Pioneer Day Holiday Camping Trip

Over the years, I've transformed from a backpacker who used to hike into the mountains for days and filter my own water . . . to a mom of three that appreciates the conveniences of a trailer.

I am lucky to be involved in a Spina Bifida Moms' group where I gather ideas and support from other parents who have children with unique needs.  The timing of our first meeting was perfect . . . I called Jeff on the way home to discuss the need for Gavin to have his own private bathroom and toilet.  We were nearing the final stages of our house plans and had drawn in one bathroom for Gavin and Gage to share.  After talking to the other moms, I realized how critical it would be for Gavin to have his own, uninterrupted space . . . especially as he grew older.  And, we were able to quickly make a change to our blueprint.

The other realization from that initial meeting was that our traditional style of camping would be transformed as Gavin aged and his bathroom needs changed.  There are certain things that you just can't do with a cooler of water and a bottle of sanitizer and a shovel.  So, we began the hunt for a trailer to accommodate our changing family needs.

The trailer is an integral part of our developing family plan.  I was fresh off of a day away at a Power of Moms conference with 100 other moms, Richard and Linda Eyre (NY bestselling writers of various parenting books who I absolutely LOVE), and other members of their family, where we discussed the importance of family identity and culture.  And, we had just been privileged to visit with Aaron Hicken's cousin's family, an amazing family, during Spring Break, near St. George. Jeff visited them once before on a dirt bike riding trip.

Within an hour of being at their home, I started asking them a million questions to learn their family secrets.  They are everything I hope to be as a family.  Their teenagers even hung out with us willingly, virtual strangers, on a Saturday night.  And, their answers were somewhat simple . . . they said something I won't forget. "We just love spending time together as a family."  And, the kids adamantly shook their heads in agreement!!  They have a fairly structured schedule, specific days of the week where friends can play, chores that are expected, and very regular family trips in their trailer.

They are exactly the kind of family we want to emulate.  So, Jeff and I made some decisions.

I'm not so naive to think that getting a trailer alone is the answer.  It's the decisions you make as a family to spend time together.  We asked ourselves, what do we want our kids to remember about their childhood when they leave our home.  And, we want them to remember us being together.  Making memories the old-fashioned way, with sticks, dirt, marshmallows and a frisbee.

Of course, we would have been absolutely content with our massive Costco tent.  But, we don't have a typical family . . . we do have special needs.  And, we want to do whatever we can to ensure Gavin has the same experiences that every other kid should have.

So, Pioneer Day/Weekend was our first trip together in our new (used) trailer.  And, it was wonderful (minus the mosquitoes and the most aggressive flies we have ever encountered).

Daddy's Vacation

Less than 5 minutes after we dropped Jeff off at the airport, a very soft little Gavin voice came from the back seat, "I miss Dad." So sweet. So scary since Daddy was leaving the country! That night as I was rocking him to sleep (I thought that was a fairly recent phenomenon since he used to be the best little boy at bedtime - but, Jeff informed me that the trend began when we were in Virginia after Christmas and has never stopped), he fell asleep quickly and was twitching . . . he actually moaned - in his sleep - and said, "Daaaaddddy." That cute little boy is in love with his Daddy.  So began our week at home without Daddy.

Wednesday Afternoon 

After the airport, we made a quick trip to the mall to swap out our cable box.  It felt nice to be another mom pushing a stroller around (although I suspect almost every woman I saw with kids was a nanny).  Then, we stopped by the library for the afternoon.  Gavin loves to crawl up and down the stairs while Autumn and I read and chose the books she was going to check out.

We spent a lot of time out back on the playset all week (we love our neighbor, Marsha and her daughter, Aliza, for passing it along).  Gavin has learned to crawl up the stairs by himself.  He continues to amaze me.  And, he's so proud of himself.

It doesn't stop him from having this look on his face by the time he gets to the bottom of the slide.

Thursday 

My first morning getting both kids ready for school alone.  And, they were angels.  Really.  I did have to make a few rest stops on the way in to Gavin's preschool as I carried him and his trike in.  Wow.  Reason #278 that Jeff makes a great stay-at-home parent.  He's stronger than me.  And, that little Gavin boy is heavy.

Thursday was hot.  It warranted breaking out the Slip n Slide.  We created a water slide on the playset with the hose.  Set up the umbrella.  Made some lemonade (which Gavin surprisingly loves) and had ourselves a picnic.  So much fun.  So hot.

Friday

Gavin and I spent the morning playing Cars while Autumn was at school.  It's his very favorite past-time.  He has 30 or more little cars from the Disney Cars movie.  They talk to each other and have elaborate adventures.

We were ready to go to the Toronto Zoo soon after we picked up Autumn from the bus stop (during which Gavin ran into the back of my legs with his four-wheeler and I almost cried when I saw the chunk of skin I was missing).

Trying to get out of the house was a challenge.  Gavin wanted his sunglasses - which I couldn't find.  Autumn wanted to wear sandals - which are all too small.  I had to run back in the house for a million little items - sunscreen, the zoo passes, more water.  I was checking one last time for Gavin's sunglasses in the garage when my sunglasses fell off and skidded across the driveway . . . on their lenses.  I ran to grab them and when I stood up I whacked the back of my head on the side view mirror.  Hard.  Ouch.  

We had big plans to visit the tigers and elephants . . . but, ended up splitting our time between the little bunnies at the zoo in the kids' park and the sandbox.  They were perfectly content and happy not to go anywhere else.  So funny.

They were both ecstatic that they actually were able to each touch a bunny.  They both said it was the highlight of their day.

Saturday

Autumn's best friend, Alida, and her mom, Lisa, and their little June bug came over for a visit.  I love this family.  June and Gavin actually play so well together.  And, the afternoon was full of freeze tag, playing toys, pretending to be princesses, playing outside, more picnics, and a little bit of packing.

Sunday

We hit our low point Sunday morning.  Both kids woke up coughing - Gavin sometime in the night and Autumn sometime later in the night.  There's not much sleep to be had with two squirmy kids in the bed.

Gavin was so cranky and upset . . . he couldn't be put down for a second.  And, I'll say it again . . . he is heavy.  I actually had to put myself in a short time-out that morning.  For sanity's sake.

By the afternoon, calm Mommy had returned.  We walked around the block a few times, drew on the driveway with chalk, climbed some trees, had another picnic, pla yed the Wii, watched a movie, made some cookies and relaxed.


Monday

The kids tried to convince me to drive to the airport to hang out and wait for Daddy about five hours before his plane was scheduled to arrive.  I held them off.  But, I had to be quite creative!

We went to visit the new house we are moving to (more on that later).  And, spent the morning playing hide-and-seek in an empty house.  I realized - with utter devastation - that Gavin was going to have an incredibly hard time getting around because of the number of stairs everywhere.  The entire house has wood floors (of which I am not a fan - I've asked Jeff to please limit wood in any of our future homes to the office room only).  Gavin said the stairs are "too slickery."

And, then we went to pick Daddy up from the airport.  Such a cute reunion.

I had shamelessly bribed the kids with small toys that Jeff was picking up from the US (I love and miss you, Amazon.com).  They each were allowed five 'strikes' for the week - documented on a prominent poster on the wall - to still earn their toys.  It worked like a charm.  Sadly for Jeff, I think they were more excited to get their toys than see him initially.

Autumn was actually a joy all week.  I adore her.  She's so much fun to hang out with.

And, Gavin was a little roller coaster.  He missed his Daddy.  So, I had to cut him some slack.  Lucky for him, he's such a cute little funny guy.  It partially makes up for the whining and constant begging to "hold me."

So, that's the highlights of the week.  There were lots of extras, of course, like riding bikes, playing with the dogs, making crafts . . .

We survived . . . without Super Dad . . . for a few days.

But, we were so glad to have him back.

Mini-vacation in Finger Lakes, NY

Florida Rewind . . . Marco Island Memories

Florida was truly one of my all-time favorite vacations . . . in fact, it was our first family vacation. I was pregnant with Gavin when we visited Maui - and that was our last vacation alone as a family.

The timing was perfect in Florida. Vacations tend to be just a week long in the US - and 'holidays' in the international world are typically two weeks. I know I'm just an American in a Canadian world - but, I'll take two-week vacations any day. At least I'll shoot for a 10-day minimum.

The first six days were in Disney World and we spent the remaining six days in Marco Island, Florida. Because it's a 'Snow Bird' destination, peak season is in the winter. So, we were able to rent a three bedroom house with a huge private pool for a great deal. Disney was so much fun. I think I was the saddest when we drove away! But, having a few days of complete relaxation after the frenzy of Disney was fabulous.

Autumn was as wild as usual and wanted to live in the pool all week.


Gavin was happy to chill on the side of the pool.

One of the best (and only) family photos was a lucky shot at a seafood restaurant.

We built card houses . . . and then knocked them over.

I taught Autumn some cheering stunts.

And, we enjoyed the beautiful beach.