Three-Fifths Family Vacation Part 2

So, my last blog I wrote about how I took Mason and Natalie up to my mom's for a "mini vacation" over spring break and did all the things we wouldn't normally be able to do with such ease at home, while Brad stayed with Camryn. Well, the following week, Brad and I switched roles and he took the girls on a "not so mini vacation" to North Carolina and I stayed with Cams. Although the circumstances for Brad's and the girls trip were not the best (his grandfather had passed and they were going up for the service) it turned out to be a nice time, as his family have not seen Mace for years and have never seen Nat. Brad's sister has three kids that Mason has been dying to see again, so she was totally psyched! I only have one brother and he has no children, so my kids don't have any cousins on my side. And with Brad's family being so far away, the cousins they do have, have only been pictures with names up until now. I myself grew up with no cousins and just one living grandparent, whom I loved dearly, so knowing the girls would be able to play with their cousins and spend time with Brad's remaining grandparents made me so happy for them.  But again, with these situations, the feelings are bittersweet, because while Brad can bring up two of his girls to show off to his family, he was not able to bring up his third daughter, who he is just as proud of, or his wife (who also, is pretty impressive!) and that makes both of us sad. But we know all too well that traveling and Camryn don't play well together and Camryn spending the night somewhere other than the comfort of her own bed is merely a dream. So we sulk about it for a second, feel sorry for ourselves for a minute and then try to focus on all the good that will come from this experience. First being Mason and Nat got to take a roadtrip with just Daddy! Two girls and their Dad in his big ole truck, riding down the interstate, with a big bag of snacks and an even bigger bag of toys and coloring books to pass the time. The music was loud and so was the laughter and the memories being made would never be forgotten. They didn't drive all the way through, which meant they got to stay in a hotel which, ask any nine year old, is super cool!! The next morning they had breakfast at the hotel, which also ranks really high on the cool chart, and then took off for the rest of their journey. Once they got to Brad's grandparents house, the real fun began. Everyone marveled at how big they had gotten, how much they looked like so and so, you know the usual. Then their cousins arrived and after a few moments of akwardness, they started talking and playing, making up for lost time. The next day they all took off to Carolina beach to spread the ashes of Brad's grandfather. The whole family went, renting out several rooms at a beach motel. The weather was beautiful and even with the somber tone of the visit, it turned out to be a great time. The girls collected shells on the beach, rough-housed with their cousins in the room, went out to dinner and just had fun. With the kids occupied, Brad got to spend time with his family, which he really enjoyed. And nobody had to worry about being pinched, or bitten, or whacked over the head. And nobody had to worry that come bedtime, there would be screaming and confusion. And most importantly, nobody had to worry that in the event she did fall asleep,in the middle of the night Camryn would figure out how to open the door and walk out into the ocean,the street or worse. Nope, nobody had to worry about those things and when you have to worry about those things every second of your life, a few days without it is so very good for the soul.
Now while all this was going on 700 miles or so away, back at the homefront, Cam and I were having our own special time. They left on Wednesday, so Cam had school the rest of the week, praise Jesus!  We pretty much kept to the same routine until the weekend. The only difference being that when we got home from school I could let her have the run of the house without the fear she was going to hurt her sisters.I still had to keep a close watch  to make sure she didn't pour my facial astringent into the sink just to watch it stream out of the bottle, or find the conditioner and rub it all over her arms and legs saying "I like lotion".
But just being able to not have that constant worry of her pinching Natalies cheek, or biting Masons arm, was such a luxury. Pretty sad huh? Some women love diamonds, some women cherish pearls, but me, nope, just give me a day or two of Camryn not hurting someone and I'm on top of the world! With her sisters not being home, I was able to sit on the couch with her and look at books for hours at a time without feeling incredibly guilty that I was "ignoring" my other two. We could go for a drive in the car (which she loves to do) and just listen to the music without the constant chatter of her sisters. If Camryn is in a good mood, she will ride in the car, look out the window and not say one word for long periods of time. Why, I've driven an hour and a half with her on several occasions when I have actually forgotten she was there because she was so quiet. But it's only when she is by herself. Bring her sisters into the mix and forget about it! Maybe it's the frustration of not being able to talk like them, maybe she likes having time with just me, or maybe she just wants them to pipe down so she can listen to her beloved Michael Buble :) Anyhow, we got to do a lot of the things together that she so enjoys, but don't happen as often as I'd like because, well, because I have three kids and one on one time is hard to come by.We didn't go to the movies, or out to eat or even to the store. No,we just sat together on the couch, me drawing objects on the Magnadoodle and her telling me what they were, reading books together and just lying there, me holding her like a baby, holding her tight, rocking her and singing to her, something she loves. She may be 7 years old, over 4 feet tall and well over 65 pounds, but that girl is still my baby and not just because she is my child. While Natalie is only 3 and still very babyish in many ways, I know well enough that before I know it she will be talking on the phone with her friends about who likes who and what they're wearing to school the next day. And Mason, well, she's just about there. But Cammie, I don't think those things are in her future. And as long as she will let me hold her and rock her, even if she is taller than me, I will gladly do it. It is one of my greatest pleasures in life.
So, Brad and the girls had their time and Cams and I had our time and when we all got back together again, we had time as a family. And though we had been apart for several days and our routine had been off, things went right back to normal the minute they walked in the door Sunday evening. Camryn pulled Natalies hair, which made Natalie cry, which made Camryn more aggressive, which made her pinch Mason, which made Mason scream, which made me put Camryn in time out, which made Camryn scream, which made everyone cringe, and left Brad and I wondering.."Is a vacation for just the two of us anywhere on the horizon?"