California Road Trip

Well, I know my last post was in March, so I'm skipping a few months by doing this, but it's catch-up time, ya'll. Seriously.

(And if this doesn't tell you where my time has been spent instead of here on the blog then I don't know what will: Every time I hit the Return button on my keyboard, I'm afraid I'm going to prematurely post. Facebook has brainwashed me!)

Nate and I decided that it was high time we made another trip to California. We put our heads together and decided that the last time we actually spent time in California together was in 2006, for Christmas. I returned in 2008 for a wedding, and he was there recently for work, but it had been six years since we took a vacation there together - and there were still family members who had never met Hazel B. and Miss Piper Sue.

The majority of the pictures in this post are from Nate's phone. They're fun and cute, but they aren't as all-inclusive as I'd like to share with you. For example, we saw Suzi, Lonnie, Karina, Darrin, Jennifer, Abby, and Tucker in Exeter, but I don't have any pictures! This is Suzi's backyard haven, though. And it was indeed a haven. It was anywhere between 103 and 111 degrees outside when we were there.

 This next is of Piper in her carseat. The girls did amazingly well on the drive. The only stopping we did was for food and potty breaks, which we generally combined with stops to fill up the gas tank. The only time they began to lose their cool was when we were still about an hour outside of Exeter and it was 9p.m. The sun was setting, it was getting really dark, and they'd been in the car since 5a.m. Poor things.

When we got to Suzi's, all they wanted was to go to bed. They were such troopers. They even let Nate and I take turns sleeping in the car! Hazel would chat my ear off while I was driving and the other two were sleeping; Piper would sing to herself and play with her ponies. Nate and I were shocked and amazed at how flexible they were the whole way down.

We spent three and a half days with my family in Exeter and then left on Monday to drive to Fresno to see Nate's family. Piper came down with a fever on the drive over. We kept an eye on her and made sure she stayed hydrated and cool, but when Hazel started coughing and my ears started aching we knew something was up.

We cut our time short by about a day and headed home: three sickies and one husband well enough to still drive us over the pass. I took Sudafed (because, praise God, they still sell it OTC in California!) and barely survived the altitude change as we drove through the mountains. It was miserable!

The girls weren't doing too well either; they were both on Tylenol to help with fevers and potential earaches (because if that was my sign of illness, they probably had it too). We were quite the family driving home. Nate did nearly all the driving and I tried to sleep. That seemed to help me ignore my painful ears for the most part.

Around 10p.m., still two and a half hours from home, the girls started alternating waking up and crying. Like, every five minutes one of them would wake up and cry from discomfort. It was so hard! We got home around 12:30a.m. we rolled into the driveway and rushed them into the house. We got them into bed as fast as possible and then unloaded the truck.

I hate unloading the truck.

We fell into bed around 2a.m., and the girls had us up again around 8a.m. Awesomeness. They actually slept in a little!

We had such a good time on the trip, even though we didn't get to stay as long as we might have wanted. I'm glad we left when we did, though. Nate got sick shortly after getting home. If we had all been sick on the drive, we would have taken two days to get home instead of doing it all in one shot.

Let me back up for a second, though.

There was one day while we were staying in Fresno that we decided to to hit up the General Grant. It had been ages since either Nate or I had been to the forest! And what fun!

Although I think our pictures make it look more fun than it was for the girls. I swear, by the time they hit their teenage years, I will have spun this trip to the woods as the greatest, most memorable adventure of their lives! Oh yes!

My dad asked that we take some pictures on the steps of the general store - and I'm so glad we did!

We bought ice cream inside and then sat on the steps to gobble it up before heading back down the mountain. The girls were so funny. They had two different deserts so they took it upon themselves to share their treats. My mommy heart exploded with pride.

They traded treats every couple of bites until it was all eaten up. The pictures say it all.

The last few pictures are out of order, though. The ones of our family and of us in the trees came before the general store. I'm just too lazy right now to move things around.

Heck, you're lucky you're even getting this from me! Count your blessings! Or don't. This post is getting pretty long. Shoot. I'll sign off now and be back sooner rather than later with another post about other great things. Heh.

Thanks for keeping up!

I should totally be doing something else right now.

Ivy Lou turned five just a little while ago. Someone had the genius idea to head to the zoo! We heard reports of some crazy weather, something like, "It will rain four inches before 6p.m. this evening." We laughed and, with all sorts of enthusiasm and denial, loaded into our cars and met up at the zoo. The girls and I rode with Mom in her truck, and Rae Ann had her kiddos in the Element. It was strange to merge onto 26-W and see Rae Ann whipping past from 405-S onto 26-W at exactly the same time as us. I marvel at the small things. Gosh, that was a totally boring story. Anyway. On to pictures.

Piper constantly wanted to hang upside down, and she totally pegged Henta as the one to give her what she wanted.

In the next set of pictures, well, you'll see for yourself. No one really looks their best. But it had stopped raining! The sun was out and it was gorgeous outside, the perfect zoo day. 

Such big girls. I can't believe how old Ivy and Stella are now. It blows my mind. I remember very clearly my first meeting with both of them on their birth-days. Those memories feel like yesterday. But here the girls are, five- and six-years-old.

This is our really awesome family portrait, minus the guys. Yes, Rae Ann is flashing the camera. And I love Piper's little forehead showing in the stroller. No idea why Mom's nose is so cold.

Ivy was super annoyed any time I took a picture that involved her. She'd get ticked. Rae Ann gave her a little talk, and at the next picture opportunity (aka this one), she stuck it out, but this was the look I got. She kills me.

At the rain's end and the sun's beginning, all the animals came out of hiding. They were romping and playing and calling to each other. It was so fun, and a very memorable zoo experience - usually it's weirdly quiet among the animals.

We had a blast! It was such a nice trip, and a wonderful way to celebrate Ivy's birthday. She is such a character...I love that little girl.

Nate's aunt and uncle left town for a little while and asked if we'd like to stay in their house while they were away. I immediately said no, while Nate immediately said yes. All I could think about was all the food prepping, clothes packing, and general upheaval moving my family of four for a week would require.

So I was wrong. Christie (Nate's aunt) explained what her invitation included; I changed my mind and said heck yes. We took a little staycation. It was marvelous!

Miss Hazel B. as we packed. 

  

The girls stayed in a room on the second floor that had it's own bathroom. Good thing, too - the first morning in the house, I discovered that Piper had pooped through her jammies and Hazel had found access to her poop...and so she had played with it. Straight into the tub they went. This is Piper's most winning smile, a smile that says, "Mom, what a long morning so far. Now where's my food..."

Hazel was absolutely delighted to sit at a real table. Any time we'd talk about food, she'd start jumping up and down, shouting, "We can eat TOGETHER!"

I spent all my time in this kitchen. Gorgeous. Perfection. I baked my way through a week of staycation.

My old friend Lindsay visited us one morning - she discovered that Christie is the proud owner of a Vitamix. I had no idea what she was talking about. And then Lindsay pulled out the recipe book. Oh hello. It's what began my baking frenzy.

I baked to my heart's content. Most of the loaves and muffins I froze - easy 4a.m breakfast when I have to work. Easy snacks for Hazel. Speaking of Hazel, she was amazed at the space of the main level. She ran from room to room screaming her heart out every day. We did all sorts of nutsy things that we can't really get away with at home. I baked. Hazel screamed. Constantly. We're pretty easy to please.

We were so grateful to Nate's family, who enabled us to stretch our legs for a few days. It reminded me how much I like to cook, and how easy it is to keep up on dishes when the washer is right there rather than a hike away with 40 pounds of dishes to carry. Our last day at the house, I baked three dinners. I was determined to not do anything except adjust when we returned home.

Hazel really did lose her center during that trip. She forgot all sorts of rules/boundaries. Coming home has been rough. Ten days later and we're still struggling to adjust completely. Our staycation just made me so much more excited to have our own space. I will cry and cry (what's new) when that day finally comes. As for right now, I have no updates on the progress of things. I'm as in the dark as you...I wish that wasn't the case!

Magone...AGAIN!

[Packing. Let's not even discuss the five coolers we took with us.]

It was so hard missing out on Magone last year. Such a bummer. But we made up for it this year! A whole two years to look forward to a trip - the anticipation built and built until I thought I would burst. But burst I did when I realized that Hazel was going to be colder than she ever had been in her life.


It took a couple days but I devised a cold weather battle plan. I decided layers would be the best route.

It's been known to get so cold at night in Magone that it snows. Can you imagine sleeping in a canvas tent with no warmth except your own body heat and a massive pile of blankets? Nate and I have a small 4-man ten that we used for a couple years in Magone. The front flap wouldn't zip so we slept with the mesh closed, but still wide open to the elements. We were incredibly lucky to have Rick and Karen offered us the use of their big canvas tent.


We had room for all of our bags (and man alive did we have an incredible number of bags), Hazel's play pen, and our air mattress, with room to spare. We considered buying a little propane space heater, but decided against it for fear of dying from carbon monoxide or a fire. Nate and I slept with three sleeping bags and several layers of clothing; Hazel slept in her playpen with two blankets and a coat draped over her, and a thick quilt draped over the entire playpen. Each night I would put her in a onesie, leggings, two pairs of socks, long sleeved and footed pjs, a hat, and then stick her (in all of that) inside a fleece bodysuit.


We prayed a lot leading into the trip. I feared having her practically sleeping in the snow. She's 10 months old - she doesn't put off very much heat on her own!

We experienced a weather miracle in Magone. The first night was the coldest, getting down into the 30s, but after that the nightly temperature rose into the 50s and 60s. What a huge blessing! I still bundled Hazel each night for the most part, but she slept so much warmer. And it got so hot during the day that she actually spent a couple days in only her diaper. I don't remember that ever happening before in the 17 years I've been vacationing at Magone Lake.

Nate had the chance to go hunting with Doug and Dad...Oh yeah, the Batons were there this year. When we got in late on Sunday night, we were surprised to see Doug and Linda at Mom and Dad's campsite. All the stars aligned, apparently, and they were able to make the trip at the same time. They've been Magone buddies for many, many years.

So Nate borrowed camo from Doug and walked with Dad one evening and with Doug another night. He had a great time. He didn't carry a bow (no license) but he enjoyed the trails. Hazel wasn't sure what to think of his face paint. By the way, that was really fun to do to Nate, although I think I could have gone darker in some spots...



Another night we all trekked up to Lake Butte. Mom and Dad timed it for sunset, which was such a beautiful sight. I failed to take any fantastic photos of it - nothing on camera could compare with the glow, so I stopped trying. Each picture was a little disappointing. But here are some fun family pics!






We had such a good time. Every year we go, Nate and I make promises that we'll walk the lake at least once a day, and every year we miss the mark by a mile. This year we made it around a couple times. Rae Ann found us and Ergo at her favorite resale shop (in Ashton) so I played around with it at home while packing before the trip, and then Nate got a chance to use it at Magone.



I'd definitely say it wasn't his favorite thing. It works well for me, and Hazel doesn't seem to mind too much, but it fit kind of funny on Nate. (We recently scored a Kelty Kids backpack from my church blog, and he's in love with that carrier.)

The lake was just the same as the first time I ever laid eyes on it, I swear. Beavers still live there, deer still tromp through the campsites to get to the water, crawdads still meander along the river bottom. There's a dock now for small pontoon boats, and I'd say the duck population has skyrocketed, but it's all pretty much the same. I think that's what makes it so wonderful going back every year. It's been the same for me for so long now that I hope it's the same for Hazel as she grows up vacationing there.

Here are a few random shots from around camp. Hazel spent a good chunk of time being passed around between adults, but when that became tiresome, she played in her Kidco Pea Pod, which she loves. I tossed a bunch of toys in there with her and let her have at it. She can't roll far, so she generally just pushes against as many sides as she can reach all at once. The mesh keeps out bugs, so she was protected and I never worried about her while she was in it.







Some things about the trip definitely changed from years previous, because of Hazel. We couldn't all go shooting (nothing to protect her little ears with, not to mention my fear of stray bullets), so Nate took off one afternoon with Mom and Dad to go shooting nearby. Usually we'd pack up for a day trip, drive for hours to find a lone field or canyon to shoot in, have lunch there, and then stay out until evening. Hazel kept me rooted at the campsite though, dependent on regular feedings and nap times.

Speaking of nap time...Hazel shocked Nate and I while on the trip. She slept like a rock the entire time. We'd put her down for a nap and most times she'd usually go right to sleep, not at all phased by our presence in camp as we made noise talking or cooking or doing dishes. At night, same thing. We'd put her to bed and she'd knock right out, and then not wake up at all when Nate and I would unzip the tent to climb in and get ready for bed. We finally stopped trying to be quiet toward the end of the trip. Why tip toe around when you don't have to? It was marvelous!

Nate is a very serious packer. We have our jobs as we get ready for trips: I prep and pack all the food, pull everything we need out of various closets and storage spaces, and I pack Hazel's and my bags. He loads the truck with everything I've gotten ready and packs his own bags. He has a loading system, trust me. He's so organized that he was able to fit an ungodly amount of stuff into his truck bed without needing to use the cab of the truck as overflow. I wish I had gotten a picture of the truck packed, but I didn't. Here's the bungy cord system he used to hold everything down, though.




We look forward to next year's trip already. Hazel will be older and more independent, so it will be even more fun to go on walks around the lake with her. She hit the ten month mark while we were on the trip, so that was exciting.

This was our first trip back after losing Nathaniel in 2007. We had just gotten home from Magone when I went to the midwife's office and we saw him dying. It was sort of odd to be back at Magone - that last trip came to mind often. September 25th was a tough day for me (the day he died in my belly), but we made it through okay. September 25th to October 2nd just sucks in general, so these next few days will be iffy for me.

Magone is just the start of my favorite season! What's ahead, you ask, besides rainy weather and cold feet? Changing leaves! Wind! Apple sauce and dehydrated pears! The pumpkin patch! Harvest festivals! Halloween! Thanksgiving! The birthdays of two special little girls, Stella and Hazel! AND THEN, AND THEN...I can barely contain myself...TREE KILLING! Shoot, I want to go watch "White Christmas" right this second. But no, no I'll be good and wait until after Thanksgiving.

[That's going to take some serious self-control, I'll tell you that right now.]