Trent's Genes

Rush has a thing for the vaccuum and actually for the broom as well. Any time either one comes out, he's ready to help. He's also really into the dishwasher, to the point that we can't open it unless he's sleeping or distracted by another person. Sadly, I'm guessing that the excitement will wear off by the time he's old enough to actually vaccuum or unload dishes.

Williams + 1

It's true, there's another Williams baby on the way! Soon (January 2011 soon) family pictures like this will be outdated.

It's amazing how much we don't have to do this time. It looks like we just need to buy some smaller diapers and new pacifiers and make sure all our baby stuff is clean. And pick a girl and a boy name...Trent really doesn't get motivated about names until about 7 or 8 months into the pregnancy.

We have started the gradual process of setting up a new bedroom for Rush. He won't be moving in for awhile, but he's enjoying playing in there and climbing up on his new bed. Getting a room ready for a one year old is actually going to be pretty fun. My dresser, originally my dad's childhood furniture and currently painted purple from when I was in college, will have to be painted, but it's nice to know that a quality wood piece of furniture will last through a few generations.

We have the rest of the year to get ready - 2011 is going to start with two children under the age of two!

Camp Allen

Rush and I just returned from a truly great week at Camp Allen. It's amazing to me that Camp Allen can be so similar to the way it was when I was a camper and counselor in the 90's, but at the same time so much better. It's one of the rare examples of a place that has made positive additions (the Blog, the Iceberg, air conditioning in the cabins) but retained it's exact essence and not lost any of its charm. The activities that have been dropped are the activities that weren't any fun in the first place. The Holey Barrel, arguably the worst activity ever, is not even a memory for any of the current campers.

I love that there are Camp Allen traditions that seem to continue on forever. I have never eaten a summer camp meal without hearing the exact phrase "seconds if you want 'em" shouted exactly once. Wednesday night is still spent at the Eucharist at the lake, Thursday night is still the dance, cabin clean up is still every morning after breakfast. Some parts will eventually have to change (how long will the blue topped tables in the dining halls last?) but it's nice to know that Senior Staff will always make the campers vow to never share the super secret clap that follows the Camp Allen song.

My role for the week was "extra adult." Rush and I were lucky enough to be invited by Casey and Chris to participate in possibly one of the best weeks of camp all summer. The "Jamaican Me Crazy" theme lends itself so well to the added details that make Camp Allen the Best Camp Ever. One of my favorite additions to the week was the radio station that Chris and Dean (regularly known as Fr. Duncan and Fr. Lawrence) created, Shrimp 101.7. They woke up the campers with a morning show full of music and banter and sent them to bed with the soothing sounds of jazz playing at night over 101.7 After Dark: Boiled Shrimp.

Tuesday was pirate day, which is obviously when pirates invaded the camp. Pirate Day was the beginning of the campers' obsession with Rush. It all began in the morning when I started hearing squeals of "Aw, it's a baby pirate!" as he walked by them. His popularity continued to escalate throughout the week until Rush was swarmed by a paparazzi-like group of campers every time he stepped outside. It was surprising how much the boy campers loved him. They were always inviting him to come watch them at the Blog, giving him constant high fives, and generally looking out for him.

High on the list of any camper's favorite parts of camp is canteen, where every camper gets a candy bar or ice cream and a coke. Rush enjoyed a daily popsicle surrounded by a group of doting campers who watched amazed as he ate every ounce that didn't melt on him. I had my own fill of Choco Tacos and Skittles...yum. We actually ate a shocking amount last week. It's one thing to lay around on your bunk making lanyards and eating Cheetos and Starbursts when you're eleven, quite another when you're 29. I'm not sure my body is absorbing the extra food the same way these days.

We're home now, tired and content. It's great to see Trent after a week apart, especially because today is our 6th anniversary - Happy Anniversary to us! It's been a nice quiet day because after all the excitement of a week in the woods with 5th and 6th graders, it's going to take a few days for Rush to catch up on his sleep. Thanks again to Chris for inviting Rush and I to camp and thanks Camp Allen for being so great.

Happy Birthday America

We spent a fantastic 4th of July at the beach. The weather was surprisingly perfect for a weekend blanketed on both sides by street flooding rain. It was in fact perfect enough that we spent most of July 4th actually on the beach. Rush even caught a nap with Moom.

The water was rough and maintained surfing conditions, so Trent borrowed a surfboard and tried surfing for the first time. He never actually stood up on the board, but after a few hours and a few lessons, he was able to catch a few waves laying on his stomach. Not sure when his next surfing practice will be as it's really rare to have big waves at Crystal Beach.

There was, for the first time since I was a little kid, tar on the beach. I looked down at one point and thought, what's that between Rush's toes? Tar. What's that on Rush's bathing suit even after a trip through the washing machine? Tar. What's that on my feet? Tar. It's Independence Day, so can we blame the British? Yeah actually, I guess we can.

Other than that, it was a great 4th of July. We wrapped up the day with a cook-out and watching fireworks from the deck. Letting people buy fireworks and set them off on their own really creates a top quality display. I would like to offer a very special thank you to everyone who spent their money and risked their fingers and lives by drinking beer all day on the beach then setting off fireworks for us to enjoy. Happy Birthday America!

Rush and the Giant Peach

Last weekend we went to visit Casey and Chris in Austin. Hunter came in from Tyler, so it was another rare weekend with my siblings. We ended up going to Mansfield Dam on Saturday and spending the day at what I think is a lake created by putting a dam on the Colorado River. That may or may not be correct, but for some reason I couldn't confirm anything on the internet. It appeared to be a lake.

Being beach people we rarely have the lake experience, so it's a nice treat to be in a lake and a reminder of how nice it is (as long as you don't let your feet touch the bottom.) I'm always surprised by the size of lakes, since in my head I usually picture the Camp Allen lake, which is small enough that I could canoe across it with Kate as a 6th grader. We had a great spot at a picnic table under a huge tree and I spent about 75% of the day sitting under the tree eating Doritos. Trent and Hunter went scuba diving and while visibility was almost zero they were at least able to brush up on their skills.

It was my first visit to Casey and Chris's new house, which I want to steal. Literally, I want to steal the entire structure, drive to Austin, put it on a gigantic trailer and bring it home with me. It's my dream house. I love ranch style homes. Rush loved playing in a big cardboard box that they made into a house.

As for this weekend, it's looking like our Fourth of July plans may be thwarted by rain drenching the area thanks to Hurricane/Tropical Storm Alex, however many miles away. I'm used to Labor Day plans being cancelled due to hurricanes - that happens approximately every other year. But July 4th? That's a scary, early start.