Tag Archives: vacation

Going Strong, Life, Parenting

Weekend Camping Trip Part 2: Not Quite Kid Free

2 Comments

Part 2 of our weekend camping trip brings us to our only full day of “roughing it” in the wilderness park with full facilities. This was our time for freedom from all parental responsibilities, time to spend time talking to each other without interruption and just enjoy one another’s company.

There was only one caveat; the campground was full of families with kids running around. Yep, the site next to us had a brother and sister close to Avery’s age, we could tell from the loud crying around nighttime (and we actually talked to the parents who are both really nice) but they were cute and had us missing our little girl back home.

Other, older kids around the site were not so cute and spent wayyyy too much time fishing right in front of our waterfront tent site as they screamed at anything and everything. It was okay during the day, but when it’s 9 at night and we were trying to get some rest, our patience dwindled. But we didn’t let that ruin our time together, especially not with a site like this.

20151017_183331

Our day started by venturing out to the urban jungle nearby in search of black gold (aka coffee). After trudging through a few rough areas (construction) and dodging wild animals (people), we found our prey at a Starbucks. Yeah, so the coffee scene is lacking around this area, but we wanted caffeine dammit!

We made it back to camp and vowed to not drive again until we left the following day. With that, we took off to explore the area around Lake Lavon on foot while talking about how we missed our little girl and what we need to bring for our next trip that we forgot this time around. I was also searching for a large rock or other heavy object to get my squatting out of the way. Yes, I’m still squatting every day, but think I’m close to the end.

Finally, I found my rock of choice. It wasn’t the best, but it’s as if they don’t leave rocks laying around just for visitors to pick up and squat with. Ludicrous!

20151017_182559

My squat variation of choice was front squats holding the rock up to my chest and did 5 rounds of 20 front squats.

Front Squat with Rock

I finished with a little conditioning by doing 4 rounds of 50 seconds on, 10 seconds off of split squats with foot elevated on the rock, push-ups on the rock, running in place, and bent rows using the rock. I felt like that was good enough, but geez, there were some sharp edges on that thing!

20151017_182606

Meanwhile, my lovely wife (who actually knows how to relax) cheered me on and kept me motivated with beer and an empty chair waiting beside her.

20151017_182421

I was ready to join her, but had to get something out of the way first. A cold jump in the lake.

Running into Lake Lavon

Apparently, lakes in October are not very warm. Brrrr! I was pretty muddy after slogging out of the lake, so I made use of the shower on site before claiming that empty chair. Oh, and when they say warm showers in campsite amenities, that really means cold. Here I am afterward, obviously tense and covered in goosebumps.

After cold water jumping_Camping 2

I quickly changed into dry clothes and made use of our car as a clothesline. Note to self: bring clothesline for our next camping trip.

20151017_183549

By this time, I was ready to settle down and just enjoy our surroundings. I grabbed a chilled can of Zevia Tonic Water to mix with vodka to enjoy in that empty chair Kelley had waiting for me.

20151017_182457_001

Good thing my bride of 8 years has such a warm heart, she definitely helped to defrost my still shivering body from the cold lake and shower. Just seeing her smile can warm me inside and out on the coldest days! Yeah, I sound all gushy, but I tell no lies!

20151017_182655

We made it a point to sit together to watch the sun set on the lake that evening. Our view was magnificent with the silhouette of this tree beside us.

20151017_182821

But, as beautiful as it was, it seemed as if something was missing. Maybe just a little of….

20151017_183158

….and a touch of…

20151017_183112

…and topped off with…

20151017_182808

Yeah, that’s more like it. Fun and romance captured on our camping trip. Oh hey, you can see that rock that cut my hands down there too.

We finished watching the sun on its descent with more drinks in hand as we listened to kids run around and scream all around us. Even with the screams, I wouldn’t trade that semi-peaceful moment with my wife for anything, it’s something we don’t get to enjoy enough. Not to mention actually being able to hold a conversation without the common toddler interruption.

20151017_183431

Once it turned completely dark, we spent the remainder of the night in our tent doing what any couple would do with no kids around; watch more How I Met Your Mother. Thank you, Verizon mobile hot spot!

Our data is almost out for the month and we just started a new cycle, but it was soooo worth it. We both had trouble sleeping that night. Mainly from the screaming kids and parents fishing right next to our tent, but the sloped ground didn’t help matters. But, alas, we made it through the night and didn’t spend much time before heading home to G-Ma and Avery.

The drive back took only half as long as it did there, and we were glad to get back home to our little girl. Only problem was, something just happened that had her in a very bad mood for almost the rest of the day.

I’ll fill you in next time, but for now, be sure to check out the sponsored giveaways I posted for Purina Beneful and family games from Spin Master.

Ever plan a getaway with your significant other and no kids only to have kids all around anyway?

Life, NuttZo, Parenting

Roller Coaster Recap: August

2 Comments

Hey guys, welcome to Monday! Or should it be Muuunnnnddaaaaaayyy? Whatever your feelings towards the beginning of the week, it’s the last day of August and boy has it been a wild ride!

Much like a roller coaster (hence the post title), we’ve had plenty of highs and lows in August. Inspired by Tina from Carrots N Cake (she has a handsome 15 month old boy and talks everything from food and fitness), who I’ve been following since the days of my healthy food blog, Just Add Cayenne, I thought I’d do a recap of August by sharing our highs and lows of the month.

I just need to make sure, like her, we end on a high note! Lets get to it, shall we?

High – Meeting with my mom and little brother for a wonderful brunch at Brewed.

Low – Avery getting the weightlifting belt wrapped around her trike and herself and becoming a little frustrated.

DSC_1788

High – Figuring out how to get unstuck on the trike and keep the belt “on”.

DSC_1773

High – Avery’s first time to fly as we went to Colorado our first family vacation!

First Flight Family Selfie

Low – The major change in routine coupled with lack of food and sleep made for a crazy first night. We support co-sleeping, but not under these conditions.

Avery Sleeping with Mommy_2

High – An anniversary surprise for my wife at the Vail Farmers’ Market that almost went Awry, but turned out perfectly!

807A3072

Low – Eating at Sweet Basil in Vail and all of us receiving very poor service. We had to resort to feeding Avery a watermelon and red onion salad that we made!

Avery eating watermelon onion salad

High – Nana and Papa obviously have good taste by keeping several jars of NuttZo in stock. Avery may or may not of finished one jar by herself while we were there. Thanks, Steve and Kathy!

High (literally and figuratively since we were in the mountains!) – Hiking with my wife on beautiful Colorado trails.

DSC_1944

Low – Climbing a tree on the trail and sliding on the trunk to get down. Lots of belly and leg scratches followed.

DSC_1936

High – Kayaking  with Kelley in Frisco, Co.

 

High – I could make a whole post with the Highs from our trip, but I’ll wrap it up and say it was just great spending time with family and getting out in the fresh mountain air.

DSC_2073

Low – The flight back from our family vacation was right during Avery’s bedtime. That, plus another day of not eating much or napping meant for a long….long trip home.

High – Our official 8th wedding anniversary with my awesome bronze compass, handwritten card, and kettlebell gifts! Good-bye, 7 year itch!

DSC_2265

Low – Going Mom and to go away for work all week leaving Avery and Daddy feeling quite lonely. We had to take selfies to try and keep happy.

Avery & Daddy Sunset Selfie

High – Avery’s first time to ride in the cart when grocery shopping was a big hit. Since Mommy wasn’t there, she picked the BarkThins for her when she got back.

Low – Not telling Daddy she pooped when obviously…..

High – Climbing on the playground equipment and going down the slide all by herself. It’s bittersweet, but so fun to watch.

Low – I brought her to our friend’s/neighbor’s house to jump on the trampoline, but she was scared to move. Hopefully she’ll do better next time.

DSC_2419

High – Playing with our friend’s dog.

DSC_2443

High – Mommy came back home and all order was restored! Avery was obviously happy.

Avery in blanket

Hope you enjoyed going through some of the highs and lows of our August. Now it’s your turn, share a High, Low, and High point from your month if you’d like in the comments section below. Have a great week!

Life, Monthly List, Parenting

21 Memories From My 21st Month Since ‘Going Dad’

4 Comments

Yes, I know, this monthly memories post is 10 days past her 21st month since womb departure, but we’ve been a busy family! Mainly, our first family vacation to Colorado along with the obvious blog posts I had to write to share it with anyone that happens by my little space of the internet. I got that ideology/saying from a good blogger friend over at Skipah’s Realm. Thanks, Gary!

And things haven’t slowed down since we’ve returned. Avery is learning and doing more each day, which means we’re learning and doing more as well. Plus, Going Mom is away for work all week! This is the first time she’s been away from us for so long, and it’s truly a test for all of us.

Sure, I’m a stay-at-home parent, but I depend on my wife’s reinforcements and loving company. I told her I missed her before she even left, and it’s the truth. Hopefully she’s able to make the best of her time in a peaceful (I hope) hotel room without a demanding toddler demanding every second of her attention. But, the silver lining is this should definitely help us appreciate each other more.

I almost decided to just skip this month since I planned on stopping after the 2 year (24 month) mark, but my Type-A OCD personality wouldn’t allow it. So, here I am, satisfying my brain and knocking out 21 memories. Not that it’s hard to find them, but in order to get through them, I’m making each new thing she says a memory on its own. Not that you care probably, but I prefer to explain myself for….errr, myself, and Avery when she’s older and reading this ancient post on her Samsung Galaxy S20.

Avery, this past month you have experienced and transformed so much. You continue to amaze Mommy and me each day, and these 21 memories hardly begin to capture it all, but it’s a start.

  1. You’ve started saying “It’s okay.” which you learned from Mommy and Daddy as we say it after you fall or drop something on accident.
  2. Obviously, the big memory this month is that you flew on an airplane for the first time!First Flight Family Selfie
  3. And you also flew for the second time on our way back from vacation. You were far from well behaved, but now we know not to schedule a flight for your bedtime if we can avoid it.

  4. Another phrase you’ve picked up on is “It’s good”. You say it after I give you our daily green smoothie, unless I really sucked at making it that day, and when eating various food.
  5. For a while, we resorted to reading books to you during dinner or simply reciting the text from memory. It distracted you enough to get a few bites.
  6. Now we just give you a book to read, and besides having to switch books every so often, this works fairly well.
  7. Any parent to a toddler knows you always need a backup plan for eating though, and we keep roasted seaweed on hand when books just won’t cut it. I’m just glad you think of seaweed as a treat!
  8. Birds had built a nest in the entryway to our front door and had several baby birds. Every night, you and Mommy would turn on the light to tell the birds goodnight, before bath time. Sadly, one baby after another fell out of the nest which required us to move it to a safer place.

  9. Your climbing skills have gotten better, but sometimes you get a little too confident, resulting in us having to say “It’s okay”……..a lot. Most of the time the little fall is nothing, but there are times that set you off in a downward spiral to fussville. Yes, it’s a place, and it sucks!
  10. What started with you instinctively knowing to get Mommy’s workout shoes, carried over to getting my Soft Star Shoes I use to workout in too. Such a smart kid!

  11. Your affinity for my weightlifting belt started a long time ago, but now you’ve figured out how to loop it around yourself. Often times, you’ll walk around with the belt holding it around you for the entire workout session. Those days, I just make do without the belt since the one time I tried. you let me know that was a BAD choice!DSC_1773
  12. Uncle Paul, Aunt Tammy, and your Great Grandma (G-Ma’s Mom) came down to visit to celebrate G-Ma’s 60th birthday and we had a blast with them on several occasions. I mean, how many toddlers get to go to a brewery? Okay, maybe a lot, but still….DSC_1576
  13. You’ve added a few new foods to your repertoire of eats. One being raw onion. We figure you just love crunchy things.Avery eating watermelon onion salad
  14. Trips to the pool happen fairly often, and I had fun turning your flipping skills into a slo-mo video. Your giggles are still adorable a 2x slower than normal.

  15. I used to take you for a walk in the stroller right after naptime, but that would mean you had to sit still which is not an option anymore. As evidenced by your inclination to run wild around the house, and of course do butt busters.

  16. As I mentioned, your climbing skills are getting better every day which means you can climb up most things at the bounce house by yourself now. You might’ve been motivated to climb on your own since I seemed to do a poor job at helping you….2015-07-21 20.42.41
  17. We all know you’re a big fan of NuttZo and banana, and now you’re even able to use a fork to feed it to yourself. Only a few times ended with the food on the floor before making it to your mouth.2015-07-21 09.59.56
  18. While in Colorado on vacation, you got to hang out a lot with Nana, Papa, and Cousin Ashlee as they agreed to play with you so Mommy and I could get away enjoy time together. Lots of reading and playground time for all!
  19. When reading or playground time wasn’t happening, you’d make full use of the stairs at Nana and Papa’s. So much up and down was enough work for anyone trying to keep watch over you, I’m sure this helped you sleep at night, as well as Ashlee.DSC_1955
  20. This was the month of diaper blowouts for us! You graced us with back to back to back poosplosions that had us begging for mercy. Or maybe just hoping they’d stop. *Crossing fingers* So far, we’ve been safe again.
  21. But, as you’ve shown us before, you are always full of evil surprises. Kinda like when you flipped the bird in this daddy-daughter selfie on Mommy’s phone.Avery Flipping Off Camera with Daddy

There you have it, 21 memories in the book blog and more being created daily. I’m off to spend another day of fun with my daughter, but don’t worry, 22 months is already fast approaching. Ugh….