Arches Nat'l Park

Can you believe that I hadn't taken the girls to Arches in a year and a half? And now that the park is about to be shut down (hello bogus government shutdown), it's a good thing we made it. I had actually already been in town Wed, then went up alone thurs-fri (for photography work)-- but when Liesel woke up Saturday morning to perfect fall weather and asked to go to Moab and play with friends, I had to say, "you know it, girl! Let's get outta here!" 

oK, I'm a dork.

But we did. Leslie was on board and we hauled all of our kiddos out to Arches. I love watching Liesel and Owen interact. She told Brian today that she loves Owen. And she does. And Rylee too. She has officially hit the stage of socialization and she frequently asks to go and play with her friends. I am totally that mom that can have a conversation with another adult for more than 3 mins-- I'll glance over and see L "cooking" in the wood chips with Rylee or pretending rocks are bees with Owen-- and keep right on talking. 

We even did the 1.1m primitive loop at the windows and they walked the whole way. It was insanely crowded, but as soon as we left the "main trail" (we're talking like 50ft off the main trail), there was no one. Leslie and I reminisced about our fall in 2011 when L and O were babes and we hiked all over Moab carrying them. *sigh. 

When I got home, Brian was genuinely confused: "you drove all the way to Arches-- a National park-- to hike 1.1 miles and eat on the slickrock with the kids? Don't you do that, like, every day here?"

Um. I guess I do. But not with friends! :)

'because what?'

my big girl. 

trying to learn to hop// getting frustrated that she can't yet

settling for jumping down the rock and then running away

 I think we have entered the "WHY?" phase. Although, instead of asking 'why?', Liesel loves to ask, "because what?" Since I usually follow up a request with 'because it's getting late and we need to go to bed soon. . . " or whatever, she want's a 'because' on the end of everything. Seriously. From asking her to finish her soup to scaling steep rocks. Challenging all. the. time.

It's exhausting. And amusing. 

On the flip-side, she offers me a constant because. "Mommy, don't talk to me like that because it makes me very very sad." (after saying: 'you need to eat your vegetables before you get a piece of zucchini bread'). "Mommy, thank you for leaving your hair longer because it is very beautiful." 

Verbally, she's like a 4-year-old. And it's probably a good thing since we're severely lacking in company down here. She chats with me all day long. 

Her prayers crack me up. Her memory is astounding. Her personality commanding. She sort of fills up a room- she's bright, talkative and extroverted. But shy when she initially meets someone. This weekend she told our host she couldn't stay there because there weren't any toys. She asked me this evening if she could go on an adventure on the rocks. Just her and I. It was really fun to follow her around and watch her use tiny holds in the rocks to pull herself up with no fear. I had a mini-vision of her and Brian on Teewinot in 5 years. 

She still sings constantly, but only made-up songs. And they are usually sung by screaming very loudly. Here's a translation:

I know I know I know!

Today !

I kick the volleyball! volleyball!

I love her.

Mancos, Colorado: building our table

perhaps my favorite thing about this photo is Liesel's "it's a cupcake day" shirt while she munches carrots.

What is it about a garden that gets my kids eating raw veggies?! I love it!

these kids will rip up your entire garden if left to their own devices. 

the raw lumber. 

I don't know about the rest of you, but in my family all the action happened at the kitchen table. Including, but not limited to:

--my first memory: my dad brings home my baby sister's placenta to show the family. We all gather around the kitchen table. Don't judge, guys. It was memorable. 

--Emily orchestrating the girls in Sunday afternoon cookie making. Emily would sit herself right on top of the table and proceeded to command. ;)

--Toasting in every new year with Martinelli's and ink stained hands after our annual New Years shredded newspaper war. 

--I'm pretty sure I learned long division at that table.

--leaving breakfast requests on the table for my mom. Early morning seminary was so much easier to get up for when there were homemade egg and cheese biscuits waiting. 

and. . .  you get the point. The table is where it was at. 

So, Brian and I wanted our kitchen table to be somethin' special. While I was in NC, he went to a local lumber mill just across the Colorado border and picked up some beautiful pieces of ponderosa pine. This past weekend we headed to Brian's high school buddies' dad's shop (didya follow?) in Mancos, Colorado. With a massive woodshop, all the tools and the kindest dispositions on the planet-- we were set for a weekend of table building. After 28hours man-hours of labor, it's half way there.  Brian will have to make one more trip to finish the job. 

I spent 4 hours at Walmart and 4 hours at the park. 

I love Walmart and I am not ashamed. And I might as well admit that I love McDonald's too. They won my heart after I won those 52 free BigMac's and Egg Mc Muffins. 

10 months

look at that fuzz on her head! It's getting longer. I love to rub my face on it.

boo-yah

Right a home. Seriously. This girl would play on the rocks and in puddles all day. Oh. . . that's right. She does. 

baby buns-- i had to do it

Hannah making sure those are all beef organic patties// waving and dancing to daniel tiger's neighborhood/ climbing over Liesel and incurring the wrath of a 2-year-old (it scares me . . . )

Happy stormy soaking baby// she has consumed way too much mud. 

hannah about to wipe a handful of mud in her hair. Liesel was still asleep so somebody had to do it. 

(she's actually 11 months tomorrow, so I'm a little behind-- but at least the photos at the top were taken on the 10 month mark).

Nah-nah! My little sweet pea. She kills me. I look at her and want to burry my face in her chub and never come up again. She's so cute. Speaking of that chub, her fat suit has been slowly disappearing! She was born with a little grapefruit for a head and now it is slowly thinning out. That can only mean one thing: hannah is growing up. It's true. 

She crawls everywhere and occasionally stands but isn't too interested in walking yet. She can understand simple phrases like, "can I have a kiss?" "can I have a hug?" "no." (she shakes her head). This is usually after she bites me. "yes!" (nods her whole body) Right at 10 months I noticed her playing more maturely- she would put all the rocks she could find in one sand hole. Or she would try and put hats on or shoes by pressing them on her head and feet. She loves to terrorize Liesel. She'll push over towers and destroy carefully placed tea parties. 

When she doesn't like a food she swipes everything on her tray off or she'll pick it up one by one, lean over and watch it drop on the floor. She loves milk. I started weaning her off one feeding (4pm) a day and giving her whole milk right around 10.5 months (after I looked at formula and the first ingredient was milk, then oil, then sugar-- forget that!) She loves to feed herself with her bottle. I love watching her do it! It's adorable. 

She is so good at turning on the tears. If Liesel takes a toy away (which happens 1000x a day) she sounds like she broke her leg. Right now she just woke up and is laughing with Liesel. They genuinely love each other despite the constant toy battles. 

And she needs me so no more time to write about all her milestones and personality traits. Good thing she's 11 months tomorrow. :)

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when it rains, it pours

you can barely see Hannah and I (pink) at lower jump

potholes and muddy laundry are the name of the game down here . . . even at 6:30am

these guys could play here all. day. long. 

so much rain! It has been pretty fascinating. I've been driving the highway a lot lately, wondering how big of a flood I'll have to cross in the Honda. Never anything major, but driving over moving water on the road is always kind of a thrill.

We went out to lower jump this evening with the kids. It was amazing! Way bigger than anything I've ever seen in the area-- 250ft waterfall. While we were driving out there in our 4x4 rig, we crossed a few flooded areas so big, I was sure we were going to get stuck. I'm pretty sure the water was halfway up the doors on both sides. 

And I know I shouldn't, but I can't help it. Letting the kids play in potholes is endless entertainment for them. They BOTH love it. If Hannah is being held over slickrock, she'll squirm, cry and push off your chest until you put her down. I had to put her in my shirt with both our heads out of one hole to keep her from jumping off me at the waterfall. Determined little gal. 

In other news: 

THE BLOG IS GOING PRIVATE in three weeks. Please leave your email in the comments if you would like to be included!!!

the Labor Day blitz

Brian had to work all weekend, so I packed up the kids and decided to drive, by myself, 7 hours to St. George. Kind of crazy. But that 7 hour drive only took from 9:30am to 7:00pm. So. . . yeah. It was long. I have a lot of memories in this part of the country and particularly in Brian's grandma's house where I stayed. It just sold last week, so that will be my last time staying there. It's where I first met my would-be in-laws and fell in love with Brian's family. It was nice to stay there one last time. And especially to see my girls so happy with Brian's family. Allison offered to watch the girls while Lindsey, Jacob (Lin's Boyfriend) and I headed out for an adventure. Yes, please! 

After guilt-tripping convincing Lindsey to come down, I tossed in our canyoneering gear in hopes of securing a permit for a technical slot in Zion. As luck would have it, Keyhole was open. It's short by Zion standards and was perfect for the afternoon flash-flood warning. 

on our way up to the start of the Keyhole

sweet desert vistas. Don't get enough of those where I live!

Jacob and Lindsey wetsuit ready!

Lindsey rappelling and Jacob shivering below

Lindsey and I exiting the canyon.

Zion Canyon overlook 

There were a few classic moments on our Zion outing. 

1) Finding the canyon. Or not finding the canyon, more like it. 

2) My exclamation that I didn't mind being passed by another party since we were just there to enjoy the day at a leisurely pace. To which Jacob exploded in laughter. No, I wasn't trying to be ironic. 

3) My heated exchange with another female canyoneer who insulted my rope length and therefore my expedition leadership skills. I replied: Thanks for the tip-- as icy as possible. 

4) awkward boulder hugs while down-climbing

5) Hiking to the beautiful canyon overlook to eat our lunch. 

6) Butterscotch pudding. I haven't eaten it since high school lunches and I never will again. 

7) Busting out in 2-part harmony with Lindsey

8) Talking about Brian non-stop. Sorry guys. Something about Zion and being with a super-touchy-lovey couple brings it out of me. 

Meanwhile my babies were with Grandma having a great time eating Cheetos, swinging at the park and refusing to take naps. The rest of the weekend passed in excellent conversation, church and great food with Allison and Aunt Chris.   

NAh NAh! 

 Monday morning we packed up and headed to Red Cliffs State Park. If you haven't been here, it's pretty awesome. Lots of water and a seriously short hike. Perfect for kiddos and even better for wearing them out before the long drive home. 

 I love this picture! 

And I love family. 

I believe in family and I was especially reminded of how much I love the people in my life this weekend. Both through their presence and their absence. Families are the most powerful force on earth for good. I feel so grateful to Allison, Lindsey, Brian and Aunt Chris for making this little getaway possible. I loved talking with them and watching their positive influence on my girls. I loved Brian for being so gracious to let me go while he worked overtime for four days. And I loved that both Liesel and Hannah fell asleep for three hours on the drive home. 

Happy Labor Day!