Family Camp Vacation

We went camping.

The kids, Steve's parents, Steve's sister and her kids, and I drove up to Fundy National Park in New Brunswick on Wednesday and Steve joined us the next day.

Things we enjoyed:

• playing with cousins
• the zip lines at the camp playground
• roasting marshmallows
• the beautiful views
• sleeping in a tent (when I asked The Bairn about camping at Fundy, he said this was his favorite part)

Things we did NOT enjoy:

• bugs
• the loudsters in the tent behind us

The Bairn playing with his baby cousin

Lexi took good care of Ellen and The Bairn.

Like, really good care.

This is what Ellen does when we ask her to smile.

On Friday, Steve and the kids and I drove down to Peaks Kenny State Park in Maine and camped for two more nights.  Our real reason for visiting Maine was attending the Whoopie Pie Festival, but there is always the secondary reason for visiting, which is buying stuff in America that we cannot get in Canada.

Things we enjoyed:

• attending the Whoopie Pie Festival  I didn't think I would actually max out on whoopie pie tastings, but I did.
• Playing at the lake.
• Daddy's yummy camp breakfasts, featuring all-American breakfast sausage (insert MBC breaking into patriotic-sausage-loving songs right here).
• Singing songs in the car.  Ellen spends a lot of her time in the car demanding, "Nudder song!"
• Sweet camping kids.  The Bairn really loves camping, especially when he gets to help Daddy cook and do jobs.  One night I was listening to him talk to Steve while I put Ellen down to bed and I heard him saying, "Daddy, you're really great.  You're so good at killing bugs and you're pretty big."  He also told me that his favorite part of camping in Maine was me.  "You're so hugful, Mom."
• Absolute silence during quiet hours.  A ranger hushed up our loud neighbor at 10:00 sharp.

Things we did not enjoy:

• Driving long distances with Ellen.  She doesn't enjoy it and she can wail for hours.
• That point when we had just crossed the border and I took both kids inside the gas station and Ellen lay on the floor, covered nose to toes in banana residue, and cried and refused to stand or be carried while the Bairn tried to steal sprinkle cupcakes from the bakery cupboard and I hissed, "That's enough.  No treats!" at them.  
• Breaking camp in the rain.

Flopsicles in the car.

Playing at the lake.

Sweetie Pie, the Whoopie Pie Festival mascot

I love little kids in wellies.

We love camping.  The Bairn drove home with a blanket over his head, a tent where he looked at books and occasionally popped his head out to tell Ellen that he loved all the colors in the world.