Door County 2013

Our annual camping trip was last weekend.  It was so much fun, and just as I'd predicted last year, this year was our golden year where the kids slept all through the night and Brendan and I just got to sit around the campfire, drink beer, and wait for the stars to come out!  It rained a bit, but was overall really good weather.  It was COLD the first night, we all had on pjs, jeans, coats, sweatshirts, sleeping bags and blankets, and Brendan still said he felt cold.  46 degrees when you're in a tent is really chilly!

We did the usual stuff, throw rocks in the water, walk the trails, go see if the goats were out at Al Johnson's, get breakfast at the White Gull Inn.  We also rented a bike for me, plus a Tagalong bike for Ingrid.  It was so fun!  I was a bit shaky at first but once we got the hang of it, it was super fun.  There are tons of trails to take around the state park, we'll definitely do that next year!

Like I said, the kids passed out right away the first night and slept the whole night.  Brendan and I were actually up before they were Friday morning!  No 3am wake up and driving the park like last year!  No starting the day at 5:30am, the kids slept until 7.  Bliss.  It was really amazing.  Each year is just going to get easier and easier, until they hit puberty when they'll all the sudden start thinking it's lame to go camping.  Or at least that's what happened to me at that age :)

Once again, a great trip with the family.  So glad this is our tradition!

A Look Back

Totally stealing this from Bron's blog--what a great way to remember all we've been through this year!

JANUARY
Otis was getting to be more mobile and getting into EVERYTHING!

FEBRUARY
Otis learned how to walk!  And we enjoyed being back in Milwaukee, where we belong.

MARCH
We started, and finished, our house hunting.  It was so fast, and almost a year later we could not be more happy with the house we ended up with!!  Our neighborhood is amazing, our house is cozy, and we love to be homeowners!

APRIL
Busy month of going to the cottage for the first time of the year, our first baseball game of the season, and packing up our old house.

MAY
We moved into our new house!  Ingrid turned four! 

JUNE
We took our annual camping trip to Door County. Aunt Corie came to visit.  It was HOT.

JULY
It was still hot.  We spent lots of time outside and enjoyed our air conditioning while inside.  I had a craft fair and we harvested lots of zucchinis.  LOTS.

AUGUST
The kids and I visited my mom in Michigan!

SEPTEMBER
Ingrid started school and we went to see Obama on a dreary rainy day.  (Thank god it's not election season anymore, that got old.)

OCTOBER
Ingrid and Otis were cowboys for Halloween.

NOVEMBER
We had some great family pictures taken and we visited my sister in Michigan.  All of us, even Brendan!

DECEMBER
Otis turned TWO!  Hard to believe he's such a spunky little dude.  He talks as much as his sister and has a personality of his own, for sure. 

We have just had such a great year, I feel really lucky. 

This next year I hope to see Ingrid continuing to love school, I want to work more on our house projects, like painting the rooms colors that don't make me want to barf, and hopefully getting a patioo built in our backyard.  I hope the winter isn't too cold, the summer isn't too hot, and we continue to be happy and somewhat healthy (as I cough and sneeze all over the computer, ha!)  Happy New Year, everyone!

Door County Camping

We just got back from our annual trip to Door County, a nice four hour drive from Milwaukee, just enough north to feel like you're "up north" but not so much of a drive you have to deal with really crabby car-bound kids.  Brendan has been camping here with his family since he was a babe, and we have gladly turned it into our own family tradition, going the weekend after Memorial Day.  Last year was pretty easy, Otis was a baby and couldn't move, he was nursing so easily quieted.  I wondered how this year would go.

Turns out, fantastic!  We actually had the days wrong, were supposed to go Sat-Mon, not Fri-Sun, so our campsite was booked, but luckily the one next to it was open.  We set up camp and the kids were loving being out in the dirt and fresh air.  Otis especially seemed to enjoy himself.  He hates the car, so he was extremely pleased to be let free.

 The sites we get are right on the bay, so there is a small trail to the water, and the rocks!  The kids spent ages just throwing rocks in the water and Otis liked to take one rock, toddle up the trail to put the rock on the picnic table, then toddle back down to get another rock.  He did this for an hour at least!  I got to read and listen to the birds and they got to play.  Pure bliss.

 Nights were okay.  Interesting to say the least.  Otis fell asleep on a walk in the Ergo, Ingrid said she was tired and curled up and passed out.  Brendan and I were amazed (I was also nervous, because there is NO WAY things could go that easily!!) We sat by the fire and talked and enjoyed ourselves, then went into the tent to go to bed.  Which is when the shit hit the fan.  Otis woke up and could not be soothed.  I rocked him, he cried.  I walked around with him, he cried.  Finally Brendan put him in the car and drove around until he slept.  I had to do the same thing with him when he woke up again at 2am.  Whatever, it worked. 

Night two was far better, Ingrid went promptly to sleep at 7, Otis was a bear and wouldn't fall asleep, so Brendan took another car ride with him.  Luckily the park has beautiful roads and lots of lookout points on bluffs and cliffs, so at least the drive is pretty.  He slept soundly, woke up once but was easily soothed.  Good night.  Then...the next morning, in the early dawn, I wake up to hear "mamamamamama" but I look over to find...an empty bed where Otis should be.  Where did he go????  I look and see the tent is unzipped, he was outside and couldn't figure out how to get back in!  What the what?  No idea how he did that, but thankfully he didn't wander off.

We are hoping next year is our golden year for camping--no more babies, just kids who will get really tired and easily go to bed and fall asleep and stay asleep!!

It was a great trip this year, we had fun being outside, taking bike rides, eating at the White Gull Inn, and getting dirty.  REALLY dirty.  It was soooo cold though!  And I was pretty unorganized, totally forgot to bring long sleeves for Ingrid so we had to go thrifting and find a sweatshirt for her!  And a blanket for me, as I froze the first night in just my sleeping bag, even though I had pj pants, jeans, tank top, tshirt, long sleeve, sweatshirt, and coat on.  It was cold.  Even so, we're pretty excited to do it again soon!

My Weekend With Otis

This weekend Brendan took Ingrid camping with his parents.  I stayed home with Otis since he's getting another tooth and was not sleeping very well the few nights prior to them leaving.  Truth be told, I was looking forward to a weekend of relaxation, which I knew I would get with only one baby.  Who naps twice for two hours.  And goes to bed at 6:30pm. 

I got so much done this weekend!  Sewing, cutting out other things, hanging out with Otis, catching up on sleep.  It was amazing!  It was so strange how quiet our house was without Ingrid in it!  Seriously made me realize how loud and talkative she is. 

We got some homeopathic stuff for Otis' teeth, which helped.  I am still going to get an Amber necklace, I just need to see if I can find one locally.  But whatever it was I gave him seemed to work.  My  my, aren't I a great mom?  I don't even know what the hell I squeezed into his mouth--I just know it worked to calm him down!  He slept marvelously and it was wonderful to have one on one time with him.  He is so drooly and smiley and chatty and rolly and man, I'm so glad he's part of our family!

Teething Babies and Big Sisters

Otis has a tooth.  It's sharp.  Another one is on its way in, so he has been a basket case lately.  Nothing seems to work except nursing 24/7 and sleeping thisclose to me all night long.  Which means I am awoken by many little fists and feet thrusting their way into my face all night long.  Tired mama.  TIRED.  But to wake up to this is almost worth it.

Yesterday we went over to H&M to check out their kid's section.  I have gotten hand me downs from there that I really liked, but I have to say, I was not impressed.  They had some sweaters that were okay but nothing too great.  And the girl section sucked big time--tons of Hello Kitty and Minnie Mouse, not my cup o' tea...But they did have this hat for Otis.  He is such a little Irishman!

We went to the park yesterday morning, and it was freezing!  I am simply amazed how quickly our weather turned this past week!  Ingrid had fun on the swings and these little seats that spin around.  She looked so big on them, she's so lanky and tall and just not a baby anymore...

Today we are headed to the store to get goodies for camping!!  I'm so excited, totally not nervous like I was last time.  Well, maybe a little nervous, as Otis is having trouble sleeping.  But the fresh air will knock him right out, right?  Right?

Labor Day

We took another trip to the cottage this weekend to see Brendan's cousin and his family.  It was COLD!  I loved it!  The kids played, I sat around and read the Help, we all enjoyed each others company.  Another lovely weekend with family. Ingrid loves her other set of cousins. 

Otis was awesome and just sat there playing with toys, watching all the big kids run around.  He got a tooth (finally) so his tongue is constantly running over it.  He looks so silly.

And now this week is another short one, as we've decided to leave Friday to go join Brendan's parents up in Door County for another camping trip!  So three days of finishing up laundry, packing, and sending out Etsy orders.  Yay!

Camping with Kids

We are home.  We survived!  It was fun!  But man, am I tired. 

We had a great time.  The weather was beautiful, the kids both slept pretty well, and we just had a good time being together. 

I was so worried about how Ingrid would do at night, but she was great.  She had a hard time getting to sleep the first night, but once she slept, she slept hard.  Until 5am when the sun came up and she was up chattering away to herself, waking us all up.  Sigh...

She did so well, though.  She loved to putter around the campsite and play with sticks, sing songs, dance, and of course, eat.  Marshmallows are the best camp treat! 

Otis was also great.  He hates the car so he was more than happy to get out of it and enjoy the nature.  We layed him on a blanket amidst all the bugs and he just stared at the trees and babbled.  He recently found his feet so most of the time he was just sitting there eating his toes. 

We played at the park, threw rocks in the lake, Brendan took Ingrid for a nice long bike ride through the park, and he took Otis on a couple hikes.  I just enjoyed being outside in the nice weather.  I had packed for cold weather, since a couple of our camping trips we ended up with frigid weather and not enough warm clothes, but this time we had a sunny 80 degree day.  Ingrid ended up swimming in her shorts! 

It was fun to be in this state park.  Brendan has been going there since he was a little kid, so he had lots of fun memories.  We went there for our honeymoon and first wedding anniversary, so we had lots of fun memories of that.  And now we are making our own family memories with our kids.  Yay!

Since this was such a great trip, we are really excited to go camping a lot more this summer.  And thank god we're in Wisconsin, there are a ton of places we can go to without having to drive a long way.  Another reason we're so thankful to be back home!

One thing I did realize is that it is a LOT less relaxing to camp with kids.  A couple sites away from ours was a young couple.  I walked by one afternoon and they were both sitting around the picnic table eating, talking, looking very relaxed.  I realized if I didn't have my kids with me I would have taken naps, slept in past 5am, gone hiking, gone to the drive in theater, and I definitely would have enjoyed nights around the campfire more.  Instead I was constantly yelling at Ingrid not to fall in the fire (which she totally would do, if you know her you know how clumsy she is...) and getting up at the butt crack of dawn, and wanting so badly to take a nap in the sunshine but was denied by a crying baby.  Oh well, we had an amazing time anyway!

And We're Off!

 

We leave today for our camping trip!  We're going up to Door County, the site of our honeymoon and our one year anniversary trip.  Every year since he can remember, Brendan's family has taken a camping trip to Peninsula State Park, so he's excited to start the tradition with our crew.

Wish us luck with our five month old and three year old.  I know people go camping with their kids all the time, but I honestly don't know how!  I'm hoping all the fresh air will make Ingrid pass out and that Otis' teeth don't decide to bother him all weekend.  Crossing fingers! 

New Toys for the Shop!

I love it when I think I have absolutely no time to get anything done, but at the end of the day I realize I actually did quite a bit.  That's how today went.  It definitely is easier to accomplish things when you start your day at 5:30 AM, thank you very much, Ingrid. 

I had three giraffes I'd made awhile ago, my post-Easter stuffed animal for the shop.  Somehow I never got around to sewing the little hole shut.  Stupid things like that always keep me from finishing something!  But today I found ten minutes to close both guys up and managed to take pictures and post them on Etsy.  Hurray!

So here they are:

Cute, huh?  Ingrid thought so, she kept trying to steal them from me!  I also finished up a sensory toy.  I made a couple of these for friends and had been thinking about making them for the shop but, because I have two kids and move a lot, I never got around to it.  But alas, one got done today!

I love that Alexander Henry fabric! 

I hope to get more finished soon, but Friday we leave for our camping trip.  Ha!  I am both excited and terrified by that idea.  When we took Ingrid before, it was awful.  I asked Brendan about twenty times if this campsite was level.  It is.  Phew.

Fake Camping

Yesterday was a home game for University of Michigan, so our landlord had a little tailgating party in our front yard.  Because it was freezing he brought a fire pit over.  For some reason he left it here, so today Brendan took Ingrid fake camping in our backyard.  They put up our backpacking tent, gathered sticks, and started a fire.  I came outside to snap some pictures and they were eating pretend marshmallows!

It was a very cozy day.  While they built their fire I was inside sewing.  Then we drank hot cocoa outside, I did some more sewing, they went to the indoor swimming pool, I finished up my sewing.  I got so much accomplished and even managed to list some things in the shop.  Hooray! 

Yesterday was good, too.  We decided to run errands before game day crazies started, so bright and early I was off to Joann Fabric while Brendan took Ingrid to the sporting goods store.  I got the most adorable fabric there and made some burp cloths:

Loving those!  I also got a ton of stuff for everyone's Christmas presents, which will be all handmade either by me or someone on etsy this year.  Except for the Duplos that Ingrid is begging for...

I also made a fallish garland out of felt, which Ingrid helped with.  She's a sucker for the felt basket, let me tell you.  She digs through and says the colors, finds scraps I've thrown in that are different shapes, we sat for an hour or two working on it.  It turned out pretty cute if I do say so.  Ingrid has requested a pink one for her room and we'll make a wintery red/green/white one, too. 

Good weekend.  Not much going on this week and then next weekend Brendan goes back to Milwaukee for his second interview!!  So excited to hear how that goes!

Camping With a One Year Old

Yesterday afternoon, Ingrid and I picked up Brendan from work and left to go camping. It was a short trip to the campground, where we found the site was nothing but dips and hills--absolutely no flat area to put up our tent! And you could only sit on one side of the picnic table because it was so tipsy. My first impression was not very good. I was already crabby after a long day, and Ingrid was as well, so...it was not much fun right from the start.

However, we made it happen. Brendan set up the tent on a major incline with some help from Ingrid.

We got a fire started and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows.

It started to get dark and Ingrid started to get really whiny and I realized it was about an hour past her normal bedtime. We had nothing but pit toilets so there would be no bathtime for Ingrid. We put her in her footy pjs and of course all she wanted to do was walk around and then fall because there was NO FLAT GROUND. The later it got, the more milk she had drank, and the more she cried, without falling asleep. I tried to rock her but sitting ON AN INCLINE and trying to hold a 25 lb. kid and rock rhythmically is no easy task. And then when I thought I had done it, she puked on me. Sigh.

Brendan finally got her to fall asleep as he walked around with her. We didn't bring a sling so it was just him holding dead weight. She slept for about an hour, then woke up every hour after that. I think we maybe got another hour of sleep before some people showed up with a cooler of beer and songs to sing at a nearby campsite. Hello, people, it's midnight, shut up!! Then at about 3:30am Ingrid had rolled so far down in the tent (did I mention we were on an incline??) she rolled into Cody, who was scrunched up in the corner. She woke up and thought it was really cool that Cody was there to play with. She thought it was pretty cool that we were in a tent, ooh, look, mama and daddy are here too! Let's hit them in the face! Let's talk really loudly, at 3:30am!! We tried everything and could not get her back to sleep for two hours. She fell asleep again around 5:30 and we all got two more hours of sleep before she was up again. How is it that she can get absolutely no sleep but be the happiest little camper around?

We noticed three other families of young ones near us and I think they had similar nights. Most of them were gone by the time we left at 8am!

I got up with her and made breakfast, which she didn't want, she only wanted a "crack-oo." Dirt and all.

We took a walk down by the water, which was gorgeous in the early morning. There's my silver lining--if she hadn't gotten me up that early, I never would have seen how pretty it was!

Like I said, by 8am we were on the road. The people at the office were so nice and gave us a refund for the wood we didn't use and for the night we weren't going to stay. How nice is that? Maybe they knew they had given us the WORST campsite ever. Ingrid slept on the way home, as did I, and we all got naps later this afternoon. It was not a fun trip, but it was definitely a memorable one. I know this will be a story we'll tell her about the first time we took her camping and how Daddy said he was never going to take her anywhere overnight ever again!!