Lena is EIGHT!

While the big day didn't go exactly as expected, Lena is officially EIGHT, and that is GREAT!

Arriving at the end of a week of snow, ice, and sickness, we had to pivot a bit on our plans, but the day was GREAT nonetheless and full of some of the birthday girl's favorites.

Cozy on a cold day

Lena, our girl who knows what she wants, definitely has some favorites. It is not just whimsical language to say that she gets lost in a book. No, she literally focuses so intently on her book du jour that it requires getting right up in her face to rouse her even for food or sleep. Most of the time, this is GREAT for our family of readers, although books do occasionally land in "book timeout."

She also still has an affinity for art of all kinds, particularly drawing and dancing. Lena continues to gracefully dance her way through ballet class and once again took to the Nut Remix stage, this year as a soldier. As usual, it was a GREAT performance. 

It should come as no surprise that Lena is doing GREAT in the second grade. She saves most of her big emotions for home and consistently receives top marks in both grades and conduct, of which we are very proud. She also has a GREAT group of friends who share her love of pretend games and "scooter gangs" at the park.

The original plan for her birthday was that we would celebrate with that group of friends after school, but the weather had different plans. We all spent the week prior at home due to snow and then ice. But, honestly, the snow days were a blessing because both Lena and Elsa were sick with presumably the flu the entire time anyway. 

By the time her birthday rolled around on Friday, Lena was feeling well enough to enjoy a birthday breakfast of homemade donuts and bacon. We then put on all the clothes to go outside for a bit of sledding at the park, so everyone did get to enjoy the snow a bit after all. Back inside, Lena enjoyed some art time and more cozy reading time in front of the fire. All in her birthday pajamas, of course.

Still plenty of snow to enjoy

We opted to postpone the birthday dinner out and instead had a movie night with snacks, the highlight being our inaugural use of Grandma's Stir Crazy to make popcorn. Lena chose to watch the "original" 90s version of Beauty and the Beast, which surprisingly the kids had never seen. Lena also opened some GREAT presents and enjoyed some brownies homemade by Elsa. All in all, it turned out to be a GREAT day.

Postscript: We did make it out for Lena's steak dinner (the girl has expensive taste!) the next night, and we did make up the birthday party the following week. It was quite the parade of second graders marching to our house after school. Fortunately the weather was favorable for lots of time at the park before pizza and a movie (and more Stir Crazy action). Against our better judgment, we also loaded everyone up with an 8-shaped cake and ice cream as well. Lena does have a GREAT group of friends, but she's not wrong when she says they're also crazy (like the popcorn popper!). Everyone had fun, though, and it was a GREAT way to celebrate turning EIGHT!  

 

Erik is FOUR!

I recently read something online (check out Bunmi Laditan, the Honest Toddler lady) that described the age of four as "...a handful, albeit a smart and funny one. Fours are threes with intensity and vision." This definition perfectly describes our "four-nado" and we wouldn't have it any other way.

Erik continues to be a big boy but also has done some impressive growing in other areas as well. He has plenty to say--a lot of things are "amazing"--yet he is also quite perceptive. Jon says that he is a good foil to his sisters' plans, and while he is becoming an expert at the annoying little brother role, he is also very sweet with all members of the family. When he's not wrestling with his dad, that is.

He has upped his preschool attendance to three days a week and seems to genuinely enjoy it. This schedule still leaves us plenty of time for adventure. Now that naps have become sporadic (and pretty much non-existent at home), we've had plenty of zoo and children's museum trips in addition to all of the digging in the yard and playing on the deck. I'm truly impressed at Erik's ability to focus and entertain himself in this way.

Erik has big plans. As his birthday approached, he eagerly shared all the things that he will be able to do when he turned four, most of which were pretty reasonable. I am a little worried for the future, however, as he claims that he will be able to use a nail gun at six and drive a car at eight.

Despite a rocky start of waking up with a bit of a cough, Erik's birthday celebration began in earnest at school as he partied with his classmates...and homemade donuts. We were so relieved that he rallied to enjoy the day at school as well as hunting for treats at the neighbor's and playing with a "car house" that Elsa constructed for him. The day was beautiful, so there was plenty of outside time before pizza for dinner. 

Don't worry--we still made time for the sheep photo

We came home for cake and ice cream, and then it was time for presents. Erik's expressiveness was truly on display as he exclaimed after opening every gift: "what I always wanted!" The joy on his face was, well, amazing. After all this excitement, we expected a big reaction to our gift: tickets to the Hot Wheels Monster Truck Glow Party (that just happened to be in town that very weekend). Jon showed him a video and told him that he would get to go see the show...to which Erik very matter-of-factly replied, "Yup." This kid.

In between his actual birthday and the monster truck show, we celebrated some more with friends at the park. It was a very low-key affair that took advantage of a beautiful day, the highlight being a piñata (filled with Halloween candy collected a couple of days earlier). Never mind that Lena nearly took him out with a baseball bat.

Erik finished out his birthday weekend with Jon at the aforementioned monster truck show. With a beginning like that, the fours are off to a great start!

Living the dream

When in Doubt, Go Camping!

Even though Jon has been officially retired from the Army for awhile now, we still plan vacations with a military mentality...meaning we don't. It can be so frustrating to plan something and then have to cancel due to a last-minute training or mission, so we've become very good at waiting to settle on plans (much to my chagrin).

Fall break this year was no different. We knew we wanted to do something with the week the kids were out of school, but since I still had to teach in the middle of the week and since fall is such a busy time, we never got around to figuring it out in a timely fashion.

But never ones to back down from hastily put together plans, we decided to go camping. We opted to return to the Mountain View, Arkansas/Blanchard Springs area because it was a familiar destination. We'd never camped there and had always wanted to, so this seemed the perfect opportunity.

A bonus was that the Blanchard Springs campground didn't take reservations, so it wasn't like we were behind in that area. Thus, as soon as we could, we packed up the car (our camping prep is pretty streamlined these days) and set out.

All was going great...until we reached the turn-off for the campground and came across a giant sign that said "CAMPGROUND FULL." Being from the Show-Me-State, I was going to need to see this for myself, so we continued on. Inexplicably, several of the lower campgrounds were blocked off with caution tape (due to past/future flooding?). When we reached the upper campground, we found that it was indeed full. 

There were some smaller handwritten signs directing guests to a wedding, so we surmised that perhaps that is why every single site was taken. We stopped to re-group--getting to see some of the wedding photos being taken while we were there--and re-assess. The kids did a little exploring while we figured everything out. 

Jon knew about some more primitive campsites a little farther up the road, so we thought we'd try our luck there. With fingers crossed, we turned into a different camping area and found the most beautiful site tucked away by a bluff. The primitive part of the site was the pit toilet, but we've camped with pit toilets before, so we put up the tent and settled in. It proved to be much more scenic and much more private, so it actually worked out much better than our original (non)plan anyway.

What a view!

Being October, the mornings were starting to grow chilly, but Jon gamely woke up early on the first day and fulfilled a dream of taking Erik fishing. The venture was worth it as Erik caught his very first fish! As usual, the dad who did all the work didn't catch anything, but it was exciting nonetheless, and provided a tasty addition to our dinner. Erik wasn't so sure at first, but once he tried it, he was hooked (see what I did there?).

What a catch!

That day also included a hike full of cool rock formations and interesting bugs. The kids even got to splash around in the water for a bit at the end.

So many rocks to climb

Carrying a katydid

Cooling off after the hike

The biggest adventure of the trip was a double canoe trip down the Buffalo River. Having survived the endeavor, I will say that Jon greatly overestimated my ability to pilot a canoe. I have ridden in our canoe many times, but since our growing family no longer fits comfortably in one boat, we had to split up, meaning that I would be in charge of steering a canoe. Elsa and I paddled in one while Jon and the littles paddled in the other. I never really doubted our ability to make it...but it was hard work! (I am very glad Elsa inherited Jon's upper-body strength and not mine.) I was very thankful to see the shore where the outfitting company was waiting for our boats.

We had another relaxing evening by the campfire, and then it was time to pack up and head back to civilization. I taught my classes the next day and then had a little bit more fall break fun with the kids before getting back to reality. 

Mountain Living

For the second year in a row, we stitched a small family vacation on to our annual Washington trip. This year's destination was not as ambitious as last year's trip up the Oregon coast, but our time in the mountains did not disappoint. We first spent a few days at a cabin near Leavenworth. This Bavarian-themed town has called to us numerous times over the years, but this may have been our first summer trip. We also didn't spend much time in the actual town (maybe a little been-there-done-that?) but rather explored the surrounding areas.

Obligatory tourist photo in Leavenworth

Our cabin was great, and just the perfect size for us. Plus, it had an amazing backyard full of toys and activities--if you've never played "hard soccer" (which I guarantee you haven't since the kids made it up), then you haven't lived. So many giggles! There was also a pond with some kid-sized kayaks (that Jon and I immediately tipped), so needless to say, we didn't need to venture too far to have a good time.

The girls were much more proficient at the kayaks than Jon and I were

We did go on a hike in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness in the Wenatchee National Forest, however. Our crew are generally good hikers, although the way down was much quicker than the way up...with a lot less complaining.

We had planned a couple of activities for the next day: horseback riding and tubing. The former was a bust as there was a mix-up with the reservation, but we salvaged the day by finding a winery in the woods. Parent achievement unlocked! (Never mind that the fizzy wine we purchased exploded in the trunk of the rental car.)

Tubing down Icicle Creek was not a bust and definitely a highlight of the trip. It was a gentle float, so everyone could go, and since it was self-paced, we were able to splash around and explore on the shore.

Ready to float!

                 

When it was time to head north to visit family, we took the scenic route, stopping several times on the Cascade Loop. We were definitely in the mountains. 

Snow...in the summer?

An unexpected surprise was swimming in Lake Chelan. I have never swam in such a clear lake. We effectively tired everyone out enough for the rest of the drive.

Checking out Lake Chelan before taking the plunge

Short and sweet was our mountain vacation, but it was a great mix of relaxation and adventure.