Author Archives: Natalie King

We’re here! It’s 90 degrees and hot and I always forget that arrival day is the WORST day of the year. But as the sun is setting behind me, we are unpacked and settled in and I’m already forgetting the long, exhausting day.

Nate and I had the van and his car mostly packed yesterday and we finished this morning. I left first- a head start so I could get some unpacking and cleaning done before they arrived.

I got to camp and unloaded 5 coolers and 4 big costco boxes of food. I started scrubbing and vacuuming every inch of the trailer. It looked surprisingly good considering it’s been empty in the middle of the woods for 10 months. There were a few mouse poops, some dead ants, a little dirt, but overall, it wasn’t bad. I had half of it cleaned or organized by the time the boys arrived. Lucky for us it’s only 400 square feet, so I can deep clean it quickly.

Xander and Augustus have been very excited for camp. One of the biggest reasons is the magic cabinet. They have a cabinet in the trailer that produces surprises every few days. When we were here in April, Xander was adamant we go into the trailer and see if anything was in his cabinet. Because the trailer was popped in at the time, the cabinet was blocked and he was insistent that we get it popped out so he could look inside. He has been fixated on it since April.

One of my jobs as a camp director is to talk to nervous parents about sending their kids to camp. They worry their child will be homesick, sad, or struggle with something. I could talk ALL day about the benefits of camp, INCLUDING the adversity they face. They WILL be homesick, or not like a meal, or argue with cabinmates. But all of that is SO good for them. That is how they build confidence, resiliency, independence. I believe so deeply in the camp experience.

The first time Xander was old enough to realize he and Nate would be apart for big chunks of the summer, he cried while saying goodbye. Nate cried. I cried. And I was left with a crying toddler, in a trailer in the middle of the woods. And all of my strong beliefs about resiliency and growth went out the window and thus a magic cabinet was born directly out of mom guilt. Overcoming challenges are easier when you get surprised with toys on a regular basis.

The magic cabinet is not my proudest mom strategy, but hopefully it can fall into the tooth fairy, Santa Claus, Easter bunny category of childhood magic and not the bad parenting ideas we shake our head at when we look back.

Anyway, needless to say they were VERY excited when they pulled up to camp, and when I told them to come quick, something about the cabinet looked different, and they saw Power Ranger stickers on the outside of it, Xander was beside himself. There were toys for both the boys AND Axel. The cabinet also has new toothbrushes, pajamas, 4th of July tee shirts, socks, and sunglasses for later in the month. It’s a generous cabinet, but also mostly practical.

Nate and the boys explored camp as much as they could in the heat. I continued cleaning, organizing and unpacking. They swam a little bit and then we had dinner. They are bigger and more energetic and the trailer feels smaller this year already, but we’re all excited to be here.

By the evening, everything was unpacked and clean. The air-conditioning was keeping the trailer very pleasant. The boys and I went out to watch the sunset. Behind the trailer is a field of daisies and after a LONG, hot, sweaty, hard day of work, my whole body was aching, I had to pause to take it all in and remember that this is also sorta paradise and worth the hard work.

Our sweet Axel is finally calm after a stressful day. When I started packing yesterday, he was curious and followed me around. Today he was anxious and unsure of what was going on. When we took down his kennel, I was worried he would think we were giving him away, and I had to remind myself that dogs don’t think the same way people do, but he has had a lot of transition in his short life. And dogs DO know when something is going on, and he definitely realized something was up. He has been pretty stressed all day. It’s a new place and it’s also so so hot, which makes it hard to take him out and explore. We’ve been focused on keeping him cool and reassuring him so that he knows this is a good place and he is ok. It is supposed to be cooler in the morning tomorrow, and I am eager to take him out for a nice walk so he can explore.

Summer 2020 is entirely different than any summer before, but we’re here and I’m happy to be back.

We’ve been working on his manners while he walks- he is super easy going until he sees a squirrel or other dog, and then 60 pounds of muscle turns into a rocket that nearly rips my arm off. Also, the few times I’ve let him greet another dog, he has tried to snap at them, so I’ve been working on getting him to sit and look at me every time another dog is nearby. He’s doing really well (thanks to lots of treats) and I am impressed with how smart he is. 

The boys (and me too) are ridiculously excited for camp. We are all ready for a change of scenery. I am ready to live in the nice shady woods on the edge of a breezy lake. It gets hot at camp, but nothing like it is right now. I am so sick of the heat and humidity. I am excited to swim every day, paddle board, have campfires, and make some progress on projects around camp. Today I went to Costco and Walmart. Packed, loaded the van, made some lists… Nate was a ROCKSTAR and an expert packer. He carried, loaded, moved, as well as helped clean, and calmed me down several times as well. But we are packed (mostly) and ready for our trip up north. 

The boys had one last day at Grandma’s house. They had a blast and got to order McDonald’s for lunch. They were happy boys when I picked them up and they will miss their days with Grandma.

Tomorrow is the day we’ve been waiting for! July is here. Camp is here.

I’ve been slipping with my daily blog updates! We’ve been hanging out at home, keeping cool, staying busy and counting down until we head to the woods. 

Possibly even more fun than the pool is making mud puddles around the yard to jump in and then wash off in the pool. At one point, the pool water was BLACK and I was worried the neighbors were going to judge us for how cruddy it was.

Saturday was Xander’s buddy Skylar’s 5th birthday party. Most of the kids are back to daycare and I was so happy he could see everyone and also sad that we aren’t back to normal yet. It made no sense for the boys to go back for June, leave in July, go back in August and then switch to their new pre-k in September. But I am sad that the boys don’t get to play with friends every day.  It was nice to see Xander run around and socialize. Augustus and Nate had a special daddy/son trip to the park while Xander and I were at the party.

When we got home, we played some “floor is lava” which is a new show on Netflix that the boys are super into. We made our own at-home version and they enjoyed it.

We woke up to pouring rain this morning and I just couldn’t bear the thought of a long day stuck inside. We got ready to go right away and headed to Inneractive, which is an indoor play place. They had so much fun and came home exhausted.

 

It’s been a low-key few days. A few park trips, bike riding, hanging out. Both boys talk about camp every day and we’re all getting excited. Until then, we’re enjoying the nice weather and regular life at home.

Axel has been super goofy and plays fetch every night. He is a pretty chill dog overall and always looks kinda sleepy, but then he gets silly and runs around like a puppy.

Father’s Day craft project

Xander fell off his bike today and hurt both his arm and his face. He reacted as if his arm had been cut off. I was concerned that the neighbors might call 911 based on the shrieking. He calmed down eventually. He’s going to have a bruise on his face, but he’s ok.

Wednesday fun at Grandma Debbie’s house

Thursday was a fun day at home- playing outside, doing a Father’s Day craft project, staying cool in the pool.

Friday was a super fun day because we headed to my aunt and uncle’s house to use their pool. The boys were so excited and it was a perfect day. The water was warm and they cannon-balled in about 100 times.

When we got home, they rested for a while and then went outside to play. Before I knew it, they were in our pool (in their clothes).

I got them dried off and they played inside while I cooked dinner. After dinner, we went outside to play. Axel was so playful and goofy and running around, chasing his toy. He’s been here 3 weeks and that is the silliest I have seen him yet.

The boys played for a while and pretty soon, they were in the pool again! I’ve got a lot of wet laundry to wash tonight! I think getting in the pool in their clothes seemed different because they were so funny and excited about it.

It was a full week and we’re counting down until we leave for camp! The boys ask every day when we are going and I too am eager to get to the woods. Until then, we’ll stay as busy as we can.

It was a HOT day today. We went outside right away this morning to take advantage of the slightly cooler weather. The boys played while I emptied, cleaned and re-filled the pool.

We headed in before lunch and played in the basement for a long time.

I’m pretty sure Xander is having a growth spurt, because he ate 3 pieces of avocado toast for breakfast and still ate lunch just a few hours later.

I have SO much work to do to prep for our month at camp without campers. I attempted to work while we we in the basement and got a little bit done. I worked while the boys rested. But I was very happy Nate was able to come home early and I was able to get some solid productive work done.

This afternoon, we all headed outside and the boys played in the pool. The water was so warm and the sun had calmed down a bit. We had pre-dinner popsicles because I was hot and wanted one.

We had dinner and bathtime, and then we went back outside to play for a while. The weather was perfect after dinner! Tomorrow is a busy day with Grandma Debbie.

The boys were dirty and sweaty when we got home, but they were very excited to find Grandma at our house. So they didn’t even pause to rest, they got busy playing until dinner! I can’t believe Augustus didn’t fall over at any point.

They played and played and then we ate, and then they played some more. It was early bath and bedtime tonight, but no arguments about it! A great start to what is supposed to be a hot week!

We have been a busy family these last few days. Xander and Augustus had a fun Wednesday with Grandma Debbie. The weather was gorgeous and they were outside most of the day. 

Thursday was a fun day with Daddy for the boys. I headed up to camp for a few days of planning. Nate took the boys golfing for the first time. Xander has been very excited about his new “plunger” (aka- putter) and they did really well.

They played outside and had a great day. I spent time with the dream team (Meghan, Abby and I) and we made about 1000 lists, walked all over camp, and re-imagined summer at camp without campers.
Friday was another day at camp for me and another fun day for the boys and Nate. They started the day with a donut picnic. They went to the park. They played with playdough. . 

I got home on Saturday afternoon and was happy to see all my boys. I got so much work done in such a short period of time and it was SO fun to be back at camp with my camp besties. The years we worked together were some of the best times of my life. It was nice to get the team back together. But it was also good to come home to my loves.

Today has been a full day as well. I went grocery shopping and Nate mowed the lawn. The boys spent the day playing. Nate went golfing this afternoon, so the boys and I went to a playground nearby.

We got home from the park and had dinner, and then we walked to the ice cream shop to get a treat. Xander rode his bike the whole way there and did a great job.

We got home from the ice cream shop and picked up Axel for his walk. He tried keeping up with Xander the whole way and was acting like a sled dog. He was pulling so hard that if I’d given in, we would have been jogging. I kept reminding him he is a bulldog and bulldogs don’t go for jogs. By the end of the walk, I think he was wishing he’d paced himself, but we all made it.

We got home and played inside so we could cool down and then had lunch. 

Our playground is open again! It was supposed to rain today, but it wasn’t raining in the morning and when we were in the backyard, the weather felt pretty mild. So Xander got on his bike and I pushed Augustus and we headed to the park. It ended up being a lot more humid than I’d realized, but it was still nice that we could go play.

Xander has been working on a chore chart for a few weeks and he is SO close to the end. He picked out a Power Ranger Megazord, which I ordered on Amazon earlier this week. I thought it was going to take longer to arrive, but it arrived today. Xander was VERY excited and determined to finish the chart today. He helped me clean the bathroom, helped strip beds and put on clean sheets. He cleaned the basement (yelling at Augustus and I the whole time, lecturing us that, “this would go much faster if we all worked as a team!”). He cleaned up toys around the backyard. He ended the day with 2 blank squares, so tomorrow he will get his well earned toy.

It rained all afternoon, but it was barely drizzling after dinner, so I took Axel for a walk. He was NOT having it. The rain had completely stopped by the time we had walked a block, but he still kept stopping and then walking super slow. We didn’t go as far as we usually do, but we made it.

It was a HOT day today (a high of 96 degrees!). It was already in the 80s when we set up our pool bright and early this morning. The water was so cold, but the boys got in right away.

We played outside until lunchtime. It was getting hotter and hotter. After lunch, the boys rested and cooled down. We played upstairs and then in the basement. At some point in the middle of normal playing, all of a sudden Xander screamed and when I looked at him, he had a BITE mark on his FACE. Neither of the boys has really gone through a biting phase, so this is new.

I had a long talk with Augustus, like, imagine a wholesome sitcom dad style lecture. I thought I got through to him. Until an hour later, when he bit him again. The second time he bit him, I scary yelled at him and then he cried and I found myself saying, “wait until Daddy hears about this!” which meant nothing, but made Augustus cry harder. So hopefully he’s going to quit biting now. The boys are best friends and play together so well. They scuffle often, and get over it quickly. It’s also very mutual- they both pick on each other equally. It’s rare that either leaves a mark on the other, so this was a surprise.

Xander has a chore chart and he’s been doing things around the house to earn stickers and once he fills the chart, he gets a toy. He has 8 boxes left, and so he’s VERY motivated. Today as I was folding laundry, he rushed over and said, “I’ll help!” and so he learned how to flip pairs of socks together today.

After dinner, it was still in the 90s, but the sun wasn’t blaring down, so we all went outside to play in the pool again. Nate and the boys ended up in a water fight- the boys with squirt guns and Nate with the hose (both boys got in a few good shots though, even though Nate had the advantage).

We ended the night with homemade popsicles followed by bath time. They were both exhausted.