CAMPING!!! (with kids for the first time)

We went camping for the first time with CHILDREN (dum dum duuuum DUMMM). Prior to this trip AJ and I had only been camping when it was just the two of us. We were planning on camping in the Mt. Taylor Forest (North of Grants NM) but ended up at El Morro National Monument after learning about the forest's reputation for having loud parties. Crazy forest. And we had a great time. We planned easy foods and beverages so we wouldn't have to fuss with cooking and cleaning. A new - very roomy tent was just the right size for all of us to comfortably sleep, and it fit perfectly onto the tent pad. It was a beautiful day and the campground was completely empty! Can you believe our luck? The stars were aligned and our trip was starting to shape up nicely.

Notice how cute our little site is?


Now for all the stuff I left out of the previous paragraph. Nick is teething (two teeth it looks like) for the first time ever and is not handling it well. The wind just WOULD NOT STOP blowing and it made functioning outside very difficult because everything blew away. Including our wonderfully planned dinner. We cooked hot dogs over an open flame - that the wind tried to extinguish. The wind was so strong that it kept blowing poor little Nick over.

AJ and I have spent a good part of our lives camping but it is a very different experience when you don't have kids. What we hadn't fully anticipated the amount of hazards that camping posed for children and babies. Literally EVERYTHING posed some sort of horrible danger. I had no idea it would be like this. Every jagged pointy rock, every partially buried root, the firepit, the concrete table, the tent stakes, the small rocks under the tent, the road running through camp, the propane tank, the lanterns, the perfect snake hiding habitat, the vast openness that surrounded us - all seemed to be waiting to jump out and get the kids if we didn't watch them CONSTANTLY and it was exhausting. Nick had several bad falls that left him bruised and shaken.

The "X"'s in the picture show where all the child/baby hazards are located: everywhere.


Recovering from a fall off of his baby camping chair (he hit a jagged rock that was covered by the gravel in camp)


And all this exploration, trauma and change led to a very much needed nap.



We cooked dinner early because Lucas refused to take a nap - it was all so exciting!! And then we had smores early too. It was weird starting a campfire while the sun had a couple more hours left in the sky, but again. . . we have kids and we promised to have smores. So I had THREE smores I confess. Lucas had one smore and was so thrilled to have cooked his own hot dog over the fire with a stick he picked out and also to cook marshmallows over the fire too. What a great day for Lucas. He was so proud of himself.

Here he is showing off his first smore.


Sticky hands.


The sunset was pretty amazing.


You just can't beat the view.


Thankfully the wind died down during the night and the other campers that joined us were very quiet people. AJ and Lucas slept on separate air mattresses while Nick and I shared a sleeping bag and air mattress. AJ and Lucas had nice warm sleeping bags and Nick and I apparently did not because we FROZE our asses off. I'm not kidding. We were so cold. And it was the kind of cold that wakes you up at 1 am and keeps you up until the sun comes up. Ok. So it wasn't entirely the sleeping bags fault. Nick kept sticking his frozen little hands on my belly. If he wasn't so darn small and cute I would have made him sleep in his own bag. So AJ and Lucas woke up all happy and rested and Nick and I were really tired. AJ actually had the BALLS to complain about being too sweaty in his sleeping bag !! Fucking Bastard. My consolation prize: I burned off all the calories from my three smores trying to generate body heat for Nick and myself. Nick and I laid down after breakfast and took a nap - and this time we piled on the covers and stayed warm. Note to self: Bring warmer sleeping bag next time.

Rolling up the tent. Daddy's little helper. AJ would go around and unclip and unsnap things to take the tent down and Lucas was right behind him reclipping and resnapping everything. So camping with kids is a little more challenging when you have a helper.


Nick looking more rested after his nap with Mommy.


Mom. Get. Me. A. Warmer. Sleeping. Bag. Pronto.


We had a great time and learned a few tricks to make next time a bit easier. Not easy. Just easier.

Nick's Stats

At his one year check up:

22.2 lbs
31.7 inches
18.9 inches (head)

Tall kid. Skinny kid.

Less Frustrated

Tonight I kept Lucas up past his bedtime and we made oatmeal cookies and banana bread together. Screw it. I need to learn to lighten up a little. Lucas had a blast and I enjoyed the one-on-one time with him which we really don't get anymore. It kind of makes me sad because he is so often having to wait for my attention until his loud, screeching brother settles down.

Don't get me wrong. I love Nick more than I can express but HE IS DRIVING ME NUTS lately. He is at this stage where he is all consuming. He wants to be held and carried everywhere and if I put him down he freaking looses his mind and lets loose with this grating screeching sound. And you'd think that after five or ten minutes he'd decide to stop but noooooooo. He keeps going. So to sum up. My back is killing me from caving into my one year olds demands to carry him absolutely freakin' everywhere. I can't clean, cook, or pee with this child. And I am going out of my mind.

So baking was a nice break and nice opportunity to spend some time with my oldest baby. I mean Big Boy. He is insisting on being called a big boy now.

Lucas was clean after his Dad gave him a bath and I got him all sticky with batter. Sorry AJ.


Mmmm. The best part of baking.



And this is the current state of the rest of my house. It can wait. Indefinitely.

So Frustrated

I am being pulled in so many directions and I am so frustrated. I don't have TIME to do anything well or thoroughly, which means that I am constantly feeling like I am running from one thing to another and not finishing anything. The kids demand attention nearly all the time and I would like to do other things . . . like clean my bathroom or bake banana bread. But I never have the TIME. And so I just end up throwing my hands up and getting angry and frustrated all the time. And I have to dedicate time to this property management so that I make some extra cash which is nice. . . then I can buy that dining room table I really want. And somehow I was volunteered (by someone else) to head up the 18month to 3 year old playgroup for my Mom's group. Which means I actually have to PLAN and ORGANIZE and holy crap GET MY SHIT TOGETHER because I really want them to LIKE ME and I feel like I am in second grade again, trying to make friends and good impressions. . . AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

Ohhhh what a birthday!

Nick has a terrible chest and head cold (although he looks just fabulous in these pictures - don't let it fool you) and is really not feeling well at all today. And I suspect he has an ear infection, but we are waiting until Monday to take him to the doctor in case the ear thing clears itself up. So we are giving him some Benadryl to dry up his mucous and Motrin to kill the ear pain. Whoo Hooo what a great first birthday!!

We made him a blue cake and tonight only gave him a frosting free cupcake due to his not feeling well. Tomorrow if he is feeling better we will do the whole candle thing. But he was in a fairly good mood at dinner considering he'd had a grand total of 40 minutes of napping today and three knocks to the head which left bruises. . .seriously I think Nick might go and find another family who will ensure he has good birthdays from here on out. Prepare for a bunch of pictures now.

Eating our cupcake. . . we liked it a lot.

Wrinkling his nose up at us . . . one of my favorite face expressions!

Awww here is a better picture of that face expression.

Smiling at Daddy

Laughing at Daddy and showing that at one year he still doesn't have a single tooth!

Mr. Lucas enjoying a cupcake as well. He handled Nick getting attention very well.


He tried to clean up his crumbs, which was so sweet. He's a good kid.

Haylee has found a good location for scraps

Opening presents. It was vital to the success of the evening that Lucas also be included in the present opening process.

YAYYYY PAPER MOM!!!


Oooo. A ball banger thingie.

Oooo fancy new shoes. And they fit! Size five feet. And they don't cause him to trip and fall. And he didn't try to take them off because, oh yeah, they actually fit correctly!!

Our Weekend

Here are some pictures of our weekend. We didn't take many. We were too busy trying to find the paved road again (more on this in a minute). But we had fun and took a day trip to a place called tent rocks National Monument (BLM). It was fun except for the part where AJ insisted and shamed me into taking the MINIVAN onto an ATV trail and then when I wanted to turn around he told me I was a wimp. But at least he realized he was crazy when the ATVers went buy laughing and waving at us. Ahhhh. It wasn't all a waste though we almost found the back way into Bandelier National Monument - did I mention it was an ATV trail? In a Minivan? Yeah.

Here is Nick playing in the mud.


AJ snapped this photo of a horse trailer like no other.


From the trail at Tent Rocks. There were lots of phallic symbols around so we had lots of giggles.


These two passed us on the trail. They were not very friendly and I swear . . . they were wearing the EXACT same outfit. And haircut. And fake smiles. Creepy. Ok, so I am bitchy and judgmental.

Finger Painting

It was a rainy day and we needed something fun to do so . . . we busted out finger paints. And contrary to my earlier statements about Crayola products being super washable, these were not. Maybe it was because they were old but the red and blue colors stained Lucas's skin. But Nick liked his first experience finger painting. He took a taste initially but quickly decided it was more fun to paint with it instead of eat it. I think next time I will plan better and I'll make up some different colored puddings to finger paint with - that way Nick can eat and I won't have to be so diligent about keeping his hands out of his mouth - which kind of spoiled the fun. Lucas as always dove right into the paint and did a very good job mixing colors. He "signed" his art with multiple hand prints around the edges. So sweet.

Potty training

We've got our stool and our dinosaur underwear on. We are ready to go.

How does he do that?

Lately, when I put Nick down to sleep (which he hates and fights to get out of the crib) he somehow finds a way for me to take him out. He poops. So I have to take him out and change him . . . and he gets what he wants. This keeps happening. It's like he saves it up to use when he really wants out of the crib.

Make believe letters

Dear Nick,

I know that you want to play with the kitty Haylee but she doesn't always want to play with you. And, no, she doesn't think it is funny when you pull her hair. As you may recall I have repeatedly scolded you about messing with the kitties. So I am sorry that she gave you a gentle warning bite and I am also sorry that this warning bite didn't stop you from once again grabbing her hair and pulling. I chose not to intervene just before she gave you a second, equally gentle, warning bite only because I knew that she would get your attention and teach you to leave her alone better than I could. I know that you were devastated and very upset that your buddy Haylee turned on you but she didn't break your skin and you did learn that she means business. Please know that Mommy loves you even though I allowed you to be "viciously mauled" by the princess Haylee. I hope that you have a better respect for Haylee's need for personal space.
Love,
Mommy


Dear Waitress at the diner we ate at last night,

I am very sorry that Nick screamed at the top of his lungs for no reason what-so-ever. No he wasn't upset or crying he was just listening to himself scream with all his might. I didn't need you to glare at me to let me know that he was annoying. Believe me I knew. In the future please keep the following in mind for families with young children:

• Always give us a booth. Tables with chairs don't work with a booster seat. Booths are easier to corral hyper children in.
  
• Do not set knives at place settings for children.
  
• Do not set our huge overflowing drinks within reach of the children. What were you thinking?
  
• Children's cups need lids. And straws. Always.
• When you see that a family is almost done eating bring the check immediately. IMMEDIATELY. We need to make a fast getaway.
• Once you bring the check promptly take our payment and return with a receipt. Again, we need to get outta there fast before meltdowns begin.

I apologize for the small amount of food on the floor but that is why we left you an unnecessarily large tip. Get over it. We are doing the best we can.
-Kristin

Falling off the bed

Yesterday we followed AJ to Los Alamos when he went up there for work. AJ went off to work and I stayed in the hotel for a couple of hours with the kids watching cartoons. Well Mr. Lucas kept jumping on the bed and I kept telling him to knock it off or he was going to get hurt. And guess what? He did. He fell, landed right on top of his head. I ran and picked him up and his eyes rolled back in his head and he passed out and then started jerking a little. Just a little. So I laid him on the bed where he woke up and didn't move at all. He just stared at me. So I asked him to move his arms and legs which he did. But he still just stared at me so. . . I panicked a little bit. I can handle the passing out and the possible seizure but I can't handle him not acting normal. So. . . I called 911. They came and were very nice and told me that he seemed ok. His heart rate and respirations were normal and his pupils constricted normally and equally. WHEW. Little shit. He ended up with a hell of a headache later in the day which I treated with Motrin. This won't be the last time I seek emergency care for my boys, that I know. But I don't want to call 911 again. I felt like such a 'tard afterward, like some hysterical mother.

Here he is watching a movie in his fancy new sleeping bag before bed.

Mr. Adorable

Mr. Adorable was playing in his pool while his brother took a nap.



And here is Mr. Adorable after he tried to eat a crayola washable marker. His brother was coloring so I put him into his high chair so he could join in the coloring fun. And he decided to try to eat the markers. Thankfully Crayola is child friendly.

Trees Trees

I need trees. I have a totally barren backyard that has sand dunes. Not kidding - dunes, and they move just like at the beach. So I have recently purchased two "aristocrat" pear trees and I think I'm going to hunt down an Osage orange tree or two. I might go for a couple more trees for a total of six or seven. Maybe an ash tree? Or should I go for a Locust or Mulberry? I want something that does well in drought conditions, poor soil and full sun. Also on my wish list is a tree that grows quickly. I would like an evergreen but they don't grow very fast. . . or do they? See? I have a lot more research to do. I just don't have time to sit and do research. What I really need is someone to come and tell me what to do. I follow direction well when sufficiently motivated.

Once I get the trees in I will move on to shrubs and lower smaller plants. AJ thinks I should draw out a "master plan" for the yard and I think he is over thinking this whole thing. It is much more fun to fly by the seat of your pants. Kind of like when thought I'd surprise AJ by solving our stove issue and I bought the wrong color of stove : )

Lucas has his evaluation with the school district tomorrow for continued speech assistance. I have a bunch of paperwork to gather so I will let you know how it goes. I don't even know where to go in the school and I would do a scouting trip but the President (yes THE President) is giving a talk there today and the traffic is less than desirable so I will just have to just show up and hope we find it. School floorplans are always so confusing to me.

Part of the backyard.


More of the backyard


My two little trees.


Lucas and Nick enjoying Chocolate Milk in Mommy's bed after nap time.


Lucas crashed for nap time while reading his book on trucks.


Me trying to keep Nick happy by playing with the camera. (It was time for bed and he didn't want to go)

Little Nick posing for a picture with his Momma.


He was so tired when I took this picture. Note that he still doesn't have ANY teeth.


Lucas cutting up plastic can holders. My little environmentalist.


Isn't he so cute? He insisted on wearing his suspenders with his night clothes.

Forcing myself into a social group

Today I forced myself to go to another function with my Mom's group and I'm glad I did. There were a lot of Mom's there, some that I had met yesterday, and more new faces. We had a free tour of a Dairy Queen! I was so excited that I nearly wet myself with anticipation (note: sarcasm). The kids loved it though because they got to work the ice cream machine and make their own ice cream cones. Plus the manager let them all walk into the refrigerator and freezers. Ooooooohh, Ahhhhhh. Pretty boring for an adult but the kids were fascinated. I don't think the Dairy Queen people anticipated that twenty mom's and 40+ kids would show up to their dinky little store, but it worked out. Even the kids that were Nick's age had a good time. Plus we all got free ice cream and they got the additional business of all of us buying lunch.

The good news is that I was able to get to know some of the other mom's a little better and it was nice!! They were nice and their kids were well behaved. I was in a better position to observe the monster children and realized that only a few of the mom's had monsters. Usually it was the moms who had three or more children. So there is hope. I just have to force myself to try and keep trying and maybe I will find one or two mom's who I can be friends with, not just acquaintances.

Today I think I am going to go buy some trees for my back yard. I found good sized trees for 22 bucks apiece! Yeah, that's right. $22. I can't wait to get them in the ground and begin to vegetate the sandy Martian landscape that is my backyard.

I hate socializing

I'm trying and trying but I just can't seem to find a good fit for playgroups up here in our new neighborhood. Today I went to meet my new group and the mom's weren't attempting to include me in the conversations, and were talking about people and events that I had no knowledge of.

And their kids. . . Oh my GOD, their kids were crazy little monsters. Alright - not all of the kids were monsters but when you see a three year old try to smash an infant's (1.5 mos old) head with a toy truck while his mother holds the baby - that is what I would classify as a monster. This woman was helping the infant's mother by holding the child so the new mommy could eat her lunch, and when the three year old saw HIS mommy holding a strange baby he freaking lost it and came at the baby with an enormous truck - thankfully he was prevented from harming the baby. When I saw this my mouth fell open.

And Lucas was shoved off of the play equipment in their backyard because he wasn't aggressive enough to fight his way to the top like all the older kids did. So he made himself happy by playing with a toy shovel and rake in the corner of the yard. Nick was bullied too by older, unsupervised brats. I couldn't socialize with the moms because I was chasing my kids around to make sure they weren't being attacked. It was weird. I am going to attend a few more meetings because only a small portion of the mom's were in attendance today. Hopefully some of the other mom's will have different parenting approaches or will be more welcoming.

I'll try to post pictures soon.

OH MY GOD JUST SLEEP

Nick has apparently given up naps. I am praying that this is temporary. He has had a 1/2 hour nap for the last two days. . . and that is IT (insert high-pitched frantic voice here)!! He sleeps for only nine hours a night if we are lucky. WHAT THE HELL AM I GOING TO DO (again with high pitched frantic out of control voice)???? Babies need more sleep than this. I need more rest than this. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH (that is the sound of a tired mommy loosing her mind).

I am assuming this is a temporary thing and that he will resume normal sleep habits soon.

A quote I like

A mother is a person who seeing
there are only four pieces
of pie for five people,
promptly announces she never
did care for pie.

-Tenneva Jordan

Suspect Sanitation

The more videos I take (and then rewatch) the more I realize how different I am now compared to how I was with just one kid. For example when Lucas was little I would have had everything babyproofed and he wouldn't have been able to get into the toothbrush drawer, much less try to scrub the floor or toilet with the thing. Juice in the BATHROOM?? Oh God NOOOO. Juice was for the table only. Now I don't even know how or when the juice arrived on the back of the TOILET.

I wonder what the teenage years will do to me.

Funny Cup

AJ and Lucas had an afternoon out on the town together and this is what they came home with:

A Chuck-E-Cheese cup that about made me pee my pants laughing.

Cute Kid Pics

This is my mantle - cluttered. It is an indication of what the rest of the house looks like.

We have all been struck down by a cold. And Nick can not clear his own nose yet so I was up all night with him keeping his head elevated so that he could breathe. And here is what he is doing today:

Yes he is so tired. My poor dude. Let's hope he feels better soon.

And here are some slightly older pictures of Lucas finger painting, which he takes very seriously.

Look Mom, one hand is dirty!

And the other hand is CLEAN!!

Moving with children is harder than I imagined it would be. I should note that I had imagined it would be pretty darn hard. Thankfully my Mom-in-law has unpacked my kitchen so that we can now function somewhat. I had so many kitchen gadgets and supplies that it took her close to two days to unpack the kitchen.

And we got a new stove. That gas leak that we found just before closing? Remember that? It wasn't the pilot light - it was an actual gas leak either from the stove or the line supplying the stove. And since we needed a new stove anyway (the one that came with the house was older than the house and had been used/abused heavily) we went ahead and got a new stove. True to my nature I went down and purchased the stove and got the wrong color because I am oblivious to color, but FIVE burners. . . I noticed that, how could I not notice that the thing was the opposite color of the rest of the appliances? The rest of the appliances are bisque and I got a black stove. In my defense I was only thinking of what would hide fingerprints best which is why I ran like hell from all the stainless appliances that they push on you. As if stainless is the best thing ever. If it was the best thing ever they would't show every single finger print. I bet you in another ten years stainless appliances will be "liiikkee sooo ten years ago - ewww."