We're back!

Yes, my adoring fans, it's true . . . I'm back on the blog. I'm sure my many, many devoted readers will breathe a sigh of relief to finally get their fix of my witty anecdotes (Hi Mom and Dad!). Since my last post, I've been busy first packing and organizing, then driving long distances, then enjoying vacation, then driving long distances again. I'm going to post photos and stories from each day, but I'm so exhausted at the moment that we'll just see how far I get tonight. So, here goes:

Day 1: On the road to Baraboo

We woke at 5am and packed the car, finishing with one sleepy Cameron. We were on the road by 6am. Our trip went surprisingly smoothly for a 10 hour car trip with a 3 year old! Cameron was thrilled with a new Spiderman backpack with surprises in it including 2 Spiderman cars.

When we finally arrived to Baraboo, WI, we checked into a cabin at Nordic Pines. Cameron explored -- the cabin was a duplex with 2 bedrooms, a very small kitchen and a bathroom -- and repeatedly said, "I LOVE this house!"

After unpacking the car and getting settled, we went across the street to Devil's Lake State Park. Cameron enjoyed splashing in the water but was subsequently disgusted by his wet, sandy water shoes.Day 2: Wisconsin Dells

At 6:20am, Cameron announced that it was morning. I informed him that it was most definitely not and managed to hold him off until 6:45am. I dragged myself out of bed for a shower, considered wearing flip flops, then noticed that the cabin shower actually appeared to be substantially cleaner than my shower at home. Hmmm, note to self: Clean shower when we get home. When I was done with my shower, I heard Cameron shout, "Mommy, come look!" In my absence, David had helpfully prepared breakfast for Cameron. A Rice Krispie treat and Cheddar Bunnies. Yep, most important meal of the day.

We headed to the Wisconsin Dells where we toured the Lowers Dells on a Duck -- an amphibious military vehicle. It was very cool. This was followed by a round of putt-putt golf at Pirate's Cove. (Do people outside of Michigan say "putt-putt golf?")

Since arriving in the Dells, Cameron had been talking non-stop about the Tommy Bartlett show, for which there are numerous billboards around the town prominently featuring a waterskiing, pirate clown. We purchased tickets for the 4:30 show, then headed to Mirror Lake State Park for the afternoon. Cameron spent most of his time there putting on a Superhero Show. This has been one of our main activities lately. There are basically two models:

1. Mommy is the "talker" (aka announcer) who introduces the Superhero (be it Spiderman, Superman or Batman) and fields questions from the audience.

2. Mommy is the female Superhero, appearing with Cameron/Superhero while Daddy acts as the "talker."

Here is Cameron in a type 1 Superhero Show appearance. He is demonstrating his super jumping skills.

Finally, filled with anticipation, we headed to the Tommy Bartlett show. It was everything Cameron had dreamed of . . . a pirate clown who spoke in a high-pitched voice reminiscent of Mickey mouse, a waterskiing pyramid, a fascinating pirate-themed storyline.

When intermission was announced, David and I looked at each other, dismayed, and mouthed, "There's more?!?!" The second half highlights included comedic juggling, hula hooping and a terrifying front row view of a man nearly falling 65 feet when he tripped while jump roping on a rotating wheel.

After the show, we misjudged Cameron's mood and went to Moosejaw Pizza and Brewing Co. for dinner, where Cameron cried and laid on the floor before eating his "chicken antlers" and lemonade. As Cameron was obviously exhausted, we headed back to the cabin where Cameron got a second wind and spent the evening playing with our "neighbors," Eileen and Aiden.

Well, Day 3 forward is going to have to wait . . . I'm off to bed!

Inquarium

For Father's Day, we went to Pike Street Press for breakfast and then decided to check out the aquarium since we were in the neighborhood! We took Cameron to the aquarium when he was about 18 months old, but of course he doesn't remember it. He could hardly contain himself when he learned of our plans. "ADAM goes to the INQUARIUM!" he kept shouting. Adam is an older boy at school, and if ADAM does it, it must be GREAT. Cameron loved the dive show and walking through the Shark Tunnel. He was not a fan of the glass floors and did NOT want to touch a shark in the touch tank. In fact, he kept grabbing my hands and saying, "Don't touch a SHARK, Mommy! It could BITE you!" (Note: Very tiny sharks in the touch tank. Very large sharks in the tunnels.) Unfortunately, dark tunnels and water don't make for great photos, so here are the few that turned out! First, checking out some playful otters:

Then, giving a shark a shot:

And just something I've noticed . . . whenever I take a photo vertically, I need to rotate the photo clockwise. If Dave took the photo, I need to rotate it counter-clockwise. We are both right-handed, yet we consistently hold the camera in the opposite way. Hmmmm. Interesting.

The boy has moves!

When Cameron was a toddler, he would "dance" by bouncing up and down in place. Well, folks, he's a toddler no more and this boy can MOVE! A park near our house has a free, outdoor concert every Friday night during the summer. Last week, we went and heard a Neil Diamond cover band perform. Cameron performed a soulful, contemporary routine to "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon." The performance culminated in a belly-baring move that I (quite inappropriately!) laughed when I saw. Cameron was indignant and said through clenched teeth, "Mommy! Don't laugh when I show my belly!"

This week, we returned to see "Hot Wax" do a varied set of upbeat oldies. Cameron proved that he's no one-trick pony, finding just the right shimmy, hop or wiggle for each song. Here is a sample of his show.

Dave's hair

Here is one of the old photos that Cameron found "hilarious." I believe that this may explain why Dave was nicknamed "Fluffy" by a girl in his freshman dorm.

Spiderman!

Yesterday we went to the zoo and saw the Superhero Search show. As I am sure you can imagine, it was a highly sophisticated production with a riveting storyline about safety/eating healthy/getting lots of physical activity so you, too, can be a superhero. Cameron was glued for the first half, although I think even he felt the show fell apart a bit towards the end . . .

One of the highlights of the show was when a REAL bad guy sat down RIGHT next to Cameron! He even talked to him! Not to fear, though, because Spiderman got that bad guy and took him to jail.

Later in the day we went to a picnic that just happened to have a clown painting faces. One second Cameron is playing on the playground, the next I look and find him seated in front of the clown covered in red face paint. Here is the end result!

Change of topic: Tonight as I was putting Cameron to bed, I pulled out some old scrapbooks with photos of David and I in our high school and college days. Cameron immediately recognized me, but pointed at a photo of David and asked, "Who's THAT?" When I told him it was Daddy, he laughed and yelled, "That's HILARIOUS!" (For those who don't know, David did go through a rebellious, longish frizzy hair phase in college, complete with chops.) I'll have to scan that photo and post it here so that you can all share in Cameron's amusement!

A Day in the Life

5:30am Crawl in bed with Mommy and Daddy. Wake Mommy to request that she read "Superman's Guide to the Universe." She declined.

7am Let's get this party started!

7:05am Ask Mommy what day it is. Provide her with a cheery start to the day by crying, "Oh man! I didn't want to stay home with YOU today!"

8am Politely direct that Mommy push me on the swing up to the clouds. Deeply disappointed in her apparent unwillingness to comply with this simple request.

8:30am Still on swing.

9am Still on swing. Experiment with lifting bottom off seat of swing while high above ground. When Mommy stops me, aghast, burst into tears and explain, "Well, Mommy, I scared ME too!"

10am Paint an amazing reproduction of "Rescue Heroes: The Movie." You know, the scene where Billy Blazes is falling off the volcano?

11am Eat an early lunch then head to the train garden.

12pm Show off "big bumbly muscles" to adoring girls by pumping water at gardens.

1pm Check out Bat Cave at gardens. Realize that I have not yet pretended to be Bat Man today. Assign Mommy to Superman role.
2pm - 6pm Shoot down every idea Mommy has to fill the time. No, I DON'T want to go swimming. No, I DON'T want to read Highlights Magazine for Children. No, I DON'T want to go to the park. Here's a better idea. You be Rescue Hero Wendy Waters. I am Billy Blazes. We need to save a boy who is going to fall in . . . think, Cameron, think . . . what could be a REALLY great disaster? A volcano? No, WAY too predictable. AHA! The boy is going to fall in a RAIN VOLCANO.

6pm - 7pm Bike three blocks to park, frequently demonstrating my ability to stop on a dime thanks to my training wheels. Golly, it is funny how this causes Mommy and Daddy to do silly stuff -- swerving off the sidewalk, falling off their bikes! Those jokers!

8pm Insist that I do NOT need to go potty before bed.

8:05pm Leave bed to go potty.

Week in review

As Stephanie can attest to, Cameron can be a bit challenging at times as recently demonstrated by a gigantic tantrum at KMart over a pair of Spiderman flip flops. Enraged by his inability to obtain aforementioned flip flops through begging, he yelled, "I want a new family!" as I carried him sobbing from the store. It's tough to be three. He repeated this performance when it was time to leave the park shown here:

Now, to be fair, it is LOTS of fun to play at a park with Daddy and VERY disappointing to then be told by your mean Mommy that it's time to go home. Hopefully this is a short-lived phase . . .

This past weekend, we made the loooonnnnggg trip up to Michigan. Thank goodness for portable DVD players and Rescue Heroes: The Movie. (In case you have been considering renting Rescue Heroes: The Movie, let me forewarn you that the plot is so complex that even after viewing three or four times, you may find yourself asking, "Wait. So did Billy Blazes contract his mysterious illness during his mission on the volcano, or was it during the resultant massive electrical storm?") When we finally arrived, though, we had a great visit with my grandparents and many other family members.

Additionally, David and I had the opportunity to go out to dinner by ourselves. For those who don't know, this is a rare and treasured opportunity. I was positively giddy to be out without having to look over the kiddie menu. It sounded something like this:

David: Want to order an appetizer?

Sharon: YES!

David: Should we get some wine?

Sharon: YES!

Waitress: Would you like to hear about our specials tonight?

Sharon: YES! YES I WOULD! Followed by Sharon enthusiastically saying things like "Mmmmm! Sounds delicious! Yummmm!" even to menu items she would never in a million years eat such as pork chops.

I think the waitress was probably wondering if I had forgotten to take my meds. Ahhhh. It was great. So, thanks Mom and Dad, for the free babysitting!