long weekend

I really have enjoyed this extra long weekend. More on what we did the first half of the weekend later in this post. But...yesterday and today have been perfect. I must say I find it slightly ironic that we spent some time at the cemetery yesterday, honoring our daughter/sister for Memorial Day, and we spent today getting things ready for the new baby. I love the cemetery where we chose to bury her (minus the Sunday Farmer's Markets they hold right outside the gates). They line the driveway with flags and also place them all over the grounds for the patriotic holidays. Emma, as always, picked some of our flowers to leave on Macie's headstone. We wondered what she is doing, and agreed that she is probably spending some time with her little brother, among other things.

Today we found the carseat, put together the crib, and are organizing Tyler's room. We've been busy in there the last week or so, and it looks pretty incredible if you ask me. I have been washing bedding, thinking of cute "boy" vinyl phrases for the walls, and wondering how I'll get through the next 2 months without losing my mind out of sheer worry and panic.

But the first half of our weekend...
Back at the beginning of the year, I made a decision to truly focus on some really exciting things that would be happening in our family. I was determined to enjoy the ride a little bit more and put more of a focus on keeping things fun and exciting - really living in the moment and not just getting through it. And right as summer is about to start, I keep thinking what a really FUN 6-7 months we have had. We went to Disneyland and Legoland (both almost entirely free!), we had a busy and fun Spring Break, I feel like I have cut back on my stress level, and Spencer and I got to travel around Europe (among other things). We still have a few more big events coming this year.

One such occasion happened this weekend. I guess there is something about camping that--when you're a kid--is just magical. I remember loving camping with my family. We eventually got a trailer that made it a little more comfortable, but I would argue that it didn't make it any more fun. And now I don't love camping. I don't love it, but I do love that my kids love it, even though it requires so much work.

This was our 3rd year going camping at the same place. It is the only time we even go camping all year. When we had to make a decision about going this year, it was literally while we were on our way to the airport, about to head off to Europe (we didn't include our kids in the discussion because we knew their thoughts exactly without even asking). One more trip didn't even sound fun at that point. We had a hard time committing, but we finally decided that we had to do it, for the simple fact that the kids LOVE it. Nevermind that I was going to be 7 months pregnant, or that we were slightly sick of traveling. We knew we had to go. For the kids.

And really, Spencer likes this almost as much as the kids do. I like it because nothing makes me happier than seeing my children have so much fun. We were only there 2 1/2 days but that was perfect for all of us. 5 hours of sleep at night and my very swollen ankles reminded me why I really enjoy my own bed. But the Ewok village, the river, the banana slugs, the campfires, the swinging for hours, the s'mores and the solid family time reminded me why we create these experiences for our families. The 8 loads of laundry (and the surprises I find in the laundry), the cleaning of crevices for days, the car sick-ness from windy roads, the bug bites and the pure exhaustion really is all worth it when we look at the pictures and remember the fun. I have a daughter who actually documents things better than I do, and watching her draw dozens of detailed pictures (along with putting our last name on the camping chairs) from camping this weekend, along with lines on the opposite side of the page (for journaling) sealed those sentiments. I would argue that they look forward to this more than Disneyland, and they talk about it more than any other vacations we go on. I guess that's why we create these experiences for our kids, even if it involves a little bit of sacrifice on our part.



I love the mischievous look on his face, about to squirt the boat full of girls. Well, and Spencer.


Emma was nervous to climb up the log and jump off, and I love seeing the pictures of the coaxing involved, as well as her expressions.

She and Brooke did it together. The dads waited patiently...


Love her face in this one. And Spencer's.



They were so proud.

Being pushed on the swings (and pushing your dad) is always a good time.


While Spencer was busy playing with the kids, one of my friends said "Your husband is so cute," (meaning, cute in playing with the kids). Spencer more than made up for my slack, and it made his day when Tyler said, "Dad, you're the best." Ahhh, success. And the lingering smell of a campfire.

Gualala update

Remember the camping post I did about two months ago? How I am SO not a camper? Well, thankfully we had a good time....because today in the mail I got a notice from the campground informing me that we were the winners in their drawing and the prize is two free nights there! I have to laugh because I believe I posted something along the lines of "I don't know if we are going to make this a tradition," but now I guess we are! BTW, it's $40 a night there so it's a relatively valuable "prize"...not one of those $9 a night campsites.

Anyone wanna camp next to us? We'll have a baby...I know, tempting. :)

Initiation

We made it through our initiation into the ward. One word - Gualala. Camping. Dirt. NOT MY THING. We conveniently missed it last year because my grandparents returned from their mission so we went to Vegas to see them. And boy, we didn't hear the end of that from our friends. It doesn't help that some of our closest friends have been going on this Memorial Day excusion since they were in utero. No excuses this year. It was our time.

The last time we went camping was when we were dating. I hate to be dirty, to smell, and to have brown feet (or nasty shoes). I don't like walking far to bathrooms that are being shared with hundreds of other people. But most of all, I don't like sleeping in a tent in a "bed" that is not my own soft king-size monstrosity. Let me just tell you, everyone kept telling us that "Gualala is NOT camping." And they were (sorta) right.

The Highlights:

*Giant redwood trees everywhere. And even better, the electrical boxes attached to the trees. Oh yeah baby, we had electricity!

*Real bathrooms with flushing toilets! And showers!

*Our friends' site. They brought an entire kitchen (no joke). And we got to eat with them. Folks, we didn't eat boring old camp food. We had Cafe Rio burritos, homemade egg mcmuffins, ribs, and fresh abalone gathered by the brave souls who were willing to sacrifice their body temperatures in that frigid water so we could have a taste.

*Sitting in church among the redwoods. Yes, unconventional. But 2 hour church with no primary for me=happiness.

*It was cold...but we are resourceful people and brought our portable heater. We set it to 70 degrees and it ran almost constantly. We were warm and I never once entered my sleeping bag. Lovely.

*Our blow-up beds. We all had one, and slept (relatively) like kings and queens.

*National Treasure 2. I bought it last week and we watched it in Gualala next to the campfire. Great flick, especially when sitting outside.

I can't say we'll make this a definite tradition like so many others in our ward have. One of my friends is 8 3/4 months pregnant and went this year! And get this - they brought their infant seat "just in case!" Insane! My only real complaint was driving on Hwy 1 up the coast for 22 miles of switchbacks, with sheer cliffs on our side leading down to the ocean. Can you say carsick+terrified? However, there are few things more enjoyable than watching your kids experience something new, i.e. camping. And can I just say how WONDERFUL it was to 1) stop on our way home at In 'n Out for my favorite chocolate shake, and 2)be home last night in my own bed?? Heaven! We had a great weekend!

Here is a layout I made today of our first year at Gualala. See, I'm already talking like we're converted to going every year! The picture of all of us is at Point Arena, up north. There was a totally lame lighthouse there (especially when compared to the beauties on the East Coast) and it was nothing exciting. But, I can honestly say I was colder than I've ever been in my life. That wind chilled my bones. And I've lived in some COLD places. The poor kids almost blew away.And just for kicks, here are a few other pictures.

Check out those feet! She showed me in the car and I gagged. Exactly why I don't like camping! I handed her the baby wipes and she spent a half hour cleaning off her feet. Ahh, the signs of fun...