive Twilight Experience.

Our first camping trip.

"Sue....... Have you seen my new fly?" Rolling my eyes as I continued to pack Seth's clothes, "Take a look in that third drawer Harry, the one in my grandmother's dresser". The rattling continued from downstairs until I heard a triumphant FOUND IT! And then, "Why do we have a hockey puck in here?" followed by..."Now if I can just find my favourite hook to go with it", he went back to muttering as the telephone rang in the background. "Daddy's funny", Seth laughed as he wandered around the room with his favourite bear in his arms. "I know sweetheart, he makes momma laugh too". "Momma, Momma where is my brush, I can't find it anywhere".... "Oh good lord, I'm glad you take after me Seth... It's in the bathroom where you left it Leah", "You didn't touch it did you squirt?" came the demand as Leah appeared in the doorway. "Leah, he didn't, now off you go and go look again" "She's naughty momma", Seth whispered as Leah disappeared. "Ok, we'll have no bickering from you two today..Ok!" I managed as I zipped up his overnight bag. "Ok, are we ready?" a smiling Harry now stood in the doorway. Pinching the bridge of my nose as I closed my eyes to refrain from the laugh and remark that were forming on my lips, "No dear we're not but if....." "I'll go help Lee then shall I" Harry laughed as he scooted off to Leah's room. "Leah have you found your brush yet?" "Yes momma.. thank youuu", came the muffled reply as Leah skipped back to her room. "Your fathers going to help you, please hurry" dropping my voice to a whisper and winking to Seth, "Because we all know how much Daddy hates on missing out on those fish".

In true Seth fashion....Seth promptly sat down on the bed and proceeded to ask me a million and one questions in regards to our camping trip... "Will there be bears Momma? Tigers or Lions? What about the toilet Momma, how will I go to the toilet? Will we go fishing every day? Will the fishies bite me?" "Whoaa there little man", I laughed and sat down beside him "No Lions or Tigers I promise", the bears I kept to myself but I sat down beside my 4 year old son and began to answer all of his questions.

"Ok.... we're readyyy", came Leah and Harry's voice's in unison. Within seconds they were both in the doorway, bags at their feet and huge smiles on their faces. "Come on Momma, yes Momma come on" mimicked Harry following Leah's lead. "Ok, ok we're coming", laughing I picked up Seth's bag, held onto his little hand as he scooped up his teddy & a book to read, "It's the fishies and the turtle one Momma... can you make Leah read it to me in the car?" smirking at Leahs horrified reaction to this we eventually made it out to the car.... after first turning off the tv on the way, which I might add was blaring with music and some movie about a bartender. "ohh, I forgot our jackets Harry, you put the kids in and... don't look at me like that Harry Clearwater. It may be the end of June but it still gets cold of a night". Racing back inside, I was back at the car in no time Harry's innocent expression a vast cry from the "oh great here we go" one he'd worn not two minutes earlier. "Are we all set family? YES", came the reply in unison and we all still laughing piled into the car.

We had barely left the reservation when I heard Leah in the back seat, "Why do you love that ratty old thing squirt?" "Heeey, not my bear Lee, he's not ratty is he Momma? Look at his gold bow!" I heard the faintest of sniffle's from the back seat and was met with Seth's shimmering eyes as big tears threatened to spill down his cheeks. Passing back a tissue to him... I fixed Leah with one of my 'thats quite enough' looks before squeezing his little hand and reassuring him that his bear was not ratty at all.

I am both happy and relieved to say that the rest of that trip was wonderful and one of my happiest memories. Both Leah and Seth caught their first fish that trip... Seth of course with Harry's help. But, I cannot put into words how happy we all were, Harry especially... his love for fishing and his family all wrapped up together, those memories from that tip still make me smile to this day.