This weekend we took a trip up to Guerneyville, CA to explore the area near the Russian River. The drive took us just over two hours, north through San Francisco and then into the hills. We left Thursday night after dinner and baths. Hazel stayed awake the whole time, too psyched to see our "cottage" I suppose. When we got just outside San Francisco, she thought all the tall buildings were temples. She was thrilled to drive over the Golden Gate Bridge, even though it was dark.
Photo courtesy of images.google.com.We had just put civilization behind us and headed deep into the woods when I realized I must not have used the restroom before we left. When it became an emergency-level situation, Todd pulled off the main road and found a spot for me to take care of business. To my complete horror, thirty seconds later a truck pulled up behind us and shot a photo of me squatting!
Who would do that? I asked myself, then realized that College Todd would have. And it might even have been College Angie's idea. So I laughed and forgave them.
The place we stayed at was actually a mobile home. We called it our cottage and we loved it.
We had a living room, kitchen, bathroom, and two bedrooms. It was similar in square footage to our apartment we actually live in. Also it had a huge deck. But oh, the yard! That was paradise. Huge (I don't know, an acre or two I'd say) with lots of trees and plenty of open space, a fire pit, hot tub, and two delicious hammocks.
Friday we rented a canoe and forged our way through the extremely mild Russian River. As in, it was super easy for one person to paddle our whole family upstream. It was relaxing. Hazel and Todd worked the paddles and I kept Jack happy. The water was a comfortable enough temperature for us to dock the canoe for a bit and let Hazel swim about in the shallow parts and throw handfuls of mud around.
Photo courtesy of images.google.com.After the river we took the kids back to the house for naps. And then here's the best part! While the kids were sleeping, instead of being quietly trapped in my living room with nothing to do but laundry, Todd and I took books outside and read while we lounged in the hammocks. Bliss!
We spent the entire rest of the day and evening outside. We soaked up every minute of our pretend "we have a yard" life. Hazel ran and ran and ran and ran. She mostly pretended to be Robin Hood. She'd get "tied up" in the hammock by Prince John (Todd - and Jack was Hiss), then sneak out and run to her hideout. I was Maid Mariam, and she kept telling me it wasn't the getting married part yet. She was too busy dodging Prince John to give me a real part to pay, except sometimes she instructed me to call out to her for help so she could come rescue
me from Prince John, too. This statue was her hideout.
That night we used the fire pit to roast hot dogs and make s'mores.
Then after the kids were in bed Todd and I got in the hot tub, only to discover that it was more of a warm tub and the part to heat it up was broken. Bummer, but the stars were amazing and I saw the Big Dipper more clearly than I ever have before in my life.
Saturday morning we hiked through the Armstrong Redwoods State Preserve.
We kept our eyes peeled for tree hollows so Hazel could climb in and pretend to be an owl.
We found a tree slide that we probably would have walked right past if there hadn't been other kids there sliding on. It was awesome, a long slice of redwood bark that was smooth and just laying at the perfect angle.
Hazel slid on it three or four times, then decided to get more adventurous and climb the super steep hill behind it. Todd had to take over spotting duties.
That afternoon the kids napped while we read in the hammocks again. Then we all played in the yard. I wish really bad we had a nice big yard like that. It was so fun. Todd grilled hamburgers and we ate on the deck.
By the way, I only did breakfast on the trip, easy stuff like bagels and cream cheese and coffee cake from a mix. Todd packed picnic lunches for us before we left each morning, and he made us great dinners both nights. That was another great part about this trip: relinquishing the kitchen to him.
Saturday night we all four got in the warm tub and played with the kids in it like it was a little swimming pool. Then we put them to bed and Todd and I read together. Todd went searching for a blanket and came back with a Snugli. He didn't even know what it was! I made him pose for a picture, and then we used it and made jokes all night.
One final look at the stars before going to bed. Aah, lovely.
Sunday morning we cleaned up and said goodbye to our cottage. Hazel was excited to drive across the Golden Gate Bridge again. We made it home with just enough time to change clothes and hop back in the car to attend afternoon church. Now we're in the throughs of unpacking and otherwise de-tripping.
The best part? Two and a half days together with no cell phone coverage. It was full-on family bonding and we loved it.
Jacker Backer
Photos by my mom.
Photo courtesy of images.google.com.
We had a living room, kitchen, bathroom, and two bedrooms. It was similar in square footage to our apartment we actually live in. Also it had a huge deck. But oh, the yard! That was paradise. Huge (I don't know, an acre or two I'd say) with lots of trees and plenty of open space, a fire pit, hot tub, and two delicious hammocks.
Friday we rented a canoe and forged our way through the extremely mild Russian River. As in, it was super easy for one person to paddle our whole family upstream. It was relaxing. Hazel and Todd worked the paddles and I kept Jack happy. The water was a comfortable enough temperature for us to dock the canoe for a bit and let Hazel swim about in the shallow parts and throw handfuls of mud around.
Photo courtesy of images.google.com.
Photos courtesy of images.google.com.
We spent the entire rest of the day and evening outside. We soaked up every minute of our pretend "we have a yard" life. Hazel ran and ran and ran and ran. She mostly pretended to be Robin Hood. She'd get "tied up" in the hammock by Prince John (Todd - and Jack was Hiss), then sneak out and run to her hideout. I was Maid Mariam, and she kept telling me it wasn't the getting married part yet. She was too busy dodging Prince John to give me a real part to pay, except sometimes she instructed me to call out to her for help so she could come rescue me from Prince John, too. This statue was her hideout. 
That night we used the fire pit to roast hot dogs and make s'mores. 
Then after the kids were in bed Todd and I got in the hot tub, only to discover that it was more of a warm tub and the part to heat it up was broken. Bummer, but the stars were amazing and I saw the Big Dipper more clearly than I ever have before in my life.
We kept our eyes peeled for tree hollows so Hazel could climb in and pretend to be an owl. 
We found a tree slide that we probably would have walked right past if there hadn't been other kids there sliding on. It was awesome, a long slice of redwood bark that was smooth and just laying at the perfect angle. 
Hazel slid on it three or four times, then decided to get more adventurous and climb the super steep hill behind it. Todd had to take over spotting duties.
By the way, I only did breakfast on the trip, easy stuff like bagels and cream cheese and coffee cake from a mix. Todd packed picnic lunches for us before we left each morning, and he made us great dinners both nights. That was another great part about this trip: relinquishing the kitchen to him.
One final look at the stars before going to bed. Aah, lovely.
It was the perfect spot to take an imaginative girl, as it leaned heavily toward dramatic play. They had a cafe/grocery area with play food and shopping carts. A fire truck with a siren and a defibrillator in the back. A hospital newborn unit with baby dolls, supplied with baths and beds, diapers blankets and onesies, and hospital scrubs (even booties!) in pink and blue. A pet veterinary clinic with a variety of dogs and loads of medical tables, stethoscopes, and injectors for shots. It also had an x-ray table. Hazel spent oodles of time carrying around babies and playing doctor in every setting.
There was a wiggle wall where the kids could climb about ten feet high and pretend they were rodents (Hazel was Templeton from Charlotte's Web). A big hit was the make-up counter, with Hollywood bulbs, swivel stools, and face paint in crayon shape. Hazel really went to town drawing on her own face! 
I thought the art area was a bit of a let-down (not heavily stocked) but it had enough to make my child happy: paper and colored glue (elmers/tempera mix), glitter, puff balls, and feathers. And a wall they could paint on all they wanted. Hazel was thrilled to paint so big standing up. She immediately announced she was Rapunzel, pointed to her shoulder, and whispered that "Pascali" was sitting right there. Then she got to work, informing me that I was Mother Gothel and feeding me lines to say as she painted castles, towers, and Flynn Rider on the wall. 
There was also a water exploration area, a library, a little baby room that crawlers and early walkers would adore, train tables, and rider cars that kids were taking all over the place. What a hit!
That very getaway is what I am just now returning from, a refreshed, rejuvenated, new woman. For the same price as a teenage babysitter who would, by some miracle, love to watch our midgets from 6am to 5pm on Saturday AND Sunday (surviving church as part of the deal), we instead bought my mom a plane ticket to come out here. Excellent choice. That meant Todd and I could leave Friday evening and have an entire weekend together sans kids.
I discovered Todd has a penchant for distraction. Three of our four dives, we got lost from our group because Todd was so intently studying the sealife that I couldn't get his attention before the others had swam too far away for us to see them, and I didn't want to lose him. It got to be a bit of a running joke by the last dive.
The Navy Gateway we stayed at had peacocks on the grounds. When we saw them in the evening, we felt glamorous and got right close for a photo shoot. When we discovered the next morning that they walk around the hotel being nature's alarm clocks, they lost some of their allure.
Todd and I got some much-needed couple time (first time we've gone out alone together since Jack was born). It was empowering to flirt and laugh and be out on the town and not have anything to worry about. (Thanks, Mom! We knew the kids were well taken care of.)
Jack hit his five month mark last week. Unbelievable. He has been rocking on hands and knees for a couple of weeks now, and he scoots backwards all over the place. He's even beginning to steer so that he doesn't get stuck under the furniture. He's still just as happy and chill as he was on Day 1. What a great personality! 
Hazel reached her 2 1/2 year mark last week. She's trying to drop her nap, and I'm fighting it for all it's worth. She spends an hour or more in her room every afternoon, but only sleeps a couple days a week. She loves to role play and changes her identity a dozen times a day AND gets put out if you don't call her by the correct name of the moment. It's very tricky to keep track of.
Oh yes, Jack sleeps in the bathroom in the pack and play. Naps in my room, spends his nights in the bathroom. We plan to keep it that way until he's more solid on sleeping through the night. I always feed him before I go to bed, and then he usually sleeps until 7 or 8 the next morning, but once or twice a week he's up for a feeding at 5. Another month, maybe, and we'll try putting him back in Hazel's room. We got too tired of Hazel and Jack waking each other up every night.
