4th of July Roundup

Happy Belated Birthday USA!

CamMad had a great long weekend with the extended family. It all got started last Thursday with the celebration of the Grammy (she is 28 for the 29th time). She was happy to have all of the granchildren together, she appreciated the rest of us being together but it was really all about the grandchildren.

Friday we spent a good portion of the day cooking getting ready for the trek to one of Scandianavian countries in Maine. Surprisingly, I was able to leave the 7-layer bars alone (with the exception of the crust. Granted the kitchen was pretty well a war zone while the cooking of cookies and brownies was going on. Seeing all of the faces, hands, and arms covered in all of the different mixes was quite funny and cute. To minimize the trash CamMad loved the fact that they could have pizza for dinner. Going to bed was the toughest part of the day because they just wanted to be there already. I think it was easier to get them to sleep on Christmas Eve because I can always say "Santa doesn't show up to houses where kids are still awake!"

Saturday morning came and we were able to push back the start time (if CamMad had their way we would have been on the road at 5:30 in the morning). We went to the grocery store to fulfill our food requirements and made the trek to that Scandianavian country in Maine. When we got there most of the other relatives were still on their way. Auntie Blah was surprised were there that early. When we explained how early we could have been she appreciated us waiting. We got to play and enjoy the rest of the people arriving. We made our way to the pond and enjoyed the water. Child1 just wanted to frolick in the water and Child2 just wanted to play at the water's edge. Child1 was even up on a jet ski. I'm not sure if the driver has full hearing back from the mighty yell Child1 gave in excitement.

The one common theme that was very clear over the weekend was the fact that time was a relatively unimportant thing. Eating dinner at 9:30 pm, waking up at 8:30 am, or putting the kids down at 10 pm were all examples of how time was not that important.

Sunday was almost a carbon-copy of the day before. A lot of the day was spent waterside. Child1 built up the courage to put all but the top of the crown underwater. This was a great accomplishment which bodes well for our vacation later in the month. We had a great boat ride to end the day. The end of the day included 'smores and fireworks. Of course the fireworks were enjoyed from the comforts of bed as CamMad were completely wiped out from the excitement.

Monday was coming home day but that didn't stop the excitement. The sun rose as did the temperature and again a lot of the day was spent down at the pond. Throughout the day we had to start packing but the focus was on enjoying the water, family, and great food. We did have to say some good-byes but they were more like see you laters than anything else.

Uncle gave us a great boat ride to end the day. We got to go under the 302 underpass (barely, if I had my head anywhere above the windshield I would have been decapitated. We ended up at a jumping rock. The big kids jumped off the rock to the delight of the adults. Child1 jumped off a smaller rock and was so proud of the achievement. But like all good things the weekend with the family had to end. We had a great time in the section of Scandanavia found in Maine.

Yesterday was very boring in comparision. We stayed home and played with the neighbors for a little while. We needed a down day so we could refocus and get back into a routine that we can live with when time is an important factor. As I've been recounting the weekend's events Parent2 has taken CamMad to the library to help build that routine.

Shout out to Sheepish. I hope that the TB Mom has stays dormant through the medication and that Dad gets the whole insurance thing taken care of. For you Sheepish, I hope that you are not stressing out too much upon finding out this news. Dr. Judy will forgive you, ignorance is bliss.