Cam Dates

When Calen started part time preschool at age 3 1/2, something new and strange happened. 

I had Camden alone. Completely alone. For the first time. 

Sure, he was only 18 months old, and sure, I'd had Calen alone at 18 months (though I was obscenely pregnant and uncomfortable), but this was the first time in Cam's little existence on planet Earth where he had full reign of the house, of the toys, and of my attention. 

We made a point of going out once or twice a week for little "Cam Dates" while Calen was at preschool. Usually it was little stuff like Starbucks or the little zoo in Cape May or even Petsmart to look at the fish. 18 month olds are so easy to please. I really enjoyed and cherished this little time with him. Not that I didn't enjoy my time with both boys, or with Calen alone, but the cold hard truth is that older siblings are overbearing and rule over the younger siblings (at least when they're small), especially older siblings named Calen. Camden didn't start talking until he was almost 3, because he didn't have to. And he couldn't get a word in. So getting Cam out, alone, where we could interact with only each other and explore the world together without interruption was magical. You realize that the younger sibling does in fact have his own personality. And it's cute (and in some moments with Cam, treacherous, but mostly, cute). 

Throwback Thursday! Our first Cam Date, Sept 2012. Cheeeeks!

So for the last two years we've been continuing the tradition of "Cam Dates". Though now, most of them are in secret, because if Calen caught word of what awesomeness we might be doing in a city full of fun like San Diego, he might start faking having ebola or something so he can stay home and go on adventures with us. 

Today was Cam Date day. Per request, we went to the zoo to find some elephants (Cam's favorite). We got right when it opened which also happens to be feeding time, and got to see a gigantic African elephant up close eating some fruit concoction the zookeeper called "elephant metamucil"....in other words, make it poop. Cam sat quietly on the ground, watching and shoving his toy elephant's nose into the dirt telling me "see elephant's 'ungwy". The zookeeper took to Cam and talked to him a lot about elephants. I wish Cam had batted his eyes more or something so that maybe we could you know pet an elephant or something. I guess it's not that kind of zoo. But he was thrilled to be able to control where and what we saw next. Super fun morning. 

Photo dump!

Deciding what to see next (on the ground, in the MIDDLE of the walkway)

Showing the elephant his elephant

Playing hide and seek behind the totem poles

What's up, turtle?

Showdown

The inevitable "hmph!!" when I told him it was time to go. The face he's making is a class "I dare you to come make me move" Cam face. 

Rattle Yer Bones

We had a bit of a skeleton theme going on today. 

Holidays like these make it SO easy to look like you're incredibly organized but really you just throw a few things together and it magically has a "theme".

After pouring through eight (EIGHT!!!) pages of homework for Calen (he gets a weekly packet....averaging 14-18 pages of homework a week....in Kindergarten?? I specifically remember not having homework until I was in 3rd grade. But I digress...), the kids made skeletons out of q-tips and glue. I followed a picture online and shaped the pieces and the kids did the gluing (well Cam didn't...I helped). It's a cute little project that took a mere 15 minutes but was a hit and most importantly FREE, especially if you are like me and bought q-tips from Costco like five years ago and haven't used them up yet. 

Then we donned our all-important skeleton pajamas (okay the kids did...I am unfortunate enough to not own a pair) and watched the Nightmare Before Christmas. And we'll probably watch something completely benign between that and bedtime, like Doc McStuffins or something equally G-rated. Jack Skellington is a favorite in our house but not bedtime friendly quite yet (though I'd probably have a hard time not laughing if Calen came in saying he had a dream about Oogie Boogie). Movie snack of the night: Cheetos' "Bag of Bones". White cheddar bone shapes that allow you to make skeletons. 

But of course.

The graveyard...

"Bag o Bones" except it's not in a bag, it's in a cauldron. 

What a delicious looking skeleton man!

Highway to the Danger Zone

(come on, did you think I would have titled a post about Miramar ANYTHING else?)

We went to the MCAS Miramar (aka Top Gun aka Fightertown USA aka Surface of the F**king Sun) Air Show today. It was hot, it was hot, IT. WAS. HOT. Like 100 degrees and not a hint of shade anywhere ever kind of hot. But even the probability of melting into the flight line pavement didn't keep us from second guessing our decision to drive ten minutes north to the show.

When we got there and parked in Wherever the Hell Bumfudge Parking Lot A, they told us we could wait 30 mins for the shuttle bus to pick us up or walk 25 mins across base to the show. Aww hell, what's a 25 minute walk? Let's hoof it boys.

It was not a 25 minute walk. It was like a 45 minute walk. Whatever lying bastard told me that is was 25 minutes must have walked it on stilts. Double lying points for telling me it was 25 minutes in 100 degree heat. Which made it all the more awful with two kids in tow. Liar. LIAR!! 

P.S. I'm not sure I've ever been on a military base as big as MCAS Miramar. And I've been on a few. Or maybe it just seemed enormous because I was walking the length of it. In the heat. With two kids. 

By the time we got to the flightline where the show was, the patriot jets (L-39s) were performing. Then we saw a little bi-plane do some pretty badass tricks, a harrier jet, a few other planes, then the C-130 Fat Albert, and then the headliner Blue Angels. The kids' faces were priceless They were beside themselves with happiness. 

After the Blue Angels, we left the bleachers for what I thought would be a short intermission before the twilight show to find an ATM so I could buy us more water (all three huge water bottles we had brought with were bone dry by then) and as-promised toy fighter jets. Everything was cash only, so we walked around the enormous show area, and all five ATMs we had found were out of cash (insert eyeball twitching here). By then the kids (and I) were beside themselves from being overheated, dehydrated and disappointed, and so I made an executive decision that it was time to get the hell out of there before we had to be carted away in an ambulance (people were dropping like flies from heat stroke). So we walked the 1.3 miles (I checked) back to our car, hot and miserable. And drove straight to Sonic and got three of the biggest Cherry Limeades they had for dinner. Worth it. 

We might go back tomorrow, because we're gluttons for punishment. And we like airplanes. And we'll pack cash and extra water. 

Photo dump! Sorry, all super ugly cell phone shots. Didn't bother with the beast camera today. 

Endnote: We sat in bleachers, you know, the kind that has gaps behind your feet that drop off into the abyss? By the end of the day, we lost a water bottle, Calen's sunglasses and Camden's toy airplane. Good heavens. 

Already had rosy cheeks going on and we had just arrived

Cam was prepared with extremely appropriate aviators

Terrifically  bad cell phone shot

Week In Review: October Edition

Starting October 1st, it's Halloween season in this house. 

Because there's just way too much fun Halloweenie shit to do to cram it all in one day. Or week. 

So here's what we did this week:

We did some decorating. (including my new Halloweenie nutcrackers that make me especially happy). The outside isn't done yet.

We made mini caramel apples using the ultra-small apples that Camden picked from the orchard last week. Perfect size for the kids, because who can eat an entire caramel apple?

Hint: I wouldn't recommend this. The caramel was hot, the kids were uncoordinated, and combining the two made hot caramel all over hands, shirts, tables, floors, dogs etc. Just don't. 

We also made apple dumplings, thanks to Pinterest. It involved wrapping peeled apple slices in crescent roll dough. Then pour a mixture of 1/2 cups sugar, 2 sticks butter, cinnamon and vanilla over the dumplings in a baking dish. THEN pour an entire can of Mountain Dew (of all damn things) over that. Bake. Die of happy fatness. 

Amazing triple bypass apple dumplings. Still bubbling out of the oven

 Tonight, we made some cute Halloween characters using a foam activity kit I bought at Michael's and added some stickers to make the craft last longer than ten minutes. The kids loved this and my $3 was well spent. 

Once craft session was over and my entire table was covered in a thin layer of Elmer's glue, we christened this year's Halloween pajamas and made Monster Munch. Monster Munch is a free for all of all the yummy bags of shit you can't help but buy this time of year. Candy corn, pumpkin spice M&Ms, those candy pumpkin things, ghost marshmallows (because you couldn't help but buy them, even though you had no idea what you would use them for) and of course Muddy Buddies. And whatever else you may or may not have. As long as it's Halloweenie themed. Mix. Serve. Watch as your kids stay awake for seven hours afterwards. I gave them each a smallish helping (okay, not so small. Let's be reasonable and make them sick. It's more fun that way) and we are finishing off the night watching Spookly the Square Pumpkin on Disney Junior. I voted for Texas Chainsaw Massacre but you know for some reason they vetoed me. 

Funny story about Calen's pajamas. In September he started asking, BEGGING, for skeleton pajamas. Randomly. Lucky for ME Halloween stuff was starting to come out. So I ordered their pajamas early. Then for bonus Mom points I found the skeleton beanie (and matching gloves) in the dollar bin at Target. I don't think Calen's ever been so happy over a pair of pajamas, and he's been wearing them almost nightly (when I'm on top of the laundry, anyways). Whatever makes him happy.

Monster Munch!!

Calen's beloved skeleton pajamas, and Cam's fake monster teeth pajamas are my personal all time favorite