Favorite camping quotes.

Though most of these come from my children (they're all from nieces and nephews), the quotes were too hilarious not to post.

#1: Our niece (as her dad was walking her to their tent to get put to bed for the night): Dad, I'm nocturnal!
Nice try!

#2: Our nephew to me: Look at my loose tooth! pointing to a very loose and wiggly front tooth. I already lost this one! pointing to a gap neighboring the loose one. 

Me: Oh, that's neat.
Nephew:  Did you know that girl teeth are rarer than boy teeth?
come again?
Me: And how do you know that?
Nephew:  Well, a friend of mine lost this tooth pointing to his gap in his front teeth and the tooth fairy gave her FIVE DOLLARS for her tooth!!
got it.  Smart kid.  Later I found out that was his dad's explanation to him as to why the Tooth Fairy was much cheaper when paying him.  He didn't think of the idea on his own- but that makes it no less funny.

 #3:  King and I were deliberating whether or not to take the kid backpack (I forget the real name- you know- the one you put the child in and then strap them to your back. Keldy Kid? Kelty Kid? Something like that.  I digress...).  We were only going to be hiking a short hike- or so we thought- so King decided Eddie would probably enjoy walking and he probably wouldn't have to carry her much.  I already had Millaker strapped to my front in the Ergo- so in the end it was his call.
Wrong call.
Roughly 100 yards down the road- just as we have rounded the bend and are out of sight of the cars- Eddie asks to be carried.
"It's too hard, Daddy!!"  
Thinking it would be a short break, King complied.
We ended up hiking over four miles.
I think he carried her over 95% of the time.
Every hike thereafter she repeated the same line.  She has got her daddy wrapped around her finger. She was carried most of the hikes.

Out-takes

Lest you think getting good pictures is easy...

For every good one there were 73 1/2 out-takes.  

Here's hoping they make you smile.

 Yoo-Hoo! Eddie! Over here!  Guy- who or what are you waving at?

 "Bah!"

 Oh Girls?!  Guy, tongue in!

 Now we've lost all three...

 What's with the toe?

Ok, that's a wrap. 

Translation:

Some times you might need an interpreter around our house. 
When Eddie says "tarrot."  Its toilet, not carrot.  However, when she actually does say carrot... it sounds the same.  Imagine the possible sentences that could be confusing with that word. 
"Bapper" is diaper and "Siddy Tup" is a more recognizable sippy cup.  
Guy likes to call what I periodically do "EXTRAsizing"- meaning exercising.  He's not implying that I'm putting on weight and buying new wardrobes.
Millaker has a different cry for when she's tired, when she's hungry, and when Eddie is three centimeters from her face and won't move... but that's a whole different story.

Letters I should send:

Dear Second Child,
Getting you down for a nap is ... exhausting.  Having you sneak out of your room into mine, climb INTO Millaker's pack-n-play, and waking her up is not my definition of "napping."  To add insult to injury you were rubbing Decitin on her head when I came in saying, "Look, Mommy! Lotion!"  Dear, dear, dear child.  Just. Nap.
Sincerely,
Your tired Mama.

Dear Power of Moms,
I love you.  I love your resources.  I love the new skills I'm learning as a podcast editor.  I love the articles, podcasts, deliberate mothering ideas etc.  I love the new ideas and inspiration you send my way.  Thank you, thank you, thank you...
Sincerely,
A grateful mom.

Dear Four-Year-Old Son,
You are brilliant.  If you get too much smarter, I'll swap you places and you can be the thinker and planner for the day.  Please stop out-thinking my disciplining and distraction ideas.  You should know, I love when your eyes sparkle when Dad gets home and how you don't consider anything but wrestling and the "tickle game" as playing.  EVERY night you cry that you haven't gotten to play with Dad very much even though he's spent the last hour with you.  You are a funny kid.
Love,
Your out-witted mother.

Dear, Dear Millaker,
How DO you smile so much?  I want to pick up this habit.  Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, is drawn to your smile.  When you're not smiling you are sticking your tongue out.  I think I'll pass on that habit.  Thank you for brightening my day.
Sincerely,
Your smiler-in-training mother.

Dear Cardboard box,
Who knew you could provide SO MANY HOURS of entertainment (and arguing) for young children.  I would keep you around were you not bent, hashed, ripped, and teetering on the side of the source of too much arguing. 
Till the next Amazon shipment arrives,
A grateful mother of entertained children.

Prayers

This is Eddie's newest prayer.  It is repeated several times a day.

" Heavenly Father.  Thank you Mommy-Dad.  Thank you help me not minding Mommy-Dad.  Thank you food.  Thank you... (insert anything she can see: i.e. my feet are cold, the table, etc).  Name.  Jesus Christ.  Amen.

King's favorite part:  He and I are a single thing.  "Mommy-Dad."  A unit.  We are addressed this way frequently.

My favorite part: Thank you help me NOT minding Mommy-Dad.   Wait a minute....

6 million and 4

Eddie wants to hold Millaker 

Classic.  What 90% of our photos look like:

Getting better.

 There we go!

 My tongue-lovin' girl.

 And just one more.  I can't get over that face.  It cracks me up!

Too funny

 

For the record.  Guy asks to play Angry Birds every. single. day.  Poor chap only sees these birds once a week if he's lucky.  Mean mom.

Bubble Baths

King loves a good play on words..

When the four year old takes pictures...

 ... you get this:

 my knees.

half of Millaker.

Mill and I.

Yeah, we're working on that fantastic posture of mine...

His cute feet.

 

Eddie eating.

  

Nice.

Sleeping

A few weeks ago we put Eddie in bed and headed downstairs for some quiet adult time!! Now, when we first put her in a toddler bed a while back she stayed put!!  I should have knocked on wood.  Now it takes the promise of two stickers if she will STAY in bed.  Anyhow.  I digress.  Back to the story.  When King and I went upstairs to go to bed, King started laughing. 
"Did you see this?" he asked. 
"See what?"
He pointed to Eddie.  Fast asleep.  On the rocking ottoman. 

Cute little stinker.