Camping With Kids

Cooking and Eating Breakfast:
Our "camping cabin":
More of the cabin; it didn't have a/c, but the lights were great for the few rainy days we had!

Camping was so very much fun; I can't wait to go back. I'll show some of our hiking pictures tomorrow; the boys had a blast!

I'm Back

I know I have been silent for a few weeks now-and I really let all of August go by without much blogging about the family! Time this summer has just gotten away from me; and I wish I could slow it down to the pace January usually takes.

Anyways, things have been crazy around here.

We had our 6th wedding anniversary in May, then a ton of Birthdays in June, my work got super buy in July, and then August ushered in birthdays, vacations, and general fun chaos.

Two weeks ago we went on vacation to Bear Den campground off the Blue Ridge Parkway near Linville, NC (and super close to where I grew up). It was a BLAST camping with the boys. We had a "camping cabin" which was like a tool shed with beds and electricity; next time we go I will have to remember the electricity and bring the coffee maker, instead of having to drink instant. But in a way, that was super fun, because each morning Bill surprised me with a super awesome cup of hot coffee.

Trust me, there s nothing like sitting around a campfire, drinking coffee, and enjoying the sunrise over the mountains. It made me miss the mountains a bit, which was something I thought I'd never say when I got out of there as fast as I could 11 years ago.

Lots of other awesome things are going on, but for the sake of keeping it short, I will just leave you with a photo from out camping trip:


This is at Linville Falls; the kids were awesome troopers and hiked everywhere in the mountains with us.

Sometimes, We Just Hang Out

After church we went to the art museum! It was pretty fun, though to be honest, I don't know why they built the new building, just to have the old one stand empty. It is a lovely building, but it just seems a waste to have an empty building there, that was serving just as well for displaying everything.

I must say, the museum feels super duper fancy now-I actually was glad we looked nice from church, because otherwise I would have felt funny walking around the fancy building in jean shorts and flip flops-my usual lazy day attire.

I found out there are some GREAT trails for the kids to enjoy once the weather finally cools off, and I am super excited to hit those up with everyone; it would be a great group playdate place, too.

Now that I have a great group of moms around, I need to get everyone together for a group playdate so they can all meet. Perhaps this fall the cool weather will get me motivated to plan something for everyone.

In the meantime, I am hot. And tired. And really ready for fall.

Not Feeling Well

Oh goodness; where did July go? I have been so very busy lately that time has just slipped by and somehow I am still behind on everything.

Like, I need to get to the library today before I own a bunch of dimes. And I need to mail baptism gifts for my nephews. And I need to play catch up on my never ending pile of things at work.

Oh sigh.

And on top of it, I'm not feeling so hot. Simply put, I am just tired and feel run down and since it looks like all the kids are developing colds, I have a feeling I'll be sick here soon, too.

I really just want to crawl into bed and go to sleep. Or read a good book. Hmmm. I guess it is a good thing I need to go to the library. Nothing like feeding procrastination with a book....

We're Going On A Bear Hunt

We are going camping with the kids in a few weeks and I am SO super excited. We will be taking the kids back closer to my childhood home, deep in the mountains of the Blue Ridge Parkway-YAY!

Though I love my current home town-and would really rather never move away from here-a little tiny part of me misses the mountains, though when I was a senior in high school I couldn't get away fast enough.

Funny how that happens.

Anyways, I am crazy CRAZY excited to go camping, and hiking, and ROAST MARSHMALLOWS with Bill and the boys. And Bill and I are super excited the boys have reached the ages to make this a fun trip.

The place we are going has a play ground, swimming lake, fishing, hiking, and quick access to the Linville falls and caverns-whoo hoo!

I can't wait to do some hiking with the kids.We do a lot around here, so I think they will be good, but since this will not be mostly flat hiking, I am a little worried about JR making it the whole way, and so I'll have my mei tai with me, just in case.

Though, with as hot as it has been, I am worried that might be too warm for him. I found the new Ergo Baby Performance Carrier and I want the gray one so badly, but it seems everyone is sold out of them right now, so not much chance they will be back in stock I could order one in time for our hiking trip. Oh well, it's all good, because we are going CAMPING!

The Kids Always Prove Me Wrong

That really is the only truth in parenting, or so it seems. No matter how well of a routine, or plan, or experience you have with any given situation, the children will make sure you get comfortable with your successful parenting, and then WHAM, pull the rug out. I'm pretty sure they time it and wait for just the right moment to go crazy.

Even though most of the the day, and 99.95% of the year they are angels, don't be fooled.

They will stop at nothing to prove that, indeed, they are uncontrollable, separate entities that can make their heads spin around, snarl, and kick with the best of any horror movie creature.

And for me, the kids decided I'd had enough of well behaved little boys while I had my sister in law over for a playdate.

The sister in law that just had twins.

Twin boys.

And I was JUST telling her how great the kids are and how everything will get easier once the twins can interact more and communicate and JUST HOW SWEET THE BOYS ARE TO EACH OTHER.

I obviously pushed my luck, and luck decided that was a good moment to laugh at me.

Because, in the middle of a peaceful conversation about fun baby-isms, JR knocked over Little Dude's block "tower/bridge/road/building" and Little Dude LOST HIS MIND.

He then hit JR with a block. HARD.

So, I told him he had to go to the corner (and totally thinking, ah perfect, my sister in law can see how discipline works so well here)But Little Dude LOST IT MORE and declared he WASN'T GOING TO THE CORNER.

So, I got up, smiled at my sister in law, and went to Little Dude, saying something about how he can't hit JR and we can fix his "tower/bridge/road/building" after he is good in the corner, but he must go to the corner for hitting-he knows that isn't allowed and knows the result of hitting is going to the corner.

Did he go? No. I started to panic a bit, and then threatened a swift spanking if he didn't go chill out for a minute in the corner. Usually, at the times when either child decides they don't want to go to the corner for discipline, the threat of a spanking makes them decide the corner is not so bad, and generally no spanking is even given. (and when I say spanking, it really is more of a swat). I have some deep seeded issues with overthetop spanking that would take years to explain.

Anyways.

Little Dude looked at me (and at this moment, I felt my stomach drop as I realized THE ULTIMATE SHOWDOWN WAS ABOUT TO ENSUE) and he then declared HE DIDN'T LIKE ME AND WASN'T GOING IN THE CORNER. Oh, did I mention he can yell pretty loud?

At this point the twins were watching, taking notes, I'm sure, and their mom was looking a bit scared.

So, I was left with no choice but to swat him, confident THEN he would just go get in the corner. Instead; however, he simply started to scream, snarl, attempt to bite and kicked at me. OH MY GOD, WHAT TO DO? Why do kids not come with a manual????

Again, I smiled at my sister in law-who was by then looking at her twin boys and my boys with a little bit of horror-and scooped Little Dude up and took him away from the room, back to his room, where I figured a change of scenery, away from an audience, and all alone in his room might calm him down.

I learned you should not reason with an upset 3 year old and changing the scenery does nothing but make him yell louder about his "tower/bridge/road/building".

Eventually, I left him in his room, while he yelling about the injustices of the world, and came back out to see my sister in law.

Even though she was sweet about it and said some things about boys being boys and kids being kids, I don't think I'm going to be able to convince her to have another playdate anytime soon.

And the kicker? I had totally wanted to show her how manageable everything is, and to not be nervous about the twins, and how she will find a routine that works and yes, her house will be clean again and yes the kids will play nicely and share....

I'd been up late the night before-and even spent time that morning-cleaning the house just so she would be impressed and feel like, "Hey, you have two two year olds and a three year old here all day-if you can do it I can do it with my twins. This is doable, eventually all will be smooth again and not so crazy!"

But instead of instilling her with glimmers of wonderful sharing and hugging moments between the boys, I showed her some of the worst meltdown moments EVER IN THE HISTORY OF MELTDOWNS.

Sigh. Every new mom needs to witness a good meltdown, right? RIGHT?

Preschool, I'm Not Ready

So yesterday we got the packet of information for Little Dude's preschool. What day he starts, the schedule for the first week, when full days start, what to not pack in lunches, and when tuition is due.

Needless to say, Little Dude IS SO EXCITED and plays like he is at school EVERY.SINGLE.DAY.NOW.

But I'm not ready.

He won't be around for lunch on Tuesdays and Thursdays and that makes me SO SAD.

I even cried about it last night.

I'm just not ready to let go of him yet; 'cause I just know it will never, ever be the same.

This is an aspect of parenting I never counted on; this wanting to be around them all the time and not wanting to miss anything-because lord knows it has already flown by far too quickly. I am SO thankful that thus far, I haven't had to miss anything-that I have been able to be home with them for every good AND bad moment. It certainly was what I needed to have happen; I just wish that I could continue it.

And I know, I could home school, but I don't think Little Dude would like that. He watches the bus come for other kids in the neighborhood (though much to his dismay, I am driving him to school no matter what) and he wants to go SO BADLY.

The first time we visited a preschool, he turned and told me to leave.

He is ready, and I'm so glad. I just wish I could get myself ready.