Goodbye, Pinky

We bought "the Pink Panther" 5 years ago, when our first baby was 5 months old. We were visiting Portland, Oregon for a wedding, when we found her on craigslist!
We knew we would need a bigger vehicle someday for our growing family, and had thought about buying a VW bus in the future. However, when we laid eyes on this beautiful pink machine, we had to buy it, now!
We gave away the Nissan maxima we drove to OR (it wasn't worth selling), and cruised all the way back to Idaho in our brand, new, Pink Panther bus!

It was perfect! It was in excellent working condition, a 1974, with cow seat covers, a roof rack, seven seat belts, and very fun to drive, I might add. If you've never driven an old VW, you're in for a treat when you do! I imagined us keeping this car forever; parading the kids around to and from soccer games, driving our family to all our activities, teaching the boys their first driving lessons, all from the cow-seats of pinky the bus!

So, it was with great sadness that we had to sell her. We had to! We just couldn't afford to ship her to Hawaii, or maintain her when we got there. Goodbye Pinky! We will miss you! Maybe we will find another VW bus to own one day, and we will paint it pink, in your honor.

our little world

I'm finding as my kids get older, that I don't feel a need to make as many play-dates with friends, as when they were toddlers. We love hanging out with friends, and I'm a very social person, but what I've found is that I really enjoy talking with these little people, alone! We have all these fun places we like to go, and little traditions we've started, and games that only we like to play. We often build up a little world around ourselves, that others just wouldn't appreciate as much, or go along with!

Today was a beautiful day at the farm! I eagerly listened to the boys, as they told me all about the wonderful things they were seeing and hearing. Both Odin and Zadok are so detailed and descriptive about the observations they make! And so excited, too!

"Look, that box-elder beetle is making his home in a groove in that tree!"
"Look, Mom, the bees are pollinating that pansy!"
"And look! Those ducks are being territorial and chasing the geese away!"
"I can hear a pidgeon calling. Maybe it's a mating call!"

We walked as slow as we wanted, waited for each other while someone saw something they liked, and listened to each others' stories. We stopped to see some ants carrying twigs, then we observed a mama goose sitting on her nest, then we wandered over to the big tree to climb and relax.
It's nice to have a little family. It's nice to leave all the distractions behind and enjoy them, even if that means friends. I think each family has a little world of their own, with special things they love to do, at a pace they like to do it.

I love spending time with these boys, and I really like our little world.





I took these pictures back in March, hence the snowcoats. I can't remember if I've shared them. Sorry if these are repeats=mama brain.
And here's a little disclaimer about my post, which I thought of afterward-- some may be thinking, "oh great, this is just the beginning of un-socialized homeschooling!" Ha ha! But really, we are a very social family; with friends, and our church, and our neighbors. All I mean by this post is that it's nice to step away from all that and enjoy just us.

busy

If you're ever wondering what I'm doing that keeps me so busy from updating my blog, the answer is simple: BABY JONAH. He fills our lives...completely! Love this boy, and all his busy-baby-ness!

The lately's and other happenings

Well, our entire apartment is in boxes. Sometimes this project of moving 3000 miles away overseas, feels like something I am not equipped to do! There's days I feel like I really lack the patience and skills to manage my own home, amidst the chaos of packing and keeping kids happy!! It's been tough for me to organize and prioritize my belongings, stay patient with my children, and then on top of that, take care of my needs. Moving to Hawaii is not an easy task, and sometimes I find myself asking, "Am I sure I am grown up enough for this job? This seems like something that someone else should be doing; someone more mature, more capable, and more organized." But alas, it is me. And Micah, of course. He's been taking care of so many little details, too!
I will be so relieved when we get off that airplane onto Hawaiian soil!


And my needs do get taken care of, in so many little ways. I've been having intense headaches and back pain every evening, on and off for several weeks, and had to stop jogging because my left hip was out of place. When I took baby Jonah into the chiropractor about his ears, the thought occurred to me, as we were leaving, that I should have an adjustment. It was the last thing on my busy mind, but the thought prevailed. I quickly asked the chiropractor if he wouldn't mind adjusting me while my kids wreaked havoc on his office. He obliged and cracked me and put my bones back together, in places I didn't know possible. I left his office walking on clouds, and have been feeling amazing ever since. No more headaches, and I can run again. Thank you, skeleton doctor. Why is it that we Moms, sometimes take care of ourselves, last?
And I can wear my baby comfortably again, too.

I organized a reunion with some great friends from the Anasazi Foundation days. These are some of my favorite people on earth. I could've sat there all day laughing about all our old trail stories. Working at Anasazi was one of the greatest experiences of my whole life.
Trailwalkers unite:




Zadok and Odin are still so excited all the time to learn about animals. We go to the library and check out books every week about their favorites. One day a few weeks ago Zadok got really excited about bats, and wanted to BE one. He begged me to make him bat wings, so this is what I came up with: a tarp, with elastic sewn onto it.
They were the two, cutest bats I've ever seen!



We said goodbye to Pinky the bus. I was very reluctant to sell it, as we've had some fun family memories driving it around the past 5 years. But, once it was sold, I was totally fine. Moving on from material things is part of the moving process, I think.


Lastly (for now), I love this man with all my heart. He does amazing things, as a father, husband, and provider for this family. He has many doubts about his abilities, as well, but somehow is able to provide strength to all of us because of who he is. As I was reading the "Family, a Proclamation to the World," again, I realized how really, really grateful I am for a man that lives his life to serve his family.

"By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families."

morning routine

We needed some structure to our morning really badly, so I've come up with a plan that seems to be working!

You think kids have short attention spans? I used to be the worst one! I have huge tendencies to wake up in the morning and try to do fifty different things at once! Then I get distracted, go back, get distracted again, lose something, start a new project, walk back and forth, find what I was looking for, answer 100 questions from the kids, start breakfast, get distracted, start a cartoon,look for something else, go back, burn the pancakes, start a new project....get the idea? It can be so EXASPERATING to be me.
But, I am so, so much better than I ever was, and I attribute my organizational skills to having 3 children and a husband who demand and need structure from me. When we feel better organized, we all feel happier.

So, look at me now:

I have a special place to keep my cell phone at all times.
I don't start any new projects if I can't foresee them getting finished.
I force myself to follow a morning routine of order, before I allow any other distractions in my life like the Internet, or making phone calls, or new projects.
I don't answer the phone unless I know who's calling and why.
I force myself to let go of things I just can't do or get done.
I force myself to stay focused on the moment instead of getting carried away.
I carefully lead my children through a morning routine, that helps us all stay focused, stay organized, and start the day feeling awesome!

Sometimes it is REALLY hard to stay focused. Structure and organization doesn't come naturally to me. It is one of those skills that I've had to develop out of pure necessity. Everyday is not perfect, but I've seen the wonderful difference it makes in my family when I do.

So, we start by getting all our "important things" done first!

First we eat breakfast. I love sitting at the table with the kids in the morning. I leave the computer and TV off. I focus on them. We pray together. They ask me questions. We talk about our dreams from last night. They tell me jokes that don't make any sense. It's awesome.

Then we do the following things, in whatever order we choose:
brush teeth
brush hair
do our chores
get dressed for the day
Morning hugs and kisses for Mama (that's me!)
morning prayers

After we finish everything we meet on the living room rug to review. I get out my playful, authoritative Mama voice and shout out, "Raise your hand if you brushed your teeth!"
The boys giggle and fall to the floor, hands raised high in the air.
Then,"Raise your hand if you said your morning prayers!"
And again, they giggle and roll all over, hands raised high.
I do this for all of our important things, until all hands are raised. If a hand isn't raised, the boys hurry and go get it done. It is a fun game for them, I think.

I debated for a long time on how to approach chores in our home. I think it is important for children to learn how to do work around the family house and take personal responsibility for themselves, but I didn't want it to be something they resented or hated.
So, I made these simple, nothing-fancy-charts, that I nonchalantly hung on the wall for them.
Micah and I chose 6 things that they could do easily around the house, like spray the windows, fold laundry, vacuum with the hose, wipe a dirty wall, pick up toys, and take out trash. I drew some little pictures on construction paper, and I give them a sticker when they complete it, just to mark it off.
There is no offer of rewards, and no punishment for not doing it. It has just become part of our morning routine. They are both really proud of their chore charts and look at them often!
So this has been our morning routine, for the past while.
It works for us and we are happy this way! Most importnatly for me, I start my day off feeling like we already accomplished something good, and it's only 8 o'clock.

Camping at Arches, 2011

I don't think you've really experienced Utah until you've been to her vast and diverse wilderness. I am blown away every time we take a drive out beyond the valleys and cities of which we live in, and reach places that exceed our expectations of what a desert should be like. The Utah desert isn't the harsh image of cactus and sage brush, like it's often portrayed to outsiders; it's a place brimming with wildlife, filled with amazing red rock, and sandstone structures, lush desert greenery, great, big, volcanic mountains, and waterfalls where you'd least expect them. I really love it here, and am so excited for the times we get to travel and explore this amazing state. And that's just the desert! The mountains, lakes, and forests to the North have so much more to offer, as well.

In the past seven years Micah and I have been to Zions National Park, Capitol Reef NP, Goblin Valley, Kodachrome Basin, Canyonlands, Coyote Gulch, Bryce Canyon, countless back-country areas, and now Arches National Park, where our family camped (again) this past Spring break.
To be honest, I didn't want to leave Arches! I think I could live out there amongst the lizards and slick-rock, and be happy as a...clam? Well, maybe a fossilized one.

Here's a little peak into our adventure:

We scored the perfect campsight (#20) at Devil's Garden campgrounds. It was more isolated than the others, and dropped down into a large area with lots of climbing rocks, which the kids loved.


As I was walking back from the bathrooms I spied this sweet, sight of my little family at our campground. It made my heart all melty.

The boys established themselves as resident lizards as soon as we arrived, scrambling over rocks and building nests in the sand. No, seriously, they were real lizards, for reals.



Last time we were here, in 2009, Zadok found these certain rocks to climb on at the Devil's garden picnic area, where he was pretending to be a giant Lizard from Star wars. (episode II, the one where Obi-wan fights General Grievous) We had to come back here and play some more, as Ob-wan's lizards, of course:


Micah and I made a point to do a couple big (3-5 mile) hikes each while out here. We took turns doing mini-hikes with the kids while each of us took off and hiked alone to the destination of our choice. This is one of my favorite things to do because it gives us parents a chance to really exert ourselves, challenge our hiking abilities, refresh our minds, and think freely.

The first day I literally sprinted up to the Delicate Arch. As I was feeling the wind in my hair, and the earth at my feet, I nearly cried. It feels really good to be all alone, hiking with my Mother Earth. (and the lady from S. Dakota who took this picture.)

One of my favorite dinners, which has become tradition for us; the infamous tinfoil dinner. Chopped potatoes, carrots, onion, garlic, turkey meat and cream of mushroom soup. Cook it over hot coals for 30 mins and it tastes like heaven. (well, only while camping, for some reason)

And of course after dinner comes everyone's favorite part; CAMPFIRE and S'MORES!!!!

Baby didn't have any s'mores, but he got real used to getting smoke in his eyes.

Another thing I love about camping is sleeping in a tent. The boys wake up so happy and excited to greet the world. Here's some morning giggles in our big, blue tent:



To sum it all up, we just had a really, really cool camping vacation! I kept thinking the whole time we were out there that, families need vacations together! If you can spare even a couple days, getting away from the house and experiencing new climates,environments, and situations, creates lasting memories! Also, we are being offered new challenges that bring us closer together as a family, and building memories that we can look back on and cherish....

Like when little Odin fell into a patch of cactus, and I had to pull barbed spines out of his bum. Or when Zadok was too scared to use the public bathroom, so he held it in for 3 days before he finally went into a hole in the ground. Or when we had an Easter egg hunt at our campsight, and Micah hid eggs in the pokey Yucca.

Or when Jonah found a tool and started digging in the sand for the first time. Or when it rained heavily one morning so we sat in the tent and listened to Micah read us a story. Or when we hiked as a family through the sandy canyons, marveling at how beautiful it all was. Or when Micah and I got to put the kids to sleep early one night, and cuddle in the tent together.

We packed up and left on Easter morning. It was pouring rain by the time we got out of there. I could hear Odin saying as we drove away, "Goodbye balancing rock, I will miss you."



Camping with baby:
Several people have asked me to share tips on camping with an infant.
We've taken all of our babies camping with us, and it's never been as hard as it sounds. I suggest camping in the warmer months, though, because there's nothing worse than having a cold baby! Bbbbbrrrrrrrrrr.
However, even if it's a little chilly out, it's doable. Just bring warm layers of clothing and a heavy jacket to make sure baby is warm at all times.

During the day our baby played on the ground and picked up sticks and rocks. He's at an age (8/9months) where every object he finds goes straight into his mouth, so we had to watch him carefully. If that's something you're worried about, then bring a playpen or chair for him to sit in. I found, though, that after putting rocks in his mouth several times, he finally realized they weren't that tasty and started spitting them out. He mostly hung out on the ground, and really liked digging in the sand with sticks he found.



When we went hiking (or for around camp), I carried him in the mei-tai. I actually prefer the Mei-tai to the hiking backpack because I can nurse and hike at the same time. It's also snugglier, warmer on cold mornings, and really better for smaller babies. I prefer using the hiker for toddler-sized kids, although I used it once this trip to walk to the bathrooms. :)
The Mei-Tai, a more comfortable fit:


At night, when it was time to snuggle up in the tent, I shared a sleeping bag with baby. I zipped the sleeping bag open at the top, so we could both fit, and then covered us up with warm blankets, including my down-comforter. We were toasty warm all night long!
Since I breastfeed, it's just like at home; I hear a little peeping sound coming from next to me, roll over, and feed the open mouth. Easy peasy.
If you bottle-feed, perhaps having a warmed bottle ready next to you would be helpful, so you don't have to get up into the cold.

Lastly, babies take a lot of dedication in general, and demand so much of our loving attention. I found it most helpful that Micah and I have an understanding, in which cooking dinner, washing dishes, making fires, collecting fire-wood, putting up tent, and doing other needed camping chores aren't always expected of me. Taking care of our Jonah baby always came first, and that job was delegated to me this time,(the one with the boobs.)

Last of all, most babies LOVE being outside, so going camping with babies gives us a chance to see a happy, contented baby for several days in a row!