We arrived in Arizona on Tuesday after a quick overnight visit with the Hauges in Palm Springs and believe it or not .. it was raining! Guess Nate, Isaac and I brought a little of Seattle with us. We took advantage of the rain day on Wednesday to relax from the long days in the car. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday we went hiking in the Superstition Mountains, just a few miles from my parent's place in Apache Junction. Isaac enjoyed his first desert hikes and so did the adults. It only took one day to figure out how to maximize our hike time -- we'd drive to the trail head, I'd nurse Isaac in the car while everyone else relaxed and read, we'd hike for ~2 hours and then get back to the car and home in time for Isaac's next feed. Gotta say, I love nursing but I'm excited for the day that I am not a slave to the boob. :)
On Sunday we moved over to the Janzen's house on the other end of town and got to visit with my mom's side of the family; what a treat to see so many relatives in one trip. One of my favorite parts about the stay at the Janzen's was the tangelo tree in their backyard. The fruit was so ripe and juicy that we smuggled some back to Seattle ... shh. On Monday we did a hike in the White Tank Mountains. It surprised me that the desert can look so different from one region to the next; slightly different variations of the same theme ... all very beautiful and such a contrast to the dense forests of Washington.
Isaac did really great on our long drive days and we figured out a good routine after the first day. We would drive for 1.5 to 2 hours (until Isaac woke up), find a "clean" place to make a pit stop, change his diaper (either in the back of the car or in a gas station/fast food restaurant), I'd nurse him in the car, we'd play with him for 20-30 min, fill up with gas, and get back on the road. A 6-7 hour drive day would take 8-10 hours total with all the stops.
It's bittersweet to be home -- I always love walking into the house for the first time after a long vacation (something about the smell of home) but it was sad to say goodbye to my family. It is also sad to know that my maternity leave has officially come to an end. The past 3 months went by way too fast.
Here are some of my favorite pictures from the trip:
Isaac on Day 1 -- wondering what has happened to his little world
Day 3 in the car ... still not quite sure about this whole road trip thing.
Taking the next leg of driving.
Finally, we made it to Grandma and Grandpa's!
Our first desert hike (Isaac was ready to be out of the carrier at this point).
Relaxing after a nice & sunny desert hike
Playing with his favorite peeps
The happy family :)
a GIANT cactus
4 comments:
That second picture... he's got Nate's "serious" face down already.
That serious face comes from grandpa Bob. What a great experience, Q, and I'm so happy that Isaac was a good traveler.
It was such a treat to have the 3 of you with for 2 little visits!! My love to you all!
We had a fun time showing you the desert and hope that next time the weather will cooperate a bit more! The birds are really singing today .. wish Isaac was here to join in.
Post a Comment