Camping & Fireworks

We had our big fireworks camping trip over the weekend up in north Florida. We took the whole crew, both of us, all 3 kids, and Kristina (our nanny). We spent a lot of time inside the camper because it is cooooold up there this time of year, but we had a good time in spite of the weather. A few photos of our camper life are on the November photo page. I didn't take many other pictures this year, as it was quite busy keeping up with the kiddos, even with help. Sarah was perfectly happy to sleep in the top bunk, which we converted to a "crib" using a mesh bed rail. The twins shared the bottom  bunk, which we had to blockade using a board and the bathroom door. They were none too happy about the situation at first, but got used to it pretty quickly. By the last night I realized that continuing the normal bedtime routine (change into PJs, brush teeth, read a story, play music) would help even in a strange place. Duh. the fireworks didn't bother any of the three; they seemed to enjoy watching the ones they saw, and they slept right through even the loud ones later at night.

Jimmy is getting steadier on his feet, starting to sign "more" and "eat", and giving spontaneous, if slobbery, kisses. Katie has become quite demanding, but is also discovering the power of her cute little girl charm. They both love their hide-and-seek game anywhere they can find a little hidey-hole. Jimmy's first molar is finally poking through, and I think Katie has a second one now as well.

Sarah has her first tooth, with the second not far behind. She is crawling, sitting, and pulling up to stand all over the place -- had to rearrange the living room yet again today to keep her out of the TV & stereo. I also put up a more permanent baby gate across the opening into the addition (which is creeping slowly toward completion -- the current  delay is finding a new tile company after the last one fouled up the job three times and then tried to cover up the rest of their mistakes in a way that would have caused us major problems a few years down the road), so we don't have to step over play yard fence every time we want to walk in there. She is still eating well and loves everything we have given her -- so far just a few fruits & vegies, plus cereal, but she finishes a couple of ounces and then begs for more.

We were all happy to be back home in our own beds last night after four days away, but it certainly was a fun trip. Everyone even did very well during the 5-hour drive, with the help of some extra toys, snacks, a nice long lunch stop, and a portable DVD player (which actually saw surprisingly little use).  I look forward to future camping trips, when it's not quite so cold and the kids have outgrown the wild-chimpanzee stage and can enjoy more activities with us.