July 13th, 2012
We’re in upstate NY now at Grandma and Papa’s. Silas is having all kinds of fun with playmates his own size for a change. Now that Ivan’s here Grandma & Papa have SEVEN grandkids! Waahoo!
Papa giving Silas, Carley, Lily, Jacob and Sawyer a ride with the lawnmower. Silas even got to drive!
Didn’t take long at all to warm up to all of them
Cutie Sawyer
More cutie Sawyer
Ivan and Morgie chillin’ at The Playhouse
A dip in the little pool
A dip in the big pool
The handsome boys: Sawyer, Jacob & Silas
The pretty girls: Carley & Lily
Sweet baby Jeremy
Silas livin’ it up with all his cousins
posted by arr
July 12th, 2012
Congratulations Jenna and Katie!!!!
The ceremony
Bowls of M&M’s as part of the table centerpieces to keep little kiddies occupied during the ceremony – brilliant!!!!
The newlyweds! Kate & Jenna
The whole happy family
Jenna and I
The coolest cupcakes EVER – of course Silas picked the one with the dumptruck on it
The boys and I (Dad was designated videographer)
posted by arr
July 11th, 2012
This roadtrip agenda includes an initial stay in Pittsburgh, then north to Clarks Summit, PA to say hi to our friends JR & Emily and their two kids, then further north to Cortland, NY for the wedding, then over to Marathon to visit Grandma & Papa for a week, then finally back down through Pittsburgh again before heading home. The first Pittsburgh leg was wonderful – introducing little Ivan to the family and catching up with everyone. Here are a few photos:
Ahhh, the green and rain we miss
The van basking in the greenery
Ivan smiling at Grandma Marian
Ivan trying to look all big and tough
Lovin’ with Grandma again
Silas with cars, trucks and diggers. Grandma has quite the collection!
Silas and his great grandma
Enjoying a nice cup of coffee during a thunderstorm on the 4th of July
Grandma Marian
Lots of running in the shade!! Love it!
A run down to the river
Pittsburgh bridge
posted by arr
July 10th, 2012
Thanks to the upcoming marriage of our dear friends Jenna and Kate in upstate NY and ridiculously high airfare prices, we’ve been prompted to embark upon a cross-country journey with the kids and Morgan in the van. We left last week and drove 42 hours straight through to our initial destination: Pittsburgh. Our original intention was to spend the night at campgrounds along the way, but once the blaring sun went down, the traffic cleared and the kids were snoozing we couldn’t resist planting the petal to the metal and burning up mileage throughout the night.
The kids did outstanding. Silas played with his toys, colored, read his books and got to watch Toy Story and Cars on the iPad at least 3 times over (“Ooo, special day!”). Ivan passed the time either sleeping or coo’ing at the little baby toys dangling from the back of the seat. Paul and I took turns driving while the other slept. And Morgie did her usual – just chilled on the floor hoping Silas didn’t clock her on the head with one of his toys or his snack dish. If it weren’t for the van, this whole cross-country idea would have probably been insane. But the van is rad, indeed.
Some photos from the drive:
A pretty sunset in New Mexico
Texas
Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Missouri
Missouri
Indiana
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh!
We made it!
posted by arr
June 12th, 2012
For the last few years we’ve been coordinating a yearly climbing trip to Hueco Tanks with our dear friends Brian and Jen from Pittsburgh and their two kids Seb & Oren. This year, we all decided to mix it up a bit and do something different (read: April decided she was waaaay to pregnant and miserable this spring to enjoy climbing and toasts of tequila at Hueco). We decided on route climbing in Maple Canyon, Utah instead…after Ivan’s birth. Jen & Brian had never been to Maple so we were excited to introduce them to it. And it had been a while since the last time Paul and I were there. For a humorous refresher on our last trip, read here: The Playpen Goes to Maple.
All in all, this trip was a success. While we don’t really have any big tick list to report, we did get plenty of climbing in even with the logistics of keeping a 5-week-old warm, clean (relatively speaking) and happy. And we got to catch up with good friends and introduce little Ivan to them all. In addition to Brian, Jen, Seb & Oren, our dear friend Linda also met up with us as did our german buddies Grit & Manu (whom we hadn’t seen since Swizzy when I was pregnant with Silas). And wait there’s more: we also got to see my sis Holly and boyfriend Joe as well as THE one and only Courtney who all live in SLC.
It felt good to stretch our muscles doing what we love best after such a big chunk of time off. The forearm pump, the feel of a rock hold in my hands, the apprehension of a hard move, the joy of making it to the top without falling – love it. It felt good to work my lungs and legs lugging heavy packs and kids up a long and steep trail to the rocks. It felt good to yell the coined climber cheers “C’mon. Nice.” to my husband and friends as they fought their way to the top of the climbs. It felt good to collapse down in a camp chair, exhausted after a hard day’s play with a cold beer or sip of whisky, wishing that a dinner genie would magically appear and make dinner for us. It felt good to sit by the fire late into the night, surrounded by great company, discussing the routes of the day and the crux moves that made us fall. It felt good to get all dirty and greasy over the course of multiple days and the ultimate satisfaction of a shower at last! And most importantly it felt good to be out….all 4 of us now (plus brown dog Morgan!)….climbing, camping, hiking, playing. Having fun.
Perhaps contrary to popular belief given the lack of posts over the last 9 months and then the huge dump of new baby photos, this website has not fully turned to all-baby all-the-time. There will be climbing. Lots of climbing. Lots and lots of climbing. This trip was a hearty “smack of the reset button” as Paul so perfectly put it on the drive home. 🙂
4.5 week old Ivan all cozy in the van on his first roadtrip
First stop: Flagstaff Arizona, our campsite for the night
Ivan digs the site
Silas checking out the Glen Canyon Dam
Our second campsite somewhere in southern Utah on the way to Maple Canyon (yes, it took us 2 days to get there. Hey, we were being leisurely!)
There were horses at this campsite. Silas’ reaction: “Soooo cooool. Soooo aaaaawesome.” Where could he possibly be getting these words from?!
We’re here Ivan! Maple Canyon! Open your eyes!
Linda on Zen Fen, 5.9 at the Zen Garden
Silas with diggers
Dad with Ivan
Grit with Manu
Ivan with gear
Seb (9 years old) on Zen Fen, 5.9
Silas watching mt. biking videos with Joe at his and Holly’s place near Park City
Aunt Holly hanging out with Ivan for the first time
Ivan chillin’ at the crag
Motors running in The Pipedream cave (I wish I had a sound recorder for this!)
Brian sending Deliverance, 5.12c despite the loud motor derby below
Cute Ivan
Cute Silas
Oren (6.5 years old) on Bob’s Bolts, 5.4 at The Schoolroom
Silas and dad roping up
Silas scoping Bob’s Bolts, 5.4
Silas working the bottom 7 feet of Bob’s Bolts, 5.4
Sorry dad, diggers still rule over climbing
Jen and Oren
Linda looking all hot-climber-chick
The crew goofing off at The Bridge Buttress
Jen on an unnamed 5.10d at The Bridge Buttress
Dad and Ivan hanging out at The Pipedream again
Paul redpointing Orgasmo, 5.12c at The Pipedream
Jen on a redpoint burn of Deliverance, 5.12c at The Pipedream (which she later sent, yeah grrrl)
The drive home. Another stop in Flagstaff and a hike up on Mt. Humpreys
Mama and Silas on the Weatherford Trail on Mt. Humphreys
Dad and Ivan on the Weatherford Trail on Mt. Humphreys
Livin’ it up during the last few hours of the vacation: a Sammy Smith’s Brown Ale toast to the new family and our first adventure together
posted by arr
May 29th, 2012
After 7 total weeks of having the grandparents here in one combination or another (first my mom, then my mom & dad, then Paul’s mom, then Paul’s mom & dad), it is now just the 4 of us. It’s quiet and a bit lonely…but only for a minute or two until either Silas or Ivan perks up with a cry, a shriek, a giggle or a long-winded story about screwdrivers, diggers or helicopters. The extra help was absolutely wonderful. Paul and I even got some date-afternoon’s out of it! 🙂 A big humungous thank-you hug to Grandma, Papa, Pittsburgh Grandma, & Pap Pap!!!! Thank you!
Now we’re busy packing for our next adventure: a climbing/camping trip to Maple Canyon, Utah. Woohoo!
Grandma & Silas reading Curious George
Pap Pap & Silas cuddling
Ivan giving Pap Pap a big squeezy hug goodbye
posted by arr
May 28th, 2012
Here are a few shots of a recent hike on Mt. Lemmon with Grandma & Grandpap. After a nice picnic lunch in Marshall’s Gulch we did the Aspen Trail to Marshall’s Gulch Trail loop. A beautiful day for a hike.
Ivan at the picnic spot
Lunch
Silas with his “fishing pole” he found on the trail (he wouldn’t put it down the whole hike!)
Dad & Silas on the trail
The family
posted by arr
