adventures in camping

Don't lie. You've all been holding your breath just waiting for the update on our little camping adventure. Rachael even asked, "since when are you a camper?" The answer? Since I made Gus buy a 10-person tent that fits three queen size air beds. Along with our giant air bed - I even overhead one of fellow campers say to his wife, "did you see Gus and Nina's bed?" as Gus carried the air bed across the road on his back to our tent - it was pretty luxurious. We went the whole nine yards with sheets and a duvet rather than sleeping bags. So rest assured, I had the creature comforts of home, for the most part.

Creature comforts or not, Little Miss J had the time of her life. Here you can see she is inspecting Dad's tent pitching work.

Once she had certified the structural integrity of the tent, it was time to get inside and run around in circles and back and forth because it was so SPACIOUS!

Other highlights for Little Miss J included playing in the dirt, lots of playing in the dirt. At one point she even stuck her fork in the dirt and shoveled a forkful of dirt/sand into her little mouth. By the end of the evening she was so dirty that I didn't even want to touch her. Seriously. We also tried for a little hike, but Little Miss J was uncooperative because being up so high meant she was so very far away from her beloved dirt.

We grilled steaks in the evening and when it got dark there was a campfire. Each time I told Little Miss J that the fire was HOT and to not touch it, she would lean in and try to blow it out. It was so cute. I wish I had a picture of it.

The wind picked up at night, the temps dropped, and the rain came in v. early in the morning. Carl was so freaked out by the weather, I'm not sure he slept all night (which is why he was sacked out all day when we finally made it home). When I woke to the tent being whipped around by the wind with rain pouring down, I tried to convince myself that I really didn't have to pee and began praying for daylight so we could get the heck out of there. First thing in the morning, we started breaking down camp in the rain. To keep Little Miss J out of the dirt she is so fond of, I finally had to sit in the truck with her and the dog and let Gus finish taking down the tent. Apparently, Little Miss J thought she needed to light a fire under Dad's butt because she kept honking the horn at him.

We survived barely. Not gonna lie. At first, part of me wished we had gone to the party at the W Hotel that we were invited to by one of Gus's coworkers. But after I saw just how much Carl and Little Miss J enjoyed themselves despite the weather, it was well worth it. It was a lot of effort for just one night so maybe next time we'll camp for the entire weekend - but don't hold me to that.

the great water debate

Yesterday at Babies R Us, I wanted to buy a splash table for Little Miss J. After much thought, Gus decides that we don't need a water table and we'll just give Little Miss J a bucket to play with outside. This morning while I was at the office, Gus took Little Miss J to IKEA and bought a bathtub. He filled it up and put it out on the patio. I kept telling him that this was not comparable to the splash table for a variety of reasons including the fact that it was too low to the ground and she was just going to climb in and take a bath. Well, that is exactly what she did. Clothes, shoes, and all hopped right in and started pouring water over her head. While she definitely had a good time, I was convinced that if she had the table that was a bit higher off the ground she would just splash in it rather than sitting in it.

Later today, we made our weekly Costco run where they were coincidentally selling the same splash table for a bit less money so we bit the bullet and bought it. Gus put it together and we sent Little Miss J out to play.

As you can see, Little Miss J is quite happy with her new toy. I was feeling pretty superior thinking that this was clearly the right option for fun and less messy water play ... until I asked Gus to go outside and check on her. He came back in the house and all he said was, "go look at your daughter." I peeked out the window and this is what I saw:

So much for not getting too wet. Not only had she climbed in and sat down in the water. She had also poured water over her head. And $50 later, I still end up with a soaked little munchkin. Watching her have so much fun made it all worth it though!

what we've been up to

Last weekend we went to Salt River Fields for a spring training game. The weather was gorgeous and we sat out on the lawn underneath the scoreboard with our friends, Tracy and Andy and their daughter, Cicily. One of Gus's favorite things about stadiums is the food. He took Little Miss J on the food run and came back with the Italian ice that she ate the entire thing of and would only share with Mommy. Poor Daddy! She's getting pretty good at using a spoon.

Things at work have gotten pretty crazy. I got a call from our Sacramento office asking me to help out on a project in California. At the moment it is requiring me to spend every other week in California. This past week was my first of living in a hotel, out of a suitcase, and away from my family. I missed Little Miss J like crazy and demanded that Gus give me a full report every night. She's still not that good at talking on the phone, but I made sure to at least tell her I loved her. Being away from her further reinforced the fact that I probably need her more than she needs me. When I arrived home, I was greeted by my sweet little girl with a big hug and a kiss. Best. homecoming. ever.

Tonight I finally got around to mopping the much neglected kitchen floor. Pretty exciting Saturday night. I know. Don't be jealous. Thankfully, I had a little helper. Here's to hoping that, as she gets older, her "helping" will involve more than just putting the broom and Swiffer into the dog kennel and subsequently freaking out when she can't get them out. For now it's pretty entertaining and adorable. Do you like how Gus made the Swiffer toddler-sized?

funny story

Yesterday, I received an "incident report," indicating that Little Miss J had tried to bite several friends while playing with the sensory table at daycare. We were in a hurry so I didn't inquire further about what the context was - like if she was being malicious or she thought she was funny or something. I hate to think of my little girl being mean to other kids so Mr. Chunglund asked the daycare teacher this morning about the situation. As it turns out, the sensory table was filled with rice. Well, Little Miss J loves to eat rice. She thought these kids were out to steal her food, hence the attempted biting. Moral of the story? Don't get between the Asian kid and her rice.

where did you go?

Dear Little Miss J,

Where did my little Baby J go? I was sorting through old video of you tonight and comparing last summer to now  --you no longer look like a baby. You are getting to be such a big girl! Looking at this picture in particular, it really hit me how big you are getting!

You aren't really as tall or skinny as this picture would lead one to believe. You still have the rather chubby thighs that I like to pinch just to see you giggle. While I might miss my little baby, I definitely like seeing what my little girl can do. We've been teaching you to say "please" and "thank you", which means that we'll do pretty much anything for you when you say, "please" --probably why I ended up blowing bubbles for you for about an hour this evening. You have definitely started to cop some attitude and you can throw one hell of a long-ass tantrum. But in spite of this you truly are my sunshine. When you come into the bedroom, point at me, and say "umma", all is forgiven. You are the best little girl any mommy could ask for!

Love you to the moon and back,

Mommy

where do broken hearts go

As people remember her talent, Whitney Huston's voice is everywhere. She was very popular around the time my parents were splitting up and I remember my mom listening to her often. After my dad left, my mom bought this new stereo complete with a record player and a cassette deck - so v. high tech back in the mid-80s. I remember her playing her Whitney cassette tapes and dancing around the house with me.

Now as an adult with a bit more life experience than my 7 year old self, I can better understand the heartache and pain that my mom must have felt during that time - and it makes me sad to know that it was something that my mom had to endure. In spite of it all, she was strong for me and for my brother. She never faltered and while I am sure she had her moments, I don't recall ever seeing her breakdown. My mom was extraordinary.

I imagine she took solace in Whitney's lyrics and at the same time found hope for new love. Because it was also during this time that my mom found, Ralph, my stepdad. Again, as I look back and view that relationship through my adult glasses, I am able to see how special it was that they found each other. Ralph made my mom so happy and I know she did the same for him. I truly think he healed her broken heart and took good care of it until the day she passed away. I will always be grateful to him for loving her (and us).

Maybe my mom will be hearing Whitney belting it out in heaven.

RIP Whitney Huston.

little fishy

Little Miss J is on her third session of swim lessons. With Gus's new M-F job, he's been able to attend and get in the water with her, while I just relax in the sun and take pictures. She's doing so well in lessons - learning how to blow bubbles, climb out of the pool, float on her front and back, and kick her little legs. We've only got one more lesson for this session, but we're all signed up for the next session that starts in a couple weeks!