Camping with Catherine

Catherine's love language is one-on-one time, which is hard to come by when you have lots of siblings (and especially when those siblings are little and demanding). For her birthday we figured the thing that would make Catherine happiest would be a combination of one-on-one time with her dad, combined with time in nature. And so Jon arranged for the two of them to go camping at Assateague. 

It almost killed her to wait until May for the actual trip, but no one wants to camp in Maryland in February. But finally the long-awaited day arrived! We loaded up the van and snapped a picture of the soon-to-be happy campers:

Of course, someone was sure that he was going along for the trip.

He climbed right into her lap and waved goodbye to me:

And this is what happened when I pulled him out of the van

and he watched his Catherine drive away without him:

I imagine Jon was making a similar face when he realized it was actually a 

2.5 hour drive, not the one hour drive he'd anticipated. Oops. 

But they survived the drive and the putting up of the tent in the dark!

Jon sent me this picture of Catherine enjoying breakfast the next morning:

Then it was off adventuring!

Riding bikes and seeing wild ponies?

Best camping trip ever!

Catherine even braved the not-super-warm beach for a bit:

Catching sand creatures.

Aunt Ashley would be so proud:

In the end we think she would have enjoyed the trip a bit more with at least one sibling along to play with, but she came back so full of stories and excitement that Elise is now demanding her own camping trip next year. 

Mr. Charlie

Bente, being a generally awesome and interesting person, is naturally friends with other awesome and interesting people. One of those people is Mr. Charlie, who is both a homeschooling dad and one of those people who just know everything about nature. She arranged to have us meet up with Charlie at a local stream so he could teach the kids everything they wanted to know.  (This also ended up being the first time we were okay to all meet together outside without masks, which was a big step for our group!). 

First stop: vernal pond brimming with tadpoles

Or as some toddlers called them, "buggies!"

Elijah literally thought he'd died and gone to heaven. The water, the mud, the tadpole "buggies"...what more could a two-year-old ask for? He stayed at the pond LOOOOOOOOOONG after the others had moved on with Mr. Charlie. And guess who got to stay with him?

Elijah, should you ever doubt my love for you, please refer to this picture.

Yes, my Chacos were suctioned to the bottom of the muddy pond.

Yes, it was worth it to hear your screams of joy.

When I was finally able to drag him away from the tadpoles to the actual stream, I found the others in full discovery mode. Mr. Charlie had them catching things in clear cups and identifying them using some of his pictures. It was really, really fascinating. Apparently this stream is ranked one of the highest in the entire country for its biodiversity! So cool!

Elise, Bente, Luke & Melissa try to ID some pond life

And of course there was time for pond play:

Catherine, Seth & Brie in Deer Creek

Catherine's prize feather

Mr. Charlie also brought fishing stuff.

Did I mention he's literally the best?

Bente actually planned this whole thing with Catherine in mind. Catherine is my naturalist and loves to explore plants and insects. She didn't ask nearly as many questions as I hoped, but it was her first interaction with Mr. Charlie and she was in a large group. She would have done better in a very small group. But she did later tell me after attending some local nature center classes that "Mr. Charlie was WAY better" than the classes/teachers there. So it was a win after all!

The Bloxen take on Philadelphia

I have loved having the Knoxes homeschooling with us during Covid! It probably won't happen again next year, but we can always dream...

Since we both covered the American Revolution in history this year, we decided it would be fun to do some of the historical things in Philadelphia together. My kids weren't super thrilled since we've done Philly several times, but they're always up for anything involving the Knoxes, so off we went!

Kids at the Liberty Bell

Featuring: not me and Elijah because I hate taking the stroller through their security.

Melissa kindly took everyone else while we played in the grass outside.

Apparently this was on the way to the bathroom.

I don't know where or why, but they thought it was super cool.

Gabe, Catherine and Paul in Independence Hall

Thrilled to be on a historical tour.

On the steps, waiting for me, Aaron, Elise and Elijah to finish our tour.

(We were too big to be in one group).

Our selfie in Independence Hall.

Legit photo taken by a very kind lady who of course ended up being a member of the Church.

I don't think the kids got much out of this, but it felt almost like sacred space to me. 

Outside Ben Franklin's grave.

The kids threw all my change on top of it.

We listened to an audiobook about him on the drive up so they were very excited.

We really wanted to go to the Mint, but it was closed to the public.

Thanks, Covid.

We ended our day at the carousel.

Apparently 13 is not too old for carousel rides. 

And apparently 2 is not quite old enough.

Slightly recovered, but never fully comfortable.

I still think it's so cool that we live so close to all this amazing history. I think that's what happens when you grow up out West and only get to visit this kind of stuff if you spend a lot of time and money to make it happen. Maybe one day my kids will appreciate it!

The Littlest One

Just my two littlest boys, snuggling in their bed together.

Elijah is SO much happier when they share, 

although there tends to be less sleeping and more giggling...

Ah, warmth, sunshine, and kiddie pools.

This is why my toddlers spend the entire summer naked.

I refuse to change outfits six times a day. 

The Roomba Mower

This has been the highlight of Elijah's walks for awhile now. Occasionally he'll even take off on his own and ride his little bike up the path to watch it. We don't know these neighbors at all, but anyone who would not only own a Roomba mower but also put googly eyes on it must be a truly awesome human. 

Jon was also intrigued by this mower. Consider this foreshadowing of things to come...

On his favorite bike.

Possibly heading to see the Roomba mower.

Sometimes being Elijah's favorite sibling can be a bit of a burden.

We've had one of these toys since Seth was a baby.

Somehow we now have a clone that mysteriously appeared one day.

Which means this can now happen.

I'm sure it's only doing good things for his hearing.

Lady Elise

Just a little Elise taking a break in Catherine's hammock swing chair. 

It was a rare honor to be invited into Catherine's room.

Still very much in the "take a picture of me" phase.

Also still in the ballerina phase.

"Take a picture of me in the tree!"

One night the moon was big and bright, so we pulled out the telescope:

I snapped this through the eyepiece:

It's not easy keeping an Elise entertained full time, but seeing her enthusiasm is worth it! 

Pieces of April

Sometimes when you're out running errands alone, you just have to stop for ice cream.

Or Dr. Pepper.

Or both. 

I don't know why it took me so long to think of getting this kid noise cancelling headphones.

Would have saved a lot of pain over the years for both of us. 

Of course, now Catherine is stealing them for her audiobooks all the time...

Ah, the epic battle of Athru, where the peasants with swords and sweet hats faced the evil invaders bearing the light bulbs of death. What a loss to humanity that the records of said battle have been lost forever. 

Covid numbers were going down and the temperature was going up!

We decided to reinstate our Fun Fridays with our homeschooling friends.

Terri did an awesome job teaching about weather. 

Also in April, we hosted Kaden's wedding reception in our backyard!

Bente does not skimp on the details, so we spent several weekends doing yardwork.

Thankfully the weather was lovely!

Until the day of the reception, when it was FREEZING and crazy windy.

Oh well! It was still a lovely evening with friends. 

Elise Navidad

Pink Elise in a pink shirt and pink mask in a pink Magnolia tree!

Living the dream.

Elise painted this for Grandpa Russell.

"It's us driving to Grandpa Russell's house in the rain.

And there's rain on the road.

And our van is getting flooded and almost our van is covered in rain."

Sounds like a very traumatic journey!

I believe this may the greatest work of Elise art ever created.

She actually drew this picture a year or two ago, but without the faces. 

It's me and her.

Apparently she found it in my drawer and decided to add faces.

I found it later and asked her about it and she was a bit deflated.

"I don't like it. It looks bad."

I, on the other hand, immediately fell in love with it.

It's now hanging by my bed in a place of honor.

And if I ever get a tattoo, it will be of this picture.

Elise is still our bundle of sunshine, always ready for hugs or games or Barbies or friends, or ALL OF THESE THINGS AT THE SAME TIME EVERY DAY ALL DAY! It can be exhausting for her introverted parents, but I love having an Elise bounce into my bed in the morning to give me hugs and demand breakfast, all with her first breath after waking up. 

Giant Seth

Seth is loving being in Young Men. He has really awesome leaders who plan great activities. I'm a bit jealous that I can't get my Young Women to do 30 mile bike rides and fun kayak trips!

I'm not exactly sure what's happening here, but it looks like fire.

Boys like fire. 

Playing gaga ball with Bro. Kraczek and Gabe.

Seth has been trying to be taller than me for probably a year now. It's been close, but never quite enough. When we were cleaning the church one day, I realized that he seemed to be taller than me all of a sudden. I had Jon measure us back to back (and pat down the giant hair) to be sure, and...my son is officially taller than me! I did not expect that to happen at age 12. I keep telling him he's going to be like his Grandpa Russell and stop growing in 8th grade, but for now he's greatly enjoying being taller than me and all of his friends. 

Seth is still just an easygoing, good-natured kid. As long as he has a computer and/or someone to hang out with, he's golden. He makes parenting really easy. 

Elijah at Two

Oh, two-year-old Elijah. You are SO two. All those stereotypical terrible two things? Yes. All the yes. Tantrums, stubbornness, whining, terrible English skills, answering 'NO!' to every question... Check, check, check. But thankfully it's not constant or overwhelming. Just enough to be kind of endearing (most of the time). And you make up for it with puppy snuggles. 

"Are you two?"

"NO!"

You are full into the cars, trucks, and trains stage now. You play with all the cars and line them up so carefully. I remember little Seth doing the exact same thing. 

Living room car lineup

Dinnertime placemat car lineup

Sometimes we still like to wake up super early, just for fun.

But we get to snuggle, so it's okay!

Some fun Elijah facts:

-No idea why, but for a long time you called Gabe "Big." You'd get so excited when we pulled up to the Knoxes. "Big! BIG! BIIIIGGG!" This was especially fun during sacrament meeting when you'd spot him passing the sacrament. 

-You pronounce candy as "khan-dee". Which is now how everyone in our family says candy because it's adorable. 

-Whenever we tell you to sit down so we can put on your shoes, you immediately lay down flat on the ground. Can't seem to get you to understand the difference between "sit down" and "lay down."

-Your speech is still a bit delayed. Your cousin Audrey and the neighbor girl 9 months younger are both talking circles around you. But you manage to get your point across with a word or two, some pointing and usually some whining. 

-Stats at age 2: 2 ft. 11 in. (54%), 26 lbs (22%)

-You are a mover. You never, never, NEVER hold still for a diaper change. We have to chase you down, then pin you while you roll around and try to escape. You'll usually hold still for books, sometimes for videos, but that's about it. 

-Now that you share a room with Aaron, you love having someone to play with. This was kind of an issue for a bit since you two would play instead of going to bed, plus you'd wake each other up in the mornings. To remedy this, we had Aaron sleep with Elise for a little while. You were not thrilled. If you woke up and found yourself alone, you'd sit there and yell, "Aaron! Bed!" Thankfully Aaron adores you and loves being your buddy. 

We sure love you, little puppy shark. You just add so much to our family (both sugar and spice, possibly more on the spicy end of the scale). Happy second birthday, Little Stinky!