On vacation

The boy is with his grandparents this week... And just like last year, the house was strangely quiet. I realize the girl is a lot louder these days, but there's an energy that he gives the house. It was kind of strange.

So now I'm leaving town... Off to speak on a panel at a conference in Washington, D.C. It should be pretty cool. I have a couple of really good friends there AND I get to stay at Uncle Jon's place! How cool is that?

Updates on Cam will resume when we all get back in town on Sunday.

By the way... So far on his trip, he took his first shower (and hopefully he'll be a shower taker from here on) AND he asked for us to kiss his sister when she wakes up in the morning. I think that's pretty darn sweet.

"It tastes like french fries"

We took the kids to one of our favorite sandy beaches in Maine: Reid State Park. Cam's been there a couple of times before. This time was certainly the best. He was SUPER brave and went right into the ocean to enjoy some really great waves for the Atlantic. He smiled and giggled even though his parents were not in the least bit interested to get too wet in that FREEZING cold water. When Cam was telling his grandpa all about it, I caught Cam telling him how the water "tastes like french fries." Wow.

I can say our vacation is finally winding down... It's become quite obvious that Cam is very jealous of the attention his sister is taking away from him. I wish I could really help him. The best I can do is tell him that I understand. I've been there. Living like as the older sibling is HARD! Sharing your parents is HARD! I've also asked him to look for ways to get my attention without total mental breakdowns. We can only hope my advice to him helps!

This is a heck of a vacation

This has been a hell of a vacation. Cameron was a hell of a camper. He was a hell of a hiker: 3.2 miles up a mountain and back on our first day in Franconia Notch, New Hampshire. He helped with his sister, he tried not to get aggravated with us too much. He was pretty under control emotionally! But the best part of taking him camping was watching him respect and enjoy nature. It was so awesome to hear him say: "Thanks for taking me here." We saw beautiful lakes, river gorges, waterfalls, animals... It was great. We had some rainy days and Cameron (along with the rest of us) got really good at sleeping in our tent to the sound of rain (which becomes pretty peaceful after you get used to it). Now we're in Maine and Cam is taking his mountain enjoyment of nature to the ocean. He's throwing rocks and skipping stones and climbing all over the place. Today he got brave and ventured into the water to reach a "rock island" in the cove. We're tired and still catching up on sleep from our four day camping adventure. Cam asked to take a nap and go to bed tonight. He's EXHAUSTED. But we're having a really good time. This much family time is just what we all needed.

Could this be love?

We've had a whirlwind trip so far... And the best time so far for Cam was probably when his met his new friend. They had fun. They went to a art event and played in a fun water area. They held hands and walked and talked together. They played and fought (because they are almost IDENTICAL personalities) and they even...

KISSED

That's right. You read it right. Cam had his first kiss. He was proud of it. I thought it was kind of sweet. Her dad wasn't so amused.

Today was a great day as well. Cam got to go to all-day event for limb different kids and their families. So Cam saw more kids with little arms than EVER. He wasn't phased although it took a while for him to warm up to the event. Then he had to warm up to the pool and using floaties. Then he had to be convinced to get out of the pool. The list goes on... But he had fun and even won a few fun toys. It was a big day.

To wrap up the day, I'm writing about this big trip from our hotel room. Both kids are sleeping. Randy and I are both sitting in the dark tinkering with our computers. I think it's kind of funny.