Sedona and the Grand Canyon

We enjoyed the hotel on Friday night but not game 7.   Daddy went and picked up some Thai food.  Lila went to bed pretty early due to skipping a couple of naps and not being able to get in any good sleep in the car.  The next morning Lila woke up before the sun, we got to see an amazing Arizona sunrise out of the hotel window while Lila took her morning nap.  

After breakfast we set out for a short easy hike.  We took a detour due to terrible directions from a website but every view in Sedona  seems beautiful and Lila got the chance to take another nap.  We found the trailhead, got a recreation pass, and Lila woke up.  Mommy popped her in the ergo and off we went.  It was a fairly easy hike, the rocks almost create steps for you to walk to the top.  Everyone we passed awed and oohed over Lila.  We made it to the twisted juniper trees.  A man was playing a wooden flute on the very top, Lila really enjoyed his tunes and almost fell asleep.

  When the man came down from the rock he told us a little more about the vortex and gave mommy a heart rock before heading down the trail.  

The views were amazing and so different in oppisite directions.  Lila had a small meltdown but was feeling better as we got away from the vortex.  

We stopped at the grocery store to stock up for camping and then grabbed lunch before going to our site.  We found a nice park and a pretty perfect spot.  We strolled around  the camp and Lila fell asleep in the ergo. 

 Daddy built a fire and the temperature started to drop.  We were in the forest in the cut of mountain so we lost sunlight quickly.  We ate dinner and went to the camp store to get s'mores.  We made snores while Lila slept on mommy, then daddy's chest.  The tent was cold when we got in and got even colder as the night went on.  We found out the next morning it was freezing!  The car read 33 around 8am.  Seriously so cold.  

We decided to go check out the touristy little town of Sedona.  We strolled through several gift shops and sat and watched the rocks for a bit. 

 Lila fell asleep in the ergo so we walked through a few more shops then went and had lunch.  The food was okay but our view was so pretty.  Lila loved the fans and mirror do she had a blast too.  

We headed back to camp and explored around the park.  It was October 30 and a cold front had blown through the previous week bringing fall.  The colors of the leafs were so beautiful, and so many different colors.  

Lila loves leaves, to crunch them in her hands, watch them blow in the wind, and most of all watching the leaves fall from the trees. 

 Daddy build a very nice fire and kept the family warm while he made dinner.  We called the night early because it was getting pretty cold again.  We all cuddled in the tent and did manage to stay mostly warm.  Lila was pretty cozy all night nestled in between her two favorite people.   We did have a monster skunk situation which daddy had to take care of several times (burrr!) Apparently Cave Springs Campground has very intelligent skunks.  They opened the cooler that has a zipper.  They even opened Lila's picnic basket, but I guess I didn't take them long to realize the food was just plastic.  They hissed at our tent and dug lots of holes we found in the ground the next morning. 

 Monday, it is Halloween, and for us, the day to see the Grand Canyon.  We were up early, before the sun so we all took a nap and waited for the sun to come up.  We packed up.... So cold...

 Our fingers were frozen, Lila was the smart one with her mittens on.  Daddy found the perfect little diner in Flagstaff to have breakfast.  We filled up and headed 80 miles north to the Grand Canyon.  The scenery was again pretty we even saw a mountain with snow. 

 We paid and parked and walked to the buster center that has an overlook.  We watched a short film in a movie theater.  This was Lila's first movie experience ad first time she was allowed to watch tv. (and the last for a long while :)  We only watched for a few minutes and then went to get some tips on how to best see the park with a baby and where to watch the sunset.   We then walked to the overlook and WOW!!!  

It is pretty neat.  We decided to do the Rim trail to the Grand Canyon Village (restaurants, hotels, homes, a museum, etc)  the trial was nice and mostly flat.  We just strolled along and enjoyed the amazing views.  

Each angle and turn revealed something new and beautiful. 

 Lila enjoyed the "hike" hanging out on daddy for the first half then napping on mommy the second.   

When Lila woke up we grabbed a bite, there wasn't anything too appealing so we settled for chicken fingers...  We hopped on a bus and headed back to the car.  

We drove to a spot suggested by the ranger and bundled up to watch the show.  We  saw a few elk on the way but (to the regret of daddy) did not turn around to get a closer look.  As the sun went down the canyon looked so different every minute.  

The changing light brought out the depth and textures in the rock.  We snapped a few pictures but they can't capture how beautiful it was.  

Mommy read Lila her bedtime stories in the car and nursed her to sleep.  She slept until we reached our destination, Gallup, NM.  We were happy to find a good place to stay and everyone had a good night sleep. 

SBA->MJD->SED





Daddy driving.  Mommy in rear passenger seat. Lila in middle rear.

Santa Barbara to the Mojave desert.  We woke up on Wedneaday morning just after Lila turned 7 months old.  We planned to take care of a few things and go to the Santa Monica farmers market on the way to the Mojave Desert but we had too much to do.  It takes a lot to work to move across the country. 

We headed out of Santa Barbara at 1:00 and enjoyed the last views of the pacific we will have for a while.  We even saw a couple of dolphins...  Google estimated drive time 6 hours 22 minutes.  320 miles to our destination. 

Mommy and Lila had so much fun in between naps and a bit of whining about being in the car seat.  They sung, mommy danced in her seat and made as many silly faces and sounds as she could think of.  Lila can see daddy in her car mirror and had lots of laughs waving to him.  

We enjoyed spectacular views and colors as the sunset  about an hour away from our campsite.  Lila was ready to get out of the car when we turned into the preserve but still had 20 miles to go.  Mommy broke out the comb and showed Lila how to comb hair.  She really enjoyed combing mommy's hair and it did the trick.  Daddy spotted a few cows on the road and then our site.  

Daddy set up the tent while mommy and Lila waited in the car. Lila had fun exploring the tent before falling alseep.  Burrr rabbits! It was very cold that night, in the low 30s with extreme wind.  Everyone snuggled pretty close that night. 

Lila loved waking up in the tent.  And snuggling with daddy of course. 

The next morning we drive through a beautiful joshua tree forrest while Lila took a little nap.  We grabbed some warm drinks and bagels at the Kelso Depot and headed to the Kelso Dunes. New were told sidewinders have been in the dunes lately so keep a look out. Yikes! 

 We got to the dunes, which are the third largest in the county, and started our hike.  We quickly realized walking in sand is hard and we wouldn't  make it to the top.  we walked a bit and then played in the sand.  Lila loved the giant sand box. 

We took the rest of the day to organize our stuff and just enjoy the beautiful scenery around our tent.   Daddy made hotdogs for lunch and Lila played on her park quilt and then in the tent, she even hung out in her highchair a bit.  She was having so much fun she couldn't nap.  Being outside is her favorite thing after all.   Around 4:30 as the sun was making its way down Lila finally took a little snooze.  After a family photo and the sun set we changed into our warm pjs and listened to game 6 in the car. 

Lila and mommy took a break from the game and played in the tent and read a book.  Then we joined daddy again in the car.  Lila nursed to sleep sometime during the 5th inning and mommy fell asleep t the end of the 10th.  After the game was over we went to the tent and had a much much warmer night. 
We woke up on Friday morning and packed up the tent, and headed back to Sedona via I40.   296 miles estimated time 5 hours and 13 minutes. 

On the way to Sedona we climbed up a few mountains and coasted down a couple with really amazing views.  We could see so far.  The highest elevation was 7000 feet, we saw lots of desert (all different types of desert) , we saw a huge mountain with snow on top, then dropped down into a beautiful forrest and ended in a town surrounded with  beautiful red rocks.  Tonight Lila fell asleep early, poor baby was ready to get out of the car.  She had fun exploring the hotel room and taking a bath with mommy.  Tomorrow we will explore Sedona and set up camp for the next two nights. 

a pretty view from the tub...

Lila's first bath... now, six months later...

v.30

Today Lila is 30 weeks old. This week has been so busy. Full of diaper changes, boxes, climbing and crawling, and saying goodbye to Santa Barbara and our friends here. Last Friday Lila got sick and wasn't feeling good for a few days. A week later, she is still not one hundred percent. A stomach bug is going around Santa Barbara babies. Poor Lila.

 On Tuesday Lila took daddy to infant times and showed him what she does every Tuesday morning. She had fun bouncing on daddy's knee durning the songs but still wasn't feeling herself so we left early to go take a nap. Wednesday between naps Lila and mommy went to say goodbye to the PEP group. When Lila wasn't napping at 10 on Wednesday'​s we would go to this pep circle and swing on any bucket swing around. It is nice to have an excuse to go to the park and play with babies And Burke is usually there too! Lila and mommy went to the Bollmans house on Thursday to say goodbye to Annemarie and Burke. Mommy and Lila will miss them so much. Mommy met Annemarie in yoga. It has been so nice getting to know her and then knowing Burke. Lila is looking forward to seeing Burke in Texas, she wants to climb all over him! Santa Barbara is so full of beautiful parks and we really have gotten to enjoy them.

Lilas favorite park is Alice Keck and on Friday Mamatoto met there again. This week was a costume party. It was cloudy and a bit windy so it was perfect the totos were stuffed into their costumes. A lion, a tiger, a kitty, an astronaut, an owl, skeleton, a sunflower, a ballerina, a dinosaur, and Lila was a duck. She had so much fun with all of her friends. The first mamatoto circle Lila was just 4 weeks old. Tiny and mommy had no idea how to really manage getting out of the house yet. But mommy and Lila were so lucky to have this amazing, thoughtful​, caring group of mamas and their beautiful totos. Friday mornings won't be the same without our circle. The party was so fun and Lila had a great time climbing on her friends and playing with everyone's costume. At first when the we got there the babies were looking at each other with such curiosity. Probably wondering what the heck their friends were wearing. People visiting the park got an extra bit of joy seeing all the babies dressed up. And of course, Lila got a swing in before heading home to spend the rest of the day with daddy.

Since Lila has begun to pull up on everything she can she has mastered ploping down to sitting and falling very controlled and gracefully.  She is testing how far she can go and  has atempted to balance on her own by completly letting go of daddy and mommy's hands.  She takes steps and will stand with one hand on the box and one hand out, testing herself.  We are so amazed watching her grow and learn... one step at a time.  What a gift to be able to hold her hand along the way. 

the pumpkin patch



10.16.11 Lane Farm pumpkin patch



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Eating the hay...



Petting the pig

Corn maze with daddy.

huge pumpkins

v.29

Today Lila is 29 weeks old. A couple of fun firsts Lila had this week.  Her first hike, it was at Elings Park which overlooks all of Santa Barbara and you can see the ocean in both directions.  We planned to watch the sunset on a bench but spotted a trail and took that instead.  We made it to the top of the hill.... There were bugs everywhere so we took in the view and quickly headed back down.  
The other first, a dip in the pacific ocean.  On Sunday after breakfast at easy beach grill, the family took  a walk down the beach.  On the way back it was getting pretty hot so everyone dipped their toes in the water.  She got another chance to get in later in the week too (see below)
  Lila has amazing control over her fingers.  It is so cute to watch her explore how she can move them.  Because of this finger control she can make the potty sign very clearly, which is the letter T in sign language and then shaking her fist back and forth.  before she just made a fist. It is so cute to watch her pinch things with her thumb and little finger...   Lila is loving pulling up on anything she can. Daddy is by far the favorite thing to pull up on, mommy's lap is a close second.  Since we are busy moving mommy set up some boxes so Lila can play with them... In and out... Pull up.... Fall down.   When you start to crawl, sadly it seems, you start to fall. 
This week there were a couple of really hot days in Santa Barbara, with no AC Lila found it tough to nap and to wear clothes!  One day we set up the pool, the next we went to the beach (previous post) , then luckily we got a break from the little heat wave.  But for Lila there was no break.  The poor baby has had some tummy troubles starting Friday.  Proabably just a little bug, she doesn't seem to feel too bad.  Daddy and mommy wish they could take away all the pain though.  Today we napped, went to the farmers market, napped, went on a walk, napped and enjoyed the day.  Daddy found a great way to give Lila water.  She opens her mouth like a little bird and... gulp.  We hope little Lila feels better soon. 



eating banana and peaches on Friday



Summer in October

It was so so hot in Santa Barbara today.  The back porch thermostat read over 100 degrees.  So we decided to go to East Beach and escape the heat.  Mommy wanted to take a picture to capture the day and just how amazing the beach in Santa Barbara is. 

"You must live on the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment.  Fools stand on an island and look for other land.  There is no other land, and there is no life other then this."

 

March 2011

October 2011