A Camping Adventure

Before leaving to go camping with our small group last Labor Day weekend, our friend Steve sent us all an article titled, "With Little Kids, You Take Trips, not Vacations."  I have to admit, as we packed our car with food, gear, and plenty of diapers, I was thinking, "Is it really worth it?"  For weeks, all of the parents had been nervously laughing about how we would get .75 hours of sleep each night (we planned to camp two), and how we'd just have to let the babies get filthy as they crawled on the dirt floor. 

And, of course, there would be the Labor Day weekend traffic. We took different approaches to this obstacle, and Steve and I chose to take a ferry from West Seattle to Southworth, on the Kitsap Peninsula.  It definitely wasn't the quickest route, but it was a beautiful night and Miles seemed to enjoy his first ferry ride.

When we arrived at the campsite at Penrose Point State Park, it was already getting dark, but our friends gathered around and chipped in to pitch our tent, hold Miles, and help us unpack.  I could see right away that even if the weekend turned out exhausting, we were all in it together.

The first night was a bit rocky at times, but I think my stress about what could happen (a domino effect of babies crying) kept me on edge, and I slept very lightly all night.  All in all, it really wasn't bad.

The next morning included a delicious camp breakfast and filtered sunshine through the forest.  The majority of the group took a walk down to the beach while Tina and I stayed behind while the babies napped.

Later that afternoon, we dressed the kids in matching "Happy Camper" shirts that I had brought.  We attempted to take a group photo, but with babies, it's never easy to get a perfect shot.

We were getting closer...

Sure, that will work.

15 month old Anna was the funniest and kept walking toward the camera with the most serious expression.

We took another group trip down to the beach in the afternoon.  Out of the forest, the temperature was much warmer, so some of the little ones took a dip.

It was really very warm in the sun, but perfect for reading and laying in the grass.

Poor Miles wore a bonnet because we forgot his hat back at camp.

Dinner that night included chili dogs, vegetable grill packs and salad.  We put the kids to bed and sat around the campfire, eating s'mores.  I had been looking forward to this the whole weekend (the "adult time" just as much as the chocolate and marshmallows).  It was great, but it wasn't long before the adults headed to bed too.

In the morning we shared one more meal before packing up and leaving camp.  

The nights were long, and the kids did get filthy, but we did it, and I will dare to say I'd like to do it again sometime.

Really, the weekend went pretty smoothly, and I'm sure that future trips with kids will make me look back on it and even think it was easy.  After leaving I felt similar to the author of the "Trips not Vacations" article who concluded by saying, "Suddenly the whole week felt hilarious, and we remembered that we loved each other and we loved our kids and we loved our life." 

In the City

For my mid-winter vacation, my mom and I traveled to New York City to visit my sister, Robin. We've done this girls trip before, but this time Robin and her husband Josh became our city guides (they moved to Manhattan in September). Highlights included: seeing Robin and Josh's apartment, meeting up with Josh's parents, eating great food, taking a city bus tour, catching a comedy show (Chris Rock was an unexpected guest!), eating great food, celebrating my mom's birthday, and...eating great food.

An extra special surprise was meeting up with our friends, Chris and Joey. Joey lives in Queens, and Chris was in town from Rhode Island for the day. As my mom said afterwards, "Good friends are so important." I totally agree.

Our last day in New York was my mom's birthday. I'm so lucky to have someone so generous and fun in my life. She is a wonderful mom and friend.

Robin was probably my favorite subject to photograph throughout the trip. She's such a city girl now. ;) Can't wait until our next girls vacation!

Weekend at Alderbrook

A few weeks ago, Steve and I finally redeemed our Groupon vouchers for a weekend at Alderbrook Resort in Hood Canal. One week after my sister's wedding, it was the perfect time to get away for a few days. We decided to take the ferry route from West Seattle to Southworth, which may have taken longer than driving the whole way, but it made for a fun part of the trip.

Steve was pretty hungry so he bought a pretzel on the ferry. I wouldn't say pretzels are their specialty.

These photos make the weather seem cold, but surprisingly the air was only a bit chilly. I love ferry rides in Washington.

When we checked in, two bottles of wine were waiting for us in our room (they came with the package). I had heard about the rooms at the resort, and they really were as nice as I'd expected. High ceilings, large bathroom and a big comfy bed.

The next morning we had breakfast at the restaurant. Since breakfast is my favorite meal, and I can never decide if I want sweet or savory, I convinced Steve to let me get both. I didn't regret it.

Although we were only there for two nights, it was funny how we fell into a little routine. Sleep in, eat breakfast, take a long walk down the dock, and then find a place to explore before coming back to eat some more. I wish every day could be like that. I also wished I could pass for an "unattended kid" and receive the following consequence.

With the weather cool, but not cold, our walks down the dock were so pleasant. There was a great view of the Olympic mountains and I'm pretty sure we spotted a seal (although I was never fast enough to catch a photo of it).

On Saturday, we drove out to a lake where Steve's family had come for vacation, a few years ago. It was so much lower than we remembered! In fact, Steve's brothers and sisters had jumped off the giant rock many times, and it's a little scary to think that these rocks and trees had been hiding beneath the surface.

Later that evening we filled our wine glasses and sat out on the back patio of the resort. Although the resort may have been full, it was so peaceful and quiet. We felt more like we were staying at a family cabin, than at a hotel.

On our last morning we explored the dock one more time before heading out to the resort's "View Point Loop." We kind of laughed when we saw a map of the "trail," which couldn't have been more than a half a mile, but it turned out to be pretty nice, with many plants and trees to photograph.

Steve posed for some "senior pics." We're going to make one of these an 8x10. Which one is your favorite? ;)

Not until it was time to go home did I see this little guy, walking around the lobby of the resort. I know some people don't like cats (and I probably would get sick of taking care of one) but I wanted to take him home.

Staying at Alderbrook was certainly a treat. I don't know if we'll be back for awhile (it's not the cheapest get away), but we definitely came back home relaxed and ready for another week.