Arwyn's verbal explosion continues to blossom. This week she started calling us "honey," and finishes all her sentences with "ok Honey?" and "See you later, Honey!" We have no idea where she picked it up because none of us call each other honey. Josh tried to honey right back at her, but she would have none of that: "I not Honey, I Arwyn. You're Honey!" She's also throwing out lots and lots of "I luh you, Mommy!" which always feels so good. Her go to song (when she's not making up her own tunes) is Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, but she says "tinkle tinkle T T R, huh huh huh huh E T R." It's so adorable. She's picked up on Leia's favorite adverb, and now everything around our house is "super." When she's on her bike, she says, "Supa fast!" She does not like to hear Leia's favorite jam, "Call Me Maybe," and she's not afraid to tell us so. "No like 'Maybe'! No singing! Want Arwyn song!. No singing, Arwyn song!" We had our very first family tent camping trip this weekend, and it went surprisingly well, but at the same time, it could have been way better. We arrived in the morning, so we set up our tents in daylight, and everyone had all day to get used to the place and prepare for sleeping in a tent. Arwyn was very excited about the whole tent thing: "Arwyn tent!" Unfortunately, she seems to be a little out of sorts and she didn't get a very good nap, so by the time dinner rolled around, she was not functioning very well. She really wouldn't eat anything, and she was so exhausted that she actually wanted to go to bed early, and didn't even have the coherence to realize or worry that she was going to sleep in a tent all by herself. She hit the bed and passed out in 3 seconds flat. Of course Leia woke her up when she went to bed, and the second time around she wasn't so willing to sleep without me. She fell asleep pretty fast again, but she kept waking up throughout the night and would reach out to make sure I was still there. She even would rub my face and whisper "I luh you, Mommy" all night long. She and Leia were both up early, but I did manage to get them back to sleep at least until it was light out. Arwyn generally had a good morning at camp, but it was filled with bouts of fussiness as well. Again, she didn't sleep very long in the car, and ended up screaming bloody murder for the last 20 minutes of the car ride! Arriving home didn't help. She wanted food but she didn't. She wanted to be held, but she didn't. She wanted to be inside but then she wanted to be out. She finally made a decision she could stick with, indicating that she would like to go for a stroller walk. She promptly pulled down the sun shade to block her view, sat in a virtual black room, and just chilled out. Unfortunately it was only a fleeting calmness, because she then continued to fly off the handle the rest of the night until we finally got her into bed. Whew! I have no idea what is wrong with her, so I'm forced to chalk it up to either teething, illness, or toddler brain development. Anyway it goes, this is no fun for anyone, and I really hope she pulls herself out of it soon.
Leia continues to love her Daddy and his singing. One day "Rock the Cazba" came on the car radio, and Leia pronounces, "Daddy, you and this guy have nice voices." Her new favorite jam is "Call Me Maybe," and it's really impressive to hear her sing along because she has already learned all the lyrics! There are a lot of words and she sings pretty fast, so it's pretty amazing how Leia can pick up both the tune and the lyrics so quickly. She clearly has a knack. Leia was so excited to finally be going on our first tent camping trip. She really wanted to help pack up, but luckily she didn't insist on repacking everything herself (like she did for our Wisconsin trip) after I told her I'd already taken care of it. We brought our bikes along, and Leia's confidence and skills on her bike made leaps and bounds after only a few minutes watching the other kids on their balance bike. The day before she'd been up to about 5 seconds of balancing with no feet, and now all of a sudden she was flying so fast all the way down a long hill! She did get a little cocky and ended the day with one big crash, but she got right back on the bike the next morning and did just fine again. We went on a pretty little hike up to Bear Lake, and again, Leia benefited from the peer pressure of the other kids, hiking further than she's ever been willing to hike. We did end up having to carry her a little at the end, and half the way down, but hey, progress! Leia was so excited all day for the campfire, both for the marshmallows and the campfire stories. She was the biggest story teller of the whole group! She also motivated everyone to tell a story, even some of the shy people, which was cool to see. Most of the stories were about Princes and Princesses named Leia, Arwyn, Kyle, and Emmett going on some sort of adventure. Bedtime was pretty late that night, and it seemed like it was going well, but then she got upset and loud, woke Arwyn up, and wouldn't let me leave the tent. I decided it was easier to just commit to going to sleep because it seemed like they both were going to keep waking up every time I tried to unzip the tent to leave. It would have been ok because I needed the extra rest, but I couldn't fall asleep until after the last person left the campfire. Oh well. Leia was generally difficult the whole next morning, and in one particularly bad fit of bad behavior, she snatched Arwyn's hat and tossed away, right into the fire! I was so pissed! These kids sure are a challenge to remain patient with these days!
Group hike up to Bear Lake.
Check out these three amigos!
So excited to finally get to the lake so she could put her feet in!
This 10:30 am breakfast was #2 for Leia and Arwyn, since we had been up since 7!
Leia continues to love her Daddy and his singing. One day "Rock the Cazba" came on the car radio, and Leia pronounces, "Daddy, you and this guy have nice voices." Her new favorite jam is "Call Me Maybe," and it's really impressive to hear her sing along because she has already learned all the lyrics! There are a lot of words and she sings pretty fast, so it's pretty amazing how Leia can pick up both the tune and the lyrics so quickly. She clearly has a knack. Leia was so excited to finally be going on our first tent camping trip. She really wanted to help pack up, but luckily she didn't insist on repacking everything herself (like she did for our Wisconsin trip) after I told her I'd already taken care of it. We brought our bikes along, and Leia's confidence and skills on her bike made leaps and bounds after only a few minutes watching the other kids on their balance bike. The day before she'd been up to about 5 seconds of balancing with no feet, and now all of a sudden she was flying so fast all the way down a long hill! She did get a little cocky and ended the day with one big crash, but she got right back on the bike the next morning and did just fine again. We went on a pretty little hike up to Bear Lake, and again, Leia benefited from the peer pressure of the other kids, hiking further than she's ever been willing to hike. We did end up having to carry her a little at the end, and half the way down, but hey, progress! Leia was so excited all day for the campfire, both for the marshmallows and the campfire stories. She was the biggest story teller of the whole group! She also motivated everyone to tell a story, even some of the shy people, which was cool to see. Most of the stories were about Princes and Princesses named Leia, Arwyn, Kyle, and Emmett going on some sort of adventure. Bedtime was pretty late that night, and it seemed like it was going well, but then she got upset and loud, woke Arwyn up, and wouldn't let me leave the tent. I decided it was easier to just commit to going to sleep because it seemed like they both were going to keep waking up every time I tried to unzip the tent to leave. It would have been ok because I needed the extra rest, but I couldn't fall asleep until after the last person left the campfire. Oh well. Leia was generally difficult the whole next morning, and in one particularly bad fit of bad behavior, she snatched Arwyn's hat and tossed away, right into the fire! I was so pissed! These kids sure are a challenge to remain patient with these days!
Our newest nephew, Steele Transue! Can't wait to meet him.
Arriving at our great campground in beautiful Gold Lake area.
Arwyn was so excited to help me set up what she considered to be "her tent." "Arwyn tent!" she kept saying.
Hi out there! Come check out my awesome tent!
The biker gang!
They were all doing so well on the downhills on their balance bikes!
First it was balance bikes, then balance beams...gotta train them for balance early on!
So much concentration!
It wouldn't be a good camping trip without a proper Tea Party!
Kyle and Emmett wore their helmets 24-7, which turned out to be a good thing...lots of tripping hazards around here!
Everyone loved art time in the trailer with Aunt Stacia!
Leia generally has very good balance, this line was really tricky though. Definitely needed some helpers!
Group hike up to Bear Lake.
Check out these three amigos!
So excited to finally get to the lake so she could put her feet in!
My little Arwyn was so tired, she just wanted to snuggle up and sleep in my arms. Had to carry her like this the whole way down!
Pretty little lake, overlooking the full moon.
Leia and Kyle love playing together...always so many smiles.
These guys look like they are all trying to save the tree from falling in!
Even Uncle Ryan thought the lake looked too inviting to resist a little dip!
A little picnic and relaxing by the shore.
Arwyn and her Daddy.
Leia doing a great job navigating the log bridge.
Kyle was also brave enough to make the crossing!
Emmett likes to eat and wear his ice cream!
Beautiful little cocktail hour over at Sardine Lake to celebrate John and Stacia's Wedding Anniversary.
Aunt Stacia and the littles next to Sardine Lake.
Cute people and a beautiful view!
After only a 20 minute nap, Arwyn was still acting a little clingy and Mommy needy.
Arwyn loves her Auntie!
Those Lange's sure do have great smiles!
It's so great watching all these kids play together!
Arwyn pondering life, and possibly wishing she had slept longer.
Password = Leia
Two days earlier, Leia could only balance on the bike for 5 seconds. But after a few minutes watching the other kids on their bikes, Leia had it mastered. She was flying down the hills so fast, pleased as punch, and so confident in herself.
Possibly Leia's favorite and most anticipated part of camping...roasting marshmallows!!
Lying down to look up at the stars. It's one of the few times Leia has ever been out late enough to do this!
Telling campfire stories with her buddy Kyle.
Early morning art session in the trailer. Also a good excuse to be slightly warmer.
Kyle, Uncle Ryan, and Emmett enjoying a little camp breakfast.
Wahoo, it was chilly but we all survived the night!
This 10:30 am breakfast was #2 for Leia and Arwyn, since we had been up since 7!
Best buddies!
Little picnic stop at Gold Lake before heading back home.
Relaxing by the shore, putting the finishing touches on a successful first camping trip.
I always love when we get to see that big smile!
We were hoping to do a little swimming and kayaking, but it was a bit too windy and cold...more like wet feet and warm jacket weather!
After screaming for 45 minutes straight, Arwyn decided that a stroller walk with a blackout curtain was what she needed most to help her calm down.
It's the start of a new session of swimming, and Arwyn's first ever swim class!
She behaved about as poorly as the other kids in her class, so it was just fine.
Password = Leia
After about 7 weekly swim lessons, Leia is finally getting the hang of the breath stroke (well, minus the breath part)! And it's so fun to watch her be proud of her successes.
The after class water play is always a winner.
Like all the great chefs, our Daddy is all about presentation!
Hey Arwyn, who's that monster in the mirror!?
September 21st...first snow storm of the season...just a little too early for my taste!
Arwyn was happy, she missed eating dirty snow!
And Leia will never turn down a good snow play session either!
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