Camping Under The Night Sky

We went to Mt. Lassen this past weekend for our annual Very Little Explorers Club. The boys were so excited leading up to it that every morning for a week began with, "Is it Friday yet?!"

When Friday finally arrived, Tizzy tip toed into the kitchen and whispered, "Is this it? Is it Friday?" There was much dancing and Hip-Hip-Hooraying when I announced that yes indeed it was.

It was a five hour drive to the mountains, and we got a late start, but as we were nestling into our sleeping bags, Tizzy looked over at me and said, "Friday was good. Now Friday's dark. I think Saturday's going to be even better!"

It was.

There was balancing on logs, swimming in the lake, the discovery of a water snake, a ride into town to get extra ice and an amazing B-B-Q we happened upon in support of the local volunteer fire department. That night 12 adults and 7 children gathered around the campfire for some classic entertainment and good Ole' burnt marshmallows and chocolate. Because the kids were small, we told them a suspenseful story that ended with a roll of wrapping paper being found in a closet in a cabin in the woods, "Wrap-wrap-wrap"...know that one? We shocked them with slapstick when I sprayed a can of whipped cream all over another mom!!! And then we sang them to sleep with some beautiful whispy guitar music and sent them off to bed under the night sky.

The next day Tizzy spent the morning reprimanding me for making such a mess. "Mom! That was very very bad. You should never ever spray someone with whipped cream! It's VERY VERY messy!"

My poor fastidious child.

Sunday brought more time at the lake. In fact we spent all day there paddling the children around in yellow rafts. There were a few occasions of mutiny in which the kids peeled the fingers of their adult escorts loose from the side of the raft, and paddled madly away to reinact The Lord of the Flies. What they hadn't accounted for was that the adult escorts were fast swimmers and frequently their disorganized paddling resulted in them spinning the raft in circles.

Give them a few more years.

There were several logs in the lake. The one above for balancing, two more that floated about as rafts. Once across the lake there were huge cliffs of lava flow which were enjoyed by children and grown ups alike.

Testing the waters!

I don't want to go home!!!

Photos courtesy of Brad Wise

This From The Boy Who Doesn't Sleep

T: Can I turn myself off mom?

S: Turn yourself off?

T: Yeah. I have to turn myself off so I can go to sleep, but I have to leave myself on until we're done reading stories.

Good Ship Lollipop

Tizzy was sitting on the couch sucking on a lollipop when I came in and decided to do an impromptu tap dance for him.

Jazz hands waving, “Pa-chaw! What do you think of that?”

He stared at me blankly.

I tapped out a few more beats. “Eh?!”

Nothing.

“Come on son. Give me a little somethin’ here. What do you think of my dance?”

“I’m just sucking on my lollipop, Mom.”

Long drawn out suck.

I resume dancing, adding to it a little tune.

“Oh, he’s sucking on his lollipop. Sucking on his lollipop, Yeah!”

He stops sucking.

“Mom. Your lollipop dance is embarrassing me.”

We Haven't Forgotten You...

We've just been enjoying the Dog Days of Summer!

Cat's in the Bag

It's seasonably hot today at 98 degrees F. following a week of 103 degree temperatures.

The boys haven't wanted to be outside, but it hasn't been much cooler inside considering we only have fans to cool us. Therefore, I was quite surprised to find this giant lump rolling about inside of my couch!

What could it be? And where is Zip?!

This Mouth

See this mouth?

It's a nice mouth.

That's how I'm expected to reply every 125 times per day I'm asked to look at it up close, just like this.

Tizzy: Hey mom. Look at this mouth.

Me: Mmm, yes. It's a nice mouth.

Tizzy: No closer. Like this. (Pulls my head closer so he's everything but kissing my eyeball.)

There. See this mouth?

Me: Very nice mouth. It's a lovely mouth.

Tizzy: Yes. It is a lovely mouth.

Ponders his mouth smugly.

Tizzy: Hey dad. See this mouth?

Sweet Treat

Yesterday the boys and I went with my mom and some friends to:

To pick:

While Tizzy assured us he's still not a fruit man, with a mouthfull of berries Zip professed, "I AM!"

The Band Plays On

The last few weeks have been full of Summer.

The boys have been swimming and getting comfortable with the water. T has shown us that he's lost his fear of getting his face wet by traveling on his hands from one end of the toddler pool to the next, goggle eyed face submerged, blowing bubbles all the way. Z "The Brute"—although losing swimming privileges to the tune of, "Zip is sitting on a boy and punching him in the face, you need to come pick him up right away!"—is also progressing wildly. He flings himself into the pool, belly-flop style, squirrels about under water, and then sproings to the surface with wild whoops and hollers. They're both still in floaties, but I suspect we'll be graduating them by the end of summer.

We went pseudo-camping a couple of weekends ago, staying with our cousins in their beautifully rustic cabin in the mountains just east of Big Sur along the Arroyo Seco. We parents forgot ourselves and talked 'till two in the morning, but, just four hours later, T was marching around the cabin, crowing, "GET UP! GET UP IT'S MORNING TIME! IT'S TIME TO WAKE UP – GET UP!" That afternoon, with the mercury climbing to 106 °F, we refreshed ourselves in a good old-fashioned swimmin' hole. Having access to a pool is wonderful, and I'm so glad my kids can get in the water regularly, but swimming in a crisp clean river is a magic all of its own. I'm so grateful my kids are getting to experience this at such a young age.

I also turned 37 on the 24th. Rounding the bend towards 40 is leaving me a little cross. There's nothing I can do about it, of course, but my friends and family have been very gracious about it and rallied for me in style. Thanks, guys.

The 4th was celebrated in the All-American Way, with 30+ kids on bikes and scooters parading up and down our street, commencing with a pancake breakfast and a seat on the fire truck. Nothing builds memories like spraying ones neighbors with fire hoses and dancing, sopping wet, on a front lawn dressed in red, white and blue. Then, we went to the park for the requisite concert of mind-numbingly bland 80's covers. The fireworks finally started just when they could barely keep their eyes open. Next morning, I awoke with food poisoning.

Good lord! In a matter of years these kids are going to be teenagers. We've got characters brewing. For the moment, they're put to bed at 8 o'clock and expected to stay there, but, in five more years, our street will be WILD!