Camping in Flagstaff

We spent a wonderful long weekend spanning the last couple days of July and the first couple days of August camping near Lake Mary in Flagstaff. Even though it was hot for Northern Arizona (high 80s, low 90s), we were so thankful to escape the Phoenix temperatures that reached 116-117 the weekend we were gone!

Dortha helped us find a dry camping spot (national forest) and hauled bikes and water for us in their truck on Thursday when we drove up. She and Scott returned on Friday to spend the rest of the weekend camping with us. The kids were over the moon to have Pa and Grandma with us for a few days, and it was so nice to spend time with them, be outside all day each day, chat around the campfire at night, and generally get a dose of fun and normal human interaction. 

We had spectacular sunsets a couple nights. One evening we drove to a spot on the shore of upper Lake Mary where we could get Scott and Dortha's rowboat into the water. The big kids loved pretending it was a pirate ship in a gale--it was pretty blustery at first and poor Scott had to row against the wind! But the wind blew itself out and the lake was quite a bit calmer by the time Jeremy took over rowing. Clara got herself all wet so undressed and curled up in Grandma's blanket while the older three attempted to fish while Jeremy rowed. Bridget was overtired and cranky, so I stayed on shore and bounced her in the ergo.

Abby on the left, Clara wrapped up with Grandma on the right 

Thar she blows!

At and around the campsite, the kids loved tearing around on the bikes Grandma and Pa brought for them, or riding nearby trails with the grandparents. They explored and played spy games using walkie-talkies (using code names, of course, but very muffled, since they don't know how to keep their mouths a proper distance from the mic). They started a fort in a stand of trees nearby, dragging limbs and stones over to it. Jeremy taught them how to start a campfire (very thrilling to his pyromaniac proteges). They played some baseball, read Calvin and Hobbes and Redwall, roasted marshmallows, sang campfire songs (Michael Row the Boat Ashore was a favorite), and all in all loved their time being in the forest, "wild and free" (Lydia's words).

Overall, Bridget did better than I expected after a bad first night (she woke often, cried loudly, and didn't even want to settle down next to me after several episodes of waking-crying-nursing-crying). That first night was colder than we expected, and I think Bridget felt cold--but it was also awkward trying to warm her with me in my sleeping bag, and she didn't want to feel restricted. Thankfully she was warmer and more worn out the other nights!

Bridget can get what she wants with her long reach, determination, and army crawl. But she can't yet get places very quickly, which was a boon to us while camping. She did attempt to grab and eat dirt, pine needles, sticks, etc. every chance she got, but it usually took her long enough to get from the middle of a mat to an edge that someone stymied her most times.

Our campsite was an easy walk from lower Lake Mary, which was mostly a meadow of grasses with hordes of grasshoppers. The mountain bluebirds flew in little flocks and low sweeps, eating the grasshoppers. Clara and Josiah avidly caught many (the twins caught a few but weren't as interested; they played "wild horses" and "capture the elk" instead). Clara was especially thrilled with the grasshoppers and so cute and earnest in her exclamations over them and descriptions of her successful catching.

Abby

We found a game trail and a scattered, whitened elk skeleton in the nearby woods. The evening we drove back from upper Lake Mary, we saw an entire herd of elk come out of the woods and across the meadows to drink from the little water left in lower Lake Mary. On the opposite "shore" was a wide field of pretty yellow wildflowers. Their coloring reminded me of Black-eyed Susans, but they were much smaller.

Clara and her grasshoppers

Lydia

Josiah and Jeremy

Sunrays and clouds over lower Lake Mary

Pa and Lydia use their superior strength to push over a tree

With my boy at the campsite

Eating lunch

Poor Lydia, who already has a perpetual stomach ache, incurred several injuries on Friday that made her feel like the world was falling apart. First she was tumbled out of a hammock onto rocks and got a black eye and some scrapes on her face. Then she crashed on a bike and got a handlebar to the stomach. And then she tried to kick a stump over and instead got a gash on the leg. After many tears she did finally agree to take a bit of tylenol and ended up having a better evening. She was eager to show Grandma and Pa all her wounds when they arrived.

See the eye/face injury?

I bought a travel paint set that the twins enjoyed trying out one afternoon. Watercolors are still a lot harder for them to use than pencils, so they didn't produce much, but they enjoyed trying. I probably need to sit down and do a few tutorials with them.

Clara with the coveted walkie-talkie

Bridget headed to the edge of the mat, ignoring her toys for more interesting quarry

Grandma and Bridget

On Saturday Anna, Justin, Kez, and Willow came out to our campsite for a few hours. They brought their new dog, Gibson, to everyone's delight. We all enjoyed spending time with them. The next day we drove over to Babbitt Springs with them and hiked to the creek. It was considerably lower than when we hiked there in June, but the kids still had tons of fun wading, splashing, playing at being deer or elk, etc. Josiah even caught several crayfish, much to his delight! Clara and Josiah both liked trying to catch the water striders, too.

Bridget gets acquainted with Gibson

One of the crayfish Josiah caught!

Lydia started mourning the end of our camping trip the day before we headed home. Her ambition now is to own a horse and live out in the forest for weeks at a time. We did all immensely enjoy our time away, and we're looking forward to another camping trip next week! 

Bridget at Five Months

Whew, how time flies, even in these days of quarantine and "social distancing"! Somehow life with five kids, homeschooling, and constant house projects keeps us pretty busy regardless of the blank social calendar.

Bridget continues to be our happy, healthy baby--as long as she's held and with people! She'll tolerate floor play for about 5-10 minutes with some toys (and preferably a sibling nearby or interacting with her) if she's well-rested and well-fed. But after a short time, she begins fussing . . . and then screaming. All is right with the world again when Mama picks her up.

She finally tolerates the stoller if I take her for a morning walk!

Bridget is adept at rolling and can do a bit of scootching/army crawling, but she doesn't aim very well yet. Her coordination is improving but isn't great yet. She certainly loves to grab at anything within reach! It's hard to drink a glass of water while holding her now. When I pick peaches or apples with her on my hip, she grabs the leaves. Today I laid her on her back on a blanket in the yard while I did some gardening. She pretty promptly rolled over, pulled the blanket toward her, and grabbed some grass to taste.

Recently Jeremy set her up in Clara's old booster seat with some toys on the tray. She loves to grab and hit at the toys, making noise and seeing what she can catch to put in her mouth. We have to replace the animal toys several times a meal, but she's usually pretty pleasant and entertained, which allows us to eat in peace without a grabby, cranky baby on one of our laps! Evenings continue to be her hardest/crankiest time, like most babies, but she is so much happier than in the early days when she'd just wail for a long while. She usually wants/needs a little cat-nap for about 30 minutes around 6 p.m. or so, which is always hard for me to finagle, since I'm also making dinner, overseeing clean-up activities, etc. etc. So I forget, and then she falls asleep in Jer's arms or just gets really fussy. When I remember, the evening does go better for all of us!

Like my other kids, Bridget started waking again at night around four months old, though not consistently. Recently we've had a string of good nights and then some with a couple wake-ups. Last night was midnight and 4 a.m., and then she was up for the morning around 6:15. The nights she sleeps 8-5 or 8-6 are glorious!

Bridget was pulling down the flower wallhanging by her changing table every time I changed her, so that's put away for now. But she still likes to be changed and usually smiles when I get her on the pad. Then she grabs her toes and sucks on them until I pry her hands away to take the diaper off and clean her up. She laughs or smiles if I kiss her neck and tickle her chest, and generally she's just very happy to interact face-to-face with me. She does love those toes of hers, too, though.

When she wakes from night or nap, she often rolls herself over, sucks on her toes, and coos to herself for a bit before making more insistent noises to call my attention. I love hearing her happy squeals, raspberries, and other noises. She has recently started sniffing (usually while gumming her upper lip), doing a little funny bunny face, all scrunched up and smiley.

Clara and Bridget

She finds her siblings and their antics (usually exaggerated for her benefit) very interesting and often quite funny. I think she's laughed the most at Abby, but everyone vies to get a laugh out of her. Abby and Clara got her laughing by snorting at her the other day. But then Clara got a little too vigorous in her snorting and startled the poor baby, who ended up crying. Clara hasn't given up on what she thinks is this sure-fire way to make Bridget laugh, though. Clara also likes to pant and "beg" like a dog to get Bridget smiling and laughing. Most of Clara's interactions with Bridget disregard any personal space and tend to be loud and repetitive. But Clara also loves to hold her on her lap and is good about keeping her secure. "She is happy because she feels safe with me, Mama," Clara tells me. Bridget is getting quite hefty for Clara and looks large on her lap, but Clara will often patiently hold Bridget--even when the latter is crying--until I can relieve her.

Abby and Bridget

Abby delights in Bridget's smiley nature and chubby happiness. Whenever she holds Bridget, she keeps up a constant stream of conversation to draw my attention and affirmation to all of Bridget's cuteness. "Just look at this sweet baby, Mama! Don't you just love her? I do. Look at her smile at me, Mama! Our baby is just the best baby in all the world. Don't you think so, Mama? She just loves to look at me. She thinks I'm so funny! Bridget is just so sweet. Isn't she just the sweetest, Mama?" etc. Abby loves to wear her yellow, flowered, long-sleeved pajamas partly because they captivate Bridget. She stares at them and grabs at them, wanting to get any part of the material in her mouth.

Lydia and Bridget, back in April, when Lydia was first allowed to hold B standing up/walking (very exciting)

Lydia is a bit chagrined that Bridget has not laughed at her as much as at Abby. But she loves to hold her, too, and often encourages Bridget to cuddle on her shoulder as she sings her a lullaby. She is quick to offer to hold Bridget if I need to do something with both my hands. She and Abby both are eager to be helpful, though they get quickly fatigued if Bridget fusses and cries with them. Both twins want to change Bridget's diaper, pick out her clothes, dress her, etc., and I'm sure I'll have ready and willing helpers when it comes time to feed her real food, too!

Josiah and Bridget (in May)

Josiah loves to tempt Bridget to grab at him (hair, nose, mouth) or gnaw on him (shoulder, knuckle, knee) and sometimes repents of allowing her to touch his feet, put her hands in his mouth, etc.--mostly "accidentally." He keeps an eagle eye out for any sign of her spitting up and is quick with the burp cloth. Last week he did get well-doused, though! He was a good sport about it. He calls her "Pie-pie" and even got his friend Malachi calling her that last week when we stayed with Malachi's family for a few days (our AC broke and we needed emergency housing until it was fixed; our friends were so gracious to host us!). I think "Pie-pie" comes from "sweetie-pie" or some such term of endearment. Josiah likes to take Bridget to see the "baby in the mirror," and he tries various daring ways of holding her if he thinks he can get away with it.

All the kids love to be the first to greet Bridget when she wakes from a nap. The big kids clamor to pick her up and bring her to me. (Now that she's in a real crib and not the small co-sleeper, I don't feel comfortable with them reaching so far to pick her up and haul her out and over the railing. They're pretty disappointed with this.) They love to see her stop crying and start smiling when they enter. They exclaim over her rolling ability, how far she scootched during nap, how many patches of spit-up they see on the sheet . . . .

I remember my siblings' and my stampede to get Baby Rachel up from her nap--and it's fun to observe my own kids' similar competition to be the first in the baby's attentions. Bridget has been all of our delight during this quarantine time. I definitely recommend having a baby around if you must be cooped up at home most of the time! Even a high-maintenance baby like ours is such fun. I wouldn't trade her for the world.

Pa's August Visit

I've got lots of September pictures to download and sift through once I find our camera--but I discovered a few from the end of August that I neglected to post. My dad came to visit after a business trip in Nevada. He was just here a couple days, and it was quite hot, but we all enjoyed seeing him. I think the last time he had come was before Clara was born.

He willingly entered into the children's games and activities. Clara especially loved having him here and often pantomimed her sadness that Pa was gone after he left. She'd point out the window, whimper, make a sad face, and say, "Pa" (though the "p" is more of a "b" when she says it). 

 Pa and Abby

 Even with the heat, the kids loved to have him play outside with them or push them on swings!

Lorien (Part 2)

The playground is always a highlight of being at Lorien. I love letting the kids run free outdoors all day with cousins--and they love it, too!

Squash the lemon is popular with yet another generation . . .

(They let the little kids off before doing the squashing part.)

Obviously we couldn't let Clara roam so freely, but she had plenty of fun on the playground, too. She loved to swing and would contentedly let Pa push her for a looong time.

Just like last year, the kids enjoyed making fairy houses (using bits and pieces of nature--bark, moss, sticks, sand, pebbles, etc.--to make a little "house" and yard/garden next to tree trunks). Others had made some and left them from previous weeks, and our kids (and cousins) changed existing ones and made new ones. This year Abby and Lydia got into it more, and I often found them quietly sitting by a tree trunk, arranging a fence or carefully placing sticks into a tiny fire pit.

Lydia on left, Abby on right

A fairy house

Crazy Aunt Bobo pushing kids in the hammock

Our niece Aria (a few weeks younger than Clara)

The big girls loved to dote on Aria (meaning they often treated her more like a baby and bugged her). She's talking much more than Clara, and she started saying "Abby" pretty early in the week. But she stuck to "Abby" as the name for both twins. When Andrew or Lisa would ask her to say "Lydia," she'd smirk and say, in her tiny little voice, "Abby."

I don't know why they think going down backward is a good idea (this is Abby)

Aria making a camera face, Andrew standing behind Abby and Aria

Clara and Aria decided they would push they big kids on the merry-go-round

Abby

What's a dangerous, old-school slide without crazy antics? :)

Aunt Bobo and Abby

What would vacation at the lake be without a campfire and s'mores? We made sure to fit this in one non-rainy night, and of course, the kids loved it. (The bedtime meltdown and sticky marshmallow hair were the downside.)

Aunt Rach and Abby 

Josiah, Abby, and Lydia enjoy their s'mores with Grandma on the dock 

Clara got graham crackers 

Cousin Abbie with Clara 

Josiah and his gang running races (?) or hurrying to the little dock to fish for crayfish? 

He's getting too big! 

My cousin's youngest, Cecilia--so cute! 

Mary Grace, Josiah, Andrew, Justin, and Cecilia 

Jeremy and Abby out sailing 

Aunt Reenie and Clara 

 Josiah joined in volleyball for a bit and got a tutorial on serving

On our last full day at Lorien, it rained buckets and flooded the playground and lawns. Clara enjoyed stomping in the ditch, even though she was getting a cold. I'm sure getting soaked didn't help her recovery, but she certainly had fun!

Aria with her dad and mom (Andrew and Lisa) 

Cutie cousins 

Clara and PJ, one of my cousin's sons 

Everyone loves Aunt Reenie! 

The big kids rode their bikes through the lake of a puddle and river of a ditch, splashed through with their swimsuits on, and generally enjoyed getting soaked.

Abby in the ditch

As you can see, we all had fun at Lorien! Unfortunately we all came home with colds and had some cranky days adjusting back home (as was to be expected). But at least our flight home was much pleasanter than the flight to Michigan, and here we are a month back in Phoenix, finally starting to cool down and head toward fall.