So my parents whisked in this morning after they went to mass, said hello, and then asked Zander, “We’re going to Denver to see your cousin Anderson, want to come?”   
“Oh, yeah, I want to come!” replies Zander.     

So an hour later, they are strapped into carseats in my parents Cherokee, headed to Denver with them.  Zevan, too!  “Bye, mama” he says to me 

We’ll be back before dark, my mom cheerfully tells me.  And off they go!

Doug and I are like, wow, what just happened?!  After, I do a quick and dirty kitchen clean up, we decide to try and do some painting that we need to get done for the comic store.  With my dad’s brand new paint sprayer.  Did I mention that neither of us have used a paint sprayer before?  And its REALLY hot outside.  Recipe for disaster, right?   

We have to paint these slatwall pieces that are going to hang on the walls at the store.  Some will be lavender, some will be dark teal, to match our existing color scheme.  My dad cut them to size for us. 

I have this daydream that he will be paintspraying one color, while I am rolling the other color.  Yeah right.  First I take a trip to Ace to pick up paint trays and drop cloths while Doug assembles the paint sprayer.  I pick up some Frappucinos for us, too.   

The whole time was trial and error.  We would try one thing, make a mess, decide to use the sprayer one more time and then switch to painting with rollers.  In the end, we painted all the pieces we needed to spray with the sprayer.  Well, Doug did the spraying.  I did touch ups and fixes.

And we didn’t fight.  Not once.  Even though Doug hit his head twice on my bike that was hanging up before we took it down.     I think that’s pretty cool. 

Now Doug’s at the store, and I treated myself to a nice late Yakitori/Tatsuta lunch while watching Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D List.  Time for a long shower in quiet peace. 

We’re going out to dinner tonight with a friend of mine who I haven’t seen in 15 years from my active duty Air Force days in Grand Forks, ND.  He and his family is in town on vacation.  He’s a police officer now, which is kind of ironic (long story).   

Oh, and we used to date.    

Things are looking up, knock on wood. I’ve got Zander on a SHORT leash right now, discipline-wise, and it’s working for now. I think we both needed rest and the comfort of home.

24 hours without a tantrum. I’m taking one day at a time.

On June 22 we took the midnight red eye from Denver to Philadelphia. Our flight arrived in Denver at 5:30 AM on Friday June 23, and MY BROTHER OVERSLEPT and did not pick us up. Many calls and nearly 2 hours later, my aunt and uncle came to pick us up. Meanwhile the boys entertained themselves with the luggage cart and rolling backpack races.

Doug, Zevan and I slept for many hours after we got to my brother’s house. Zander stayed awake and played with his cousin Ash.

Then we got dressed for the wedding, which was at 6:30 PM. The hottest, most humid day and the wedding ceremony and cocktail hour was OUTSIDE.

The wedding was beautiful, touching and thankfully brief. The boys had a good time. It wasn’t as fun for me since I was on mommy duty the whole time. They started melting down, so we headed home earlier that I would have liked. But I did get to dance with my husband, which I wish we did more of…

Saturday we left for Cape May. We did a quick beach visit and after we got back, it started pouring rain. ALL NIGHT. The cousins took their first bath together, so cute! Lester and Jay came down to visit. We had a crabfest for dinner!

Sunday morning we went to breakfast at Uncle Bill’s Pancake House. Later our friends Hal, Lea and their son Halea came down. In the rain. We walked over to the beach and the sun started to shine through (courtesy of Hal, the Golden boy). And then we saw dolphins. Just 30 yards away from the shore. Baby dolphins and adult dolphins, jumping and swimming and surfing the waves. It was amazing.

We went back to the room, had some lunch then went to the pool for a while. The kids had a great time. Fran had to leave because he has to work on Monday.

Monday, more of the same. We did a morning excursion to the Cape May Lighthouse and climbed all the way to the top. Then there was a little museum/nature building with local reptiles. That was a big hit with the boys. Snakes, frogs, turtles…

Zander loves the beach. He makes Monster Island in the sand. He goes in the water a lot. Zevan prefers to stay in the “sandbox.” The water is “too cold” for him and he wants nothing to do with it. We make a circular 4 tunnel sand creation for the jeeps to drive through. And for Godzilla and the boys to destroy. Monday night we go out for a nice Italian dinner with Kimmie and Ash.

Tuesday, more beach time before Doug had to leave for the airport.

Then more beach and pool time. And more together bath time for the cousins…pretty much every night to wash off sand, surf, chlorine.

Wednesday morning, my dad came in. Another breakfast at Uncle Bill’s Pancake House. My only trip to the beach with the boys by myself. Tantrums from Zander. And Zevan is difficult. I decide no more trips to the beach for us. Kimmie and I decide to leave Thursday night instead of staying until Friday. After lunch and nap, pool time. Pool time is good. Close to the room, easier to manage.

Thursday morning my dad makes the teens get up early and makes breakfast for everyone. Morning pool time with the boys. Zander swims with a ring float for the first time and does awesome! Back in for lunch, then more pool time.

Then we start packing up. Zander has a massive tantrum ALL THE WAY HOME from the shore. He screams and cries for an hour. I try to reason, then threaten and then completely lose it with him. I fantasize about leaving him on the side of the road — I am so fed up with him. When we arrive at my aunt’s for dinner, somehow my dad talks him down. He is fine after that.

The ZBoys see lightning bugs for the first time. Then we go back to Fran’s house for the night.

Friday morning, my dad picks us up. Breakfast at the Marlton McDonalds, then we head over to the Adventure Aquarium in Camden. I take Zander to the Sponge Bob 4D Ride. Not a good idea. Much too intense for a 3 year old. I’m thinking it’s better suited for a 6-7 year old. He is a trooper, and stays through the whole thing.

The rest of the aquarium is great. Zander loves artwork on the wall in the Jules Verne Gallery of vintage imagined sea creatures. Zevan just loves all sea creatures.

Friday night we hang out at Fran’s. Zander has ANOTHER tantrum before he goes to bed. UGH.

Saturday is Ash’s 1st birthday party. Again outside in the hot humidity. But there is some shade AND a kiddie pool.

5:30 AM on Sunday morning, we head to the Philadelphia Airport. Zander has ANOTHER tantrum starting in the ticketing line all the way through security, and boarding the plane. See The Return of the Zander Tantrums for the gory details.

That’s our summer vacation in a large, long-winded nutshell…

  I am beyond frustrated.  After Doug left NJ, Zander had about 5 tantrums the last three days we were in NJ.  The major doozy was where he SCREAMED and CRIED for an hour in the van with my dad driving on the way home from the beach.  I totally lost it with him.  If I was driving, I would have stopped at a gas station and waited outside of the van with Zevan until he quit crying. 

And the one in the airport that started in the ticketing line, through the security checkpoint and into the cabin. 

He was having a crying fit as we headed down the jetway.  He wanted to stay in the stroller even though I told him we could not take it on the plane.  I left him on the jetway and said he could join me when he was ready and boarded the plane with Zevan happily riding in the ergo.  Zander pushed his way through the line, crying the whole time to catch up with me.  And pitching his gd fit as we worked our way back to our row.  I was telling him that he needed to calm down or else the plane would not be able to take off.  A nearby steward overheard me, and firmly (but nicely) told Zander, “That’s right.  We are going to need you to calm down, or the plane won’t be able to take off.”  That quieted Zander down for a minute.  I mouthed “Thank you” to the steward.  He did start crying again, and as I approached our row, I loudly called out loud to the nearby passengers, “I apologize to everyone in advance for my son.  He’s 3 years old.”  I got a few empathetic chuckles and nods, which made me feel better.  I also apologized in advance to the poor guy who was sitting in the window seat in our row.  He was very gracious.   

Zander was actually good the duration of the flight.  I paid $5 so he could watch Nickelodeon and Boomerang for the duration of the flight.  He even went potty twice.  Zevan slept nearly the entire flight, on my lap.  Definitely time for him to have his own seat.  Zander got a lot of compliments on his behavior from the other passengers after we landed.

We made it all the way to baggage claim where we met up with Doug.  Then, as we were leaving the airport, he had another fit.    

I was seriously going to take a cab home from Denver if he was going to scream all the way home again. 

Then he had another one tonight during his bath, which he usually loves.  We took his Thinking Chair and his toy shelf out of his room, and he still screamed and cried and was unbelievably rude. Oh. my. God. This. Is. Not. My. Child.

And after an hour of tantrum, when it ends nearly as suddenly as it started, he’s all like, “sorry for the tantrum, mom.”  and wants me to be all happy that he’s done.     He acts all sweet and nice and wants me to change my attitude just as suddenly.   

I am SO over this.  I am so F***KING tired of him treating me like crap.  He is only 3 1/2 and he is so disrespectful that I can totally empathize with Homer choking Bart “Why you little…”   

Calgon, take me away!    FAR FAR AWAY