Winter Road Trip!

 We've done more summer road trips than winter, but I'm beginning to feel like an expert in winter road trips too. They're a little different than summer road trips, so keep the following in mind when packing and planning:

• Take warm clothes, gloves, boots and a blanket in case you get stranded. We sat on highway 90 in freezing temperatures for hours once waiting for a sideways truck to be moved.
• Know which items in your car should not be frozen: take them in with you if you stay somewhere overnight (liquid medications, instruments, fruit, etc). Covid tests should not be frozen.
  
• Swap out your 'summer things' (sunscreen, bug spray) on the list or bag, for winter things (cold and flu prevention/treatment, chapstick). I pack dried elderberries and essential oils for helping clear out gunky noses.
  
• Just because it's winter doesn't mean you shouldn't pack the swimsuit!
• Know the website to check road conditions for each state you'll travel through.
• Meals will now have to be assembled out in the cold or on your lap, so meal plan accordingly by pre-making your sandwiches/meals or bringing a cutting board or other surface to put on your lap for meal prep (a pillow can work in a pinch, just wash the pillowcase later)
  
• Of course, have enough liquid water and snacks in your vehicle to be prepared for emergencies. 

 

Safe travels to all my winter road trip people!

To Portland, to Portland, to Buy a Fat Pig

Actually we were not there to buy a big pig. We did see some hairy pigs with big tusks at the zoo.
We were there to have fun with family, explore Portland, and see Nate's friend Ben. We succeeded at all those goals. We visited the Oregon Zoo and OMSI. Both were definitely fun for all ages; Malachi did seem more interested in the plants (eating them) at the zoo than the animals though.
We went to Ben and Liz's favorite Thai restaurant and it was very good! I had never had Thai food before. One of the waitresses served Malachi his very own plate with brown rice and helped him get started up with a spoon. He happily created a sticky mess about 4 feet in diameter, and I tried not to feel too bad about it because...she started it.

Vos Reunion 2011

We had a great time at Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park, at a Vos family reunion. At the last reunion, Nate and I were not engaged yet, so a lot has changed for us, and it was good to get to see others too and catch up with them. Tobias enjoyed being teased by his great-great-uncles and going hiking. We did have one trail injury; Tobias tripped on our very first stop and cut his forehead, and then the next day got it bleeding again by running into a rock. Thankfully it wasn't more severe and it seems to be healing well.

A highlight for me was our hike to Nymph Lake, Dream Lake, and Emerald Lake. I thought it was neat how each lake was different: Nymph Lake had lots of lily pads and baby ducks, Dream Lake was very clear and reminded me of the book Hatchet, and the highest, Emerald Lake, was secluded and surrounded by steep rocky sides. I was carrying 25 weeks worth of baby on me and felt tired by the end, but Nate had 25 pounds of Tobias on him for most of the hike.

Emerald Lake

Julie, Doug, Rebecca, Ryan, Lois, Nate, Tobias (in backpack, asleep), Hannah + baby

click here to see more of Doug's reunion pictures

Cloth Diapers in Italy

I know, I know. I need to be writing posts for my own blog. Don't worry, I have some in the works.

But, hoping that others could get ideas from my experience taking the cloth diapers along to Italy, I wrote up a guest post on what I took along and how the washing went, etc. for a cloth diapering blog. Washing the diapers was a little harder than at home, just because I had to haul the wet laundry out of our basement and through the other apartment to get to the drying racks and sunny terraces. But the view while doing so was gorgeous so I shouldn't complain!

A "From the Wild" Road Trip

Tobias loved having a few days with his Grandpa VW at home, "helping" with oil changes and other outdoor chores. We really liked seeing DadVW too, and appreciated the help he gave us towards being ready to move. For the weekend we packed up and headed to Lynden to meet Jenna and celebrate her baptism! On Saturday we went to Semiahmoo beach at low tide. In the video you can't see it so well but Tobias and his Grandpa made it a long ways out! Tobias spontaneously fell asleep while sitting up on Grandpa's shoulders, so it must have been pretty peaceful out there. Later the kids (maybe the adults too) had lots of fun with streamers. We were blessed to be reminded through baptism of God's love for us, and also blessed to spend time relaxing and enjoying family!

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. -1 John 4:10

Exploring Mt. Rainier for the first time

I won't be able to blog every first in Tobias' life- there are too many too fast- but we just returned from a short trip to Mt. Rainier that included a lot of fun firsts. Tobias saw his first snowbank, as well as a waterfall (Myrtle Falls). Well, he was sleeping, so he'll have to see the pictures later. He did enjoy staring at the tall trees and bright sky at our campsite. It is pretty amazing to see how much he is already different a few weeks after being born: more alert, likes to hold his head up, and chubbier.

I returned from the trip smelling like all the usual camping smells (smoke, sweat), plus baby smells (use your imagination). I was worried Tobias wouldn't recognize me after I showered but he did remember what a clean mom smelled like!

Idaho

Yesterday evening Nate and I arrived safely home from a week in Camas County, Idaho with my family. It was great to see them and catch up on talking, teasing, and traditions (like haircuts and Ice Age II).

To get to the cabin we drove about an hour through the mountains from the nearest town (Fairfield). The cabin was (way) off the grid and had propane-powered lights (with mantles like camping lanterns) and stove, and solar-power for other things.

We did a lot of hiking, and never saw any other humans while doing so. The best hike was to the Skillern Hot Springs, where we soaked in the hot water and then dipped in the freezing stream. There were a lot of pretty views on the way there, too.

After that day my feet and legs were very sore due to old junky shoes, but thankfully Dad rigged up some excellent emergency arch supports using duct tape, a sacrificed sock, and the Leatherman knife. I really need to get new shoes, though.

The worst hike...involved several miles of no trail through the steep and scratchy underbrush, not finding our destination, and mild dehydration, exhaustion, and frustration. Character and navigation skills were built...I hope.

The south fork of the Boise River ran behind the cabin. For a few days we were entertained by stirring sticks in the icy clear water, but eventually we (and by we, I mean Holly, Dad, and I) progressed to fording it barefoot. On the other side, we panned for "gold" with a Cool Whip bowl and sent things downstream.

We had an a cappella hymnsing by the river on Sunday night, with these lyrics standing out to me (genius point to whoever identifies the song first):

And everywhere that we can be, You God are present there.

Here is a link to pictures of our first snowy evening at the cabin and exploring the hills near the cabin.

Beautiful British Columbia

Today we (me, Nathan, Tom, Karlene, Alivia, Gpa and Gma VW) crossed the border and spent the day in Vancouver, BC. We saw the views of Vancouver from Stanley Park (made me think of you, Lynola and family!), and also went to the aquarium there. There were such interesting creatures! We saw tiny cute seahorses and blubbery beluga whales and everything in between!
The signs by the sharks had high praise for the excellent design that sharks have for survival (apparently they have seven senses, cool!), but blindly concluded that "nature" designed nature. So close, but so far.
Many pictures were taken, few will be posted.