Road Trip!

Last week we drove south to see Joshua Tree National Park and the Grand Canyon. The kids did so well in the car on the long drive the first day. It helped that we moved Ross's carseat to forward facing just before leaving - he was so excited for the new view! They listened to music (we all have the Frozen soundtrack on repeat in our head now), told stories, sang to each other, looked at books, coloured, and of course snacked. We stayed at a less-than-ideal motel the first night, in Victorville, about 1.5hr outside Joshua Tree. The next day we headed into the park and set up camp for two nights.

The rocks pictured above were right by our site, and Madeleine asked to climb them with Daddy many times, citing how special it was that he didn't have to go to work.

Both kids loved scrambling over the boulders, and we had a lot of fun exploring Hidden Valley one afternoon.

Ross was full of energy that day and just climbed and ran non-stop, all while Madeleine was yelling at him to "watch out for the prickles!"

We spotted lots of lizards and a few jackrabbits and birds.

Ross giving a Joshua Tree a big hug.

This was our campsite - we were there Sunday and Monday nights, and it was still fairly busy, but we were happy with our spot. Both kids loved playing in the sand. They spent hours shifting mounds of sand or rocks, building roads, castles, and occasionally fighting over the much-desired pink shovel.

Doing some poses with Mommy at Key View lookout.

Madeleine and Mommy exploring the rocks next to our campsite.

The day we left, we drove through some very flat desert with very little infrastructure except freight trains and worn out, abandoned buildings. We spent the night in Williams, Arizona and the kids were thrilled to see snow still on the ground right behind the hotel. The snow, plus the indoor pool and hot breakfast made that stop fun for us all.

We got to the Grand Canyon the next morning and set up camp again for two nights at the campground in the park. It was noticeably emptier and quiet and very nice to be at such a big tourist destination off-season. The views were spectacular but the kids could not have cared less, and were more interested in the mules and the train that we saw in the village.

Here they are pretending to be cheetahs on the Rim Trail.

Again, they loved playing in the dirt and using their shovels, pails, and little diggers. They spent hours doing that quite happily, and their little headlamps meant Ross could do some night construction too!

After leaving the Grand Canyon, we drove south to Flagstaff for one night. We went to visit Lowell Observatory, which Steve has always wanted to see. We got to tour the large 24 inch refractor, and then returned that night for a viewing of Jupiter.

The next morning we got on the road for a long drive home, and were amazed again at how well the kids did. We made a couple of longer stops for them to stretch, eat ice cream, and race around on their balance bikes. They fell asleep after dark and a few hours later we got home and put them in bed! They were SO excited to be headed home, and talked in the car about all the things they wanted to do with Daddy on Sunday (top of the list: play John Deeres, horses, and Daddy-monster). When we asked Madeleine what the best part of the trip was for her, she said roasting marshmallows. Ross also said marshmallows, although he did not like them roasted.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Ross!

Our sweet Ross turned three this month! He was, of course, very excited for his birthday and worked hard on learning how to hold his three fingers up to tell you how old he was going to be. 

He was happy to have Grammie Jean and Grandpa Mark here for his birthday.

He loved opening his presents from Steve's family on Skype.

We all went to the Golden Gate Fields, a racetrack nearby that is right next to the highway we drive on several times a week. The kids always see the horses and the track and ask when we're going to go... so I figured this was as good a time as any!

We didn't even try to explain the gambling side of it all to them, they just loved watching all the horses and jockeys, and of course the two big John Deere tractors that smoothed the track and pulled the starting gate.

All the adults were ready to leave after a few races, but the kids were having so much fun, we ended up staying for seven of the nine races that afternoon.

Ross and Madeleine get along so well, apart from the usual sibling spats over toys. At least once a day they get angry with each other and declare "I won't be your friend anymore." Which, of course, lasts all of a few minutes and then they're playing, giggling, crafting, reading, or wrestling. Lately their playtime has involves horses, tractors, and firetrucks - a combination that usually makes them both happy. Ross still loves books and listening to stories. He is very focused and loves to help, whether it's in the kitchen, garage, or yard. We have noticed how he often tries to negotiate with us - if we ask him to do something, he comes back with some revised version of it. He is also, like Madeleine, very much a rule-follower. At his gymnastics class right now, he is always cautious, and ensures that he does every step of an activity. It is so amazing to see how much he has changed over the last year, and it really makes us look forward to seeing him grow and change over this coming year!

Merry Christmas!

This Christmas we had my parents staying with us for a few weeks, and my sister and her husband were also here from Ontario. We finally have more wintery weather this year with lots of rain and cooler temps. One day, the kids asked to make a birthday cake for Jesus, so we did. Then, in the car later that day, Madeleine declared she did not want it to be a cake for Jesus after all. Why not? Because he's a boy.

They got to make lots of Christmas cookies with Grammie and Aunty Kristin. M loved the decorating part.

Ross loved the eating part.

Grammie and Grandpa reading new Christmas books.

Christmas time with Aunty K and Uncle Matty.

And lastly, here's Ross, a few days after Christmas, being so helpful putting ornaments away and cleaning up after the tree!

Camping and Christmas Trees

On Thanksgiving weekend, we decided to take the kids car camping for the first time. We drove to Salt Point State Park, about two hours north of here on the coast. It was fun, although a bit cold, and the kids loved it. They were a bit scared of the dark, but that meant they were quite happy to go to bed early. They also loved hearing in the morning about how a raccoon woke Mommy and Daddy in the night and Daddy threw a shoe at it, but Mommy was SO BRAVE she went out to move our food from the locked wooden cupboard to the car.

 

We stayed at the campsite just one night and on the drive home the next day we stopped at a beautiful beach to enjoy the sun.

We decided to get our Christmas tree early this year, so headed out to the same farm as last year and had fun picking one out.

Several attempts at a sibling picture, and none were perfect, but I do love how Madeleine is squeezing Ross's pudgy little cheek in this one.

Ross and Madeleine continue to love their garage time with Daddy, and here Ross was helping him cut some wires on a electric panel with lights and buttons and switches (a major score from the junk bin at Steve's work).

I was curious recently about how much the kids weigh, and since we don't own a scale, we resorted to the tried and true luggage scale that has gotten us through so many moves. I remember the midwife weighing them like this during the early home visits after they were born... although with a slightly classier scale and sac!

Yosemite

Steve and I recently went to Yosemite National Park while my parents stayed at home with the kids. We spent the first day and night in "the village" which is the touristy part of the park, with drive-in campsites, cafes, and hotels. It was still very beautiful and we were glad it was off-season and a bit less crowded than in summer. 

The next day we hiked about 3 hours, all uphill, to get to a more remote campsite. Here is Steve using our filter to get some water from the nearby Merced River.

The hour before this peaceful moment at the river was somewhat less peaceful... we had just set up our tent when I decided to turn on my cell phone and see if there happened to be a signal. There was just enough signal for me to receive a text from my neighbour, sent the evening before, saying "are you okay? I see a fire truck and ambulance outside your house...". As soon as I read the text, the signal was gone. After some tears and speculating about what could have possibly prompted my very capable parents to have to call 911, we quickly decided to pack up and head back down the mountain to look for a signal to call home. After a few minutes I decided to start asking other hikers if they had any cell service. Thankfully, one energetic and empathetic young guy decided to scamper up a cliffside to get high enough for a signal. Steve and I followed him and I was able to reach my mom at home. It turned out that Ross had gotten his finger stuck in a small metal hole in our old kitchen table. My parents weren't able to get it out with olive oil and as the finger swelled and both children screamed, they wisely decided to call 911. The firefighters were able to free his finger with a packet of vaseline within a few minutes, and then showered both kids with firefighter hats, coloring books, and stickers. Needless to say, Steve and I were very thankful to hear all this. We shared the somewhat funny story with all the hikers who had helped us make the phone call, and then headed back to set up our tent again.

We did a day hike the following day to Clouds Rest, with a beautiful view of Half Dome in the background.

A dusting of snow was just starting to cover distant mountain tops.

Here we are with Yosemite Valley in the background.

Our tent among the pine trees at Little Yosemite Valley camp.

Our cooking stump...

This campsite is popular enough that they provide bear bins throughout. The large metal cabinets are meant to hold everything edible or scented, and although we never saw any bears, they are apparently quite common in that area.

The almost-full moon rising on our last night...