Seb's R&R spilled over into april and a new tradition was born.
caleb had been wanting to go 'camping' with the tent i'd actually gotten as a potential bed for noah when traveling. we decided this was an excellent carrot to dangle in front of him to encourage naps, which had become nearly extinct at this point though i knew he was definitely still at an age when he needed them. so i busted out the fake fireplace DVD for the 'campfire,' set up the tent, and told seb that sleeping on the floor for 'camping' fell squarely in the daddy duty category.
and yes, we did have a real fireplace. but the thermostats and heating system were so tricky, and the fireplace so effective, that using it meant the upstairs bedrooms got FREEZING. so after 5 years living in hawaii and wishing for a fireplace and a climate cold enough to use it, we got it.
and then almost never used it.
camping is still one of caleb's favorite treats. we get to 'camp' on nights when we don't have school the next day and we've taken a nap. and now we let caleb decide who camps with him, and our tents are now incorporated into large tent/bear cave/house/fox den construction. he's sleeping in one as i type this that includes a table, a kid-sized couch, a tunnel, two blankets, and various pillows. he's in the arctic, hunting mammoths, but we killed them quickly so they wouldn't suffer.
anyway, back to april. GORGEOUS WEATHER. we loved this park, it had a quarter mile paved sloped path that was great for the kids, and led up to a farm where there was a massive
bull just sitting there in the yard, chewing.
caleb and his sticks. i cannot tell you how many sticks we were so attached to we had to bring home, which thankfully have not yet been morphed into things like guns and swords. it's more that this stick was just right for stirring up leaves, that one was just right for scaring off birds. each stick was indispensable, irreplaceable, and completely forgotten by the time we pulled into the driveway.
this is the innocent syrupy look he uses to make you ignore the fact that is blatantly disobeying you.
the current version? he sees mommy's upset? he says "HAPPY!" as though he is willing you into it. it only worked the first couple times before i caught on.
once again, group photos produce mixed results
couldn't have asked for a prettier day for a family outing.
me, finally consenting to stand still long enough for charlotte to take my picture.
she had to promise me a back rub, i think.
to get to the path you have to cross this bridge over (i think, if i remember right) a fork of the red river. when those massive floods happened the park was closed, and when it opened again you could clearly see debris that had settled well above the bridge.
it was the sort of day that made me wish i had a better camera and some
photography skills to put it to use.
see? i'm tellin you.
noah would be happy to be in the swing forever. i love the look of thrill and joy and uncertainty all mixed together.
eventually seb's R&R ended and we said our goodbyes. the fact that we had to wait longer for it to begin was irritating. but getting to the end of his R&R and realizing we only had a month and a half left was a really nice feeling. noah was too young to know what was happening when seb left, and caleb was old enough to understand that daddy was leaving again, but would be back soon,
and then it would all be over.
so we said not-so-sad goodbyes and looked forward to our next adventure: heading to tacoma to scout out a school for caleb. originally, charlotte and both kids were going with me, but after noah's little performance on the trip to hampton i asked a very disappointed but gracious charlotte to stay home and have some quality noah time.
caleb and i had a great time, i was excited to have a trip with someone that didn't require diapers and nursing, and could survive a few days without a nap. it meant we didn't have to feel tied down and could go adventuring..
got my first glimpse of mt rainier. beautiful, when you can see it, which so far has been more often than i'd expected. if we didn't have such tall trees at the back of our property, we could see it from our bedroom window.
i think this is owen beach at pt. defiance park, which also has a zoo and large green play areas. thats part of the cascade range there in the background
what happens when you let caleb look through the pictures so far is he adds to them. here i am, talking to our friend bethany, who we were getting to visit with since she only lives an hour or so from us.
here he is, probably not even trying to take his picture.
we came back with an idea in our heads of where we were going. we had seb coming home the next month, and i started cleaning, packing, and planning.
it was april, and we didn't move until august. no wonder it felt like it took forever.
tell me what month comes next, make your preschool teacher proud!
No comments:
Post a Comment