camping

Last week, we made a spur-of-the-moment decision to go camping on Sunday night.  We have a camping trip planned with a bunch of friends at the end of June, and thought we should probably try a test run with Rayce before that.  So, on Sunday afternoon, my sisters and their better other halves met us at the Food Pavilion parking lot and we headed up the Entiat in good old-fashioned caravan-ing fun.

{sidenote} We had been asking Rayce if he was excited to go camping – and as soon as we pulled into the Food Pavilion parking lot he says “there’s camping!”   The kiddo had no idea what to expect!

We found a great spot at Silver Falls, a fantastic fire pit, room for all 3 trucks, and plenty of space for Rayce to run around but still be in our view.  Oh, and decent smelling bathrooms not too far away!!!

We set up camp and then decided to hike up to see the falls.  Amazingly, Rayce hiked about 3/4 of the way all by himself!  And then willingly took a ride on dads shoulders for the rest of the way!  I vaguely remember doing this as a kid, or maybe for school at some point . . . luckily  I had forgotten about all of the steps between then and now, otherwise I might have protested the hike and stayed back at camp to relax!

Once we got back from our hike, Rayce took off on his bike, but quickly learned the hard way that Time Out still exists whether we’re camping or not

 

As the evening wore on, we cooked up the food that we had . . . Melanie somehow forgot the hamburgers which were supposed to be our main course for the evening!  So we had sweet potatoes, yams, quinoa, beans, 2 chicken breasts (split between 7 of us) and some hot dog concoction that Max just happened to have in his truck.

But the highlight of Rayce’s evening (actually I think there were several of them) was the popcorn (pa-corn).  It’s been awhile since I’ve seen one of these Jiffy Pops, but they’re just as exciting at 30 years of age as it was when I was under 10!

Rayce wasn’t TOO excited about the marshmallow roasting – he preferred to just eat them the normal way!

Soon afterward, I took Rayce in to go to bed in the tent – it took him a little while to settle down since everyone was just outside having a good time, but sooner than later, I think the hiking got the best of him and he was out like a light.  He slept until 8am the next morning (this NEVER HAPPENS) and seemed to keep a lot more warm than mama did!

All in all, a great trip with Jess, Mel, Travis, Max, Boss and my sweet boys.  Can’t wait to go camping again – and Rayce can’t wait to see the waterfall again!

10 on 10|May

Finally!  A month where I planned ahead for my 10 on 10 . . . only I planned on doing it on Sunday, and ended up forgetting until about noon.  But that’s okay because we usually stay up pretty late, and my 10 on 10s are usually the earlier part of the day, so this will be something different right??

Sunday was a great day for us, and a prime example of why living in this valley is so awesome.  Not quite as awesome as Alaska, but it’s still pretty awesome.  We spent the earlier part of the afternoon at home, and then once Rayce and Brad woke up from their nap, we went out to my mom and dad’s house in Cashmere and bbq’d and then had a fire.  I LOVE being out there – especially when the weather is so awesome.  There’s not too many things I enjoy more than when my whole entire family gets together to just hang out.  We laugh, we watch Rayce do silly things, we play games, we make smart-ass comments, we make fun of one another (lovingly), we drink beer, we throw the football….we just have fun.

So here ya go – Sunday, May 6th from 12pm on……..from the mama’s perspective

Cleaning . . . .

Boys are down for a nap . . .

While the boys sleep, mama gets to work on the blog

Boys are still sleeping, but I’m not really sure how . . .

mmmmmmm, hormone-free beef/turkey burgers

My beautiful sister Jessica enjoying the sun

While Rayce enjoys his ice cream cone – his new FAVORITE thing in the world!

Playing with his 4 legged cousin Boss

Fire time

Fresh blood after Rayce decided to walk Boss, or Boss decided to walk Rayce…. poor guy, I think this was our 1st bloody owie

Bedtime for bonzo

These 2 just make my day <3

remember this moment….

Dear Rayce,
I just want you to know how much I love when you put your hands on my face as you’re falling asleep. Your hands on my cheeks are very comforting, I think for both of us. I love you so much!
Mama

new job, ice cream, haircuts and ANOTHER parade

Well this last week has had me feeling more exhausted than I have since I was pregnant with Rayce (don’t get any ideas).   I started my new job at North Meridian Title & Escrow on Tuesday, and let me just say, there is not a person on the planet who can convince me that real estate is not doing just fine in this valley.  My job is to assist 3 Escrow officers – one of which is a good friend of mine, so that makes it really fun   Most days I am thanking the sweet baby jesus that I came into the job knowing how to read a title report and a purchase and sale agreement, AND that I know how the process of a sale or refinance works.  My office is great, and I’m thankful for the job.  I have an awesome boss who takes care of his staff very well, and even though I had a great boss in Jodi at the Ridge, I know those people are somewhat hard to come by.   Anyways, so I have left work each night feeling completely exhausted – on Wednesday night, I actually went to sleep at 8 – it might have also had something to do with the fact that I gave CrossSport a try that morning at 6am  That fine little morning adventure led me to almost complete immobility on Thursday and Friday (Thanks M!) but it’s crazy how you immediately start feeling better – now to just keep it up!

My evening exhaustion has REALLY been a challenge when Brad has class in the evening – I always feel like I need to take Rayce to go do something or go somewhere when I’m done with work, so Tuesday night, we went to Blue Spoon together, where he proceeded to choke on a gummy worm when I went to grab some napkins (note to self – no gummy worms until ALL his molars are in) – I seriously had to reach down his throat and grab the end and pull the whole thing back up – whole.  Sick dude.  Another example of how our mama bear survival modes go into effect when in a panic.

On Thursday night, I managed to take Rayce to the carnival ALL BY MYSELF!  We had leftover tickets to use, and I was looking for something fun to do with him that night, so we headed down there.  Try explaining to a 2 year old that we are STILL going to the carnival – we are just driving away from it because mommy can’t find a place to park!!  When we were out of tickets, I bribed him with ice cream so he wouldn’t throw a fit when we left.  It worked.  Unfortunately, it didn’t work earlier in the day when we went to go see Megan for Rayce to get his first haircut (from a professional) – he was totally excited about “haircut from me-gannn” until we walked in the door – and then he aborted the mission, real quick.  The ice cream bribe didn’t work – even a little bit.

On Saturday morning (yeah for having weekends off!!) I got up and cooked my favorite breakfast – whole wheat pancakes with bananas and walnuts.  Rayce ate 2 big pancakes all by himself!  We got dad out of bed and headed down to the Apple Blossom parade route soon after that.  It was windy, and chilly, but still fun.

One of the FEW moments Rayce sat down with Mel and Travis  And yes, my mom is wearing not 1, but 2 coats.

After the parade, we went to Lemolo for some killer food, and then walked over to the kiddy train in hopes that it was actually running this weekend.  It was, and Rayce and I rode it, but not without a few spoiled kids (who cut in line) getting kicked off the train so Rayce and I could have their spot – my mom really came through – my Grandma Doris would’ve been proud of her – there was no way those kids were going to make it so Rayce had to wait for a whole other group of riders to have their turn after we had been standing in line patiently.  Way to go mom!

We came home after the train and Rayce and I fell asleep for a good 3 hours.  Since it was Cindo de Mayo, we went and met up with mom, dad, mel and travis for dinner at El Porton.  Rayce actually behaved himself (he LOVED the whole beans that came with my fajitas – who knew?!) and we had a great time.  They were all headed to the brewery after, so Rayce and I decided to let daddy go have some fun too, and we went home and watched “UP” together.  I think it was the 1st REAL movie that he has actually sat and watched all the way through.  It was so nice to sit and cuddle with him, and watch him watch the movie.  He’s growing up

 

 

 

who doesn’t love a parade . . . . with 88 entries . . . ???

I was SO EXCITED that I could take Rayce to the Kiddie parade – his 1st year we were still in Alaska, last year I was working, and finally this year, all of the stars aligned! He had SUCH a good time, and I had almost as much fun watching him and Nikole dance to the music and wave at all of the people in the parade.

After the parade, we walked down to Cafe Mela and got a little snack before we were going to walk over to the mini Railroad for a ride.

Unfortunately, the railroad was closed when we got there. I was so freakin’ upset – we had been planning this for weeks, and of course the kids were super excited and couldn’t understand why we weren’t going on the choo-choo like we had said. It was such a bummer.

So, since I felt so horrible, I went and bought 40 tickets at the carnival ($20) so that Rayce could take a few rides. He had never been on the rides before, and he BARELY sneaked in on the whole height limit, but seeing him laugh and smile made the whole train incident seem like just a little blip in our day. I can’t believe how big he seems . . .

hehe – I wish I would’ve had my nice camera – this would’ve made a cute picture if it wasn’t taken with an iPhone . . .

We came home and Rayce took a 3 hour nap! Made some BLTAs and some asparagus, cracked a beer and stayed in for the evening. Such a great 1st Apple Blossom for us!

2 years & 2 months/26 months/almost 2 and a half/a little over 2 . . . .

wicked awesome Whistler.

Brad and I managed to get away for a couple days, thanks to mom and dad taking Rayce, so we headed up to Whistler to meet up with some friends and do some snowboarding.   Neither one of us had ever been there, so it was a new experience!  Brad finished class on Friday, and we jetted out of town quick after that.  The drive wasn’t too bad, only the road construction outside of Vancouver lengthened our 6 1/2 hour trip to 7 1/2 hours.  UGH.

I couldn’t believe the view once we got through Vancouver – it reminded me so much of Alaska and the drive between Anchorage and Girdwood.  I bravely stupidly held my iPhone out the sunroof so I could get a few pictures, but just like in AK, they don’t do it justice.  Luckily I was able to hold on to my phone too . . .

We arrived, checked into our room, and looked out to find this as our view for the weekend.  Ah-maz-ing.

We were both starving, so we walked over to the village (literally across the street) and stopped at the 1st restaurant we could find.  Well, we figured out real quick that we should’ve looked around, it ended up being super expensive, but unfortunately our hungry stomach’s got the best of us.  Oh well, we’re on vacation right?  I got this fantastic latte – and that sugar cube??  Holy cow – it made it one of the best latte’s I’ve ever had!

We met up with Rudy, Cathy, Alex, Jamae and Jamae’s family after a little bit, and found a cheaper place to sit outside and have some drinks.  It was so much fun to be with our friends in such a cool place.  I loved hanging out in the village – it wasn’t near as big and daunting as I thought it was going to be.  It made me miss Girdwood, especially seeing everyone in their snow gear all day long

The next morning we got up and headed up the mountain – it was a GLORIOUS day!   Holy s#!+ they have the LONGEST chairs I have EVER seen!!   I swear their shortest chair is as long as it would take to get to the top of Mission Ridge from the base area.  It was incredible.

And in the evening – we watched the big air show, part of the Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival – pretty freaking amazing what those guys can do!  I suppose that’s why they give them a car when they win the competition!  It was like watching the X-Games live!

On Sunday, Brad and Rudy got up early to ride, and I decided to enjoy some peace and quiet in our room, and then got us packed up.  I rode up the gondola so I could take a ride on the Peak 2 Peak gondola that goes from Whister over to Blackcomb – that was wicked awesome.

 

Once Brad’s legs were jelly, we headed back down the mountain and loaded up to start our long drive back home.  Why is driving in Canada so confusing??  Is it just me?  What an odd experience not having data on my phone – I know we didn’t have it when we drove up and back from Alaska, but still, I feel like I should never take it for granted!

We crossed back in to Washington, and I was able to find the bike we had been looking at buying for Rayce at the REI in Bellingham.  We were so excited to buy it and get back to Cashmere, where he was staying with gma and gpa, and surprise him!

What a great trip.  I think we need to go there every year – and stay for longer.  That was such an amazing mountain, and GREAT riding!!  Thanks VonWalds for letting us tag along!!!

new bike.

I have been dying for it to get nicer out so that we could buy Rayce a balance bike and let him go to town out on the driveway.  We stopped on our way home from Whistler at REI in Bellingham, and they just HAPPENED to have the bike we were looking for.  We sped back to Cashmere because we were both so excited to watch him try it out, only to have it be just slightly too tall for his short little legs :-/  I was so bummed out that as soon as we walked in the door, I ordered a different one online, and thanks to the awesome Amazon.com, it was here the next day.  He LOVES it.  He wakes up first thing in the morning and takes a ride (or2 or 3) around the house, and continues on throughout the day outside.  It’s so much fun watching him

anxiety.

I don’t know if most moms are this way, but every time we are about to leave Rayce for a few days, I feel this HUGE rush of anxiety about whether or not I’ll see him again, and if not, have I done enough to make sure he knows how happy he makes me and how much I love him. . . I know, call me crazy, but the thought of something happening to us (or him) just puts this feeling in the pit of my stomach that I can’t shake.  At some point, it gets bad enough that I consider not even going on our trip, but I know its important for Brad and I to get away, just the two of us.  It’s not the first time, I felt the same feeling the day I went skydiving in New Zealand – I wrote a letter to my parents and my sisters letting them know how much I love them and care about them and all that mooshy stuff, left the letters with someone on the ground, and then successfully jumped out of plane.

When we moved down from Alaska, my parents flew up and took Rayce home with them – he was only 6 months old, and had we not been buried in moving and driving 3,000 miles and the emotions with leaving family and friends behind, I probably would’ve been a LOT more anxious than what I was!  I guess the fact that my dad had us put together a will beforehand helped ease the anxiety a little bit as well, knowing that all our “affairs” were in order in case the great ALCAN highway took us prisoner

I guess, more than anything, trips like this make me realize how precious our time is together, and to savor every moment, even if it involves whining, poop or sleepless nights.  Rayce Jones, just in case this blog hasn’t convinced you already – your dada and I love you more than anything.  I never expected that a little person could bring so much joy and happiness to my life, and I don’t know what we would do without you!  You are more and more fun everyday and I’m so excited to see the crazy fun little man you grow up to be!  You make me SO proud to be a mama!  I LOOOOVVVEEE you!!

Now mama and dada are off to have some fun snowboarding in Whistler – that’s right, 10 years from now you’re probably going to think we’re the lamest parents on the planet, but I promise you, at one point – we were cool.  LOL

lately . . .

Ok, time to play a little catch-up.  Last Wednesday was the final day at Mission Ridge.  I spent most of the day riding with Jodi and other people from the Ski School here and there.  We went up the mountain about 3:30 to get ready for our last run (where we may or may not have an alcoholic beverage before our last trip down the mountain).  It has been a GREAT season and I have really enjoyed a lot of the people that I work with.  Later on after we left the mountain, Jodi took the sales staff out for dinner at Fujiyama – and it was AWESOME.

Being home has been great – I get to witness more moments like this one – vacuuming the deck in his new underwear

We’ve had some really nice days lately (until today that is)  We got out Rayce’s shorts and he has enjoyed being outside!  Our friend Rudy (who surfs) was coming to stay with us, so he wore his surfboard shirt just for him

That same night, my sisters, Bree and I went to see Kelly Clarkson.  But first, we had an AWESOME dinner at the Olive Garden, and were completely surprised when the GM treated us to our dinner and drinks! (Thanks Ray!)    We had a good time laughing with him and AT each other

Kelly pretty much rocked – I’d go see her again in a heartbeat.  Great show!!

Rayce was a little bummed the next morning when he went in to find that Rudy had already left for the day :-/

He always wants to go to the car wash, yet seems to get more and more nervous every time we go . . . the look of fear is kinda funny though

I had heard a few of my friends talk about how great the toys are at Sunnyslope Elementary, so after we hit the car wash the other day, we went to go check it out.  Holy mother mecca of jungle gyms.  We should’ve sought it out LONG before this.  Washington park seems ridiculous now.

Nikole is hanging with us the next few days – so like any other good parent – we put them to work.

I spent some time editing a few pics from Bree’s sons bday party the other day – I particularly LOVE this one

I went to check out the new mexican market a little while later because a few of my friends RAVED about their homemade tortillas – and I’m a sucker for a good tortilla!!  THEY ARE AMAZING.  It took all I had to only eat 1 in the car on the way home

Brad put gel in Rayce’s hair (is it bad that I cringed when I heard them back in the bathroom (with clippers) and I hear Brad say “go show mama!”)???  He rocked his ‘hawk until he ran his fingers through it one too many times.

And the highlight of my evening – I’m sitting out in the living room and I hear Rayce keep saying “stuck”, but I don’t think much about it because he’s not panicked, not yelling, not upset – nothing that would make me think HE is stuck.  Finally after about 10 minutes I walk back to see what is stuck, and find him in his old high chair that I have sitting out in hopes to sell.  Kid cracks me up . . . .