Camp Cousin

I haven't blogged for awhile and have much to report. The next few may be out of order but you can deal with it, right? Although Logan is generally doing better with me staying home with him, he desperately misses playing with friends. I know once we are relocated we can establish some regular play dates as well as Sunday School and (in the fall) preschool. For now though, he is pretty much stuck with mommy and the dogs. He broke my heart Easter Sunday when we picked him up from Sunday School. I asked how it went and he reported in his saddest voice "I don't got no friends today." (note...grammar lessons continue!) I feel stuck and unable to fix his loneliness. We don't know anyone in Memphis with kiddos and our schedule hasn't allowed for much socialization in Conway. I came up with a perfect (and yet insane) plan. I texted my lovely sister-in-law and asked if she would let me borrow my niece for 4 days/3 nights for Camp Cousin. She was more than willing, which is amazing to me, as I'm anxious spending just one night away from my little monster. Michelle has been asking for over a year to keep Logan overnight and I haven't been ready. I'm sure he'd do fine but I'm not quite there yet. (In my defense, currently the only time Logan has with his daddy is on the weekends and I'm not willing to give up that time right now. Once we move...I'm sure I'll have to come up with another excuse or give in and ship my kid off.)

Logan was ecstatic when I told him Paige was coming to our house. He made big plans to take her to the park, paint, and play catch with her. Trey and my parents were gracious enough to permit the dogs to stay in Conway so I didn't completely lose my mind. Our schedule was as follows:

Tues:

• Pick up Paige from daycare after her nap
• Drive 3 hours to our house - 2 potty breaks & 2 "pull over on the side of the road" breaks
• Dinner
• Bath (anatomy lesson #1)
• Stories & Bedtime

Wed:

• Kids came downstairs @ 6:45a for breakfast
• Arts & Crafts extravaganza (color pillowcases, paint wooden letters, paint stories)
• Playdoh
• Lunch (Paige learned how to eat green beans. She ate the little peas out of the bean and
  said she didn't like the wrappers. Funny girl!)
• Nap (2 hours!?)
• Make cookies
• Outside to play in the dirt
• Spaghetti dinner
• Bath (anatomy lesson #2), story time, bed

Thurs:

• Kids came downstairs NAKED!? @ 6:15a for breakfast (anatomy lesson #3)
• Backyard to play in garden
• Dance party!
• Shower painting (shaving cream + paint brushes = awesome shower fun!)
• Lunch - Make your own pizzas
• Nap (1 1/2 hours!)
• Park & Nature hike
• Dinner, bath, story time, bed

Fri: Kids came downstairs @ 5:30a and stood by my bed until I opened my eyes. Scared the living daylights out of me! Fortunately I did not wet the bed! We had to be in North Little Rock to pass off Paige to her Nana at 1p so the morning was spent rushing around to pack and clean the house.

Logan and Paige had a fabulous time together and there were fewer meltdowns than I had anticipated. Logan had some trouble sharing his toys and Paige had some trouble following rules that are different from the rules at her house. In some ways having both of them was easier than just Logan because they entertained one another and I had free time to finish projects. They only painted on one wall and it was completely washable. I think Paige only went home with one bruise and Logan only had one welt. I loved watching the two of them explore together. I haven't had the opportunity to watch Logan play with other kids his age and it was neat to see areas he excels in and areas in which we need to work on. I discovered areas in which each kid has talents and strengths. The most surprising outcome of this adventure was a boost in my parenting abilities. Logan's behavior has been challenging the past month. His behavior was HORRIBLE during a recent trip to visit friends and family in Missouri and I was absolutely mortified and shell shocked. I learned during this week that (1) He is 3, (2) He has learned values and morals and is able to demonstrate them on occasion, (3) I can handle 2 kids with minimal damage...I will survive his periodic outbursts. All in all, I have no extra bald spots and am willing to host Camp Cousin again sometime in the far off future.