A new low (or high!) and hope for Mount Laundry!

After struggling since basically Thanksgiving to get my Primal ways working and in line again, this morning I got on the scale and saw a number that I have not seen in quite some time. This number has been elusive since before Grace was born over eight years ago. And just to check, I got off the scale and on again. And I saw it again. And then I did a "new low" dance (fully clothed of course) right there in the bathroom, making it up as I went along. I'm sure it wasn't pretty since I really have no dancing skills, but it was still a great way to start the day.

THEN, I called my friend and she told me that she's building a family closet in her new laundry room. The more she told me about it, the more I realized that I NEED ONE!!! I told her about my awesome calendar that has simplified my life (I even wrote my new little neice's birthday on it and she was just born YESTERDAY! How's that for efficient!?!) and how I had been thinking that there has got to be some way to simplify my whole laundry mess. Now I have this idea in my head of a laundry room between two bathrooms that is a huge closet where everyone has a space for all their clothing and accessories and everyone gets changed in there and it's all in ONE big room! No more transferring laundry to and from everyone's space and . . . I'm shaking with anticipation. Though it might also just be the coffee.

No, it's definitely anticipation, because right now I don't have the space for it and we are not planning to be here in this house forever. And my washer is broken. So no laundry for today! hahahaha!
Some days are just awesome. Today is awesome. I have HOPE!!!!

A fun little visit

My brother and his little pregnant wife came and spent the night on the way through.  They got here after bedtime, but since the kids were so excited, we let them stay up for a bit.  They love their uncle Reed and aunt Melissa.

They also have an aunt Alisha.  And I am notorious for getting their names mixed up.  Violet fixed the problem for me though.  She asked when aunt "Melisha" was going to be here.  I laughed.  And then decided to use that name from now on.

We let the kids stay up because they like their uncle Reed and aunt Melissa.  A lot.  To the point that Grace could barely sleep the night before.

Uncle Reed is a lot of fun.

A whole lot of fun.

Did I mention he was fun?

He even won Violet over, eventually.

And aunt Melissa (AKA Melisha), colors and visits with them.  For little girls, that's pretty darn awesome fun.  (And yes, that says Aunt Melisha.)

And then there was a miracle.  Not that we were looking for one.  But what a great photo!

We're all pretty excited about visiting these two in February when they welcome their little bundle skin-side.  Personally, I'm super excited they're having a baby.  They're going to have so much fun!  They want to take the baby camping with us this summer.  That has huge fun potential.

And you better believe I sent them off with a carrier. Because life with a baby and no carrier just is too hard.

Thanks for visiting, you two!!  We'll see you again real soon!

And she's off!

This spring I told Calla that one of the things we should do this summer was take the training wheels off her bike. 

And then we moved and she didn't do a lot of bike riding and we kind of forgot.

Until yesterday.  We were camping in Yellowstone and she was riding all over having a grand time at the camp ground while we were all packing up to leave.  I mentioned that we should take her training wheels off pretty soon.

Apparently she heard "now" and went to tell her daddy that they needed to come off.  Now.

After a brief discussion about how once they came off they weren't going back on and she needed to try them first NOT on the pavement, daddy got to work.

Calla got on.  Daddy gave her a little push . . .

And . . . .

. . . Calla was off . . . 

. . . through a campsite . . .

. . . onto the pavement . . .

. . . around the bathrooms . . .

. . . back off the pavement . . .

. . . through another campsite . . .

. . . and . . .

 . . .back onto the pavement and stopped without even so much as a wobble.

I was laughing so hard I was crying.  But honestly, I had an inkling that might happen. 

She's thrilled and now there is one less thing stopping her. 

Two years ago we threw that bike in the back of the truck and her first attempt at riding it was at Yellowstone.  And this week she got to take her training wheels off at Yellowstone.  Yellowstone is good for this kid. 

While mommy is away--Part II

While mommy is away, daddy is in charge. Not that he isn't in charge when I'm not away, but when I'm four hours away and I have no Internet or cell service, he's really in charge.

First thing they did was watch a movie. Then they really got down to business--they made a list:

This is the list:

-Clean the whole house and laundry
-Read books
-Tell Stories
-Clean out car
-Cook Food
-Cake
-Cookies
-Spaghetti
-Pizza
-Lasagna
-Pancakes
-Waffles
-Valentine for Mom
-Go to Church
-Water Calla’s Plant
-Take a Bath
-Go outside
-Sledding
-Drawing
-Dot to Dot
-Watch movies with popcorn
-Play Games
-Hang Pictures

There was a line through the cleaning out the car item and it was replaced with bowling. They apparently had a great time--and don't tell Grace, but Violet won. They also didn't get to hanging pictures, but they did hang a rather large picture on the livingroom wall.

It was this big:



And it involved over several days a lot of paint (followed by baths) . . .



And more paint . . .



Some serious concentration by a 19 month old . . .



Glitter stickers . . .



And finally, the finishing touches and LOTS of tape . . .



And some very excited children who kept the secret all the way home even though they were so excited they nearly burst.

They made me close my eyes and everything. Needless to say, I was very surprised.



I love my kids, and my husband. They know how to make a mommy feel loved, even if she does abandon them for a long weekend.

Coming tomorrow: how a mommy makes three little girls spin in glee! (I was nearly spinning in glee just thinking about it.)

Two days, 800 miles, 6 stitches and a puking baby

**WARNING** If you are a little bit squeamish at the thought of blood or puke, don't read this. There isn't a LOT of blood and not a lot of puke, but there is enough to make the squeamish squirm.




So this week has been nuts. And today is only Thursday. We spent the better part of this week getting ready and getting on the road. Late nights, kids so excited to go to grandma's house (haven't seen them since June) and a couple days in the car.

I took the kids in the morning on Tuesday to the photo shoot for the International Babywearing Conference. Brent met us there and we were on our way. But first we stopped at the Starbucks in Idaho Falls. Because that's the last (and first) Starbucks for a good 1,400 miles. The only Starbucks on the planet that doesn't have another Starbucks a block away. But that's okay because it has saved me a lot of money since we moved to Idaho.

Two of the three kids fell asleep, the third one was happy and quiet and we made it to our "best case scenario" destination--Ontario, Oregon. And we found a hotel. And ordered pizza. And went for a walk because it was a beautiful night. And came back and got ready for bed and crawled into the two full size beds we had pushed together and were trying to get the kids settled in when it happened.

Calla's head bounced off this:



It was one of those things that happened that you just know that it wasn't good. And that you were now going to be up until at least 1 am because you were going to spend some time sitting in the ER waiting for them to sew your kid's pretty little head back together.

Speaking of pretty little heads, Violet was on the table the other day (her new trick) and I took her off telling her that I didn't want her on the table. And Calla pipes up, "Because you don't want her to fall off and break her pretty little head."

The kid cracks me up. And then two days later she ended up needing to get her pretty little head sewn back together.

Brent took her in and I stayed with the other two girls at the hotel room. Brent said Calla was a real trooper and was the perfect little patient. The doctor and nurse were super and certainly contributed to the positive experience. It was obvious they had stitched kids up before. Brent said he asked if there were any alternatives to stitches, and the doctor said they could glue it together, but stitches were a better alternative for this particular wound. "See that white in there? That's her skull."



I guess it figures that Calla would be the first kid to get stitches.

The next morning we piled back in the car and headed west. Everything was going great. Until about an hour and a half from our final destination when Violet started puking.

Poor kid. We just had to keep going because we were SO close. I sat back there with her and kept her cleaned up the best I could. She fell asleep for about half an hour of it, which was good.

But we made it. Violet isn't puking any more. And we got pancakes for breakfast. And we got the first decent night's sleep in at least four nights.

So, two days, 800 miles, 6 stitches and a puking baby later, we are here. And today we are just going to hang out and relax with grandma and grandpa and hopefully get a little rest.

Frankly, the whole thing sounds a whole lot worse all squished together in one sentence than it was. It felt like a pretty good trip, actually.

Is that weird?

Those are some BIG horses!

This past weekend we went to Deer Lodge, Montana to visit my parents and go to the Draft Horse Expo. I have a thing for horses. If I didn't have kids, I think I could totally be into horses. I grew up on a horse and I miss it. But babies and horses just don't go together very well. And there will always be horses. I won't always have babies. So that's how it is right now. And I'm okay with that.

Anyway, these draft horses are amazing. And the work that goes into them is amazing. Just look at these two. Aren't they beautiful?



Oh, wait. Those are draft MULES. Sorry.

How about these?



Oh, those are burros. But aren't they cute??

Alright, check these out. I think I got it right this time.



In the barn we even got to pet them. For as huge as they are (I think one of their feet is bigger than Violet), they are sure gentle. All that handling.



They truly are gentle giants.



Gorgeous gentle giants.



What a hobby.



I love this picture. Calla is just grinning at that horse.



Violet got in on the action, too.



She was so intrigued by them. She wanted to touch them, but when they nosed her hand, she would chicken out and pull away.

On our way to the barn to see the horses we ran across a chuck wagon. And these three folks were busy cooking dinner for 350 people. When asked what they were making (BBQ Beef) the one guy just said, "Dead cow."



Of course he said it with a twinkle in his eye. But it still struck me as funny. Probably because that's what we call it at our house, too.

But check out his apron. It's "Cook Chaps." Says it right on them. Cool. And they were cooking in all cast iron. Double cool. AND we bought a cook book from them that was put together in collaboration with a 5th grade teacher in a town neighboring ours--in fact, we're part of that school district.

Triple cool!

But as good as that looked, Violet preferred the shave ice we got the other two girls.



She opened that wide for every bite. Love that baby.

Love her.

In honor of International Babywearing Week

For any of you who have been reading my blog this summer, it's been a little busy around here. To give you an idea, my husband sat down in his chair a couple weeks ago and said, "I'm kind of looking forward to being snowed in. This summer has been busy. And it started with moving."

He's right. But the raw truth is that over the last few months we have had more fun going and seeing and doing as a family than I think some families have over a lifetime. Not that we're not a fun family, but we have been liberated from so much stuff that has been stewing for about the last thirteen years that we had some catching up to do.

And we did it all with our girls. All three of them. Ages one year to six years.

But I was thinking this last week about everything that we did. Then I went back through my blog and found more things we did that I had forgotten about. And I realized that without baby carriers and the practice of babywearing, most of the stuff we did would have been much more difficult if not impossible.

So, in honor of International Babywearing Week, I'll recap most of our babywearing summer.

Ready?

The following program is brought to you by Babywearing. The practice of holding your baby close to you using some sort of cloth carrier. Remember, just like every other product out there, there are quality, comfortable version, and there are uncomfortable versions that make you want to run back to the camper and take a hot shower. And then you can't get out of bed in the morning without some sort of pain killer. Do your research. Find the good ones. And don't give up if you don't find a good one on the first try! It's worth finding a good one or two or half dozen.

The following program is also brought to you by an average, ordinary, everyday mom. Please note that this mom is not the most slender mom on the planet. Nor is she the most fit mom on the planet. That is important to remember because she did the great majority of her activities this summer while packing on her back a little person weighing between twenty and twenty-five pounds. This mom also has a sensitive lower back and hasn't been to the chiropractor since she moved to Idaho in April.

On with the program.

You can't go to Yellowstone, or really anywhere NEAR Yellowstone without seeing Old Faithful and the rest of that geyser basin. You just shouldn't go to Yellowstone and not go there. It's just not right.

Note that it was raining. But I was certain that my baby was warm and comfortable. Because when they are Close Enough to Kiss, you can keep pretty good tabs on them. And daddy's sweatshirt helps.



It was a good hike. Up and down and around.



Lower Geyser Basin brought to you by two of my favorite Geese: Granola Goose and Earth Circles on tan.

Mammoth Hotsprings and the million and one steps to get to the top. Or was it a billion? I lost track.



There is NO WAY that experience would have happened had it not been for our carriers. Little 3-year-old legs get pretty tired going up that many steps, too.



Mammoth Hotsprings brought to you by: Granola Goose and Earth Circles on tan Silly Goose Baby.

Mud Volcano. Pretty cool. But the coolest thing we saw on that loop up and over the hill?



Wolf tracks.

That experience brought to you by Ball Baby and nap time.



And the hike to the brink of the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River. On this hike there is a 600 foot elevation change. But totally worth it. Brent had the pleasure of wearing the baby down the 600 feet.



And I wore her the rest of the way up, because she wanted to nurse.



Calla was ready for a ride up, too. And she actually fell asleep on the way.

This super amazing hike and view brought to you by: Ball Baby and Earth Circles on tan Silly Goose and nursing in a baby carrier.

More hikes in Yellowstone--off the beaten path.

We would have missed this view:



These tracks:



And this hike to find pools and a warm stream off the Fire Hole Lake drive:



Those three hikes brought to you by Ellville Zara Candy and a Goose Pockets, nap time and nursing in a carrier.

You can mine for garnets and sapphires with your kids while the baby naps.



And let's not forget the week at Vacation Bible School.



And the trip to Oregon on a plane with three kids by myself. Not for the faint of heart. But absolutely do-able with the proper tools and skills--baby carriers and babywearing!

To list in case you weren't paying attention:
1. Old Faithful in the rain and the Lower Geyser basin
2. Mammoth Hotsprings
3. Wolf Tracks at Mud Volcano
4. Brink of the Lower Falls
5. Yellowstone Lake view from the top of a hill
6. Duck lake and animal tracks on the shore
7. Fire Hole Lake Drive path
8. Mining for Garnets during nap time.
9. Vacation Bible School for a whole week
10. Airplane trip to Grandma's house

That's ten. The list is probably endless, actually. But for sure, all of our summer activites were so much easier thanks to babywearing. Not only was the baby happy, the preschooler was happy. When they got tired, they were carried and both were comfortable enough to just go to sleep. And anyone who is a parent knows that naptime is sacred. It's essential. A good nap sets the tone for the whole next portion of the day.

I believe in babywearing. I believe all the studies showing that babies are happier, healthier, smarter, safer, etc. But even if all of that wasn't on the table, the pure and simple truth is that it makes the lives of moms and dads and entire families easier and more enjoyable and therefore it makes our world that much better. And isn't that our job as parents and grandparents? We are charged with taking these little people and molding them into happy, healthy big people. And the more happy, healthy big people we have in the world, the better our world is.

What better time to start then when they are small. Keep them close. Close enough to kiss. It's where they want to be. It's where they belong. And it's easy, convenient and comfortable with the right tools. The right carriers. And the right information.

If you want more information about babywearing and what it can do for you and your family, contact me or go visit Babywearing International. There are babywearing groups popping up all over the world. There's a pretty good chance that there is one near you.

Happy Babywearing! Spread the word!

Another hike, another lake

Sunday morning after we got packed up and headed out, we stopped for another hike. There's a little lake on the south end of Yellowstone Lake that is its own caldera. It's about a 1/2 mile hike up and over a little hill to the shore. We heard it was an easy hike, so we thought we'd give it a try.

Grace and Calla were ready.



And it was a neat little lake. A sandy shore on the north end of it.



And up and down the shore was the treasure of the hike. Elk and wolf prints.



We walked up and down the shore looking at them. There's just something wild about seeing sites like that. And we were all alone on the shore. Didn't see another person on the trail. But who knows, maybe we had company . . .

The girls picked up sticks and tossed them in. It was quite pleasant. And the hike was through the trees. Trees that were new from the 1988 fires. The perspective is different than from the road.

At the peak of the hill we could see all directions. Duck Lake . . .



Yellowstone Lake and, oh look! The hill we climbed yesterday!



A good little hike. And once again, made possible by babywearing. Violet slept through the whole thing. I love that.