Big Boating Day II

I'm very bad at updating blogs, even during the summer when I have (in theory) loads of free time. I figured I would take a moment to document both an exciting trip in the car and our normal daily routine, and what it's like to have a sixteenth-month-old at home during the summer.

Last weekend we drove to Michigan to see Raptor-Mom's family members, and spend the day boating on Lake Thompson. This involved a five-hour ride in the car, which was a dangerous gamble with our little man. Last year he spent a good chunk of the ride home screaming while it thunderstormed outside, so we were anxious to make significant improvements.

In Back to the Future III, Doc uses a set of scientifically-designed logs to push an 1880's locomotive to 88 miles per hour, each deployed at a set time in order to achieve this result. Similarly, Raptor-Mom came up with the idea of Treasure Bags to serve the same purpose. Each trip (there and back) would involve three bags: each bag had a water bottle, a snack bowl, 2 books, and a new toy to play with. The thinking was that he would play with one for about an hour, then require a new one. That would give us three peaceful hours, with the hope of a nap as well. This system worked exceptionally well, and got us both there and back with minimal fussing. We only had a few issues on the way there when he didn't want to take his afternoon nap, but he quieted down once his mom got in the back with him again.

Once we got to Michigan, we had a few hours until bedtime, so we walked through the nearby Tanger Outlets in Howell. Once he couldn't handle that anymore, we found a place called the Castaway Cafe, a play place and restaurant that was free for adults. According to their website, children cost $5, but nobody every stopped us when we came in, so I guess that was free too. Dinner was expensive, so they got their money's worth. The little guy loved it too; they had a "Toddler Area" that was designed for people his age, but after about ten minutes in there, he decided he'd rather play in the big kids' area. The place was huge, with a four-story play set and room full of inflatables. He climbed right to the top and rode the big slide down, although I skinned both elbows trying to slow us down. He laughed the whole way.

The next day was the actual boating day, so we got up and headed over to Raptor-Mom's uncle's house. On the way though, the little guy passed out for a morning nap, so we wound up sitting outside their house for ninety minutes while he snoozed. It rained all morning, so we didn't miss any boating, but the afternoon cleared up so after yet another nap we got him out on the boat. Last year he cried the whole time, and this year he did much better, with no tears and only a little fussing. After the boat we took him to the little beach on the lake, which he loved. He got a pail and shovel from the library for reading 30 books, and loved filling the bucket with sand. There was another little playground he liked, and some swings, but mostly he liked playing in the sand. This was great until he ate a handful, and then was a little more distrustful of the beach.

All in all, it was a great trip, and he did a much better job riding in the car this year. It's crazy to look at pictures of him just a year ago, when he looked basically like a big potato, and to see him this year running around and digging in the sand. I'll try to give a rundown of our basic days with him for the next post, since this has gone on a while now already.