A Weekend To Remember

On June 25th at 2:30am we departed our home to travel up North for the dedication of the Thomas S. Monson camp.  Nathan was asked to be a member of the security team protecting the prophet during the dedication ceremony.  Originally we had planned to have Ethan's first birthday party on the 25th but we couldn't pass on the opportunity to serve and see the prophet so we postponed his party (good thing too because it poured rain that day). Anyhow our trip was lets say interesting to say the least.  Of course worth it to see the prophet up close (I actually got to shake his hand) but we were two very sleep deprived parents.

So like I said we departed the house really early Sat morning...Nathan had to meet with the other security team members at 9am at the camp to secure the grounds. The prophet was scheduled to arrive around 11:30am. So we left home in good time as it was our first time making the trip up North to the camp.  Nathan worked to 11:30pm the night prior so when our alarm went off at 2am he was already running on 2 hours of sleep.  Of course because I did all the packing for our trip I was up late and got about the same amount of sleep as Nathan. On top of that because we were all anxious about the lack of sleep we would be getting our two hours of "bliss" ended up being very restless.

After packing the truck we gently moved Ethan to his car seat...He woke up for about an hour but soon fell back asleep soundly in the car. The traffic was great driving up so we got to the camp by about 8am.  Luckily the directions I printed off of map quest got us there safe and sound.  We even had time to stop for some breakfast at Micky Dee's...That's right...Egg mcmuffins all around...Ethan loved his!  Really it wasn't that bad...I got mine without the ham and I quite enjoyed it.

Once we got to the camp we got to park in the VIP parking lot which allowed us to be a little closer to the site location of the dedication ceremony.  It was lightly spitting when we arrived so I got the stroller out and tucked Ethan in snugly.  It was a good thing I brought a sweater because it was a little cooler then I thought it would be and the dampness in the air gave me a bit of a chill...On top of that the mosquitoes were brutal.  So off I went to get a spot up close to the stage for the ceremony.  I was only four hours early so I was able to get a pretty good spot at the front. I couldn't believe how many seats were already set up and saved...I was lucky to even get a good spot (most of the people who camped over night secured a spot the night before).
And then it started pouring...and pouring....and pouring!  Yes I did remember an umbrella but it got a little tricky once Ethan started to get restless in the stroller.  I forgot to bring a chair so there I was...Four hours early, sleep deprived and prego, standing holding a spot while trying to hold an umbrella, with a one year old who couldn't understand why I wouldn't pick him up.  Luckily Nathan found me a chair which I was very excited about. After the first hour Ethan fell asleep which was a bit of a relief.


  When he woke up we still had about another couple hours to wait.  The rain came and went so I tried as best as I could to keep Ethan entertained but because the ground was so wet I couldn't put him down which he wanted so it was quite brutal. As more and more people showed up my mind started to get distracted which helped to pass time. And as noon approach I was very excited to see the prophet in person that all the waiting ended up being worth it.  My sister even showed up right before noon which was awesome and very helpful...She didn't bring a chair either so we shared the one I had (very cozy). I think Ethan was happy to have a new face holding him which was nice for him and I must admit it was nice for my back.

It poured off and on during the ceremony and at one point we all stood while the prophet made his entrance (which was so exciting)...However the rain from our umbrella dumped all over our seat so when we sat down we sat in a puddle...But I didn't care because it was so awesome to see our prophet...The spirit was so strong and I enjoyed every minute.  After the dedication Shayna, Ethan and I went up to shake the prophets hand which was really cool.

Tori, Emma and Victoria singing so beautifully

Our prophet Thomas S. Monson

My poor husband (who was running on less then 2 hours of sleep) never got a chance to sit down since we arrived that morning so when it was time to leave he was so bagged.  We decided to get a hotel in Peterbourgh about a half and hour from the camp...The trick was getting there in one piece...I actually ended up driving some of the way because Nate couldn't keep his eyes open...It was so crazy!  We found a Best Western Plus and decided that would be home for the night. We got our room key and loaded up our stuff plus Ethan in one trip because we didn't have the strength to do two trips (haha).

Once we got to our hotel room we were exhausted and hungry...Ethan was wide awake and ready to play...We decided to order pizza and then try to take a nap.  We ate pizza and set up the play pen for Ethan to nap in...

Yes we were hungry



Ethan playing in the hotel room before bath time





Ethan wanted nothing to do with sleeping so I gave him a bath in hopes that it might make him sleepy...Look how tired he started to look (haha)!


Then I tried nursing and cuddling him in bed...My goal to induce tiredness failed...He was still raring to go...So I did my best to baby proof our room and just let Ethan have full range of the floor.  Nate and I crashed on the bed but once Ethan saw us not paying attention to him he started fussing. We actually let him fuss for a bit until we started to feel guilty and then Nate said "Lets take him to the pool to tire him out"....Somehow we found a second wind and went down to the pool...

Ethan loved the elevator...In swim diaper and ready to go!



Nathan looks pretty awake in this picture for how he actually felt that day!

Around 8pm we attempted to put Ethan down for bed in the playpen...It was our first time staying over night in a hotel since he was two months old and it did not go according to plan.  I didn't foresee how difficult it would be to get Ethan to sleep in the play pen when he could see us next to him...Of course he could not understand why we would put him in this jail and just cried and fussed (very loudly I might add) for us to pick him up.  We tried putting the playpen around the corner near the bathroom to get us out of his sight but my smart little man figured us out and never let up on the crying (it actually got worse)...
So...out he came and out we went for a drive for some ice cream and diet Pepsi as it was quite clear to us that sleep was not happening anytime soon. I am happy to report that we were in good humor at this point and tried to laugh our delirious minds into sanity. I don't think we had the energy to get frusterated.  From that moment on we were both very attentive to any sign of sleepiness from our little man...I must say I have never been so excited to see him start to rub his eyes and yawn.

Finally shortly after our drive we got him to sleep in his playpen...Within seconds Nate and I hit the pillow and that is the last thing I remember until Ethan woke us up at 3am crying (which is not normal for him)...I fed him then tried to lay him back into his playpen but he started to wail...My heart skipped a beat and I dreaded what I figured I was in store for...I couldn't even let him cry for a few minutes because we had someone in the next room to us and it was 3 am...So I tried to get him to sleep in my bed...and for some reason he was wide awake...I ended up giving up and going down to the lobby to tire him out...We kicked around a beach ball and spoke to the nice man at the front desk for an hour and a half.  Then Ethan started showing signs of fatigue...Back up to the room we went and thank my lucky stars he went back to sleep!  My humor was not present at 4:30am and I remember saying to Nate that "this is the last time I travel with Ethan"...It was obvious that my utter tiredness was getting the best of me by this point.

The next morning we woke up around 9am and went down for the continental breakfast. Then we packed up and went to the Toronto Zoo for the day.  Yes we both were still exhausted but it was a beautiful, sunny day and it was fun to show Ethan the animals at the zoo.

At the Toronto Zoo