Camp Brookstone 2013

A friend drove Noah to his first day of summer camp (about 10min from our house), and came back to say, As we drove up, there were horses drinking from a stream in the nearby field. It is that picturesque.

A friend from church runs the little camp at her parents' farm, where they've been entertaining 4 to 8-year-olds outside for 25 years now. The kids go M-F from 9am-1pm and spend the whole time at various outdoor stations...

Thankfully, the camp took all of these pictures, as I failed to take one the entire week...

It made me smile to hear Noah asking if he could go back for another week. The whole thing felt so wholesome. I'd say the answer's yes, even if he does have to wait a whole year for it.

Grandma's House? Yep.

For a few short months between houses, my parents have been scraping by in a beachfront condo near Sanibel Island. So we decided, out of the goodness of our hearts, to keep them company for a long weekend of sun, sand, and free babysitting.

It was our first time flying with Isaac, and everyone did great. It's not relaxing. Sometimes I fantasize about reading a book on an airplane. But no one pitched a fit or popped an eardrum, so we're claiming success. It helps a lot that some of them aren't so little anymore. Once they can read on their own, we'll be golden.

The beach was downstairs, which we discussed at length with the boys before and when we arrived. There was some confusion about how Nana & Papa live on the beach and how we would be doing so. The elevator was a big perk in their world, but apparently it was not a complete solution to the 10-story drop; when we arrived and Aaron walked out onto their balcony, he could see the beach below, so he said we'd "need a ladder to jump down there."

Our one venture over to Sanibel island was accompanied by a storm that rolled right over us. Dad waited in the car with Isaac while we took Noah & Aaron out on the dark and windy beach to play chicken with the storm. As I drank in the super-cool atmosphere, Noah talked a mile-a-minute about the piles of shells underfoot. He surprised me by picking out a handful of really beautiful little butterfly shells.

We might get wet! At the beach! In our swimsuits! ;)

The condos are right next to a big resort hotel, so Josh and I walked next door for a date one night. It was so wonderful, we hoodwinked my parents into another one the next night...

We spent one afternoon at Thomas Edison & Henry Ford's summer estates, where I was struck by 2 things:
1. Today's Pottery Barn decor (which I love) is actually just a refresh of the 1920s styles.
2. Who would've guessed one of the early appliances that resulted from the invention of electricity would be...the waffle iron?

And of course, we spent lots of time in the pool. Though given the 90-degree heat, it was a bit surprising how much Aaron loved "the small pool" (aka hot tub).

Thank you, Nana & Papa, for a beautiful vacation! We have a new appreciation for what you are giving up to be near us!

Roughing It

It all started a couple weeks ago, when we pulled out the fire pit to make some s'mores...

The next day, Aaron came down from rest time, plopped himself on a stool, and said, "I want a marshmallow and fire, please!"

The boys started scheming for a camp-out.

While Daddy was away, we created Mommy's version of a tent (i.e. indoors) -- which turned into quite the 2-story castle...

(We've been very busy renovating.)

Then, a temperate weekend with Daddy home and minimal plans made it possible for...

The 2nd Annual Denny Backyard Camp-out! After the s'mores, Mommy and the littles went to their warm, cozy beds while Daddy and Noah braved it on a mattress in the upgraded tent (thanks to the grandparents' foresight!) and 70-degree night air -- both of which might help explain how the big boys made it through the night out in the wild.

The "wild" was also augmented by a late-night viewing of "Return of the Jedi" in the tent -- another installment in Josh and Noah's slow but celebrated trek through the three old Star Wars movies.

S'mores. Star Wars. Campout. With Daddy. Yeah, Noah was on cloud nine.

Solidarity

Noah had a booboo on his right foot that needed a foot bath...

On Top of Spaghetti...

Fortunately, there were no sneezes to ruin Isaac's first encounter with spaghetti & meatballs... #majormilestones

May the Fourth Be With You

This past weekend, we were home! So we decided to go out. But just for bursts of time between HOME, which was lovely. A few notable moments from our ordinary-weekend-feels-like-a-staycation...

FRIDAY

The Tot Lot at the Nashville Zoo -- it's basically a giant padded, open-air cell for toddlers, and they love it. I spent hours there with the boys in constant motion, living it up on a gorgeous day while all 3 boys can (barely) squeeze in under the 42" limit.

Then at 4pm, we ran to see a couple animals, including Pumbaa on the right,
just to confirm we were actually at a zoo.

SATURDAY, May the 4th
This year, we chose to honor Star Wars Day by visiting the Lego store in our area, which happens to be at Opry Mills. We hadn't been there since it was rebuilt after The Flood, so it was fun to explore, though a bit overwhelming for this non-shopper. I would go back next year to visit H&M, the Disney store, and our 2 favorites...  

You can build 3 mini-figures for $10, so Noah built a pirate captain, Aaron built a blue pirate (he'd turn everything blue if possible), and I built Josh...

The Aquarium Restaurant, where we talked to fish, then ate them. The tank was amazing, with giant eels, sharks, rays, Nemo, Dory... And of course the biggest fish is a giant shovel-nosed guitar fish named Gibson. 2nd is his groupie, a grouper.

SUNDAY
We did a little dance that we got to be back at our home church and in Sunday school for the first time in forever (we have nursery duty again next week), then we went to a real celebration: the baptism of a dear friend's son. If only it weren't followed by her moving to Belgium. The country.

Us? We're staying put, thankyouverymuch. At least till next week, when we take this show on an airplane. I'm sure there'll be more on that later...

A Rest Stop & Run

After years of carrying baby boys back and forth between Nashville and Louisville, we now know every McDonald's (or as Aaron calls the golden arches, "Costco!") on that stretch of highway. The playland is our friend.

However, when we were driving I-65 four times in one week, we decided to up the ante with "the best rest stop ever" - Dinosaur World in Cave City, KY.

Saturday, Josh and I ran the Derby Festival Mini-Marathon (13.1) through Churchill Downs. There were no lines, no traffic, cheap/easy parking, no hills, and it was 60 degrees & cloudy -- pretty much the opposite of Josh's experience last year with Nashville's Country Music Half-Marathon. He selflessly ran with me the whole time, and we finished in just under 11 min/mi. It felt great in that sore-stiff-hungry-and-tired way that makes me want to do it again.

After the race, we returned to our boys (who'd been livin' it up at the grands), cleaned up, and descended on Grandma Merrill for a big, red-meat, post-race lunch and some cuddles/playtime.

That night, we celebrated with his parents, who are also marking some special milestones this year - the kind that remind us to give thanks for them, their love, the impact they are having on their worlds, and the many years we have ahead with them.