Last Tuesday Maddy finally met her great aunt and uncle, Joe and Maria. They live near Portland, OR and they came to spend the night with us before we all left for Revelstoke the next day. It was quite funny to see Maddy sitting with Joe. She was so interested in his white beard, she just sat on his lap and stared at him. The funniest is when he gave her a kiss goodnight. I guess his beard tickles so she'd curl her feet and body up and wait for the kiss to be over.
The following day we packed up the Westy and prepared ourselves for the 6 hour drive to Revelstoke. Josh and I had our things in one bag and ALL the other bags, bins and containers were things for Maddy. I admit that I brought some clothes she never used, but a lot of it was for washing, feeding or entertainment. The entire back part of the van was full. Hee, hee I guess our days of backpacking will have to be put on hold for a bit!
The drive to Revelstoke went well and it's a bit easier since she can eat some of her meals while sitting in her car seat. We noticed her third tooth poking through and we think it was affecting her appetite. On the way there, I discovered that if she refused to eat with the spoon, all I had to do was give her a little piece of food to hold in her hand. While she is busy examining that piece, she'll absentmindedly open her mouth to take a bite!
The next day we had plans to head to the campground in the afternoon, so Josh and I decided to take Maddy to the swimming pool with Oma. It was great because we had the whole pool to ourselves and the water was nice and warm. Oma took lots of pictures for us (I guess they don't have the 'no cameras' rule) and I'll try and post some later.
After naptime, we headed to Carnes Creek campgrounds. It's about a 20 min drive outside of Revelstoke. The weather was a little grey, but the rain held off until after we went to bed. We were warm and toasty in the Westy, but poor Joe, Maria, mom and dad. They were in their tents and had a not-so-restful sleep.
We also tried a new sleep arrangement for Maddy this time. Last time she was in a pack-n-play in the front of the van. That meant that we had to go to bed at the same time as she did because we'd have to crawl over her to get to our bed. This time we just left the backseat up and she slept in the back! It worked perfectly and we were able to come in through the front door and climb to the upper bed without disturbing her. It was nice to actually enjoy the campfire this time!!
The next day, Pascal, Kim, Kaes and Lyn joined us. The weather made a turn for the worse, so we spent most of the evening huddled under the tarp and laughing at our misfortune. It certainly didn't feel like August, more like Thanksgiving day weekend. We made it through the night and the next day was beautiful. It was so nice that dad could even take the boat out for a few rides. Maddy and I didn't go because we didn't have a life jacket that would fit her. We'll go next year!
On our last campfire night, I got to roast the last marshmellow. It was the one and only marshmellow roasted on the entire trip because we ate all the others during the rainy days and nights! I took extra care, knowing that it was the only one, and it was the best!! :)
Maddy had a great time. She was so content to sit on everyone's lap. She was probably to warmest one of all. She looked so adorable all bundled up, just waiting with her mouth open for the next bite of food. She didn't really even need to many toys to play with because she was happy just sitting with someone and looking at all that was going on around her.
After three nights, we were ready to come home to our showers and warm beds. Sunday night was even more special because mom and dad babysat Maddy while Josh and I went out for the first time without her!!!! Wow, it was fun. We went for a nice dinner, had wine, an appetizer, main course and even stayed for a fancy coffee afterwards. It was nice to go, just the two of us, and 'dine' instead of 'eat'.
On Monday it was time to go home. The weekend was so much fun and it was great to be with the Blommesteins again. We're already looking forward to next year! Phew, I'm done. I guess it really was a LONG weekend! Congratulations if you made it all the way to the end. :)
3 comments:
Glad you guys got a chance to go out for dinner without Maddy. Way to go! :). (We've finally put Nora in her own room so we can stop tip toeing and whispering when we go to sleep at night!)
Sounds like a fun trip! It's always nice to visit with family. I have a life jacket for 0 to 30 lbs if you want to borrow it for Tofino. I don't know if you'll have an opportunity to go out on a boat, but it's only one more life jacket to add to the plethora of Maddy supplies that you pack in the Westy! Hahaha...
It was so nice to have you all together, Childeren and grandchilderen. We loved all the laughs, games, and just being together as a family. But we will have our vanagon ready for next year. And we will join you on the vanagon site. Thanks for coming out camping with us.
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