Goin' Campin'

Notice how using the title "Goin' Campin'" is way cuter than just saying a plain old "Going Camping!"  Silliness!  Okay, so this weekend was a momentous one for our family.  Donny went camping for the very first time, and he LOVED it!

We didn't prepare well, and didn't stay long enough... but it was fun anyway.  Here is a cute shot of Donny getting his nightly backrub from his Daddy.  After this he was all set for a good night's sleep in his crib, not knowing that outside his room, preparations were going on for an adventure!  
 
Andy and I started prepping for camping at about 9:30 pm the night before - and we had to be out of the house by 7 am!  We forgot to pack water, bug repellent, a little broom for cleaning out the tent - well, actually, anything for cleaning besides wipes.  No washcloths, old towels, paper towels... good thing we have well prepared friends!  I guess I was too busy trying to figure out what to take for a one year old and forgot to think it all through very carefully.  Turns out, all Donny needed was his normal diaper bag with some warm clothes, his stroller/camp chair which was already in the car, his port-a-crib, and sticks.
  
Donny loves being outdoors, so he was happy the entire time we were out in the woods, and he was happy with almost the same activities as adults: sitting around and playing with sticks.  Except that the adults use the sticks to poke the fire while Donny uses them to taste and wave around.  Here is proof that he was in seventh heaven!
    
Initially, the plan was for Donny and I to share the tent while Andy slept outside in his hammock.  He got it hung and it looked so inviting!  I was really jealous.  Then it got super cold and he ended up sleeping next to me in the tent instead to keep "warm"

Donny was not happy with me when I put him in his crib for a nap - but he did fall asleep after about 40 minutes of sporadic playing and crying.  I took this picture through the tent window so it isn't very clear, but you can kind of see that he has his stuffed puppy's ear over his eyes (to make it less bright for sleeping?).

After the nap, we went on a little walk to the lake and played for a little while.  Donny was so happy! 
 
Such a loving kiddo!  First kisses then head bumps (tope!).  He is becoming more and more affectionate.  He doesn't give hugs yet, but will let me give them to him for a few seconds before squirming to try to get down and play.
 
And here's Trillium Lake in the foothills of Mt. Hood.  What a beautiful place!  Next year we'll have to take an inflatable boat to float around it in.
 
Andy had fun showing things to Donny.  And Donny was happy to look and learn.  I wonder how much he is really getting of what we say these days? 
     
Campfire time was good fun for Donny.  I was worried that he would miss his normal routines, but he happily babbled and chewed on sticks for hours.  He didn't even eat any rocks!  I guess he saves that for times when he's home and I'm not watching because there don't seem to be any small inedibles near him.
 
Then it was time to eat, which he could do while sliding out of his chair with no problem. I should have just let him eat his dinner of the ground.  What difference would it have made?

I love how babies remember to look up at the sky!  So pretty! The birds, trees, clouds...
 
You can see all 7 of Donny's teeth here! 
 
Donny isn't a big fan of being messy... but eventually, he did manage to get his face all dirty while eating the cheerios that he had dropped on the ground earlier.  It was so cute that I didn't stop him.
 
Some friends convinced us to pose Donny for this shot.  He does look a bit like a lumberjack doesn't he?
 
He didn't get nearly as dirty as I expected him to.  His hands were pretty dirty, and he had some smudges on his face, and I could "spank" him to make clouds of dust and dirt come off his seat.  But a change of clothes and one wipe and he was presentable again.

He went to bed without complaint and slept well.  I tried to cover his little icicle hands several times, but even in his sleep, he kept putting his hands outside to hold the blanket close to his sides.  I wonder if he will always sleep like that?  In the morning he woke up with a happy "Da-Dad!" because he could see us sleeping next to him.  It was 6:30 - and time to get up!  Who can sleep while freezing in a tent with an awake one year old?  Andy and I didn't sleep well at all, but at least we managed to stay warm by putting a couple of egg crate mattresses under us and warm blankets above.

After some instant oatmeal for breakfast and a roaring fire to warm up the boy's fingers, we packed up our gear and said goodbye to our later arising friends (that used to be us!) and headed on a little road trip.  Andy had never driven all the way around Mt. Hood, so he plotted a course that would take us only about 25 miles further and achieve this feat.  We stopped in at Timberline Lodge for a minute where skiing is still going on in the middle of July - It can't be that good at this time of year... but the die hards were out there.

 
After Timberline Lodge we drove in to Hood River and stopped at a rustic place called Charburger at the West Hood River exit off of 84.  It was really really good.  We plan on repeat visits!  Donny left piles of dust and pine needles on his seat, and I thought he was already cleaned up!  Next we stopped by Multnomah Falls for our annual July picture.  Andy and I have gone out every year since the first week we met and had our family picture taken.  It's fun to watch the family grow!

Once home, Donny got a burst of energy and played hard.  He is now working hard to overcome obstacles in front of him.  He climbed over Andy who was laying on the floor between him and his goal (who knows what that was... he seemed to forget while we were cheering for him.  He also almost climbed out of the bathtub (the bubbles - a new addition for him - scared him and he clawed his way up into my arms in less than a second - we had to do the bath very quickly while he screamed.  Maybe I'll try the bubbles again in a couple of months?) And he crawled from room to room.  It is good to see him trying to move around himself instead of whining until we take him to a different room when he gets bored.

I was trying to keep him awake until 7, but he was tuckered out and fell asleep watching TV with Mama at about 6:30.  Isn't he precious!  He slept in until 8:15 this morning too.  Let's see - that's almost 14 hours!  Camping is fun, but definitely tiring!

I can't wait to take him backpacking someday.  We will have such a good time!

Shakespeare Camp!

I had so much fun with our new CYT camp this summer!  Because of my love of the bard, I convinced everyone that we needed to try a day camp for teens which focused on one of the great classic plays of the English language.  And since I'm the boss, I was very convincing :)

We had 25 kids and three staff members, plus one student assistant/slave working at the camp by the end of the week.  At the beginning, we thought two teachers would be enough... but these kids needed more of us to keep them busy, so we imported my friend, Jeff Rocco, the AD for the North Idaho CYT branch.  He taught the kids fencing, Shakespearean improv, and focused on helping Lauren with costumes and makeup while Zach and I did the blocking for the show itself.  He was such a life-saver!

I can't tell you how fun it was to watch the kids bond and build lasting friendships over something as nerdy as Shakespeare.  They had a blast!

The theme for the week was A Midsummer Night's Dream, and we rehearsed/learned lines like crazy.  By the time we were done, we had prepped a 45 minute showcase from a reduced script which I made.  And as we arrived at the venue, we discovered that a truck had knocked over a telephone pole down the street so all power was out.  We had to make a last minute change and move our show out of doors.  What a happy accident!  The kids were a bit nervous about the change, but it was fun performing the Bard in the outdoors.  We all decided that we should do our camp showcases this way every year!

Donny even liked the showcase... or at least he liked being outside on a blanket with toys :)  Maybe someday he'll want to be the kid in the leotards performing classic shows?  I hope so!

The 4th of July week at the Shire.

Our little baby is One! 

  

Who could believe that a whole year has gone by.  I am beginning to understand what people say about how fast your kid's lives go.  My baby is almost not a baby anymore.  I only have 17 more years and he will be moving out.  I'm going to cherish every minute until that happens!

We celebrated Donny's first birthday a week early, so on his actual birthday there was little to do but sing to him all day (which we did - particularly me!) and turn his carseat around.  He was pretty stoked about that.  All the sudden he could see where we were going!  No smiles, just a constantly craned neck.  I turned around to feed him a cracker or something and he pushed my hand away and tried to look around me.



 

We went out to a friend's home on the Columbia Gorge (directly across the river from the Vista House) where there was a big party going on.  The weather was not great, but beautiful.  It was hot and grey, and the lightning was striking very close.  I had to tell the kids it would be a better idea to watch the storm from indoors instead of on the open bluff.  (I heard that after we left that the lightning struck in the yard... but it could be an urban legend.)  The tour group performance had to be moved into the garage for the safety of the kids wearing microphones.  They made do, and the audience loved it!


   

Donny was not as easy to entertain as usual (he's cutting a couple of teeth) so I took him to the side yard to play in the grass.  The second I set him down, Brooklyn and Kimberly Hicks (both 7) pounced!  He was surprisingly calm throughout the ordeal.  They picked at his hair, crowded him, hugged and poked him and he just kept playing and babbling.  It is so fun to see him learning to play!


  

Donny has always loved outside, and now will walk us to the front door any time we take his hands and let him walk.  He wants to go out and be close to the wind chimes, or sit on the grass, or ride in the car.  Next best is bouncing in his favorite "chair" while looking out at the world.  Can you hear him laugh?
 

Donny always pushes his way up into the same corner of the crib when he sleeps. 



The first of three pieces of Donny's first birthday present from his Grammy Shire and Aunt Julie arrived this week.  It is a Gobble and Go Hippo.  It picks up blocks as it rolls on the floor.  The only problem is that the boy panics when the hippos starts to move.  So he stands there happily, but no walking around the house yet.  


One of his favorite play play places is in his room by the mirror with his Casio keyboard.  Isn't he cute!

 

This morning we all trekked down to Fort Vancouver to see a couple of my CYT kids perform in a talent competition.  Donny loved being outside.  And I loved that it wasn't hot out!  I gave Donny a flag to wave around, but he just wanted to chew on the end of the stick.  I tried to get him to stop, but he was persistent.  I had to take it away from him. 
  

Look at those tears!  So heart breaking.

We got to see Robert and Patrick perform.  Patrick won first place along with a 500 dollar scholarship. 
  

After the show we went home to get ready for the block party.  Donny didn't nap well because of the fireworks, but he cheered up when we put Barney on for him.  Then we went outside.  All was well for a little while... until fireworks.  Every bang put him in a frenzy.  He was so upset I could hardly hold on to him.  Blind panic set in and there was nothing I could do to calm him.  So I went in and situated him in front of Barney with his favorite pink L toy and he was happy again.  The fireworks didn't phase him at all from in the house, even though they were being shot off just outside the house.  He even danced to them a couple of times when there was a lot of popping.  Andy stayed outside to eat his steak and watch the fun.  After I put Donny down, I took the monitor outside and got to watch the show with Andy.  It's stunning how many really good fireworks I could see from my lawn chair.  Vancouver is a tottally different animal on the 4th than Oregon is!  So much more is legal, so every culdesac and neighborhood has it's own little show.  All around us the fireworks were blooming.  It was pretty cool.

But I am tired.

Goodnight all!

3:29 am