So we went camping on Saturday.  We could have gone up Friday night but in addition to being nervous about how Liam would deal with sleeping in the Great Outdoors, we had some shopping that needed to be done Friday evening and Kile wasn’t able to get off work early enough so that we could have been up there by any reasonable time.  So Saturday it was.  Our friends had JUST bought a toy hauler and invited us to stay in it with them.  Which really sold it for us because sleeping in a tent?  Not gonna happen.  Not these days, at least.  So all we needed to do was pack up some food, some clothes and some diapers and head on our way.

When we got there, Liam was very unsure of the whole thing.  Much like how he felt about grass last year, he was hesitant to walk on pine needles.  Goofball.  We set up his super yard so that he could adjust to nature without running into oncoming traffic.  Always a good plan.

The weather was cool, but not cold.  Spring was springing up all over and the hues of green really caught my eye.  I couldn’t stop looking at them.  Evie fell into a routine, though she decided she wanted constant nursing in that routine as well.  The girl is a touch spoiled, methinks.  So between breaks to nurse in the van and the toy hauler, we were able to sit out in the air and soak it all in.  I think she enjoyed it.

Meanwhile, Liam (whom we had put a sweatshirt on and who stole my friend’s hat) was developing a fond fascination with the dirt.

It was the greatest thing… well… EVER.  We don’t go outside a lot around here, especially in the winter when it’s nasty out.  So the poor kid is really kind of a newbie when it comes to things like dirt and pine needles and rocks and whatever else.  He loved it though.  And he made a right mess of himself while he was at it.

Our one set of friends had their own (enormous!) tent set up to sleep in and there was this teeny tiny tent set up next it for the boys to sleep in.  Three boys, from 8 and 7 years old, were going to be sleeping in this tent.  I harbored suspicions that maybe ONE could fit in it, but all three went in pretty easily.  Color me impressed!

As I mentioned before, we were able to stay in the toy hauler.  There was a lot of room in that thing!  And it cemented my notion that having a trailer or camper or some sort is pretty much the ONLY way to camp.  We were able to easily fit two families in there, and could have squeezed another one in if we needed to.  And did I mention it had a microwave?  And a bathroom?  Oh yes.  LOVE.

As you can see, we brought a rugged stroller (one we’re testing out) and it had a tray on it.  We used it as a makeshift high chair for Liam and he could also sit in it while we had campfires going and of course we took a walk or two.

I love that picture.  I cannot possibly tell you how much I love that picture.  Such is my love.  Anyhow, as the sun went down it was time to start thinking about things like campfires.  Or, in this group’s case, a bonfire.  There was a sort of “master fire ring” that the bonfire was built in.  It started off humbly enough…

Lots of little scraps of wood, a few pinecones, lighting a paper plate or two to help get the thing going… Before too long, we had something a little more like this:

Which, you know, was sufficient for roasting some s’mores on.  Which we did.  YUM.  Then, the guys (and some gals) decided they wanted to see what would happen if you took a bottle of 151 and spit a mouthful into the fire.  At that point, our little group retreated back to our particular campsite (this was a group camping trip) with the kids and started a much more sedate fire in our little firepit.

Liam went down to sleep easy enough (if you call a 1/2 hour process involving infant’s motrin easy) and didn’t even stir when some of the other of our party entered the trailer.  I retired before long with Evie and made the colossal mistake of not changing her diaper and into her sleeper before going in.  Because I had no flashlight on me and it was dark as pitch in there.  Seriously, you could close your eyes and see just as much as you could with them open.  I was hesitant to turn on any lights because I did NOT want to wake up any small children.  Particularly those whose names start with “L”.

Kile came in not too much later and I gave in and asked him for the diaper, sleeper and to turn a light on because putting on a diaper in pitch blank is NEVER a good idea.  I don’t care how much of a pro you think you are.  Evie threw a pretty good fit at that point, because she had been so peacefully sleeping but before long she was back fast asleep.

However, once Kile settled in and started snoring, this woke up Liam.  I think the snoring scared him, at least at first.  Every time Kile would drift off and start to snore a little, it would wake Liam up crying. We didn’t want him to cry, since we were sharing this trailer with other people.  After getting up and down no less than 10 times, Kile gave up and took Liam out of the trailer.  He ended up putting him in his carseat with a blanket and then laid back one of the seats in the front of the van to sleep in himself.  Poor guy.

I didn’t sleep much myself, mostly because I was worried about Liam and just on edge.  I guess I didn’t drink enough alcohol.  Heh.  Evie was a champ though, and slept through until dawn.  She probably slept the best of any of us.  Well, besides Harry, was snug as a bug in that teeny tent with his friends.

Once morning rolled around, we all huddled in the warm (it has a heater!) trailer and had a yummy breakfast of pancakes and bacon.  And then, alas, it was time to start to think about packing up.  Bummer.

Truly, despite the wakeful night, we had a great time.  I’d really like to go camping again sometime, even.  We need to brainstorm a good routine for Liam at night.  If worse comes to worse, at least we know he’ll sleep in the carseat!  We came home around noon and after giving Liam and Kile a shower (Liam was, once again, covered in dirt), we all fell into bed for much needed naps.  Well, except for Harry who got reacquainted with his Mario Kart Wii.  I think a mark of a good camping trip is how tired you are when you get home, don’t you think?

So what did you all do over the weekend?  Did you all enter my BlogHer ‘08 registration giveaway?  You have two more days left to enter!  Get on that!

You should totally go check out the rest of the pictures from the camping trip!

Tags: camping, Evelyn, Liam, photography, pictures, sleep deprived
Filed under Family Circus |

I made it back from my camping trip!  We left just before noon because Liam was in dire need of two things: a) a shower and b) a nap.  As it so happens, Kile was in dire need too.  Full details will follow, but despite a somewhat sleepless night, we all had a great time.  And the mere fact that I can even SAY that I had a great time and a sleepless night in the same sentence should be a testimony to how much we enjoyed ourselves.  Honestly, I’m glad we went and I can’t wait to share some of the pictures I have with you all.  I got some great ones!  I’m literally excited about these pictures.  Camping is GREAT for photography, I’ve decided.  There are just endless photo possibilities.

You’ll have to excuse me for now, however,  We need to go grab some dinner and do some shopping.  No rest for the weary!  I’ll be back (probably tomorrow) with lots of pictures and details.  In the meantime, you better get your butts over to my comment contest for the FREE BlogHer ‘08 registration!  I’ve been really enjoying hearing you all tell me a) how much you need the free pass and b) what you’re looking forward to at this year’s conference.

A note to BlogHer conference newbies:  If you’re holding back because you think BlogHer is for bigger bloggers or for serious bloggers or people who know other bloggers (etc and so forth), then please reconsider.  BlogHer is great for EVERYONE.  I was a total newbie back in ‘06 and I went and I’ve never been so glad.  So if you’ve never been and want to go, enter the contest!  Even if you don’t win, you should think about registering.  You’ll be SO glad you did!

Tags: BlogHer, BlogHer 08, camping, contest, giveaway, photography
Filed under BlogHer 08, General Snark |

Dude.  Season finale of “Lost”.  It’s a commercial so I’m going to do these little “vignettes” in between commercials.  Or rather, during the commercials.  I have no idea what I’m talking about, do I?

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Thanks so much for all the support on my post yesterday.  Yes, even from you “non-breastfeeders”. A lot of what I wrote was MY issue though (being embarrassed, forgetting to cover up, etc).  Let’s face it, I’m easy to embarrass.  It’s one of the easiest things to do to me.  Go ahead!  Try it!  It’s painfully easy.  It’s more challenging to tie your shoes in the morning than it is to embarrass me.

I guess a lot of what I was trying to get at in that post was the whole car vs. bathroom thing for nursing and why don’t more women’s restrooms have sitting areas for feeding babies and the like.  I remember the first time I saw such a setup.  It was at a new Nordstrom department store at the mall near the house where I grew up.  I was very impressed.  I knew then that this was a fancy place for surely only fancy places had such luxurious appointments.

A room like that is not just for nursing mothers.  It’s for the weary shopper who needs to sit and catch her breath, a pregnant woman who wants to rest her swollen feet, a mom who is pumping to gain privacy, a mother who formula feeds her child, a place to sit and feed her child in peace.  Nursing is just one of the utilities for such a room.  Why can’t we see this more?  I think it would be AWESOME.

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Woah, that took more than a couple commercials to write that.  This finale is something else.  I have NO idea what’s going on and I’m loving every minute of it.  My mind is being blown so much that I fear there might not be much left here in a bit.

***

Yep, Evie is still wearing cloth.  In fact, Liam wears cloth too for the majority of the day.  I guess you can say I’ve gone and gotten all crunchy on ya’ll. Sorry ’bout that.  Throw in the sling usage and I might as well just relocate to a commune.

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Yeah, this show is totally blowing my mind.  Also: Ben is a total pimp.

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I’m going camping this weekend.  Did I tell ya’ll that?  I am.  Camping.  As in, sleeping outdoors.  For at least one night.  With two small children.  And one rather large crabby one.  CAMPING.  If you don’t hear from me before Sunday evening, send some help.  Call the forest service or something.  Tell them I was last seen in a tan Dodge Grand Caravan with a weird sticker in the back window.  You can’t miss that sticker.  People always say, “Hey, we saw you out on the road today!”  Of course you did.  It’s the sticker.   I guess my point is: Pray for me.  I’m going CAMPING.

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Damn Sawyer.

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I’m going to have to cut this short.  My brain is starting to bleed from the effort of concentrating on two things at once. But you all are the best, remember that.  I love you all.  I love this blog, this community, all my commenters, all my lurkers (I see you there, behind the plant) and all that good, mushy stuff.  You all complete me.  Without this blog, I’d be a hopeless case.  I’m more sure of that today than I ever have been.  Viva la blog!

Tags: breastfeeding, camping, cloth diapers, Lost
Filed under General Snark |