Vomit filled hands and bed sheets, diarrhea filled toilet, multiple night sessions of nursing are a few highlights of Spring Break Trip 2019. (Similar, but not quite like the old MTV shows, “Spring Break, 1996! Club Med/Cabo/Key West…!!!) Camping and traveling with a one year old and a three year old is not for the faint of heart.
Matt and I strategically stuffed two giant duffle bags with clothes, blankets and maps for the kids and ourselves, but kept them small enough to count as carry ons. I packed our Kelty backpack for Reid with diapers, wipes, toys and snacks to fit under the seat. Ruby carried her own backpack with a water bottle and activities. We also packed hope that the kids would be adorable angels on our flight to Sacramento. The airplane trip is something I do with bated breath-praying to make it to our destination without being “those people” who can’t stop their baby from screaming or three old from whining and covering the walls with crayon graffiti.
After a rest at Grandma and Gramps, we climbed into our rented 1989 Westfalia to begin the trek to Yosemite National Park for four days of camping, hiking and waterfall viewing. The van was decked out with everything we needed from fluffy pillows, Clorox wipes and a cast iron pan- ideal for Matt’s delectable grilled cheese avocado sandwiches. The sun shown brightly as we climbed at Volkswagen van speed, through the green rolling hills and up the winding roads. Upon entering Yosemite Valley the traffic was as bad as Seattle. Tourists made typical questionable decisions like stopping in the street to get their Insta worthy shot of Bridalveil Falls. We chugged to our campsite, wedging between the Sprinter vans and RV’s. Despite that the sun hadn’t set yet, campfire smoke already blanketed the grounds. This is Matt’s and my new life when camping with little people. I yearned to follow a trail that went up, up, up to the highest lookout, leaving all the other visitors behind. Instead, we took a few “hikes” around the valley floor, involving little elavation gain or length, but some whining, teddy bear graham bribes and hundreds of other people doing the same thing we were. We had just a couple of hours to explore before being forced to retire to our campsite for nap time.
The highlights arrived in different forms- meeting up with my brother, sister in law and two nephews, forced relaxation (I almost finished my book!), Matt’s grilled cheese sandwiches, sitting by the Merced River watching Caleb build a log, pine needle boat, soaking in the vastness of granite formations, the power of water pouring off the rock faces…
On our last night of camping, Matt and I stayed up a little longer after finishing our bottle of wine. Hiding from the neighbor’s lantern glare, I asked him if he’d enjoyed the trip. Matt had been so excited to explore Yosemite valley, to rent the van and to pull it all off with our kids. He answered me, “I guess this is our new reality when camping with kids. It’s just different. What are we going to do though except keep trying.” And that is exactly what we will do. People say it gets easier as the kids get older (especially when they are not crawling in the dirt, wearing diapers and putting charcoal bits in their mouth). I look forward to that.
For now, I will lean into the opportunity to try again, with gratitude for a partner who keeps us moving forwards. Grateful for our kids, who humble us as we fumble our way down this parenting trail.
Luscious Light 