Currently I’m sitting on my deck sneezing up a storm (I hate allergies), waiting to skype with Michelle as the boys play in their sand boxes. It is an absolutely beautiful day today, which is why we are outside, slathered in sun screen and wearing our hates. As gorgeous as this day is, last weekend, the weekend we went camping with my college sorority sisters, the weather was not that kind to us. Nothing like a little rain to create cabin fever, but I digress.

We finally reached our destination around 4pm. It was then the made dash to entertain the kids while moving the picnic table 4 times (so heavy), setting up the inside of the little cabin (one room consisting of a double bed and bunk beds) and cooking dinner. The clouds looked a little threatening so Joel set up the newly purchased rain awning (boy – did that come in handy over the weekend). Soon our friends rolled in, and the socializing / playing began in earnest. Joel and I took the bunk beds and the boys slept on the double. That arrangement worked out pretty well. The baby monitor’s range extended across the street so after Nic and Dex went down, Joel and I were able to enjoy some camp fire / S’more time with friends before calling it a night.

The weather forecast called for 50 % chance of rain on Saturday. I think we averaged a 1 hour window of no rain for an hour window of rain. All day – off and on. We took advantage of being outside between down pours and Joel took cabin duty so that I could chat with friends. He is such a good husband. During the middle of the day, we did manage to get out and ride on Mike’s boat between rain squals. Nicholas and Dexter LOVED going fast and hitting waves. Super big smiles. But eventually, cabin fever set in on the Nic, Dex and Joel. Thank goodness for the boys’ rain “Hazmat” suits and rain boots. We decked them out in rain gear and then went in search of the biggest mud puddles we could find to jump in. At first, they didn’t want to do it. And then they got into it and Joel and I wished we had brought the camera with us to capture these joyous moments. We had kept to the same sleep schedule that we follow at home which was a good thing because from about 9:45pm to 10:30pm, the night sky erupted in HUGE fireworks. The booms reverberated off the hillsides. The baby monitor lit up – basically glowed. I have never seen such a huge display before and it went on forever. Too long, in fact. But the boys slept through it, amazingly enough.

The next day started with drizzle but ended in sunshine. Sunday was a beautiful day. The boys played with Ben, Kate, Abby, Jordan, Ethan, Camryn, Becca and Maddie. They idolized Ben and we’ve since named Lego people after Ben parents (Dexter’s godparents) Mike and Monica. After all the rain on Saturday, and because the start of the day was rainy too, Joel and I decided that even though we had paid to stay through Monday, we would hit the road at 9pm, thus having a full day to play and pack and giving us the opportunity to have sleeping boys on the drive home. As the day grew nicer, we came to regret that decision. Especially since we were also celebrating Mike’s 40th birthday. We’d wanted to leave because those last mornings are always frantic, packing while trying to keep the boys safely out of the way, and with so many people there we thought it would be even worse. But in the end, only Mike & Monica’s family ended up staying through to Monday. Oops.

I know this blog is not that exciting but it is hard to remember funny moments and write coherently when there is a pollen party going on in my nose and all I want to do is scratch my eyes out because of my allergies. So, time to sign off and stick my head in a box of Kleenex. 17 years of camping with friends – not too shabby. Thinking about Mike’s birthday reminded me of something. How funny how conversations change with time. When we first started camping together, it was the sorority sisters and their boyfriends, who then became husbands. In the beginning, at the campfire we talked about sex and drank booze. Now, we watch kids and talk about mammograms, colonoscopies, surgeries, etc….. It’s just comical how life changes.

Because we are currently without an au pair, we’ve had to be a bit creative with our time. The week before the 4th of July, Joel and I were on duty with the boys. We filled the time with cooking camp at their new preschool, playing at parks between rain showers, and trying to pack for camping while they played around us. The Friday of the camping trip began with an hour long tantrum over getting dressed. We’ve entered that stage and have had numerous Nic and Dex trantrums as of late. (I think Nicholas is not so happy with all the transitions we are going through at the moment. Any ideas on how we can get through the next couple of weeks without fights?) We left Nicholas to his protest while we finished packing the food and eating breakfast. The tantrum ended about the same time we were ready to roll, which was perfect timing.

Our first stop on our journey south to Mossy Rock Resort & Campground (southeast of Chahalis) was the Le May car museum in Tacoma. WOW – the boys were so excited to see all the cool “fancy” cars. It was a neat car museum, but I wish I had had more time to read the descriptions. The boys took us on a fast pace tour of the cars, shouting out – “What’s that?” at every car, leaving us little time to actually look at the descriptions of the cars. A short stop at the little deli in the museum (over priced!), a few more cars to look at, and we got back into our very packed Kanga – next stop, Walmart, so the boys could use their birthday money to buy a few more cars for the trip.

Sorority Sisters Camping Trip 2012