May 19th-27th

(5/19) Took today off to work up at Nanan's and the kids went to Kathy's like usual.  I got to be here for breakfast, which I don't normally get to on Tuesdays, so that was fun.  Picked them up from Kathy's at normal time, got them home, cooked dinner and we had some play time before bed.

(5/21) We bummed around this morning and I did exciting things like wash diapers and tidy up.  Mom came here today since it was my day to work in C's class.  She arrived right at the point that I managed to make all three boys cry at the same time.  I had left the room, which made D cry.  J cried in support of D, and C was highly frustrated that his shoes wouldn't tie, and that I wouldn't drop what I was doing and help him tie them right that very second. Go me! I had an appointment after school, but I had just enough time to get dinner on and ready before I left to make it easier for Nanan.  I returned after dinner and had a nice evening with the kids.

(5/22) I took today off to go up and work at Nanan's again.  We're going camping this weekend, so I won't be available. Got to see the boys for breakfast today and returned in time to put them to bed.

(5/24) Scored a bonus day home from work.  I got up early to catch a walk with Sarah and then came home to sleepy boys that had just gotten out of bed.  Well, the bigger two, anyway.  J was up and raring to go since before I left.  I gave J some breakfast and when I went to get him down/clean him up, he said, "More food!" - this was AFTER 2 pieces of toast, some Cheerios, and an entire banana.  I asked him where the heck it was all gonna go and he pointed to his belly.  Scary smart that kid is.  D was down for the count until 10a.  He likes his sleep.  Due to the Skagit Bridge collapse, our route to camping was blocked.  We could take a ferry to go around, but that's really expensive with a trailer, so Dad left with C to go find somewhere for us and we'll join him in the am.  Sarah's youngest, Jamie, is hanging with us this evening while they go to the game.  Should be interesting getting all 3 of the boys to go to sleep.

(5/25) The littles were quite tired after their late night last night, but we were up, packed and headed out to join Dad & C at Beckler River by 9:15a.  We stopped to grab ice and some dry firewood on the way, and ended up stopped in traffic trying to head out of Monroe due to a vehicle vs deer crash.  We inched along for a while, and once we broke free, it was smooth sailing the rest of the way to the campsite. We arrived shortly after 11a and we broke out some lunch and let the boys play. There was a huge stump that we determined was the outdoor playpen for J & C.  D hasn't figured out stepping down without something to hold onto, so effectively got stuck on the tent pad every time he climbed up on it.  After lunch, the twins took a short nap--under protest--and then we set about getting dinner ready.  Pasta with veggies and apple chicken sausage was on the menu. Yummo!  I shared mine with J and he kept handing me back all the veggies. Stinker.  The twinsies and I spent some time inside the camper as it started to drizzle.  The twins took out the cups and plates and had a great time rearranging the kitchen.  Bedtime rolled around and I put two tired campers to bed.  It took several lay-downs, but finally they went down and we didn't hear a peep out of them all night.

Unfortunately, the wood that I brought up was wet, but I managed to get a tiny fire going for s'mores.  Those are important, dontchaknow.  C had his s'mores and then it was his bedtime.  We turned in early too, opting to read inside where the bugs weren't so fierce.

(5/26) 7a and they're up.  Dad laid them back down until 8a until it was clear that they were up for the day.  We had a tasty breakfast of blueberry pancakes and J discovered hot apple cider.  He drained his cup and went after D's.  We took another trip to the river and then bummed around camp for a while.  It started to sprinkle so we took a drive continuing East and went over the pass.  We stopped to visit the X294 Caboose on the Iron Goat trail and "hiked" up to the snow shed.  It was a half mile walk round trip, and the twins managed most of the way.  Pretty amazing for such little legs!  We had lunch at the caboose and headed back.  Both the boys were sawing logs soon after, but when we stopped a short while later to let C out use the potty, D woke up and stayed awake for the rest of the trip back.  Poor kid didn't get much of a nap at all, so he was very cuddly all afternoon. After our trip, there was more playing outside / more kitchen rearranging.  We opted for dinner inside due to some on & off drizzle.  The twins did a pretty good job at the table for dinner.  Chicken with rice and broccoli, though they kept handing me their broccoli.  Mom must have fed them too many crackers at snack since they weren't all that hungry.  They did manage to find room for watermelon though.  We decided against sugaring up the twins with s'mores before bedtime and put them down.  It took over an hour for them to finally settle in and sleep.  D was over tired and J was full of beans.  They were up multiple times during the night and we alternated laying them back down / turning the music on, etc.  The playpen is a tight fit for the two of them.  We'll be lucky if it lasts this season of camping.

(5/27) J was up and at 'em bright and early this morning.  He woke promptly at 7a. Dad laid them back down, but they were only quiet until 7:30a.  We had breakfast of oatmeal, bananas and some Cheerios.  We took a quick trip to the river, and then broke camp.  On the road by 9:30a.  That's efficiency for ya!  Kids are now home and in the bath, all before noon.