The Summer So Far in Pictures

Well, I promised pictures over a week ago.  So, I figured I might as well load up a bunch of the pictures of the summer to day.  A month from yesterday Boo-boy heads back to school.  I can't believe it's August already!  Where has my summer gone?  I want it back!!  Although, at this point I'm sure Boo-boy is beginning to want to get back to the normal routine of school.  (I just wish we'd get the letter from the district with his supply list and teacher assignment and confirmation of his afternoon busing....)

We've had several adventures this summer.  We may not always get a lot of time together, but I try and make the most of it as best we can.

There was the field trip to the Crayola Factory with his class.  He asked if I could chaperon, and luckily enough, i was one of the ones who actually was chosen from all the parents that said they could.

We've had ice cream, several times.  We've had a picnic in the park.  We took Billy with us to the beach.  We went camping and to Knoebel's.  And we've had plenty of "hanging around the house" time.  So, with a month to go, I think this summer's been a pretty good one.

Two first grade classes at Crayola Factory.

A boy and his dragon.

Birthday Party time!

Zonked Cody.

Last day of school!

A visit from Lissa-love and the Kidlet.  Splashing fun in the creek and ice cream at Owow Cow!

Beach fun with Billy!

Sidewalk chalk and a picnic at the park.

Camping, hiking, swimming and Knoebel's!

Wet, but Wonderful Weekend

Ok, Ok, so I've neglected this space again.  I was going to post something Friday about how excited I was that this weekend was our vacation, that Gak, Boo and I actually got 3.5 whole days together!  We went camping again this year at the same campground that we went to last year.
I knew it was going to be a bit of an adventure even before we left Saturday afternoon.
This was the first time I put the new bike rack onto the car.  That was a bit of an adventure.  I had problems getting the straps to be tight enough on the rack.  Then I had problems getting the bike on, but I managed to get it on with a minimal of growling and only a bit of grease, elbow and otherwise.  Of course, the one strap didn't play nice the entire weekend.

The ride down was fairly uneventful.We stopped just into Maryland and had some dinner.  The one strap on the bike rack had come loose again, so I fixed it.  (It managed to stay put all the way to the camp site after this.)  Traffic wasn't very bad at all (unlike getting stuck at the DE/MD line.)  Then, when we get to the camp ground, they couldn't find my reservation.  I had realized about 20 minutes into the ride that I hadn't printed out my email confirmation, but I wasn't worried.  I couldn't find the email quickly on my phone, but thankfully the camp was over half open, and there were more than enough tent sites to spare.  We got a very nice site, just across from where we were last year.  I love their tent sites, all under the trees and shady and most are fairly big.

We manage to get everything set up and the boy-o in bed fairly easily.  There were some moments getting the blue dining tarp up, but nothing reading the directions four times couldn't fix.  We decided not to have a fire that evening because it was already 8:30 and we were all tired and the boy-o was already in bed.  It also decided to rain over night.  (The forecast had been flip-flopping all over the place with the weather all week...)  It wasn't too bad, just everything was slightly damp in the morning.  It was also gray and threatening to rain again at any moment.
Originally we were going to just have a lazy day at the camp site, maybe swim a bit, maybe go to a family thing in Laurel, but just hang out and decompress.  Well, with the iffy weather, we decided to change plans.  (Mom also decided not to go to the family thing in Laurel, she was exhausted and had a lot to do around the house anyhow, even with having Monday "Boo free".)  We decided to go into DC and go to one or two museums and then play it by ear.  We also stopped back in at the office to see if they'd found my reservations and they had, so refunded me the $25 deposit.  I really can't say enough good things about the staff at Cherry Hill Park.
When given a choice of seeing dinosaurs or spaceships and airplanes, Boo chose spaceships.  (I didn't even coach him on that one.)  Mostly he wanted to "ride trains" again this year.  We make it to the Metro station after only missing one turn and have an uneventful ride into DC.  I've decided that as much as I like the convenience of public transit, long subway rides are not for me, I was beginning to feel quite green around the edges by the time we got to the Smithsonian stop.  We had a nice, but brief, visit with the space ships, but then Boo was getting cranky about being hungry and wanted to eat and well, to make a long story short, there was walking, a little rain and crankiness by everyone and all the local places were closed on a Sunday so we ended up eating at the Native American museum.  The food there is very good and I suggest it to anyone in the area.  Just be prepared to spend an arm and a leg for it (although if you're a Smithsonian member, you can save $10, which is nice).  We wandered through most of that museum and Boo found a book he couldn't live without.  I was more than willing to add to his collection.
By then it was time to head back to the campsite.  We got back and it was nice and sunny out so we decided that a dip in the pool (with some ice cream as a snack first) was just what we needed.  After we got back to the site after our swim it was time to get supper going.  But, our grill wasn't cooperating because it had gotten a bit flooded in the rain in the day.  So, back to the snack bar we went for dinner.

I was looking forward to a relaxing evening by the campfire and my s'mores.  I started the fire after we got back from dinner.  By about 8:30 we'd gotten Boo into his PJ's Gak had given hugs and was heading to the bath house and I was reading Boo his new book again.  I was about 2/3 of the way through the book, when I hear the tell-tale sounds of rain.  I drop the book and dash out into the site, to toss another few logs onto the fire hoping that it was just a passing shower, gather the towels off the line and toss them onto the table, toss the chairs under the table and cover everything with a big silver tarp.
Well, that was all wishful thinking.
As I sat there in the tent listening to the rain hiss in the fire (which eventually went out) and roll off the tent, I realized it was getting worse.  Gak came back from the bath house and we all huddled in the tent.  I tried to cuddle Boo to sleep, but he was being awake boy.  I eventually just ignored him and pretended to sleep and Gak rolled over to the other wall of the tent reading.  It was fun to listen to the stream of consciousness that came rolling out of Boo's mouth until he eventually fell asleep.  Such a window into his mind.  Apparently his friends from day care are Dominic, Mikey and Joey, pretty much in that order, but not Kevin.  (I already knew that...)  Also, he realized that Momma and Daddy were being quiet and he should probably be quiet too.  Just as we thought the storm was getting to the worst it was going to get, Boo fell asleep.  He stayed that way pretty much throughout the entire night.  Of course, this was optimistic about the storm.  It got a lot worse before it ended.  Throughout most of this time, I really, really had to go to the bath house myself.  I was also holding a facebook conversation with Barb trying to do something with my time, since I couldn't go sit by the fire and toast marshmallows.  (By the way, microwave s'mores are totally not a true replacement for the real thing...)  Gak and I looked at the weather and that it was supposed to continue to rain off and on all day Monday and probably Monday night as well.  We decided that we'd just pack it in a day early and head home, stopping in Baltimore and probably go to the aquarium.  I think the rain eventually stopped sometime around 11, I'd given up and tried to go to bed a bit before that.

Anyhow, I was quite amazed at how little damage was done to the camp site.  I thought for sure I'd have to replace the blue dining tarp, but it had just popped inside out like an umbrella.  The blue tarp went one way, the silver tarp the other way, and everything on the table and under it was soaked.  This meant the towels too.  We managed to pack up with little trouble, but a lot of mud and muck.  Even more impressive was the fact that when we went to check out, the campground refunded me the last night's fee.  I really wasn't expecting that!

We did go to Baltimore and had a very nice time in the aquarium.  It was very crowded, but we still managed to have a good time.  It was so much larger than the last time we went.  Boo seemed to enjoy it.  It started to rain right as we got out of the aquarium, so we had lunch right next door at the Potbelly Sandwich, which we could have missed, but it was close.  We also went over to Barnes and Nobles and hung out for a bit and had some dessert.

The only thing eventful about the ride home was the fact that the bike decided to try and fall off before we left Baltimore.  Thankfully we weren't on 95 yet, but it was still a bit nerve wracking.  Anyhow, we stopped at Kat's on the way home to borrow the line to hang up the wet tent and catch up a bit.  After getting home I did up the wet and damp laundry at the laundry mat.
Today we thought about going to the Philly Zoo, thanks to the membership Jon and Becca got us for Christmas, but Boo was extra tired boy and we hung around the hose instead.

So, tomorrow we all head back to work and school.  I'm not really looking forward to it, but it'll be nice to get back to the routine a bit.

Peace to all and I hope that you had a drier but fun weekend.

P.S. I do have some photos, but I have to upload them.  Also, my camera battery died Monday morning, so no aquarium pictures.

Vacation Wrapup

Well, my vacation is over.  I know, I know, it wasn't a "big" vacation with an expensive trip to some far off (or not so far off) destination.  But it was a very nice vacation.  I'm not looking forward to going to work tomorrow, I could use another week or two of "down" time.
I didn't get half the things done that I wanted to, but I got a lot of good things done, got to see some really great people and had a bit of relaxing along the way.
I didn't get about 2 weeks of pictures off the camera, edited and posted.
I didn't get the camera brag post I've been wanting to write for 3 weeks now even started.
I didn't get half the things cleaned/straightened around the house that needs to be done.
I did, however, get to meet up with Carrie and Sammy on Wednesday and have a great lunch and a good bit of fun.  Boo even asked about Sammy a few days later.  I guess he liked him or something, or at the very least had a good time.  Carrie gave me a ton of great hand-me-downs for Boo.  They will be very handy and very much appreciated, especially as the weather gets cooler.  I don't have to worry about finding a winter coat or snow bibs that fit.  Thanks so much guys!  We really do appreciate it.
On Wednesday I made another fabulous discovery, I can actually shop at Old Navy and things fit!  I got myself a great pair of pants for work (on sale!) and a really cool jacket (also on sale!) and I got Boo 2 new shirts, a pair of pants (all on sale or clearance) and a cool pair of skeleton PJ's which can be his Halloween costume if he doesn't go for the wizard costume I'm planning on making him.  (They even glow in the dark!)
Thursday was jam packed with phone calls, bill paying, more clothes shopping and other errands.  I got 2 more pair of pants, bringing the total number of work acceptable pants I own up to 4.  They're all a little on the snug (but not bad) side, and will be just about perfect in about 10 lb, and I've got about 15 to my current goal.  I also picked up three shirts, but two of them have to go back because they fit weird.
Friday was an awesome and fun adventure.  I got to go up to Clark's Summit to visit Mary and see hang out with her for a while and see her really cool art work hanging up at Starbucks.  Yep, I drove 2 hours to get myself a chai.  Boo went with me and slept almost the entire ride up there (he woke up somewhere around Scranton).  He was quite the charmer once he warmed up to the people and Mary quite spoiled him with affection.  She's doing well and it was very nice to get a chance to spend some time with her.  I wish her the best of luck for the coming semester and all that she sets her mind to.
Friday night was spent hanging out at Kat's just relaxing and enjoying the company of friends.  I love having such wonderful friends so close.  Many people wouldn't understand, and don't understand how our "clan" works, but it does.  It's more than just a group of friends, we really are a family of sorts.  Sure, Kat and Andy are divorced, but they're getting along better now than they have in years.  Sure, Steph floats in and out and is staying with whoever she can right now, but that's a whole different story that I'm not going to get into here.  But there isn't one person, adult or child, that I wouldn't drop whatever I'm doing and rush to their aid if they or someone just says the word.  We all end up at Kat's and it doesn't matter who's there, but someone will end up cooking dinner and someone else will do the dishes and we'll all keep an eye on the kids.  Sure, it may be Kat's house, but it's all of ours home.  Like I said, I'm so glad to have a wonderful family of the heart.

Yesterday was a pretty normal Saturday, other than the fact that I think Boo has a bit of a cold.  He came into our room early with a bit of a cough and being a bit snotty.  Well, by noon he it was clear that he just wasn't feeling well, so I gave him a half dose of Benedryl and sent him to bed.  He slept 3 hours without complaint and only woke because I looked in on him to check up and stayed a minute to long.  We did go over to the Q-mart for a short trip before he was too cranky and just wanted up, and only wanted Momma (nothing new these days... if I'm around he wants nothing to do with Poppa....)  After that it was a pretty low key afternoon/evening.

Today I was a bit out of sorts.  It was gorgeous weather.  There was an Orienteering meet I would have liked to gone to (it's even National Orienteering Day).  The big problems being that Boo was being clingy and cranky and I wasn't about to leave him home with Poppa alone on a day like this.  Also, I realized I left my hiking shoes at work because I've been wearing them to walk around the path out back at lunch.  So, I had a clingy, bouncy, snotty boy, a tired slightly out of sorts husband, a very nice day and no way to really enjoy it the way I wanted to.  Yep, I wasn't exactly in the best of moods.  Oh well.
After Boo's nap we headed over to Kat's.  I finally got the last of our stuff out of storage at her place.  You know, the stuff I stashed over there back in April when we had the "issue" at the old apartment.  Yeah.  I washed about 3/4 of it and spent about $40.  I've got another 4 or 5 loads worth for tomorrow, which will be another $20 or so.  And then I will be done. Yes, I can't wait for that chapter to be well and truly closed.  It's only been 6 months since the real roller coaster got going, but it's been almost a year since the whole thing really started.  I never, ever, ever want to do that ever again!

Well, I've rambled on long enough.  It's almost 9:30 and I've got to get up early tomorrow.  As you can see, we never did go to either the USS New Jersey or Knobels this weekend, but mostly because Boo wasn't feeling well.  (And, as much as I would have enjoyed either, it was kinda nice to have a somewhat low-key day at home with the three of us.)  Boo is feeling much better this evening, although he's still snotty and stuffy and won't let me anywhere near him with a wash cloth or a tissue.
I'm off to bed and work in the morning.  Yeah, this'll be fun.  Next weekend we've got lunch at my parents planned on Sunday, to celebrate Daniel's 3rd birthday and Gak's 37th birthday.  Daniel turned 3 yesterday and my sweet hubby's birthday is on Saturday.  (Which, by the way, will also be my 10-year anniversary at my job... which is a very scary thought!)

Peace to all and may your vacations be restful and rejuvenating for the soul and your family wonderful.

Sleep and Meetings

Well, here it is Thursday morning again already.  I still have a bunch of pictures to take off the camera and upload and that whole camera post I keep planning on.  Oh well.  I have the next few days off and hopefully I'll get some more writing done.
This mini vacation started off on a good note.  Tuesday morning I got a call from Dr. P's office saying they had a cancellation for that night, could I make it.  Sure!  I jump at the chance, even though it means I've got to miss swim class (I was going to miss it next week for the study anyhow...)
It really wasn't all that bad.  I knew it wasn't going to be.  The only thing that bothered me a bit was the two things they put under your nose to measure your breathing.  They got annoying towards morning, but nothing too horrible.  I actually slept fairly well, for me.  Of course, in the morning they give you this 5 or 6 question survey about your sleep and ask you things like how many times did you wake up, how long did it take you to fall asleep and how many hours and minutes do you think you slept.  Well, I can guess....  Anyhow, in a week or so I should know if I have to go in for the second study or not.  I'm hoping not.  Even though it wasn't a bad experience, it's not one I need again soon.  One good thing though, they didn't wake me up in the middle of the night and put a CPAP on my face.  That means that if it is sleep apnea that's keeping me awake, it's not that severe.  (I still don't think it is, but I really won't know for sure until my follow up appointment.)

So that was Tuesday night.  Yesterday I finally got to meet up with Carrie and her son Sam.  I've known Carrie and Nick for a couple of years now.  We met on EQII.  Nick actually works where my dad used to and on the same project.  They never worked there at the same time though.  I found that quite funny when I found out.  Anyhow, they live just over in New Jersey.  We've been trying to get together for months now.  We were supposed to get together Sunday, but Carrie had too much homework.  So, Carrie, Sammy, Boo and I met up at the King of Prussia Mall yesterday.  Carrie had gone through Sammy's clothes that don't fit any more and had three HUGE bags of stuff to give Boo.
Anyhow, Boo and I got there a bit early, so I decide to swing through Old Navy to see what was on sale and to see if anything fit.  Well, much to my surprise they actually have pants that fit!  Now, mind they'll look really good in about 5 lb, but they don't do weird and bad things now, and I fully intend on loosing those 5 lb and about 10 more on top of that.  So, yeah, I was able to get size 16 (regular old 16, not 16W) pants.  And an XL jacket.  I've been wanting a new jacket for work for a couple of months now.  I really miss my old orange cord jacket I had from Land's End several years ago.  Well, now I have a bright red cord jacket from Old Navy!  It's really great.  I also got a few things for Boo.  I found a pair of jeans on clearance and a T-shirt for $5.
Well, when we meet up with Carrie and Sam at Chick-fil-a for lunch, I found that my son had shoplifted the shirt I was going to buy for him.  Actually, what happened is I gave him a choice between two shirts, he grabbed the one he wanted and held on to it in his stroller while I continued to look.  Well, by the time I got to the register, I'd forgotten about the shirt and didn't remember until I pulled him out of the stroller at lunch.  Oops!  Anyhow, after lunch the boys ran around Build-a-Bear for a while looking at the animals and Boo pushing computer buttons and then we headed back to Old Navy.  I end up getting another shirt and a cool pair of jammies that are black with a glow-in-the-dark skeleton on them.  I figure if all else fails, he can be a skele  for Halloween.  (I'm going to make him a wizard's robe I think...)
Anyhow, after the boys running around in circles and getting into all kinds of trouble, we decide to head to a playground.  The only one I can think of is the one near Amma and PoPop's house.  We spent about an hour there watching the boys play until Boo decided it was time to go home.

So, it was a fun and full day.  Hopefully we'll all 7 of us get together soon.  (Nick and Jim had to work and Casey had to go to school.)  It will be a lot of fun.  They boys seem to like each other, so that's a good thing. I also love the clothes that we got from Carrie.  Especially the snow bibs!

Well, I've got an awake boy.  Today he'll be going to day care for at least part of the day so I can get some "round to it"s done.  Tomorrow we're supposed to go up to visit Mary near Scranton.  Saturday is a normal Saturday and Sunday we're thinking of going to either Kanobels or the USS New Jersey.
Again, I hope to get the camera post written today, and posted by tomorrow (hahah).

Peace to all and may your adventures be fun and your sleep sound.

Camping Completed

Well, we're all home safe and sound.  I started this post this morning, but am wrapping it up now because I got long winded (not me!) and didn't get this done before a boy woke up and we all had to rush out the door this morning.

I do have to say though, that the Cherry Hill Park campground is wonderful.  They've got an area that's just for tents, no RVs or pop-ups allowed.  It's all very wooded and there are plenty of water taps (sinks actually!) and trash and recycling cans throughout the area and a very nice, large, clean wash house very near by.  We'll definitely have to head back there again!  (The staff is very courteous and helpful and the women at the cafe remembered us, well Boo actually, from the evening before when we stopped back in.  The whole experience with the campground was great!)

Ok, so let me tackle this chronologically.  Saturday morning I drop Gak off at work and Boo and I go do laundry.  After that we come home and eat some lunch and Boo helps me finish up the packing and the hauling of stuff to the car.  Well, most of it.  I don't take down the cold stuff as I didn't have any ice and was going to pick that up when we left to pick up Poppa.
I debated if I should keep Boo up so he'd sleep most of the ride down, or let him take a nap so I could relax a bit myself before the drive.  Well, after a while I compromise.  I put "Follow that Bird" on the DVD player and after bopping around half watching it Boo falls asleep on the sofa halfway through.  (That movie itself deserves it's own post... especially watching it as a momma now....)

I manage not to forget the cold food and even picked up ice on the way to get Gak from work.  (There were a few odds and ends that I forgot, but no trip, camping or otherwise, would be complete without that!)  Gak manages to escape right at 3 and we're on our way!
Traffic wasn't too bad until we got to the tolls on 95 to get into Maryland out of Delaware.  It's just about 5:00 at this point and Gak and I are both hungry and there's a sign for a Cracker Barrel in about 5 miles.  So, we slog through the tolls (yes, even the EZPass lanes were backed up) and stop for a stretch and some food. That was an adventure right there.  (It seems most of our trying adventures this trip involve food...)  We had a brand new waitress, which meant even though it wasn't overly crowded, she was slow.  And, to top it off, the power goes out right as we're finishing up.  Thankfully we had the right amount of cash on hand to be able to pay and not require change.  Of course, this puts us back an hour in getting to the campground, something that has me a bit anxious.  (I shouldn't have been, but... I worry...)

The rest of the ride down was pretty uneventful, arriving at the campground around 7.  I'm so thankful that our son does well on long car rides.  We check in and get to our camp site and get everything set up.  It took about a half hour total to set everything up.  (We need a new twin mattress though, or an adapter for the electric pump... I'm not sure which...)  We then pile back into the car to get some firewood (didn't have room to pick any up when we checked in), check out the store a bit and hit the wash house.  After we got back to the site it's time to put Boo to bed.  He doesn't really want to, but with a little soothing and a snuggle, he eventually just drifts off.

This is what we get to wake up to.  A very awake, happy boy who wants to crawl all over his parents.  He actually slept in a bit until almost 7!

I manage to only burn a little bit of breakfast.  My propane burner doesn't seem to have a "low" setting and I forgot I was using a non-stick pan.  Luckily bacon is pretty forgiving, and lots of butter in the pan makes some awesome toast.  (I gave up on the idea of pancakes...)

So, after this minor adventure in cooking, we clean up and head out.  Since it's Sunday and there aren't many buses running to the park, we drive over to the Metro station at College Park.  I'm just happy that the parking is free on Sundays (Saturdays too I think, but I'm not sure).
If you ask Boo what he wanted to do all vacation, you were likely to get the answer "ride trains".  So, he was quite happy to ride the Metro.

We get to Smithsonian Station with little effort and realize that the Museum of Natural History doesn't open unitl 10, and it's only 9:30.  Oops.  That and my camera batteries died on the Metro.  And I didn't pack extras.  Double oops.  So, we get an over priced water and an even more over priced pair of batteries at the refreshment stand and let Boo run around in circles for a while.

We quite enjoy the Natural History Museum and even got to see "Big Trey!".  

Boo did very well.  We stopped in at the exploration (hands on) area and he was happy to pull all the books off the shelf and wander around in circles for a while.  Once we were done in the museum itself, we had lunch there and then headed over to the American History Museum.

I'm so glad that we did.  Boo, of course, passed out within about 5 minutes of getting there and getting a dry diaper on.  That's OK, it meant Gak and I could look at things and not fight a squirmy two-year-old.  (Although, he's much better at things like this than many kiddos I've known, which I'm so very thankful for.)  They're not quite done the renovations, so a lot of things weren't out for viewing.  The new exhibit for the Stars and Strips is open however.  I remember seeing the flag when it was hanging in the main entranceway.  They would show it for 5 minutes every hour or something like that.  It was quite impressive.  Even though you can barely see it now because of the ultra low lighting, it's even more impressive.  Before, it was hanging on a wall and far away.  It seemed large, but with the way they have it displayed now (lying on a display behind glass) I got a much better impression of the true size of the flag.  No pictures are allowed (although at least one person doesn't read signs... and it wasn't me).  It really is quite a sight.

Gak of course, loved the small display they had open of the TV and movie artifacts.  It was pretty cool to see Kermit and some of the other neat things.  I hope they open a bigger exhibit in the future though, there is so much American history there.

We also went through an exhibit that was about the way America travels and how it's changed through the years.  It was pretty neat and fun.

We rounded out the day with a short (too short) visit to the Native American museum.  I've noticed that each of the museums has it's own personality, not just outside or with what they're displaying, but in the atmosphere inside.  The Natural History is loud and vibrant and exciting.  The American History museum is a little quieter but still has an atmosphere of fun and I guess you could say both pride and hope.  The Native American museum is much quieter, almost reverent.  I'd like to think it is to honor the stories that are told within those walls.  Maybe it's because it forces everyone to rethink what they know, or think they know, about the Native cultures of this continent.  Maybe it's a mutual respect between the curators telling the story and those absorbing it.  There is a kind of peace in that building that permeates everything and makes you slow down a bit, to really read and look at and experience the exhibits.  We didn't get much time there, but it was quite enjoyable.

It's a good thing that we did the museums on Sunday.  That was the only day that it actually rained.  It actually rained a bit while we were in the Natural History museum, but mostly while we were in the American History museum and was clear and sunny by the time we left.

Dinner that night was a disaster.  So was trying to build a camp fire.  I guess I was just a little too cocky in my skills and not paying attention to what I was doing.  So, I was cranky and tired and it was getting late, so we just ate at the cafe.  It was pretty good.

Monday we didn't get quite the same early start, but headed back into DC.  The main objective was to go see the Navy Memorial.  Now mind you, it got really humid after the rain and it was nice and hot too.  Also, none of the memorials we wanted to see (other than the Navy Memorial) are anywhere near the Metro station.  And to top it off, we had a cranky, out of sorts boy.  

We did make it to the Navy Memorial, which was very, very important to do.  My son is the son of a son of a son of a sailor after all.  The Navy tradition runs strongly in his veins and it would be sad to be that close and not get a chance to see it.  I didn't get pictures of the really cool fountains, but every year they get water from the 7 seas and the great lakes added to them.  The whole memorial is very beautiful and moving.

After dealing with a cranky boy and walking for a few blocks trying to figure out what we were going to do.  We decided after a cranky discussion that it might just be better to head back to the campground and get some lunch, go for a swim and just hang out for the afternoon.

I'm so glad we did.  The pool was beautiful and nice and cool.  They've got a big lap type pool and a smaller shallow family pool with a couple of water elements.  Boo didn't want anything to do with those, but was more than happy to hang out and splash in the water.  It also felt wonderful to cool off a bit.

Dinner went much better.  I was able to make a fire and Gak took Boo down to the playground (which I don't have pictures of) and he enjoyed it.  I made some pretty yummy foil packet dinners of chicken, bacon, sausage (clean out the cooler time...) and some onion and BBQ sauce.  They didn't burn and they didn't stick either.  I also made some campfire biscuits and even Boo ate one of them!  I also finally got my toasted marshmallows.  (I would have had s'mores, but the chocolate had been melted and solidified and melted again a bit too much.)

We tried to go to the outdoor movie that night, but Boo wasn't having anything to do with settling down and snuggling and Night at the Museum 2, while appropriate considering we were at the Smithsonian museums the day before, just wasn't that catchy.

The next morning we broke camp in fairly short order.  (There were some cranky moments, which were mostly my fault.)  After checking out and picking up some more ice, we were on the road.  Our first order of business was to head to the Zoo.  Of course, this meant driving in Washington, DC itself.  Yep, I drove through DC and lived to tell the tale.  I wasn't so sure about it at one point when traffic was at a complete stand still for what felt like 20 minutes.  I also made a few wrong turns, but thankfully we have a nice GPS (thanks Gak!) and it got us back on track quickly.

We got to the Zoo right around 10:00 which is when it actually opens.  We started at the kids farm area and got to see a good part of it.  It was a bit too hot and humid to really enjoy it all though.  Boo did very well.  He really liked the tiger and enjoyed the invertebrate exhibit a lot too.  (Of course, I think that was mostly because it was inside, cool and dark.)

Even Trey enjoyed the exhibits.  There was even a life sized Trey at the Zoo.  Boo sees it and happily exclaims "Big Trey!"  Apparently it was used in a movie and used to live outside the Natural History museum for a while before moving into this flower garden.  I think it looks right at home here.

The drive home was fairly uneventful.  The biggest downer was that the Games Workshop store we stopped to visit had closed.  I was so bummed.  I know Gak was looking forward to spending some time browsing, drooling and planning his armies.  We did have a nice lunch at Bob Evans though, so that was a plus.

Once we got home I stopped at the now non-Wawa at the end of the block to get some cash and the boys walked home.  I was able to abscond with both Trey and Kelly and throw them, the sleeping bags and most of the laundry into the wash.  So, now we have a clean dino and bear.

So, yes, it was a good trip.  Not a perfect trip by a long shot, but a good trip.  We all enjoyed ourselves most of the time.  It was nice to get away, but it's also nice to get home too.

I'm going to wrap up this novel here.  There are lots more pictures on Flickr.

Peace to all and may your adventures be fun and your vacations enjoyable.

'Venture Begins!

Well, we're off on another adventure today.  Yes, August is the month of adventures in this house.  And about time too!  We've been stuck in a rut and routine for way too long (yes, even with the move).  It's all been work/daycare, home, dinner, bed, repeat.
I guess you'd like to know where we're going.  Well, I'll tell you.  We're going camping right outside of Washington, DC.  So, like I said before, we're going to have the best of both worlds.  We'll be able to be lazy and hang around camp and swim in the pool, or we'll be able to take the Metro into DC and see some museums or monuments or just wander around.  There is so much to do and it's all (well mostly) free!  Sure, there are some museums I'd love to get to, like the National Geographic museum that have an admission fee, but I'm not sure we'll get there this trip.  That's OK, it'll still be there next time.  With all the Smithsonian museums (including the Zoo!) being free, I don't have much incentive to go find others.  If we get to two museums (Natural History and American History) we'll conciser this a successful trip.
So, yes, we could easily meet up with Cybele, now that she's back from Egypt.  We could almost as easily meet up with Ben, Jenny and family (if they're home not in Vermont).  But, we're not going to.  This trip is all about the three of us.
Yes, you'll get lots of pictures when we get back and some stories.  But don't expect to see or hear anything from me until Wednesday.  Yes, the campsite has Wi-fi, but I'm not taking my laptop and I'm not typing a post on Gak's iPhone.
Well, I've got a boy who wants snuggles and some packing to get to, so I'll sign off here.
Peace to you all and may your 'ventures be fun!

Beach Time!

Well, our two beach days of the summer are done.  And what a 'venture it has been.

Last Monday Amma got here nice and early at a little before 7.  By shortly after 7 Boo, Amma and I were on the road and heading down to Delaware.  I was sad that Gak couldn't join us, but excited to have a day away from the office and with my son (and mom) at the beach.

The drive down was fairly uneventful.  There was a bit of traffic, as always on the Blue Route right around the Schuylkill and where they're doing some construction, but nothing too horrible.  We actually made pretty good time.  The only iffy part was a few sprinkles of rain on the way down and some lingering clouds.

Once down there we stopped at McDonalds to try their new smoothies (very yummy!) and change for the beach.  The weather was gorgeous.  The sun was shining, there were a few clouds providing a little spotty shade.  The game plan was to hit the beach for a bit, get some lunch, do a little shopping and head to Jay's by mid-afternoon to meet up with people.

We get to the beach and find a great little spot.  We were able to park on the Avenue about a block and a half up!  We even find another little guy who's not quite 2.5 years old and the boys have fun playing with their assorted sand toys for an hour or so.

The water was beautiful and nice and cool.  The waves were a little rough, but not too bad at the edges.  Unfortunately, even though Boo was amazed that the water was "rolling!" he didn't want anything to do with it this year.  We went down to the edge several times and each time I set him down, he'd turn around and walk straight to our blanket without even looking back.  So, we spent most of our time playing in the sand (even though Momma really, really wanted to play in the water.)

After the beach we get our feet cleaned up and our shoes and shorts and shirts back on and go for some lunch.  Of course, we go to Grotto Pizza.  (And of course I was evil big sister and sent Jon a picture of our pizza as soon as it got to the table...)  But, my non-pizza eating son had a grilled cheese and French fries.  (I never realized how good their fries are!  I think they salt the oil, not the fries.  Boy are they yummy.)

The cutest thing was after lunch.  Boo didn't want back into the stroller, but wanted to walk.  (He'd walked from the beach to Grotto while we pushed the bags in the stroller.)  He also insisted on carrying his bag of sand toys and was quite content to wander down the sidewalk all on his own.  I think he was anxious to get back on the beach, but unfortunately, we weren't heading there.  We made a quick stop at Dolly's for some mint sticks (I got Gak some chocolate-mint ones that are yummy!).  I also stuck my head in at Endeavor Trading Company, the store that has all those wonderful batik shirts and dresses that I love, but didn't buy anything.

Our next stop was the outlet malls.  We only stopped at a couple of places because I didn't want to take a lot of time and I didn't have a big budget to spend anyhow.  I got two things at Gap (which I returned yesterday) but even though I really liked the skirt, I knew I wouldn't get much use out of it and still spent too much on it.  At the VF outlet I did manage to get 1 pair of pants and 3 shirts.  I really love the one shirt, and the other two will be nice when it cools off a bit.  And yes, the pants are 2 sizes smaller than this time last year.

Then it was off to Jay's.  Boo got to meet the original Kelly, Jay's really big dog.  They did a very good job of just staying out of each other's way.  He also got to meet Molly, Robin and Paul's little dog.  Of course he got to meet Robin and Paul and see Jay again.  Overall we had a nice visit and then headed out for dinner at Bob Evan's.  We finally left down there at around 8 and had a boy who fell asleep at about 9 on the way home.  (He'd had a short nap on the way down and about a 20 minute snooze on the way to and once we got to Bob Evan's.)  Of course, this means we got home around 11, and the next morning was a bear.  But it was sooo worth it.

Yesterday we followed a very similar plan.  The weather was nice, but a good bit more humid.  Boo still wanted nothing to do with the water.  That's OK though, we had lots of fun in the sand and I kept going back to the surf to get buckets of water and a chance to cool off.

Lunch was at Grotto again and then to the outlets.  I returned my purchases from Gap from last week and Boo got a new shirt at A Children's Place that was nicely on sale.  This time there was all kinds of family at Jay's house.  Robin and Paul are up from Georgia, so of course it meant we had to get the family together.  Her two brothers live in Maryland still, so Dave and Kathy and Jimmy, Penny and "little" Jimmy were all there.  Unfortunately Bill (Robin and Paul's son) wasn't going to come up until today and Linda and Frank couldn't come up from Tennessee.  "Little" Jimmy is 14 and not so little.  He's almost 6' tall and a very nice guy.  He and Boo had a lot of fun playing together once they warmed up to each other.

It was a great day and we got out of there an hour earlier.  This time Boo fell asleep in the car within about 5 to 10 minutes.

So, yeah, we had two wonderful beach adventure days.

Go check the rest of the pictures (and some video) out on Flickr.

Peace to all and may your 'ventures be good ones.