Finally a real camping trip

So all of our RV trips so far this year have been what we call 'driveway camping'. We finally planned a real trip and spent the weekend at Sugar Shores RV Resort in Durand, IL (about 2 hours from home). I picked this place because it had all of the amenities we like (pool, playground, shaded sites) and it had some really positive reviews. I was a little worried since it seemed very geared toward owned lots instead of rentals. To our surprise it ended up being a very friendly campground – both owners and renters. We spent much of our time with a family three spaces down from ours. Oddly enough the wife's name was Heather also. But the funnier part was their two oldest kids were Morgan and Nathan. They were really great people and we shared experiences in RVing and child raising. Morgan and Nathan couldn't seem to get enough of Ben and Neil and had loads of fun at the pool and showing of the frogs they caught at the Resorts frog pond. All in all we had fun at this resort, but it did have as many activities as some other resorts where we've stayed.

A super fun game where Morgan & Nathan get 'knocked-out'
by Ben & Neil.

Ben was able to share some fun pool toys like these goggles
and some water canons.

Neil getting ready for the pool

A few naked laps around the house is just what you need before putting on that pesky swim diaper.

Happy (God)Father's Day

Ben and Neil are so lucky they got to spend Father's day with Aunt Donna and Uncle Dan (Neil's Godmother & Godfather). Donna and Dan were able to spend some of Saturday at a local Blues Festival and then Sunday with the boys. The highlights of the day were lots of lap time, a shared episode of Wow Wow Wubzy, and a lot of Redi Whip. Brian is very thankful to Dan for sharing his knowledge of smoker cooking – the ribs came out great. Heather is looking forward to the next visit when she and Donna are going to take a run together.

Nice Pic

Art time

Neil seems to be more interested in art than Ben has been so far, but Ben learned how to draw a circle this week. Ben still prefers his left hand, while Neil definitely prefers his right – as long as he's not busy sucking his thumb.

Warning: Icky content to follow

So I shared last week that Ben made some poop in the potty. Which we were all extremely excited about. Here's the deal we made with him: If he goes in the potty, Brian will run the train in his bedroom for him. (For those of you who don't know, Ben has a model train that run on a shelf around his room.) I guess this was a good motivator, because he has made poop in the potty two more times since I last reported. So here's where I think I've gone wrong. The poop he's made has been pretty small. So the first two times I thought 'okay he's getting use to this, when he's more comfortable he'll make more'. But now I think I was wrong because instead of getting bigger, the poop is getting smaller. We've jokingly referred to Ben as Lazy Larry because he so laid back and is perfectly content having you do most things for him. Now it's seeming truer than ever since he's putting forth the minimum effort to get his reward. Heaven help his future employers.

Both of the boys being lazy watching Blue's Clues

Teething hiatus

Neil finally got the last of his front teeth. We put up with a lot of crabbing and rashes this time. We will be enjoying our time with Neil until he starts getting his 2 year molars.

The good with the bad

Lately the days have been starting rather rough. Neil seems to be getting more demanding about having things his way. Despite numerous conversation that this is not Burger King and he can't have it his way – we still have the same disagreements (everyday). No, you may not wear your pajama top all day; No, you may not have four bananas for breakfast; No, you may not shove your glass of milk across the table (mostly because he has completely refused all sippy cups). I know most of his tantrums come from frustration, I'm frustrated enough to have a few of my own. But today we made progress. Neil was pleasant and cooperative about getting in bed for his nap. So what if we didn't brush teeth today, the calm was worth it. Then like a cherry on top, Ben managed to make a little number two in the potty. Hurray!

Cousin time

The boys got to have a visit with their cousins, Kate, Meg and Paige on Saturday night. More playground fun.

Ben and Paige together.
There were many good pictures of these two together.

Maybe Kate and Meg can get Neil over his recent slide phobia.

Zoo Day

On Saturday while the golf tournament was still in full swing, Heather took the boys to the Detroit Zoo with her family. The boys posed for pictures with just about every animal statue they had. You know how it goes with the boys, the animals were fine, but the playground was way more fun. Thanks to my sister Mandy for all the great photos.

Guys golf outing

The Roden men took advantage of the beautiful weather and had a two day golf tournament. Day one was in Pickney at Timber Trace and day two was in Plymouth at the Golden Fox. Congratulations to Phil by beating everyone else – BOTH days – and taking their money. I will not publish any scores here since even 'winner winner, chicken dinner' kind of stunk up the course.

(Would it kill Brian to hand the camera to a stranger to get a picture of the four of them?)

Our first RV trip of the season

We took our first trip in the RV this summer. Well it was only driveway camping at Norm & Joan's, but it was quite a fun filled weekend. The boys are really getting the hang of traveling in the RV now. This was the first time we let Neil ride freely in the back. (Seat belts are not required in the RV since it's considered a bus.) Neil did really well and only fell down and cried once. They were able to make the whole trip from Chicago to Plymouth without needing any stops. This is monumental since I think I remember one of last year's trips where we stopped four times.

On Friday, Heather and the boys got to visit at our friends the Wasson's house. The boys all played well together and seemed to really enjoy each others company as much as Heather enjoys visiting with Jill and Dan. Sorry no photos, but Brian wanted to get pics from the guys golf outing. More in my next post.