Emily and I had so much fun this weekend. We packed up the car and headed up north to our camper with my best friend and her two boys. I borrowed my dad's SUV because I figured the backseat would be a little bigger to fit a car seat and two boosters. They were packed in like sardines but they all fit. I don't think it would have worked in mine. We left yesterday morning, it's usually about a 3.5 hour drive but since we stopped for lunch and to use the restroom it took a little longer. The kids all did great in the backseat together. M got a little antsy from the long car ride and asked if we were there yet a lot, but I think that is the job of an almost six year old to say that.
Emily had a blast playing on their leap frog, but she tends to throw toys when she is done with them and a few times she threw them and hit N. He is only 3.5 so he doesn't quite understand that she is not doing it to be mean, so there were a few tears, but otherwise all was good. We had lunch at McDonalds and Emily did her part to ensure job security for the nice lady that was sweeping the floor by throwing half her lunch down for her to sweep up.
Once we got to my dad's place we unloaded the car and we checked out the camper. They had never seen it before so they were pretty excited, and M was especially excited about the bunk beds. Unfortunately though, we don't have a ladder for it yet, so he had to sleep on the bottom bunk so he could easily get up to potty. We went to say hi to my dad, had a few snacks and then headed to the beach. When I was there for the 4th, the water was only 64 degrees and along with being shockingly cold, I couldn't get used to it. It was so cold it hurt. But yesterday it was 68 degrees and it was pretty cold at first, but you could quickly grow accustomed to it and then it felt great. I had no idea just a 4 degree difference could feel so different. Maybe their temp readings were off.
The second I put Emily down in the sand she butt scooted off to the water, but decided against it when she felt how cold it was. So all three kids had a blast playing with their sand buckets and shovels, and we got a really cute picture of the three of them sitting together with the setting sun in the background. I took Em out in the water I few times....she enjoyed splashing her feet in it, but once we got out deep enough where she had no choice but to be in the water, she climbed up me like a tree and whined so I took her back in. I went out a couple of times, and went as far as the buoys and came back. I love Lake Michigan, beautiful beach, clear water, and no sharks!
We stayed there for a couple hours, and then we got dried off, changed and then went to dinner at one of our favorite places in town. Amanda used to go up north with me a lot when we were kids, she'd come for summer weekends and snowmobiling in the winter, but we figure she hadn't been up there in about ten years. We ate out on the deck of this restaurant and the kids loved coloring while we waited for food. M started to get antsy toward the end of the meal and I bribed him to stay in his seat with 21 cents. I am so excited that it is still possible to excite kids with a very small amount of money.
After that we headed back....my dad, brother, and my SIL had gone to a cousin's wedding that evening, but they were back by the time we got home. I likely wouldn't have come for the wedding anyway, but it was a good weekend to come since I knew my dad would be there for it. So then we had a campfire and some smores, and then we headed to the camper to get ready for bed. We have a TV in our "bedroom", and we use a portable DVD player to watch movies, but I was having trouble figuring out how to get the TV on the right setting. I took so long that Emily ended up falling asleep in her pack n play. It was way past her bedtime, so I wasn't surprised.
So the four of us all snuggled in my bed and watched some of Monster's Inc. It was pretty late though so about halfway through we called it quits and went to sleep. The bunk beds are pretty roomy so Amanda and the boys were all able to sleep on the bottom bunk and I slept in my bed with Emily in her pack n play just outside my room. Like clockwork she got up at 8, despite going to bed 4 hours past her bedtime. Amanda and the boys were still sleeping so I changed her diaper, got her a bottle and we cuddled in bed and watched more of the movie. She had never seen it and she seemed to recognize Boo since she has the doll.
They got up about an hour later, so then we all went upstairs and my dad made us breakfast. Emily just goes batshit over her push toy, so I brought it with us so she could keep practicing her walking. My dad has ceramic tile and hardwood floor through out so she had a blast running up and down the hallway, kitchen and living room with it. Then the boys would chase her and run around. Yes, the girl that claims to not be able to walk can run with her push toy. I swear, two weeks. Walking independently has got to be just around the corner. She's got a week and a half before she turns 17 months, I say she walks before then. I hope.
So then we got ready and went to visit my grandma. I didn't want to....it sounds bad, but I am not close with my grandma and she doesn't throw me a bone. I try to make conversation with her and she just answers with one word. Doesn't elaborate, doesn't ask me anything. But if I don't visit her, she gives my dad hell and then he bugs me for getting him in trouble. So, we went for our obligatory visit. Luckily my aunt and her two girls were there along with another aunt and my dad's cousin. The boys had fun playing with Playdoh with my cousins. Emily was pretty crabby....I actually thought she was doing wonderful for being off her routine, only napping for an hour the day before, getting to bed four hours late and not having napped yet today. My aunts held her ok, and then my cousin held her and fed her a bottle.
But when it was time to go, I asked if she would give kisses. I am very adamant not to force her. If she wants to give someone a kiss or a hug she can, but if she doesn't, then she doesn't have to. So she did give my aunt and cousin one, so I thought maybe she'd give my grandma one. Nope, she tried to smack her in the face. So I pulled her back and tried again, but again with the smacks. So then my grandma took her hand and slapped it lightly, and then tried holding both of her hands so she wouldn't smack her. Emily got all upset and her little mouth turned down into a frown and she was starting to cry.
Now don't get me wrong, I don't think it's ok for her to smack people, and I tell her no and try to redirect, but she is 16 months old. It's a phase. She's too young to understand any punishment and it's the only way she knows how to get someone out of her face if she doesn't want to kiss or hug them. Plus she was all out of sorts and was in dire need of a nap. My grandma is 91, she is old school, and has raised 12 kids, 28 grandkids, 18 great grandkids and also has a great great grandkid. But man, don't slap my kid's hands. I took it because she's old, but I did not like it. Ryan and I do plan to spank her when and if the occasion calls for it as she gets older, and I have slapped her hands a couple times when she's messing with electrical cords, and I would be ok if either of our parents slapped her hand if she's doing something that's bad and dangerous when she's in their care, but that's it.
I was holding Emily so it's not like she had free reign to run around and smack people. She didn't want to give her a kiss, in her 16 month old mind smacking is her only option to get people to back off. Now, sometimes she does smack people as a game, and she giggles. But I could tell by her demeanor she wasn't playing, she just didn't want to give kisses. Ryan says I am over analyzing, my grandma is old, don't read too much into it. But it just bugs me because I don't want her thinking she is a bad kid, or I am a bad mom. As soon as we got into town and I got her in a stroller, she fell fast asleep, so I knew she was just crabby and tired.
So we went to this adorable store called Storytime Village. They have lots of puppets, books, and other kids toys, and they also have a puppet show theater. I was hoping to catch a show but they weren't doing it right then. But M and N had fun just going around the store, playing with the puppets and other various toys. I got Emily a new bucket hat with lady bugs on it. Last time I was there I got her a book about sharks. After that we walked to the ice cream shop, the boys each got a cone and Amanda and I got flurries and we gave Em some of ours. I dread when she is old enough to get her own cone. Sticky mess city. As a kid I always wanted those chocolate dipped cones, but finally my dad banned them because they made such a mess. A few years ago Ryan and I were getting ice cream and I was like, I'm an adult now, I can get one if I want. And you know, it made just as damn big of a mess as they did when I was a kid.
After ice cream we walked back to the car and headed back to my dad's. He made lunch which was corn on the cob and BBQ chicken tenders. It was all so good, and all three kids ate really well. Then we got packed up and got ready to go. When we were just about ready to leave I let M push the buttons to bring the awning and the slide-out back in on the camper, he seemed really excited to do that. I told him I would hire him each year to come close up our camper for the season.
We didn't make any stops on the way home except for a quick potty break, and at one point all three kids were sleeping. Even when they were awake they were pretty engrossed in their games and books. Ryan thought it was silly to be gone for such a short amount of time, but really, it was the boys' first road trip and first time staying there, so I think one night and a day and a half was perfect. Like I told him, Amanda and I can have fun watching paint dry as long as we're together. We talked and laughed and even busted out some of our old 90's boy band CDs to sing along with....this was our first trip together again since we both got married and had kids, so it was soooo much fun to be like old times together.
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