travel – Page 7 – ~HB ADVENTURE~

January 1, 2014

2013 in Review

JANUARY

The first month of 2013 will forever be the month that we became a family of four (five if you count Sydney). Audrey Bell came into the world on the 20th of the month and everything before that, the not so fun ending to my pregnancy, seemed like a distant memory almost immediately. Maggie was smitten with her sister and has since proven to be Audrey’s biggest fan and fiercest protector. Other than having a baby, me finishing work, and a few other things, January was a month of hibernation and waiting.

FEBRUARY

We went to Skagit County to celebrate Grandpa Rhone’s 90th and realized that traveling with a newborn might be easier than traveling with a toddler (ha!). Maggie started nursing New Baby, permanently wore her tiara on her head and danced every single chance she got. The soundtrack of our lives became tiny baby cries, Maggie’s piano….along with her harmonica. That’s the sound of love, Baby, the sound of love.

MARCH

We gifted Maggie with a pair of tap shoes that she insisted on wearing everywhere. We also took Maggie’s annual birthday picture in anticipation for her invitations and party, which she planned on her own, asking for ‘marchers with instruments’. We went up to visit the grandparents and had a quick photo session in the daffodils, always a bit too late for the tulips.

march maggie birthday picture

APRIL

The tap dancing and harmonica playing continued to be a source of entertainment, we finally went to Harrison Hot Springs with my parents (and loved it!), and celebrated Maggie’s birthday exactly the way she wanted it. I also think March was the month that we started to get out of the house a bit more. Maggie started to take a 5 week ballet class and the weather started to become a bit more enjoyable. We also had to start buckling Audrey into the swing…

MAY

With May came the start of the time in the year where we fling open our doors and begin to use our backyard as an extension of our home. We bundle up and peel off layers as the sun plays peek-a-boo with us. No big trips for the month of May, but a few visitors here and there. Audrey started to spend lots of time observing from the Bumbo as the rest of us did different jobs. My Dad came down with Izak and Rich to update our parking situation.

JUNE

In February Barry had gifted me a stay at Chico Hot Springs for my 33 1/3 birthday in June and so we hit the road for about ten days and drove to one of my most favorite places. It was mostly a good trip, but unpacking and packing with two young children made for some weary times. My camera also died, which forced me to enjoy the trip in a different way, which was a good lesson in enjoying life, rather than focusing on documenting life. Barry picked up a long board in Missoula (love that place, too) and we busted it out on most pit stops. Chico didn’t disappoint in any capacity, if anything we wished we’d chosen to have more time there. The day after we returned from our trip, Barry did a triathlon, placing 5th in his age bracket (out of 100 or so). We also celebrated Kara and Ryan’s December wedding with a reception at the beach.

june barry chico

june barry race deception challange june chico maggie barry june chico maggie barry-2 june audrey portrait project

JULY

We spent the 4th of July at a cabin near Mount Baker with a group of friends, but the day before we enjoyed a gathering that Barry’s mom and dad hosted at their house. Aside from visiting family and friends, according to our pictures, we spent July at home and in our yard. Maggie became Lion Girl every night and charged from one end of the yard to the other, while her sister laughed and we commentated. I also started the project of taking a portrait of Audrey each day in her 6th month. Barry got a new truck, after driving a tiny red car that he never fit into. The night that we took the truck for a test drive we drove it to Seattle and ended on top of the Space Needle without a diaper or wipe in sight. Thankfully nobody pooped or puked. Very fun night and the truck has been a great addition.

july grandmother

july sister love

AUGUST

The Adventures of Lion Girl continued with the heat of August, a game played during Special Time every night before bed. We also went on some epic tricycle rides, with Barry learning to long board. Maggie spent hours riding her tricycle this summer. The first weekend of the month we helped to celebrate my mom’s birthday by going Fake Camping at their house for a couple nights. We set up our tent and set up shop and it was the best way to do it this year. Trying to go real camping this year didn’t appeal to us with an infant, so the safe haven of my parents place was a perfect mesh of that. We went swimming/SUPing at Trafton, and aside from me having a bit of nervousness about Maggie on the board with Barry, it was superbly beautiful. My mom’s simple request to have us all together for this event is a tradition that I’ll probably eventually take on as my own. The end of Audrey’s portrait project came, but I think the month of taking intentional pictures each day taught me a lot about photography. August also was the month that Barry’s grandmother passed away. She was a firecracker of a woman and is greatly missed.

august audrey portrait

august jumping

august fake camping

SEPTEMBER

September is one of my favorite months, maybe its the teacher in me, but it is the shoulder season before Summer ends and Fall takes over with the cold breeze. This September was full of bittersweet moments, however. Maggie started preschool three mornings a week and it was a rough start, with tears of sadness for her most mornings. Our calendar was full each weekend with Barry’s birthday falling on the same day that our friends Jeff and Allison got married. Maggie rocked it as a flower girl in their wedding, she was so brave and awesome. Audrey, as usual, was easy going and spent lots of time with Uncle Brian that weekend. Barry ran the Skagit Flats Half Marathon with a new PR. My mom and I hauled the girls around to different points and we were able to cheer Brian and Barry on. Fun race.

OCTOBER

Another trip to Harrison with my parents and brother, it isn’t Chico, but it is darn close. This time around, Barry and I took a night and went out to dinner at the fancy resturant. We’re not really go-out-to-eat people, but it was really great to have nice conversation over some yummy food and drinks. I also branched off for a walk of my own one morning along the lake. It was a swift walk, but going untethered sometimes feels so good, if only for a few minutes. Halloween happened. Maggie insisted on being a pumpkin, after origianlly planning on being a duck, and Audrey a lady bug. My mom’s quilting habit overflowed into our house and I tried to get some pictures of the girls with one as a background….it was chaos and hilarity all rolled into one. Maggie started to wear my necklace to school to help with her sadness about being there. It helped immensely and she became more confident about the experience.

NOVEMBER

Two Thanksgivings, a trip to Disneyland, and more bike riding was November in a nut shell. We also shot the annual Christmas card, which was a fun challenge. November was full of fun, we fondly look back on our trip to Disneyland as our first kid-centered vacation and it was delightful, shockingly so. Most likely our fullest month of the year, and finally feeling like we’ve hit our stride. Audrey crawling, crawling and Maggie ever present to keep her safe.

DECEMBER

Another full month with a trip to San Francisco, gingerbread house decorating and Christmas to celebrate. We joined Barry on a trip to San Francisco and stayed in the heart of the city at a fancy hotel. City living was really fun and interesting for the week that we were there, but the best times of the trip were the ones where we found places to run wild and free ~ the beach, parks and quiet little neighborhoods. When we got back from our trip, we took some time to visit grandparents and finally get our own home ready for the holidays. It snowed and we welcomed the couple inches with some playtime before it melted away quickly. Christmas was fractured this year, maybe it was our trip to California, or family not all being present, but good lessons for us and the need to start some of our own traditions in the coming years. We had the sweetest, most special time Christmas Eve morning with Maggie opening a couple presents from us and Sydney. We gave her a necklace to go with her ballerina music box and after she opened it, she stood and looked at it and then quietly hugged Barry and then me. After she put it on, she went and stood/danced in front of the mirror with it. Audrey mostly enjoyed ripping paper from leftover presents, but swooned over a particular baby doll and the photo book we made her. Barry and I didn’t exchange gifts, with the idea that we’re due for Spring Fling with each other after Audrey stops nursing. I love our little family with every little ounce of my heart. Great year.

December 14, 2013

The Time We Went to Disneyland

It all seems like a dream now, but our Disneyland trip was actually really, really fun and fantastic. We really weren’t sure if we wanted to go, especially with an infant, but it was one of the better decisions that we’ve made recently in terms of travelling with teh girls. We knew that we were in need of a little adventure, but after going on our road trip in June, to Chico, we decided that another road trip was out of the question. We made a long list of all the places that we’d like to go, things we’d like to do, and almost every time we kept coming back to the fact that having a baby and a toddler can make things a litttle more challenging. We toyed around with the idea of Disneyland, but it just seemed crazy, because I wasn’t sure that we’d enjoy it….or more the commercialization of it.

Nicole and Josh mentioned that they had thought about taking Caroline within the same time frame that we’d been thinking about and that sealed the deal for us to all go together. Guess what? We all loved it! I think traveling with another family has great potential to be crazy, (Come on, travelling with ANYONE can be nuts, right?) but Nicole, Josh and Caroline were a perfect match for us. We had adjoining rooms and that made it easy for the girls to play together and also for the adults to sit and relax a bit. We also stayed at the Disneyland Hotel, thinking that we wanted this to be a total vacation of connivence, and it was also really great. There were many characters walking around and everyone was so friendly to us and the girls. Being in a kid-friendly environment, both while in the park and at our hotel, made all the difference in the world for us.

I’ll never forget Maggie walking back to our room from the pool and Goofy came around the corner. She literally dropped her towel and stood there with her mouth wide open. She was shocked to see him, stunned, really. Once we decided to go, I started to embrace researching things a bit. My cousin has a friend that works for Disney and she was very helpful in helping us make decisions and getting some gear for the girls. We did a Character breakfast first thing on the first day, in order to help the girls understand the concept of characters, and it was really worth it.

Most of our days were spent trying to get out of the door at an early time for an extra hour (Magic Hour) in the parks, lunch on the way back to the hotel in the stroller, nap/swim, back to the park, dinner, back to the hotel. We did lots of walking, some waiting in line, and tons of picture taking. I didn’t include all the character pictures that we took. They aren’t really great images anyways. The only character that Maggie didn’t want to meet was Buzz Lightyear. I guess him being a robot or HUGE made him a bit intimidating.

Merida, from Brave, was the most amazing experience that we had. For the first time, instead of going together, Maggie and Caroline took turns going to meet her. When it was Maggie’s turn, the rest of us stayed back. Barry was walking around with a fussy Audrey and I was trying to get pictures of it. I’m so glad I did, because it was really touching. Merida noticed that Maggie has curly red hair, just like hers, and immediately started fluffing it with her hands. Eventually she took out Maggie’s rubber band and made Maggie’s hair into a ginourmous poof. They talked, hugged and it was spectacular. As we were walking away, Merida, yelled to Maggie “And always wear your hair like that!!!”. It was hilarious, but, for me, it made me tear up a bit because I really felt like Merida saw Maggie for who she was. She just wasn’t another little girl in a Minnie t-shirt and she spent an extra amount of time making Mags feel special.

Overall, it was a great trip and I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Does that mean that we’re headed there again for our next trip? No. Definitely not. The Minnie shirts have now become undershirts and we probably won’t be reading/watching things now simply to educate ourselves. It was fun and some day it’ll be fun again, but I’m hoping that we’ll be able to go on some different adventures and have just as good of a time in the coming years. We’ll have to see what Nicole and Josh have planned so we can piggy back with them.

buzz light year day one disneyland-2 disneyland_-11 last day disneyland-9
last day disneyland-8
last day disneyland-13

June 14, 2013

On The Road with The HB Crew

We left an entire day earlier than we thought we would and we’re glad for it now. Road tripping with two little ones, no matter how patient everybody is, is an adventure in its own right. We’ve made it closer to our destination and the weather is forecasted to be full of sun and blue skies from here on out!

It became apparent as we talked with Maggie more about this trip that she had very high hopes that we were going back to Canada to Harrison Hot Springs. She was devastated to learn that vacation isn’t always going to ‘the little house’ with some of her favorite people.

I’m choosing to believe that she has figured out this is a pretty awesome vacation that we’re on, too. My aunt (or was it Grandma that started them?) always gave her kids ‘car presents’ while doing long road trips – wrapping up almost anything and tossing one back to the little ones when the time is right. We’ve started the ‘car presents’ tradition and here is what we have learned: 1. Maggie doesn’t have the stomach to draw in the car. (no puke though!). 2. The more challenging the present is to open, the more rewarding it is. 3. Glow sticks are awesome to use in the car at night. And in the bath tub. Best couple of bucks I could have spent.
I felt myself getting giddy about this trip months ago and now that it is actually here, I’m still giddy. Our family functions best when we’re all together. Sure, we break off to do different things (runs, book stores, walks…), but we thrive on time together. Being smooshed in the car all together may seem like a nightmare to some, but we’re happy little campers around here. Some of my very favorite memories from my childhood are from trips that my family took – trips that weren’t overly extravagant, but definitely where being together was the sole purpose. (Thanks, Mom & Dad!)

I have been dreaming about coming back here with Barry for a long time. There’s something about Montana that I absolutely adore. Is it the cowboys? The laid-back, recreational feeling? The mountains? Whatever it is, I’m so thankful to be able to share it with him and our girls. We spent today walking the streets of Missoula and it feels very much like a distant cousin of B’ham, another place I’ve lived and loved.
As we were getting out of the car to start our trek, the parking attendant pulled up in her little truck and hopped out to dote on the girls. We ended up talking to her about all the different places that she thought we’d like, which was beyond the scope of the 2 hours we’d paid for parking. She encouraged us to not worry about getting a ticket because, since we’re from out of state, it’d only be a warning. We took her suggestion and by the time we found Bernice’s Bakery for some coffee and a shared cinnamon roll, our two our parking limit had vanished from our thoughts. At the end of the day, when we returned to our car, there wasn’t even the warning.

The girls were both so awesome today ~ Audrey took a massive nap in the Ergo as we walked and Maggie stayed close and walked SO far. It wasn’t until we were at a park that she took a spill and she started crying….it was then that we decided to head back to the car. I’d passed Audrey to Barry and was in charge of snuggling/carrying Maggie and she’s heavy. I decided to put her in the Ergo to see how it went and it was awesome! It felt nice to have her close for the walk back to the car, where she busted open a car present and munched on it on the way back to our hotel.

Tomorrow is a longer car day for us all and if we played our cards right today, and I think we did, we’ll get off in the morning and both girls will happily nap. Maggie, despite the fact that she has plenty of ‘activities’ to do in the car, turns into quite the chatterbox once we’re moving. There isn’t a favorite topic of conversation, just lots of talking…..

Audrey has been the most amazing baby in the entire world. She continues to be relaxed and happy to go with the flow and has literally only cried once, exactly opposite of ‘someone’ that has never been a great car rider. As long as she’s fed, she’s pretty happy.

And if all else fails, we’ve still got Car Presents!