Dorst Creek Camping Trip

About a week and a half ago we met up with my mom and Jesse for a camping trip in the Sequoia National Forest. It was a beautiful place to camp and we had such a nice time hanging out with them. The boys love their Grandma and Grandpa SO much!

What a beautiful spot!

Aden had a blast splashing around in the creek.

Within minutes he was covered in mud!

Just doing his part to help out at camp. Too bad it's a paper plate that he's trying to wash!

Babies-R-Us meets The Great Outdoors. Yes, our camp was a sight to be seen! Two highchairs, two car seats, a double stroller, a Kelty baby carrier and a pack-n-play, not to mention the toys and sippy cups that were scattered about. People probably thought we were nuts! If you're wondering why the car seats were out of the car it's because apparently there had been a lot of bears in the campground and they warned us that the bears would rip the doors off our car to get to the crumbs that the kiddos left in the car seats. Yikes!

Although we bought this cool Ergo baby carrier with Jon Jon in mind, it has come in handy a few times with Aden. He loves it and asks for it by saying, "A piggy bank Mommy?" (Yeah, he gets "piggy back" confused with that little white ceramic pig that he puts coins in)


We had to get creative with nap locations for Jon Jon. He napped in the Ergo carrier,

the pack-n-play set up on the cement behind our parked car,

and in the stroller.

At times it was tricky keeping him entertained. Because he is still in the "crawl on the ground and put everything in your mouth" stage we couldn't really set him down. He spent a lot of time hanging out in the pack-n-play and one morning he entertained himself for quite awhile with a plastic cup and a couple of diapers. Don't worry, they were clean!

Aden thought the massive Sequoias were pretty cool!

This beautiful deer was just one of the creatures we saw that weekend. We also saw a coyote, a bobcat, and a mama bear with her cub.

A pre-bedtime romp in the motor home

Glasses on, ball in one hand, frisbees in the other...all set for a good time!

Two peas in a pod! These boys have the sweetest relationship. They really do love each other.

Hooray for Camping!

It's a Girl!

Yesterday my dear friend Rachel had a baby girl! It was so fun to be in the waiting room when John ran out with a huge grin on his face to announce, "It's a girl!" They named her Sierra Lindsey and she is just precious! What an amazing thing it was to walk into the room and see Rachel holding this sweet little bundle who 3o minutes prior was inside of her! That miracle will never cease to amaze me. God is so good to allow us to be a part of his creation! Congratulations John and Rachel!

Jam Making 101

Apricots, apricots, apricots!

Just one of MANY clusters of apricots on my mom's tree. She had more apricots than she knew what to do with!

I'm so proud to call this sweet lady my mom! She is one of the most resourceful people I know and she is always willing to teach me fun, new things. This time around she taught me how to make jam! So fun! I thought I'd show you the process.

Once you've picked the apricots you wash them, cut them, and remove the pits.

Then you chop them up.

Any guesses as to what the huge bowl of white stuff is? Yep, sugar. SEVEN CUPS of it! Seems crazy since you combine it with only five cups of fruit!

Next, you bring the apricot/pectin mixture to a boil, add the sugar and bring it to a second boil.

Then remove it from the heat and skim off the foam.

Then ladle the apricot mixture into your canning jars.

Then you boil the jars in a water bath canner to seal them.

Next, you remove the jars from the water, dry them off and set them somewhere where the can sit undisturbed for 24 hours. (It's neat because one by one the cans pop indicating that the seal worked.)

Lastly, you spread it on some toast and enjoy the yumminess of a homemade treat!

Decoding Toddler-ese

Aden is talking so much these days and we just get a kick out of the things he says. I thought I'd share a few...

What he says:

1) "Daddy a oda on!"
2) "My hode a foon!"
3) "Daddy a fick it a ba-duh-dee?"
4) "1, 2, 3, 9, 8"
5) "My push a Jonatin a drollo!"
6) "Mommy a paydo a kib a Jonatin too!"
7) "I see it a mokeycycle?"
8) "Uh put a gobbles on?"

What it means:

1) "Daddy's gonna mow the lawn!"
2) "I want to hold the spoon!"
3) "Daddy, can you put new batteries in this?"
4) His counting...what happened to 4, 5, 6, and 7? And since when does 9 come before 8?
5) "I want to push Jonathan in the stroller!"
6) "Mommy, can Jonathan and I play together in the crib with Mr. Potato Head?"
7) "Can I go see that motorcycle?"
8) "Can you help me get these swim goggles on?"

A Mid-Morning Snack

This morning we had oatmeal for breakfast and in the process of cleaning up I accidentally left the brown sugar on the kitchen table. I passed by the table a couple of times in between answering the phone and changing diapers and made a mental note, "Oh yeah, don't forget to put that away before the kids get into it." But of course, I went on to answer the phone, change that diaper, empty the trash, unload the dishwasher, etc. all the while forgetting that the sugar was on the table. When it came time to vacuum I put Jonathan in his high chair with a couple of graham crackers so he wouldn't be under foot. A few minutes later I walked by and saw that Jonathan had completely smashed his crackers into a pile of tiny crumbs. Then I thought, "You know, I bet Aden did that. What a stinker!" So then I looked at Aden (who was sitting on the couch) and he too had a huge pile of tiny crushed graham crackers next to him. And then I thought, "Wait, I didn't give Aden graham crackers." Well, at that point it took about two seconds for me to realize that those two piles weren't graham crackers at all...they were piles of BROWN SUGAR! Aden helped himself to a pile and like the sweet thoughtful brother that he is gave Jonathan a pile too.

Jonathan digging in to his oh-so-healthy snack.

"Um Mom, can I get that bowl back please?"

Good Times with Old Pals

Last week the boys and I took a trip up to Northern California to visit friends and family. We had such a nice time! The boys did really well and I feel like traveling solo with two little ones has gotten easier. From packing to loading the car to pit stops, etc. I've learned little tricks to make it more efficient and systematic.

Aden with Laynie and Tyler Norcross

(This picture was actually taken back in March when we went to Houston but I didn't get any good ones this time around and I wanted you to at least see pictures of all the kiddos we got to see on our trip to the Bay Area)

Aden had a great time with the Norcross kids. They played at the park together, roasted hot dogs and marshmallows together, splashed in the kiddie pool together, tossed water balloons together, and even made 4th of July parfaits (yogurt with blueberries, strawberries, and sprinkles on top) together. Of course, Jonathan just crawled around putting things in his mouth and getting dirty but I know it won't be long before he's hanging out with the "big kids" too.

While in the Bay Area we spent two nights with my college roommate Susan. It was great to see her and it was fun to see our kids together. Her son, Grant, is such a sweetie! He's just a couple of months older than Jonathan and the two had fun crawling around together.

We got to spend an afternoon with the Sheldons. It was great to see them! Aden said, "Mommy, I see a Saylor?" about 50 times on the drive from Redwood City to Dixon. He was really excited to see his old buddy. Of course, I too enjoyed the chance to hang out with my old buddies =)

Tupperware Madness - Round #2

Well, Jonathan has found the tupperware cupboard and (just like Aden at this age) he loves it! So, round #2 of the tupperware madness (ie. tupperware all over the floor everyday) has begun.