Can't wait for next season!

Summer isn't even over and I'm already excited for next year's. If only I could convince a certain number of people to pack it up and move to CA...

It turns out that life with two little boys is quite busy. We are constantly moving and doing and it feels oh-so-good to no longer be pregnant and actually get to enjoy our activities! Austin is to a super fun age where he loves to be out doing things, so no more sitting around in the house. Parks and playdates fill most of our days and his favorite activity by far is running! We'll be reading on the couch and he'll hop up and say "Run?" I nod and he's off! A trip to Costco last night turned into a track race of Austin vs. Chris. I heard Austin won.

One adventure that we took on was camping. We have many friends who we would love to go camping with, though we don't have as many who would love to go with us. Our friends without kiddos would probably look at our camping trip as a little hellacious, but we had an absolute blast. Picture 24 adults (3 who are VERY pregnant), 16 kids (with the oldest being some who just turned 2), 3 dogs, 3 boats, and a lot of stuff! There was one central shelter that everybody used. Now, picture 8 picnic tables filled with stoves, pots, food, and toys. A swing hanging from the ceiling, a hammock taking up one of the sides, a kid tent sprawled out on a table and maybe 15 chairs intersperced between the tables. We had matchbox cars anywhere you could step, the horseshoe pit was a sandbox filled with buckets and shovels (and a horseshoe ring that one boy was unlucky enough to fall on and chip his two front teeth). There were scooters and skateboards and little zoo animals. There was fun.

Austin arrived and happily played in the paddle boat with about a gazillion little friends. When dinner time rolled around he started looking around. Why was everybody staying? Why were we not back in the car heading home to warm beds and cribs?

"Mama. Come." He said.

He pulled me down to the boat and pointed. Then pointed to the top of the pop-up (where the boat rode). Then he pointed to the pop-up and went and smacked the hitch of the car. Then he looked at me very seriously and said, "Vroom Vroom."

It was clear that this little boy wanted to go home and wanted to go now! So, we scarfed a hodge podge of dinner down, climbed into jammies and snuggled up in the bed for a good hour of book reading. The morning brought happy smiles and a huge suprise that his friends were still there. B!!!! He yelled happily as he realized his very close friend (so close that I consider them cousins) was still around. It was smooth sailing from there (besides falling out of the pop-up onto his head. I swear he looked like a clown standing on his head for a second before his whole body teetered and he landed face in the dirt).

Favorite memories from the trip was getting up and going paddle boating. The water was glass smooth and we sat and sang Austin's favorite songs. Sitting at the campfire while one dad played the guitar. Dressing Oliver up in a hat and gloves, he looked too cute. Waking up with the warm little body of Oliver and looking over to see Austin and Chris snuggled in the sleeping bag and the smell of the pop-up, sleeping bags, and cuddling until we were all warm for the day.

Yup, I hope to do a lot more camping next season. Not the kind that you read about in great outdoor magazines, but the kind that is filled with good spots on the side of the road, maybe a lake, some pre-made food and matchbox cars in the dirt.