Wam Family Team Building Continues

Sunday was a day filled with preparations for another Wam Family Team Building Exercise.  This is the formal name for what most families would call a camping trip.  Every time Kyle and I set the wheels in motion to go camping together we end up in pretty challenging situations...the first trip is way too long and unbelievable to re-tell on the Wamlet Tales...maybe I'll take the time some day because it is a rad story.  Long story short, we hiked about 30 miles, had no tent, lost our friends, puked from drinking too much wine and lived to tell the story another day.  The next time?  Lost engagement ring, mosquito infested ponds on both sides of our camping spot, and a highway 15 feet away...after that?  Rain, a site literally in the middle of a cul de sac and a white trash brawl (and it wasn't us)....and it continues from there.  Hence the Team Building Exercise.

Anyway, Kyle had a couple days off before he started working days (YAY!!) and switching to the back half of the week so we intended on going on our Team Building Exercise Sunday through Tuesday but I had to manage a photo shoot Monday so we got pushed back a day.  I did all the grocery shopping for the trip and got everything together so that as soon as I was done with the shoot we could hit the road on our next adventure.

After I did all the grocery shopping I came home to make Salsa Verde with my farmer's market buys and it turned out phenomenal.  Kyle said it was the best salsa I ever made.  I also made a coleslaw from the cabbage and carrots we received in last week's CSA box for a BBQ over at Kyle's brother's house later that evening.  I had been studying up on how to use my food processor to its full potential because I normally only use it to process salsa and pesto.  I was interested in trying out the shredding feature and making coleslaw seemed like a great opportunity.

Holy balls is that thing amazing!!!!!!  It is officially the best wedding gift ever!!! Thank you so much to who ever gave us a gift card to Boston Store!!!  I literally had the whole thing made in 5 minutes.  I think I fell in love all over again.  Here are the finished product(s):

Salsa Verde...Delish

5 Minute Coleslaw

At Bryan's house we all just sat around, talked, belittled each other, you know, typical family stuff.  It was Kyle, Bryan, Aimee and Kylee and their cousin Kari and her 2 month old baby Kennedy.  Yep, 2nd cousins Nixon and Kennedy!  We got some really great shots of the two Littles together.  I can't wait for them all to grow up together the way Kyle, Bryan and Kari all grew up together!

Nixon and his Cousin Kylee

Nixon and Kennedy

C'MERE  BABY!!

Babies!!!

Kennedy, Kylee and Nixon

Silly Kylee

Mama's and the Babies

On to Monday, a gorgeous 85 degree day - absolutely perfect to "have" to sit outside and watch a photographer do his work.  We were shooting some new items for our 2012 packaging and catalog and since I work in the outdoor lifestyle industry we were in a gorgeously landscaped backyard, toes in the lush green grass sipping coffee and taking in the sun.  Really, it's a tough job, but someone really has to do it.

Immediately after the shoot I headed home to load up our gear, our pups and our baby to head up to Long Lake for a mid-week weekend.  We didn't make reservations so on our way up I was worried we wouldn't be able to stay up there that night, but we pushed on and got a great spot.  As Kyle set up in the dark I had to run to the gas station to get fire wood with a screaming baby the entire time, came back to feed him, and as we unpacked we realized the laundry list of things we forgot...biggest fail?  Pillows.  Do you know how much it sucks to not have pillows???  I also found out the next morning I forgot coffee filters for our sweet camping coffee maker - thank goodness there is a gas station about 2 miles down the road!

Snuggle Baby

Damn You Mom and These Ears!

God I Wish These Didn't Fit Any More

Daddy and His Boy...Poor Fred, Caged Like a Lion

Just Because it Would Make Kyle Happy

Me...Looking a Little Weird

In typical Team Building fashion, all day Tuesday it was cold and rainy...figures.  By mid afternoon the skies cleared up though, the sun came out and we got to really enjoy the day.  We enjoyed Pizza Pudgies and S'mores, I took all my boys for a walk, and we played with Nixon.  At night the sky above our site was clear with tons of stars and to the north of us we could see the lightning of a storm that just missed us.  We sat in the dark and watched it pass by, it was so neat.

On our way out of town we had bought a new 9 person tent to house our newly expanded family of an additional dog and a child.  This thing is HUGE!!!  It's so awesome though, very easy to set up,  and its nice to be able to stand up all the way to be able to change.  This will be perfect for years to come!

Tent Mansion, Complete with Actual Doors

Fred Loves His Binkie

Of course the day we left it was sunny and warm.  Not to be one to waste a day off work with perfect weather, I took the Squish to our local pool at Hoyt Park.  This pool is AMAZING and it's so fun to go to.  I can't wait until he's bigger and can super enjoy it, but for now we love just sitting in the shallow water splashing around and looking at our toes.  Nixon is a super fish and he will definitely be in the water all summer long when he is bigger.

Sorry I don't have any pics of the two of us in the water.
           A) No one should be subject to me in a swimsuit
           B) I was a wee bit nervous to take the camera in the water with me

I did get this totally awesome pic of Nixon after I put a clean diaper on him before we left:

Eff You Gerber Baby, I'm Way Cuter

You will notice he's wearing a disposable diaper here.  He experienced his first diaper rash on Monday, but by Wednesday it was gone.  We used Butt Paste and had to use disposables so that we didn't ruin his cloth diapers but I'm happy to report he's back in cloth.

This afternoon we got word that our dear friends Kaitlyn and Jason had their baby!  She was nearly 1 month early but delivered a healthy baby girl at 5lbs, 10oz, 19.25" Long.  As of right now she's still nameless, but I hope they go with Christin, it really is such a beautiful name!  Congratulations Jason and Kaitlyn!!!!  I can't wait to meet her!!!!  It sounds like she had a very easy delivery and I'm glad mom and baby are doing well.

Teeny Little Palermo and Mama!!!

After the exciting news Nixon and I headed to the Butler Inn to wish my favorite co-worker Sarah farewell.  Tomorrow is her last day as she heads to Kansas.  Her fiance got a new job and transferred down there and she is finally heading down to be with him.  I wish them well but will miss her dearly!