Nate’s Notes: Snow Adventure (It’s All A Lie!)

“Come”, they said. “There’ll be snow”, they said. “It will be fun”, they said. So…they said.

This was the beginning of the lies.

 I was promised a snow adventure. No, no, no. Lyla and I were promised a snow adventure. I believed them, so I agreed to convince Lyla to get in the car to be trapped for hours and hours. We did. And I kept hearing about snow and fun. The lies just kept coming.

“It will only take a few hours”, they said. It took almost 6 hours. Or so they said. That could have been a lie too, for all I know. It seemed like days.

 “It will be fun”, they said. As soon as we got there, they made us be calm, and then made us go to bed.

“There will be snow”, they said. I didn’t see any snow.   I saw sun, trees, pine needles, rocks, moss, and pine cones. “Look at all the textoos Momma!” …uuuhh, wait… WHO said that??!!! Did that come from MY mouth????? Great. Just great. No snow, no fun, AND I sound like THEM. I should just lay down by the tree and wait for a bear to get me. It would probably be more fun.

We went on a walk, and DID find a little snow, but nothing to write about (ha ha…get it?).

 

See...nothing to write about. A LITTLE snow.

See…nothing to write about. A LITTLE snow.

“Let’s go on a hike now”, they said. “It will be fun”, they said. “It will be short”, they said.

Okay, so who takes a 2-year old and a 3-year old on a hike?? And I heard someone say it was a couple miles!!! WHO DOES THAT???!!! Seriously. WHO????!!! Come on. Are you kidding me??!!! I USED to think my Momma and Daddy were the smartest people in the world, even superheroes. Now I have my doubts.

 

There was only one thing left to do…no bones. I suddenly lost all ability to walk, move or be supported by my bones. Works every time. “It will be fun”, they said. “ I’ll show them fun”, I said. How fun is it carrying two 35-pound squirmy toddlers in thin air and sun for miles? Sure, there were amazing things to look at, but I was too busy with my plan of protest to help Momma find those things. From the sweat and grumpy faces I saw, I was pretty sure I had taught them a lesson! Success.

Feeling satisfied with my success, and even proud of Lyla for joining the protest, I continued their punishment by refusing to eat lunch. And then kicking things. And then losing all bones when they came near me. More success.  

 

A lake.

A lake.

She made me proud. No bones.

She made me proud. No bones.

Later, because there was no snow, we went out to a playground. Barely amused, I felt a little hope when I was promised to see a beaver and beaver house.   This could be good.

 

“Let’s go”, they said. “It will be fun”, they said. “ A small hike”, they said. FREEZE! STOP!!   I wasn’t taking these lies again. They seemed to be slow learners. So I suddenly had a horrible pain in my foot and had to limp. I added a whine just to drive my point home. I limped so good (so bad?) that Momma’s face went soft with love….and…wait for it….she….CARRIED ME!   Lyla was on her own this time.

 

It was genius.   I got to be carried by Momma, AND she told me about all the cool stuff we were seeing. No snow. BUT…we saw bear claw marks on a tree, flowers, a little creek, different leaves and trees than what live by us, butterflies, squirrels, crazy looking people, and finally…a beaver house!!!  

 

Okay, okay. So the weekend wasn’t a total bust. But that doesn’t change the lies. Oohhh, that is going to stay with me awhile.

While I’m healing, you can look at some quick pictures of what we saw. “It will be fun”…he said.  

The same lake. It's just water!!

The same lake. It’s just water!!

The walk near the beaver house.

The walk near the beaver house.

Bear claw marks!

Bear claw marks!

 

Nate’s Notes: Speaking of Bears…

Once I figured out I don’t ACTUALLY have bear feet, I calmed down. I’m telling you big people, this language stuff is tricky.  Speaking of tricky, we had to ride another bus back from that huge-big-wild park place. Another bus. Lyla and I just looked at each other as we got strapped in…once again.  The promise of a zoo visit the next day made it seem less painful.  

Oh, who am I kidding, it was still bad. But, one way to show how much I care about my big people is to share. So I shared the pain of 7-8 hours of being trapped. I whined a little. Threw some good fits. Timed a few diaper changes. Kicked the seat in front of me. Refused to sleep. Ever. Convinced Lyla to do the same…only AFTER I was done. After all that pain, we FINALLY made it to our next place to sleep and I was super excited to see the zoo the next day!  

The next day came. The sun was out, and all my family was so happy! I had breakfast with Papa and Gram Spam, then it was off to the zoo. We saw birds, cats, sheep, wolves, and really clean swimming bears! There were trees and water creeks everywhere so it still felt like a wild place.   Momma says sometimes pictures say it all…so I’ll quit writing and let you see. (I didn’t actually get to take ANY of these pictures…pff.  Maybe next week I’ll show you some of my photos again.  Edit.)

The Alaska Zoo

The Alaska Zoo

Pretty zoo

Pretty zoo

A really clean, swimming bear!

A really clean, swimming bear!

Bald eagles aren't REALLY bald.

Bald eagles aren’t REALLY bald.

Not a goat. A sheep.

Not a goat. A sheep.

Wolf who needs a hug!

Wolf who needs a hug!

RSWL: Family Dinners

Okay, this may be a stretch for a Random Stuff We Like entry, and may even be borderline TMG Philosphy.  I’m going to do it here, today, anyway.  

We recently celebrated a birthday dinner with my husband’s family, and then, of course, we were with family for Mother’s Day.   As I reflected on each of these dinners, I started to think about how special these family dinners are.   They may even be endangered. 

I’m not talking about nightly meals with those in our home.  I mean the dinners that bring members of your extended family together.  Though the occasion and participants vary, my husband and I have the opportunity to gather in this way at least once a month, if not more.  Whether it is his family, my family or both combined, we can count on these gatherings.   In our hectic and crazy busy lives, sometimes this opportunity feels like a chore, a burden.  However, I always get something out of the interactions, and am grateful that my children are now getting the chance to experience these family meals.  

We don’t just eat and leave.  We sit.  We talk.  We work together, cook together, laugh and sometimes cry together.  We even fight together for that occasional family drama encounter. Here, smart phones, tablets, television and social media don’t exist.  Here, we practice the art of conversation.  We ask questions, we listen.  With all the attention-sucking, hypnotizing gadgets being crammed down our throats, it is nice to sit around a table, practice our manners, argue over the last biscuit, and laugh at the same jokes over and over.  Here, family tales grow bigger.  Here, legends are told.  Here memories are made. 

A Family Dinner

A Family Dinner

Invariably, pictures are taken, capturing mouthfuls of food, children picking noses, parents yawning, awkward glances and hearty laughter.   These snapshots of time become a record of our family growing together.  These snapshots are shared with those loved ones not with us.   These snapshots capture time to be passed down to the next generations. 

Maybe, just maybe, these gatherings full of home-cooked food and love offer a reprieve from the rush of everyday life.  They might serve to offer extra support and love to family members that are hurting, or encouragement to those in need. Rituals are shared and taught.   New boyfriends or girlfriends are introduced and embarrassed, announcements are made, and identities are formed.  

In sharing our joys, stories, jokes, trials, frustrations, and even recipes, we share parts of ourselves with each other and deepen our roots.  That’s what makes family dinners and gatherings one of those things we love.  What’s for dinner? 

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Nate’s Notes: Put. The. Toys. Down. Now.

It’s no secret I love my toys.  What warm-blooded kid wouldn’t?  I can share them when I need to…but  mostly I feel like I don’t need to share them.  Doesn’t everyone have their own toys?  Someone should tell Momma this, because she keeps taking mine.   It wouldn’t be so bad if she was playing with them…with me.  You think she is playing with them though?  No. I’ll give you one guess as to what she is doing with MY toys.  Yep…taking pictures.  PICTURES!!  Please.  Spare me. 

When does it end?   She tells me to not worry, and to focus on the bigger picture.  Like I know what that is.  Please, I’m 1 ½.  My bigger picture entails baths, warm nighttime bottles, timely diaper changes, snacks and … oh yea, TOYS!!   I just stare at her, blinking away the horror.  I cross my arms, puff out my chest, stare some more, trying to communicate my message:   Put. The. Toys. Down. Step. Away.  Clearly, she can’t read my body language.  And she calls herself an anthropologist.  Pfff.   She then tells me I’m helping “them” with photos for the new Imagery website.  Like I care. 

My toys...not hers.

My toys…not hers.

Another toy.

Another toy.

Just walk away.

Just walk away.

When will it end!!!????

When will it end!!!????

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don’t care.  But, I notice she missed all my blocks and trains, so I carry them over to her.  “Bocks, bocks…twain”, I suggest in the most uninterested tone I can muster, followed by a yawn.  Hey, if you can’t beat “them”, might as well join “them”…or pretend to.  If I could only get my hands on that camera, or at least beat it with my blocks.  Hmmmm….And what is this Imagery website anyway?  Wait…does this mean even more pictures!!!???!!!  Oh, poop.   No…I really just did. 

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