Thursday, March 8, 2012

Road Trip Adventure

Here she is...


...in Joshua Tree National Park. Yes, we made it to California and back with her. There were a few days along the way we weren't so sure, and the two weeks vacation certainly didn't go quite as we had planned, but in the end we definitely had our adventure and lots of fun along the way.



The plan: 2 1/2 days driving, arrive to Jtree. Spend 6 days or so in the park, then move onto Zion National park for 3-4 days. From there visit Estes or somewhere in Colorado (to be determined based on timing and weather) and then by Friday March 2 find a hotel in Omaha NE, spend all day Saturday at the Omaha Children's Museum, go swimming and do laundry Saturday night at a hotel, drive the rest of the way home and conclue our trip Sunday March4.



What really happened: One day of driving. Van troubles started. Stuck in Denver CO for 6 days. Visited 3 museums, and one really cool coffee place/kids indoor play space. Went swimming in hotel pool nearly every day and enjoyed all the comforts we don't have at home! Van finally fixed (we thought). Drive one more day, spend one night at Zion. Drive another 1/2 day, arrive in Joshua Tree. Spend 4 nights and 3 days in the park and then headed home. And that's just the condensed version! Pictures and more stories coming soon!



Tuesday, March 6, 2012

a little learning too

Some of the more memorable moments and milestones of January include:

**"balloon science"

**creating awesome track systems for trains






























**more reading! Doodle Bites is still a favorite, but he now can (and will) read Morris the Moose books (current favorite is Morris has a Cold), Frog and Toad, Little Bear, and any board book Norrie brings to him.


**lots of play dough this month. Both making it (great practice for reading recipes, measuring and mixing) and creating with it.


**not pictured, but really cool- Conrad is learning cursive. He asked about it, I looked into it, and figured why not. He likes it because it's pretty. He's written every letter now and next we'll start putting some together.




























back to the prairie

After living in a big farm house for 3 weeks, it took a few days to transition back to our cozy yurt. Getting outside a bunch helped!


































our sad sledding hill, but usable to the <50# crowd





















tweet, tweet. Happy little finches.


























playing pretend together. I don't remember if it was "house" or "sleepover" or "camping" though































a picnic?!?!



































what a pair :)































another day perfect for hiking