I have about 800 excuses as to why it has taken me this long to post about our vacation, but it basically boils down to two straight weekends of sick kids.
We took off for a whole week of vacation and it was super sweet. We packed up the megaload and hit the road for a MT/WA/ID loop. It was very enlightening to spend 24-7 with your family, I will say that. I mean, you think you know them, but spending every minute of every day with them for a little over a week, you realize some things about your husband and your kids that you may not notice with all of the distractions of daily life.
The biggest ah-ha (don't sue me Oprah) or duh moment for me was that we yell at Jr. way too much and even with all of that yelling, he doesn't really respond better. I came to that realization sometime in Coleville. I think both Ed and I made a conscious decision to yell at him a lot less and the rest of the trip improved drastically. The next biggest duh moment for me was that Jr. is so much more mature than I realized. He understands so much and communicates very well. He is becoming a great sleeper and if given the chance is very helpful. I just need to stop, listen and do a better job explaining things to him. It is hard, because we are trying to get so much stuff done and he is an active participant in everything we do. He gets frustrated when he gets pushed around by Ed and myself as we scramble to get 1 million things done. If you simply include him in the activity as an equal he seriously performs. He is so ready for a big boy bed.
I learned a lot about Graham as well, our sweetie pie baby is actually quite determined and stubborn. He knows what he wants, and gosh darn it, if he doesn't get it - WATCH YOURSELF! He loves to put things away, or put lids on, or stack things. My sweet little organizer. He loves his routine also. That was the best part about the camper, was that even though we were in a different place all of the time, Graham always had his bed, his toys, his place. He did really well, but there were a couple of bad nights. 2 out of 8 isn't too bad though. On the trip we started calling him Fat Baby. When he is hungry, feed him NOW. When he is done eating, he is done NOW! And if he sees something his brother is eating and he doesn't get it, OH BOY! He is still pretty easy to please though.
As for Ed. . . well, I started off the trip rolling my eyes at his TL-ness. You all know what I mean. Then, I sort of started to enjoy it. I sort of let myself get swept up with his minuta. It was cool. We felt like a team. It was good.
The itinerary: Clinton, MT to stay with Brian and Angela. Coleville to stay with Josh, Amy, Sammy and Luke. Quick visit with Grandpa Ron. One night camped in the Priest River, ID area. Hayburn Lake State Park, ID for a couple of nights. Kooskia/Stites, ID to visit the Ward family, Philly, Becky, Evy and Frances. Clinton, MT. Home. 9 days.
I think Jr. was the luckiest of us all. He got to go 4-wheeling with Brian and Philly. He got to ride the tractor with Grandpa Ron. He got to play, play, play and have a sleep over with Sammy and Luke. He got to go tubing behind a boat on Lake Roosevelt with Amy and Josh. He got to go rafting with Philly, Evy and his dad. He got to pet goats. He got to ride in the bike trailer on the Coeur d'Alene trail and play on the beach. The hike with his parents was likely the low point of the trip for him.
Here are some of my favorite photos of the trip.
