Last weekend, Fuller, Tebow and I were having fun heading out to various outings and gatherings. Damon was busy measuring, cutting, and nailing. Progress on the storage situation in our mudroom/ laundry room was happening! It was wonderful.

And then Monday, it started raining. And it’s been raining. Well, it’s been raining on and off, but enough “on” so that progress halted for the week.

It’s been frustrating. Damon had a good momentum going and has been wanting to get going again. And I have been whining and moaning patiently waiting to get my kitchen completely back. Right now, it is pretty cramped and confining. The laundry room shelves are making the space in front of the sink into our own personal “Fat Man’s Squeeze.” My island counter space is cut in half due to objects previously on shelves temporarily vacationing on the island. And the microwave has been moved, making it kind of comical when Damon goes to use the microwave and heads to the counter where it used to be.

I loathe making breakfast/ lunch/ dinner/ midnight snacks because of the lack of space. And if I get food prepared, I loathe cleaning up. Then again, that part isn’t related to lack of kitchen space.

So, the weather. We need it stay dry so Damon can continue working. He has to use the backyard as his cutting area. If he can’t cut, he can’t install and if he can’t install, he can’t make cubbies and shelves. And if he can’t… well, you get the idea. We need dry weather so we can keep this project moving. So, everybody say it with me..

Rain, rain, go away! Come again some other day! (Just not Sunday or Monday or Tuesday, just in case he can’t finish on Saturday.)

Technorati Tags: home repair, home remodel, diy, home organization

I am so excited we are staying home all day today. I feel a bit giddy about it, which seems ridiculous now that I think about it. But, staying home doesn’t mean lots of computer time. It means laundry, vacuuming, cleaning, and some sorting. Maybe after the kids go to bed tonight I’ll be able to catch up here.

Excluding travel, we are a family who doesn’t usually have stuff scheduled. We have a routine of sorts, so heading out for special outings are usually spur of the moment and even more delicious because of it. Something in the wind must have shifted last week because suddenly we were busy, busy, busy. At least one thing was scheduled every day, and on Saturday we wore ourselves out with going, going, going (and it was fun, fun, fun).

Yesterday was a day off from the busy and we were able to force Fuller to take a nap, because several of those outings had us out way past his bedtime (and yet he was still up at 6:30 each morning). The nap ended up being a four hour attitude adjustment, adjusting him for the better, and hopefully prepping him for more busy this week.

So, until I’m ready to recount the fun we have been having (I even have pictures to upload, just no real time), just smile on this:

The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page. ~Saint Augustine

I read that quote a few weeks ago when checking in on Jamin’s family trip. I had just returned from traveling with my kids and soon after our return I was asked advice on how to travel with kids. So, the quote really struck a chord with me.

Ever since I became a full time stay at home mom, our family’s travels have averaged almost one trip per month. Since we have started traveling during the autumn for football games, the average is up a little bit more.

People are often amused when we tell them we aren’t going to be in town during a certain weekend, probably because it seems as if we just returned from another trip from somewhere. Other people have exclaimed how amazing it is we take Tebow on trips even though he is three months old.

Most of our trips are to visit family. And our kids are fortunate because they have two sets of grandparents with very different locations.

Damon’s parents have a fixed position, where we pretty much always see them at Lake Martin. This provides a kind of comforting stability, where you always know how to get there and what will happen.

My parents are still in the military, so visiting them has been more of adventure where we take new roads (or air streams) to visit them. We get to explore new cities, learn new traditions, and see just a little bit more of this world.

I’m thrilled we are setting an early precedent for family travel at such a young age. As parents, we have been dreaming about family vacations where we get to play tour guide for our children and proudly show off this wonderful world. Trips to Disney once or twice are on the long term agenda, but I want to see all fifty states with my kids. Maybe we will take them to Scotland, England, and Ireland. I would love to give them a tour of The Netherlands and show them where I went to high school.

I want my children to read more than one page in this book called The World. And I want to be the one helping them sound out the words.

Hi, I’m Tebow. But you probably knew that, right? My mommy says I’m cute.

There is this thing called “second child syndrome.” Apparently it can manifest (yes, I know big words) itself in the form of lack of pictures of the second child. Mommy is working to make sure this doesn’t happen to me. Unfortunately, when we go out on our trips, I tend to be sleeping or just sitting in the car seat. So, we have these little photo sessions every once in a while.

Today I am three months old. This is pretty cool, I guess. I can hold my head up really well, sit up strong in my seat, “talk” to you, smile lots, and laugh a little. Daddy likes to play peek-a-boo with me, it makes him smile too.

Mommy says I am a much better eater now. And I sleep better at night. I’m not sure about these things called “naps” but Mommy sure wishes I would be a better napper. I’ve had a pretty exciting three months, with lots of trips and seeing new things. I’ve been to four states, been to a wedding, flown on an airplane, took a long car trip, and just this weekend I went camping. It seems like a lot, but really, I sleep through it mostly.

I think that’s all I can handle right now. I might go take one of those naps Mommy is always wanting. See you later!

It was almost two years ago when this tent came into our lives:

It was such fun to put up in the living room (yes, it fit), Fuller’s room, and the backyard. I guess after two years, it was finally time to take it out into the big outdoors for some Real Camping Fun.

Friday evening we took off to Cloudland Canyon, met up with the Harberts and the Petersons, pitched our tents on one of the walk-in campsites, and settled in for some fun. Damon cooked up a yummy gourmet campfire meal (with lots of help from Bob and Dave’s camp stoves), while the four little kids ran around enjoying each other and the outdoors.

After dinner we settled into watching the kids run around even more, except this time, they had glow sticks to add to their amusement.

When we started “light painting” the kids really got into twirling their light and then seeing what the picture was on my camera. It was entertaining to everyone. We all turned to our respective tents when the sprinkles started. To say it rained is kind of an understatement. It stormed for quite some time, until early in the morning.

The morning was nice and sunny and while we wiped down the wet stuff, Damon made pancakes. Because of the rain and lack of restful sleep, we decided to scrap the hike we had planned and packed up to go home.

Tebow behaved beautifully. I wore him in a borrowed Ergo carrier and he was happy most of the time and snuggled in for a nap when he wanted. When it was time for bed, he slept in the tent quite nicely (someone gave us a cosleeper which is easier than taking a pack ‘n play), waking only to eat and then back to sleep. We took a borrowed a Bebe Pod where he sat nicely while we packed up.

Fuller had a good time too. He slept through the storm, fell down and got back up many times, handled the bug bites well, and didn’t protest when he went home and immediately had to take a bath.

This was a fun overnight trip for our family, and it made it seem like we could easily do it again. And since we now know our tent has a few leaks, we plan on going when the forecast is clear and dry. More pictures on flickr.

Technorati Tags: family camping, camping, Georgia camping, Cloudland Canyon