Hyas Lake

Last week we finally made it out backpacking! We didn't make it last year because it wasn't part of our birth plan or postpartum recovery ;). I really wanted to try backpacking with Emerson when she was little (i.e., lighter and ate less) but it just didn't happen.

We try to go at least once a year with our good friends, Jason and Whitney, and this year it happened! I have to stop and give major recognition to Whitney because she still went even though she was 6 months pregnant! I'm serious! She is supermom! Pregnant and carrying a pack with a wiggly toddler in it! Props should also go to our sweet husbands and their sherpa-dad brute strength.

The trailhead parking lot was really full and we were worried about finding a spot, but as it turns out, this trailhead goes to several different locations, so although the trail was busy, most people were going further than us :).

Hyas Lake is a short, sweet 2 miles into the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. There were a handful of nice, open campsites as we walked past the lake, which were also pretty open to the trail. However, we didn't see many better places to camp so we went back to one of them with water access. It was a great spot, despite the view of the trail.

Truthfully, I was glad Whitney made the call to do a shorter hike! We were all a little out of shape and carrying new packs or heavier loads than usual. It was a great way to break back into backpacking and to introduce our kiddos to woods.

 So without further ado... here's the weekend in pictures.

About to start our little adventure

This is pretty much all I see of Blake on the trail, always his back as he plows ahead. 

Loaded down pack, entering the Alpine Lakes Wilderness

My girl and me, she's just young enough to enjoy the ride vs wanting to get out and walk.

Lincoln, however, is older and very curious. He's a better walker than Emerson too.

Pretty much the cutest little hiker I've ever seen!

He did get a little distracted though, and needed reminders about which way we were trying to go ;)

Cathedral rock in the background (I think) and a soggy meadow on our way up.

A little family selfie... or groupie?

If I was more creative (or wore more jewelry) I'd have picked this up and made
a bracelet out of it. Crazy how pretty the bugs make the underside of bark.

Little Hyas Lake

Taking a little nap

Back down to the bigger/lower Hyas lake and near our campsite. 

Sweet babies

Emerson 'getting' Lincs

Keeping Auntie Whitney warm

My tent-mates early in the morning.. it was a cold night the first night..

Napping in the tent

We took a day hike further up the trail. We ended up going another 2.5 miles up and several more feet in elevation.

On our day hike.

Daddy got a turn with the lighter pack (and mommy got a break)

Emerson's first time on the PCT

At our turn around and break spot on the PCT 

My little camper

Ready to head home

Jason thought we should do a pointing picture.. so we thought we'd try it and see if the kids caught on.
They didn't.

So glad we had some time in the woods with our friends making memories. And so glad Whitney was willing to go backpacking while pregnant!

15 Months

I think this past month has been my favorite of the non-tiny-baby months.

Emerson is the sweetest mix of baby and toddler (even though she's just not looking like a baby these days). She's developing her independence yet still wants momma very close by. I love having her toddle along beside me or after me, sitting next to me 'helping' while I accomplish tasks. She can 'read' to herself in her car seat (she used to just throw the books) and it's the cutest thing ever. She has been a little more clingy lately (teething!), so while she has gained some independence, she sure doesn't assert it very often. Sometimes though, she'll sit down and play with her toys or read a book all by herself, talking or singing and kissing something every few minutes. It's so sweet.

My favorite thing though, after watching her play so sweetly by herself, is that she always comes over - usually with a toy or book - hugs my leg, kisses it, hands me the treasure and goes back to playing. It's the kiss that gets me. She does it at different times too, just doing her own thing, leans over and kisses my arm, leg, cheek, whatever is closest.. and continues on with what she was doing.
Melt.

She's been working hard off and on this month on her molars and canine teeth on the bottom (and possibly the top too), a few of which just broke the skin today. Whew. Those suckers have been tough on all of us.

Her vocabulary continues to expand (as I'm writing this over a week later, it's really exploding now!). She has started really demonstrating her receptive language too. She used to just say 'yes' (da) when I asked where the duck (etc) was, now she's finding most of the things I ask about. During this month she started using the following new words:

• Oh-oh. Uh-oh. She starting to say 'uh-oh' more but this started out for the first several weeks as 'oh-oh'. First she'd drop things on purpose to say it, then she found other situations like a toy that is stuck, when she needs help, when she gets hurt or when she did something she wasn't supposed to. One night I had socks on her when she fell asleep in the car and I'd put her into bed. When she stirred later and I tried to get her back to sleep, one of her socks fell off. She was only half awake but she starts saying, 'oh... oh... oh...oh'. It was so cute. 
• Hot. Whispered, of course. At first anything that wasn't bone cold was 'hot' and had to be blown on several times. Now she's better about accepting things that are warm after just one blow. 
• 'open' sign. She learned this just after I wrote the last post. At first she used it almost universally for anything she wanted. Probably because we reinforced it because it was so darn cute. 
• 'more' sign. She finally started using this appropriately, accurately and consistently. I think the reinforcement of her open sign caused her to use her other signs more often. 
• Animal sounds: puffs cheeks (Puffer fish); chomp/bite sound (shark); roar (bear, tiger, hippo...basically universal noise for all animal sounds she doesn't really know).
• Bubble. She says the whole word these days. 
• Oww. This one is slowly emerging. She usually says uh-oh when she gets hurt but she just started saying owww too. Especially when she's genuinely hurt - like when she wakes up from her teeth or when I accidentally spray hand sanitizer on her bottom instead of bottom spray (oops! I felt pretty bad about that one!).  

She's just so fun and full of wonder and soaking up everything she can learn. I love spending my days with her. Sometimes, when I'm trying to get the dishes done or breakfast made or laundry folded and she comes up with a book that we've already read ten times that day and says, 'da, da, da. mama. buh' I just have smile, dry my hands/put things down, pull her close and read the book again. A hint of exasperation blows by my mind but as soon as I look at her sweet face I realize, this is what life is about, right here. This time is so fleeting but I'll be making breakfast/dishes/laundry for the rest of my life. I feel so lucky to be the one who gets to read the same books to her over and over and over. To be the one that puts her to bed three times a day (and lately several times a night). It's a little exhausting, I'll admit it, but so worth it when I snuggle her close and teach her about animals and vegetables and talking to God. Whenever exhaustion creeps in, I'm quickly reminded of how soon she'll be taking care of herself and boy will I miss these days!

Aaand I'm done.

She sure loves her books (and her daddy)

Labor Day at Hell's Gate

Yet another labor day and another campground. This year we went to Hell's Gate State Park in Hell's Canyon just outside of Lewiston, Idaho. It was a really nice campground. Very well maintained and groomed. Nicely shaded but with a lot of open areas. It was also pretty close for us, but unfortunately, it was a fairly long drive for everyone else. 

Setting up the mansion. 

The swimming beach. This is the Snake River.

First thing Emerson did was check out the rock situation. She decided these little tiny rocks will do.

Playing with grandma in their camper.

My cousins' dog, Oakley. Emerson loved him!

The palest family on the beach.

 Swimming with Grandpa

Grandma and Grandpa

And back to her happy place.

Mom as the sunshade.

My cousin's wife, Danielle, turned 30 a day or two before the camping trip, so my aunt and uncle put on a special dinner for her to celebrate. I'm not kidding. It was the best food I've ever had camping. SO GOOD! We have a tradition in our family of wearing the hideous birthday hat... which Danielle professed that she wasn't going to wear. So here's her party night and the hat debacle.

Hanging out

Water with grandpa (are you sensing a theme)

Bites with grandpa

swishing water, her new favorite

Doesn't she just look like a kid here!? Not a baby these days. 

Top of (grand)pop

A panoramic of the view from the Jack O'Connor Museum within the campground

My sweet aunt gave Emerson this cool animal book with flaps and sound. Obviously, it was a hit!

And again.

Pistachios. Also a favorite. Also a favorite of grandpas. 

Top of pop

Grandpa let her sit in his truck and she was pretty taken. 

My cousin's daughter (right), Joie, and her friend (left), C.
C was sweet enough to give Emerson her little pink camping chair.
It was fairly small for her and fit Emerson just right, but best of all,
it was all her own idea. What a sweet heart she has.

We got a rough start on this trip with teething in full swing (fever and all). The first two nights were anything but restful (for us and probably our neighbors) but things settled down after that and we enjoyed our time.

A highlight for me this camping trip was the s'mores. I spent the week before making the ingredients to make a healthy s'more. Yes, You read that correctly. I made marshmallows with grass-fed gelatin (all kinds of health benefits) and raw honey (which after cooking isn't raw... so next time I'll use maple syrup.. either way, it's not corn syrup or some other highly refined sweetener). I also made grain-free and refined sugar-free graham crackers and home made chocolate (which left some room for improvement). You have to be okay with some coconut taste to the graham crackers (which I am) and this little treat is heaven. Bonus, they didn't give me a sugar headache like last years s'mores.

I'm not particularly a marshmallow fan, but they are an essential component of a s'more so..
Everyone that tasted them said (somewhat surprised) that they tasted just like real marshmallows.
Hint: It's because they are! Just honey instead of refined sweetener. Easy to make regardless of sweetener choice,
once you get over the learning curve of a candy thermometer and correct pot size.

So tasty! Not the greatest picture but you know, it was dark and I wanted to keep eating it.

So good it's okay to have a couple for breakfast too (sans chocolate here)
In the future, I'll make the graham crackers a little thinner if I can. They were pretty filling!

 So there you have it. My homemade s'more adventure. Next year when Emerson is interested in these kinds of things, she can have a few herself (I gave her a taste but she wasn't impressed).

It was a fantastic weekend with family and another successful labor day camping trip!