Unhappy Camper

I have tried to like camping. Really, I have.

I have camped at the beach.

I have camped in the desert.

And now I have camped in the mountains.

Can I be done trying to like camping now?

I just. don't. like it.

I want to like it. For the children. And for my husband, who really does like it. But I just don't.

I don't like the dirt. Or the bugs. Or the hikes. Or the sleeping on the ground.

I do like the stars. The campfire. The s'mores.

But we live by the beach. So we can go have a bonfire with stars and s'mores just about whenever we want, minus the dirt, and bugs, and hiking, and butt and/or hip hitting the ground all night long because your fancy air mattress is not properly inflated.

Come to think of it, we have a firepit. So we can do fire + stars + s'mores without even leaving the house!

Top that, camping.

For now, I think I'm all done. I'll take a year off, then try again. We went camping with some really lovely friends this time, and I was just such a Debbie Downer. I hate to ruin everyone else's trip, so I'll just stay away for a while.

Part of the problem with camping is me. But part of the problem with camping is my children, particularly Savannah. She's just too young to be fun on a camping trip. She won't sleep through the night, she pours lemonade all over me and herself, and she throws a handful of dirt into her own eyes. Maybe in a year she'll be more manageable.

Lest you think I spoiled the entire trip, here are a few pictures to prove otherwise.

Chelsea's patented "stylish pose."

Now THERE'S a happy camper.

See? I was there, too. And I even smiled!

Post-camping exhaustion. Like father, like daughter.

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The Red Sox! In Anaheim!

While we were in Massachusetts last month we went down to Fenway to see the Sox play. Today, we drove up to Angel Stadium in Anaheim to see the Sox play. Here, for your enjoyment, are some similarities and differences.

The Same:
Talking a long drive to get to the park. (Boo!)
Finding free parking! (Yay!)
Eating hot dogs and hamburgers. (Yum!)
Standing in line on a hot-ass day with whiny children. (Double-Boo!)
Being surrounded by friends of Red Sox Nation. (WAH-HOO!)

The Different:
Today, we had tickets. So we actually made it IN TO THE PARK. Unlike at Fenway. (Yay for today!)

And here's a peek:

Who loves going to a baseball game?!

We ALL do!

Chelsea doesn't look as excited as we think she should be that she's having her picture taken with Red Sox pitcher, Clay Buchholz. Smile, child!

Does it get any better than this?

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Massachusetts Memories

Since our camera battery crapped out early into our month in Massachusetts, most of our great adventures were not captured on film. Before my craptastic memory erases this month from my mind, I'll try to write it all down.

In no particular order...

Mom's Night Out at Salem Beer Works, Fire Pit Night at Barbara's, Twilight with the girls, playgroup at the church and Nicole's house, July 3rd with friends on Nahant, July 4th with more friends on Nahant, Marblehead Horribles Parade, afternoons at Tudor Beach, running into old friends at Flash Rd. playground, running into old colleagues and students at Clark School, Music Man in Wenham, taking the T to the aquarium and the ferry to Georges Island, playing at Balch Park, finding our old friend Heather at the Coffin School playground, cruising Shubie's and Starbucks in Marblehead.

and in Maine...

Stopping for lunch at Bagel Maineiac on the way to Bar Harbor, playing in the Village Green, doing puzzles at the Opera House cafe, sticky buns and chocolate croissants from Morning Glory, Toy Story 3 at Reel Pizza, Frozen Banana Chai smoothies in Southwest Harbor, making friends at the playground by the YMCA.

We were able to document a few of our adventures before the camera died, and afterwards with the help of friends and Jeremy's work camera.

Borrowing Ms. Esther's kayak

Playing at Patton Park

Hanging out at Acadia National Park Headquarters

Exploring the fort on Georges Island
(Chelsea insisted that I post her "stylish pose" on my "faceblog" so that other kids could learn how to do it. You're welcome.)

Posing in jammies in Maine

I missed seeing a bunch of people and we never did make it into Fenway this trip. Shoot, I guess we'll just have to visit again.

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Travel Day Sponsored by Satan

Here's what the day looked like. This is the short version, the long version would make you cry.

Got denied from self-check in, and sent to line with a million bazillion people.

Missed 9:30am flight while standing in line with a million bazillion people.

Ended up next to people with resident alien ID cards who are trying to send two unaccompanied minors to a foreign country, with no return ticket, to a person who is not a parent. (Also? They can't speak English.) And our agent has to help their agent because this is the most impossible scenario ever.

Spent an eternity at the counter because our agent can't figure out how to get us on another flight and needs at least three different supervisors to help.

Asked agent if Jeremy could stay with her while I take kids (who are beyond losing it, have been in line over an hour) to the play area. She says yes, but play area is closed. (WTF, LOGAN?)

Got tickets for next flight... leaving at 4:30pm.

Took kids to playground at Airport T stop to avoid spending 5 hours in Logan, and all suffer heat stroke in the most disgusting heat wave in anyone's memory.

Found a water play area but Savannah refused to go in and big kids splashing made Chelsea cry.

Back to Logan, (Thank you, Air Conditioning!) go through security and I get pulled aside for special screening. Culprit? The bottle of sunscreen we bought at the heat stroke playground. (Screw you, heat wave. Why you gotta mess with me twice?)

Got on the plane and despite Jeremy and Chelsea's TVs not working (WTF, Jet Blue? Isn't that the whole point of you?) and Savannah not sleeping (WTF, Two-year-old? How is that even POSSIBLE?) we made it to San Diego....

And our luggage did not. OF COURSE IT DID NOT.

AND NEITHER DID OUR CARSEATS. (OMGWTFBBQ... *head explodes*)

I was very proud of myself all day for being very calm about the whole missing our flight and spending the day in the ridiculous heat and baby not napping thing. But the luggage and carseats not being there was more than I could handle.

So yeah. The lady in the Land o' Lost Luggage gave us some loaner carseats so at least we could leave the airport. And a couple of $30 vouchers from JetBlue. HAHAHA.

But we're home. We got our luggage and carseats yesterday. Everybody is (roughly) back on West Coast time.

I hate that after our wonderful, amazing month in New England this is our last memory from the trip.

Tomorrow (hah! tomorrow!) I'll post some pics and happier memories and try to make THAT the last word on Massachusetts 2010. Because THIS? Deserves to be forgotten.
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Pick Those Apples, Wait, Strawberries, At Connor's Farm

We made it to Massachusetts! It is very surreal being back here after being away for a year. Almost as weird as moving to San Diego after growing up there and being away for a decade. Almost.

Friends invited us to go strawberry picking at Connor's Farm. I've mentioned it here before.

Chelsea loves strawberries. Couldn't keep her basket full because she either ate them right out of the basket or ate them before she even bothered to put them in the basket.

Savannah? Not so much.


Apparently "strawberry-picking" and "bogey-picking" are interchangeable to her. She could easily keep her basket full, because she would never let any fruit pass her lips. Delicious, ripe, fresh-off-the-plant strawberries included. (Savannah = strangest kid ever.)


One thing the sisters could agree on was the sandbox, er, DIRTbox just outside the little farm store. Dirt! It's like a baby-sitter, only cheaper.

And you'll never guess who we found across the street!

Yup, Savannah's favorite! What's a llama doing out in the middle of Danvers, anyway? Oh, chillin' with his homies, the farm donkeys. You know, the usual.
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Like, Totally, Vocabulary. Y'know?

On the scale of "Things You Don't Expect Your Preschooler to Say" these are pretty mundane.

Chelsea's not saying sh*t (like one little friend of hers recently did) or even "cruise ship!" as another one famously swore. But I guess I still need to be careful how I speak around her, lest she start sounding like, well, like me.

Here are some recent gems:

"Seriously, Mommy, seriously! We NEED to do this now!"

"Mommy, I'm not actually going to do it!"

(and in response to the question, "Why did you take your pants off outside?")

"Oh, I just randomly did it!"

Seriously, actually, and randomly.

Yep, that's seriously what I actually sound like when I randomly babble at my kids.
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Missing the Point

Chelsea, Savannah, and I go to the weekly open gym at our YMCA. It's just 45 minutes of free play time on the gymnastics equipment. The kids love it, obviously, but I think the moms might love it more. Everyone is so busy flopping into the marshmallow pit, bouncing on the trampoline, or swinging on a giant rope, they don't have time to whine or fight. Very much. It burns up a lot of that toddler/preschooler energy, too, so there's hope for naptime as well. Win-win!

Last week, we got a little note from one of the instructors asking for our feedback about the timing of open gym during Y Camp season this summer.

I discussed the options they gave us with Chelsea, to see what she thought.

Me: The first choice is to move the start time to 8:15am, and we'd have the gym all to ourselves. Or, it could start at 8:30, and we'd have to share the gym with the kids in Gymnastics Camp for the last 15 minutes. OR, it could start the same time it does now, at 9am, and we'd share the gym the whole time. What do you think would be the best?

Chelsea: I want to go to Gymnastics Camp!
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