Cowboys and Campouts...

May has come and gone and left me with a twitch in my left eye that won't seem to go away. I attribute it to the hot days and the trio trying to give up their one and only nap. The heat totally takes it out of me and interferes with my sleep big time. Whenever the temperature drops in the fall for the first time since summer and our house has a chill, I have my best night of sleep. So the restless, hot nights have started which is a bummer. Another reason I'm looking forward to our summer Idaho trip to beat the heat.

Regarding the trio's naps, it varies from day to day. Sometimes they will go three or four days without a nap and I can tell it's really catching up to them. Lots of whining and fighting on their part and lots of impatience on my part. Days I'm not so proud of. The worst part of it now is that when I yell or show my frustration, the kids just laugh...which makes me more frustrated. However, I'm sure I do look funny with my angry faces and exasperated sighs. Soooo then I eventually nap them which throws off their bedtime. Then they lose out on nighttime sleep which impacts their behavior and mood the next day. Then we start the cycle all over again. This nap transition has been far harder than the three-to-two transition which I thought was the worst ever. They want to give up the nap but they can't quite do it. So we go back and forth, back and forth, and everything is so unpredictable right now, schedules and their behavior, which I DO NOT like. So I'm in survival mode until the trio can fall back into a rhythm.

Clark was supposed to travel internationally this month but his 10 day trip was cancelled when the company he works for was chosen for a government inspection. So the night before his departure, he was on the phone with the airline cancelling his reservation. He was really bummed out, especially because he was looking for a change of venue and a little getaway. Instead he's been working night and day in anticipation of the June 6th deadline.

So we promised Clark to make the most of this month amidst his cancelled trip and busy hours. Our first activity was a fun family night sponsored by his company. It was a western theme and we had a fun time!  Zachary and Leah even got lassoed by a cowboy!

Following the family night, I headed to a hotel for my Mother's Day getaway.  Of course I enjoyed it thoroughly, woke up to a nice breakfast, did some yoga, showered, hit up the book store, and came home rejuvenated and refreshed.  This might seem weird to some moms but here's my thinking and why enjoy a night away:  when one working parent heads to work everyday, they typically miss their kids and have a really enjoyable time at night when they see them.  There is something to be said about absence making the heart grow fonder.  Well I never really get to 'miss' my kids.  Ya they go to sleep at night and we are apart but I don't miss them.  However, when I go to a hotel and spend time by myself, I DO start to miss them and look forward to seeing them the next day!  I love to hear about their adventures with Dad and my time with them that day is not strained. When I arrive home the next day the kids were eating lunch and Clark had prepared ice cube tray lunches.  The great thing about it is that he didn't even have to consult Pinterest.  He came up with this idea on his own.  :)  What a guy.  So my Mother's Day was very enjoyable and included a nice dinner over at Michael and Marisol's as well.



Our next fun activity, which Clark has wanted to do since before Leah broke her arm, was a bowling day!  Who knew bowling for a family cost so much these days but whatever!  We bowled for an hour and had a REALLY fun time!  It was a totally new concept for the kids, a fun environment, and they loved pushing their bowling balls down the dragon.  Luckily we had the bumpers up the whole time because Clark and I actually really needed them!  Yikes are we horrible bowlers!!

After bowling we headed over to the arcade.  We played a couple car driving games and the boys did a virtual roller coaster game.  We ended the family date with a huge bowl of ice cream to share. 



As Memorial Day approached, we decided it was time to bust out our 8-person tent and have a backyard campout!  We played some ladder golf, ordered pizza, watched Pocahontas, and set up the tent for the night.  As things usually happen, Caleb is close to Clark being a huge helper and Zachary is nearby playing games.  :)  The tent came up and we brought all our stuff out.

We even had a fake campfire made of rice krispies, chocolate logs, and fire made of sugar and cinnamon (Gram's idea).  It's supposed to be made with cake but we had to improvise.  Either way, the kids enjoyed it and we didn't smell like fire afterward.  The kids finally fell asleep after 9pm when the sun went down.  Caleb felt really unsettled about the darkness outside the tent and went into panic mode.  We see this mode often and are learning that Caleb is afraid of just about everything including dark clouds, ducks, and dogs.  He also hates having anything on his hands like water, dirt, marker, etc...  That's totally how I was as a kid.  I was adament about wearing gloves when washing dishes because I hated getting my hands wet.  So I can't judge him too much.  I still refuse to put lotion on my hands and haven't for years and years. 

Anyway, so the kids slept for a good five hours in the tent and decided they were ready to get up at 2am!  We encouraged them back to bed but when all was said and done, they got maybe 6-8 hours of sleep as opposed to 11-12.  They were totally wiped in the morning and walked around like zombies for a few hours until we put them down for a nap at 9:30am.  They slept for a solid three hours! 

We ended the holiday weekend with a bbq and swim at Michael and Marisol's.  The kids don't like their heads or faces underwater but they sure do like to swim around on noodles!  They have a great time.  Clark and I snuck away at some point to visit some stores while the kids stayed and played.  We're always so thankful that the kids love to be over there.  One store we visited was Home Depot so we could buy new red paint for our front door!  Kind of fun.

I'll end with this little gem from Leah.  Some Sunday mornings we watch the 'Prince of Egypt' which is about Moses.  So we've been talking a lot about Moses and his life.  One day we were driving by a Methodist church nearby and the kids asked what it was.  I explained that it was a different church then ours because they believed different things.  I mentioned that Methodists do not believe in Joseph Smith and Leah gasped from the back seat and said that wasn't good.  Then she asked, "do they believe in Moses?"  I said yes and she finally felt at ease again for those who attend the Methodist church. 

Gotta love what little kids say in their complete innocence.  Here they are snuggled up on a Sunday morning on our air mattress.

Until next time!