Determined.

So who wants to go camping with a three-month-old and almost three-year-old? I do! "What's the big deal?" I said. "How hard can it be?" I said. Oh, I dunno. Maybe we should ask this guy...
Jordan had some trepidation about this little 3 day foray into the wilderness. He thought taking our infant into a tent when it was only going to be 47 degrees at night was going to lead to sleepless misery. But since we've only had 78 minutes over 80 degrees this ENTIRE SUMMER I didn't think it would make much difference if we were cold at home or cold in a tent. I just kept expressing my motto about family vacations. They require determination. No matter how well you plan or how wonderful the people you're going with are, you are going to encounter disaster. Sometimes just a little disaster, like forgetting to pack underwear. Other times someone will forget their entire suitcase or fall into the fountain at the mall. Peril lurks around every destination. And some of my best memories are the intelligent and good humored ways my parents mitigated disasters. When we left a suitcase at home and went to Grandma's, my mom handmade three or four little shirts and shorts for my sister Karen and me and the crisis was averted. Plus I loved those clothes and thought they were the cutest ever. You just have to pack your determination to have a good time and remember how hilarious disaster stories are in retrospect.

But I've never been the parent during one of these cute little remember disasters.
Isn't she cute? Doesn't she look like she's having the time of her life? She was! When she wasn't causing Jordan to nearly curl into the fetal position and scream with fury. Here's the secret no one tells you about potty training. Once a kid has been trained to go in a toilet they won't go anywhere else. And if the setting is unfamiliar or is covered in bugs and just down right smelly then a kid is going to have some difficulty going and you'll be cursing the day you ever left the blissful convenience of diapers. We had flush toilets at our campsite but they were a good 20 yards from our tents, and a good quarter mile from the tide pools or beach. Adelle managed to get a blister on her heel the first day and insisted on being carried everywhere. Yes, even to and from the bathroom. Which she said she needed to go to every 30 minutes or so. And upon arrival refused to actually go. And would then insist on going back to the beach/tide pool/campsite/playground. This would be repeated until she finally messed herself. And drained poor Jordan of any determination he ever had.

And I realize now that those little clothes I remember wearing on my vacation were probably not the magical, easy, appeared-from-nowhere-solution that I remember them. My mom must have had to get fabric and a pattern and I do remember seeing her out on the back porch at Knob Hill with her glasses on her forehead and her scissors while I got to eat popsicles and catch June Bugs. I guess I'm growing up.

The unexpected surprise was our little guy who was a complete angel, even when he was accidentally knocked off a picnic bench and onto the ground. He spent most of the trip pretending to make me look pregnant.

There's a baby in there.

I love my moby wrap. Seriously. I just carried him around and he woke up when he wanted to eat and then passed out when he wanted to pass out. Besides there were plenty of people who wanted to hold him for me if I had to do something else like make dinner or a fire or... I dunno, run Adelle to the bathroom. again.


But we got in some time at the water.

Please note that she walked on her tip-toes most of the time she was barefoot in the sand. Apparently it was also necessary to splay her fingers while doing so. This kid is hilarious.

And we learned some valuable lessons. Like, just put the kid in a diaper. Which didn't even occur to me until we were an hour away from camp on the way home. Who would have thought I would ever want to see those things on my 2 year old again?

I'll say one thing though, I'm determined to try this again. One day. When I have time to build up that determination a little more.