Not at the same time

So I started thinking of a theory, when we were in Kentucky, that the boys cannot be happy at the same time. Now I’ve touched in this topic before, and my friend Sharon has as well, but never did it come to the forefront as on this recent trip. I think I’ll call it the Kentucky Theory.

So here are a few examples…


The trip to the creek

1. Walking down the street to the trail… both boys are reasonably happy (okay, okay, so my theory isn’t really holding up yet, bear with me!)

2. Getting ready to go down the trail… Jameson is screaming in frustration because I’m putting him into the Baby Ergo backpack. Alex is content.

3. The walk down the steep trail… Jameson got over his tantrum and chats on the trail… Alex continually comments on the steepness of the trail, asks me to wait up when I went ahead with Jameson, wishes he put on his new hiking boots (why, oh why, didn’t I think of that, after we made a special stop at Cabellas to buy them?), wonders aloud why we can’t be doing something else, and otherwise starts to whine.
4. The creek, and the rock throwing… Jameson is thrilled and it takes one or two adults at all times to keep him out of the water and safe on the rocks. He gets covered in dirt, of course, but I’m used to that. Alex comments that he thought the creek would be bigger, that the rocks are two small, and that he wishes we had gone somewhere else. Oh, and the snack of raisins in my bag is not nearly good enough.
5. The walk back up. Jameson REALLY objects to the Baby Ergo and screams the entire walk up. Alex is content, since we are leaving.

The Kayak trip

1. Prep for the trip… Jameson is excited (KAA… YAK). Alex whines that he’d rather watch TV. Or go swimming.

2. Car ride to the marina (5 minute ride)… Jameson fusses because I won’t play Joe Reilly’s Michigan Song for the 75th time in the car. Alex is content, because he’s looking forward to the Power Bars that I packed.

3. The start of the kayaking (Mike and Jurate help us get loaded in… and off we go! Jameson and I are in the front, Alex and Stefan in the back)… Jameson is VERY DISTRESSED over being in the kayak. Alex is thrilled, because he is in charge of the snack bag and starts to dive into it. We don’t hear from him for a few minutes.

4. During the trip… Jameson settles down a little, but freaks out when he sees small waves coming from the power boats (“NO MAMA NO” as if I have the power to stop it). Alex eats bout 15 Peanut-butter Chocolate Power Bars and talks nonstop about everything he sees.

5. A stop on the shore to throw rocks. EVERYONE IS HAPPY.

6. Back into the kayak. Jameson is crying. (I feel like crying) Alex is content, as he’s back with his snack bag.

7. Trying to make it back to the marina (our steering goes mad… maybe it is the current… we zigzag out of control and everyone ends up splashed and frustrated). Jameson cries. (I feel like screaming) Alex is alright, but slightly on edge given his parents’ frustration.

8. End of the trip. We’re all pretty relieved.

(addendum… a few hours later, Jameson sees the kayak on Mike and Jurate’s car, says “KAA YAK” and requests “MORE MORE”… guess he forgot how miserable he was)

So there you have it… the Kentucky Theory. I’ll do some more advanced studies to see if it holds true. In the meantime, I’m going to plan every family trip around throwing rocks into a large body of water.