Glamping

D chilly but chowing on S'mores

C loves s'mores

Last night we went camping--on a golf course.  Good friends of ours belong to a golf course up in Marin and they invited us to their annual camp out.  Andrew was at first hesitant because he was really tired from travel, but I convinced him that this was the closest and easiest way this team was going to get to camping in a while.  So we borrowed sleeping bags (thanks Krista!) and rented a tent.  We felt pretty tough bringing our 20 month old until we realized Tina was bringing her 4 month old--and sleeping outside without a tent!!  So while we couldn't win points for toughness, we still had a great time.  We went on a hay ride, ate dinner (bbq! ice cream sundae bar! beer!), made s'mores, and watched a bit of a movie.  And in the end we all slept in one tent and the only people who seemed to have trouble sleeping were Andrew and me.  It was definitely much colder than normal for this time of year (typical for this summer), but all in all a great family excursion.

I was feeling pretty smug about the experience I'd just given my kids until I heard D tell Gram that "on the way back from breakfast at the clubhouse, we saw a deer!"  Sort of took the crunchy right out of my sails.  But at a certain point in life I guess you accept at least parts of who you are.  And like it or not, I think we're Glamour Campers.

The Last Dance

This could be, if things do not work out in the school process, the last Fall we will live here.  And so, despite my disgust with how bad of a summer it has been, I find myself already nostalgic for the city in which I still live.  The city is never more beautiful than during Indian Summer, and considering how bad the summer was, it ought to be amazing this year.  And so I plan on doing my best to soak it up.

Day at the park

Finally, I can see her arms and legs!

The nicest day all year. We ate dinner and played in the ocean until 7pm

An evening of pizza and ice cream (D)

And God Gave Me 3 of Them

Occasionally C or D will tell the other one, or one of us, that they don't like something about how something looks or how a person is doing something. So we often talk about how you should be honest with people if they ask for your opinion, but if they don't ask for their opinion you should only comment on something if you have something nice to say about it.

Yesterday (mid August)  we were in Carmel heading out to the pool.

C (Walking behind me): "Mommy, your bum is big."

Me (Clearly annoyed): "C, did I ask for your opinion?"

C, totally perplexed by my annoyance: "I didn't say it was bad. I said it was big."

California Girl

Today we were driving across the GGB and we were discussing the Supreme Court. I was trying to explain to them what it was and the significance of Sandra Day O'Connor (I had been listening to some random discussion on NPR about her). Somehow this led to a discussion about places in the world where people aren't treated equally. And they started asking questions about Saudi Arabia (yes, somehow we have talked about this before, I know, I don't know what the hell I was thinking). They wanted to know more about what things women couldn't do there. I told them that women couldn't drive a car there. They were shocked and came up with all of these scenarios that would be problematic because women couldn't drive.

And then out of the back, my San Francisco raised daughter says, "And if the family is a family of two Mommies then they would really be in trouble there." I don't know what made me laugh more--the absurdity of our conversation, the absurdity of the notion, or the truth in the comment.

Tahoe

This past weekend we hiked it on up to Tahoe for our seemingly third annual trip with my family.  The first day was a tough because we had a lot less adults than kids, but all in the trip was a lot of fun.  It was so nice to be in summer weather that it made any work associated with the trip worth it.  C and D and sometimes L had a great time with their cousins Barrett, Michael, and Charlie.  And we all loved seeing Mikie, Lindsay, and Ellie (hands down C and Ds favorite dog in the world, and the only dog they will run and cheer for--and I gotta say, I'm a big fan too--that she smells better than any dog I've met doesn't hurt).

My favorite part of the trip was Saturday afternoon.  Andrew was golfing with my brother and co, and my mom very nicely took Lila home to nap.  Lindsay, trooper extraordinaire, spent the rest of the afternoon with myself, charlotte, dylan, and michael.  It was like a whirlwind summer adventure.  We started in the pool.  After spending a few hours playing and water sliding with everyone else, C, D, and M played for hours in the pool without stopping, and Lindsay and I threw balls to them and played with them.  Then we went to a roller rink.  None of them had ever roller skated before but that did not deter them.  And btw, roller skating is hard if you don't know how!  Lindsay had C, I had D, and M was a little bit on his own, and those kids went around way more times than I thought they would. And they were all determined to "do it themselves." Then, they saw the bungee jumping set up, and they begged.   When I found out that they only had to be 20lb to do it (hell, Lila could do it) I said sure.  They had a BLAST jumping up and down and learning to flip over (and we called Barrett and he happily joined.  And they had so much fun we did it again the next day).  Then they saw the ropes course and begged to do that too!  But by then I was tired just watching them so we called it quits for the day.  They were exhausted but elated by the day.

I was so proud of my girls that day.  That may not be the most athletic kids out there, but they are adventurous.  I LOVE how they generally see new things as something exciting, and they are game to try.  I want so badly to nurture that attitude because it is, well, just awesome.

Finding Neverland

C and D saw their first play--Peter Pan (and yes, this is August and they wore THAT to a play. This summer sucks!) We went with my mother, Barrett, and Michael. They were generally pretty thrilled by it all. Things got a little dicey at the end of the first half because there was a lot of pirate action (D's first comment when the lights went up at intermission was an urgent "Let's get out of here!") D calmed down after a treat at the candy counter at intermission. C wasn't having anything to do with Captain Hook though, so I took her to visit Andrew at his office right next door and then we headed back in to watch the end once captain hook was dead. And Tinkerbell was a bit rough around the edges even for my anti-Disney tastes. But all in a very positive first experience with the theater.

My Favorite Moment

L
C
D

No matter what, my favorite time of the day is always the same. It is the time when I go in to check on my kids before I go to sleep. They never whine, they never complain, and they are always sweet and angelic. They are asleep as asleep can be, with heads pointing every which way.

My ahead stops racing. I stop questioning every choice I have made in life, every road taken or not taken, and every thing I did or did not do that day.

Life is short, and they are mine.

Desperately Seeking a Zoltar Machine

I'll have what they are having.
I can be a superhero, or a ballerina, or a pirate, too.
I can wear big girl underwear too.

Lila B wants to be BIG. With all her heart, and within every chubby joint, both extremely wide feet, and that little 19 month old gut lies the soul of a wanna be four and a half year old. If there is a bike in sight she wants to ride it. If there is a 'nack she wants to have one too. If C and D are wearing something she wants to wear the same thing. If they drink out of a glass she wants nothing to do with sippy cups. If they are swimming in the deep end that's where she's gonna go too. If they aren't using inner tubes neither is she. Luckily C and D don't mind her tagging along, in fact I think they love it.

Hear this Lila B. I don't WANT you to get bigger. I like you little and chubby and unopionated. I already feel cheated that I had two kids at once. I don't want to have three 4.5 year olds.

Santa Fe

This month I took c and d to visit their cousins. We had an awesome time. Traveling with two 4 year olds felt like a walk in the park, it was great to actually get some warm weather amidst the permanent winter that we have been in, and everyone seemed to have a great time.

C, D, and I slept in a king bed together and it was kind of special. I also learned that C sleeps like a cat. Many times in the night she will sit up, spin around, and then sort of plop her head anywhere on the bed.

And C is like a breath of fresh air on a trip. Everything about a trip is perfect--the hotel is beautiful, roey's house is amazing, the food is sooo good, the weather is great. She makes the trip more fun because she makes you appreciate it.

Overheard

The other day D was upset at me for not helping her get her pajamas on. While I'm trying to get dinner ready she starts yelling from her room:

"Mom you are being extremely unkind to me!!!!"

And all I could think was how much I would long for her to use those words someday. Somehow I know she'll learn other ways to express that sentiment. And when she does I'll try to remember how cute she was at 4 and a half.