Trinity Lake Trip

Setting up camp & playing in the tent!

We are home and finally recharging from a week of camping. Camping is one of my favorite summertime activities; I love being outside, waking up to the sun shining in through the tent, listening to the crickets, spending a day out on the lake, and fishing. :)

Strawberry snack while we set up camp!

Exploring one of the hundreds of rocks in our site

Our first walk down to the lake, and no, we didn't use the kid-leash at all after this...one time only...what use is it to take a kid into nature and not let them explore?!

Last week we spent the entire week at Trinity Lake. It turned out to be quite a hectic week, for several reasons! One reason being that it rained. Not just rain, but pouring down buckets of rain. Which we were not really prepared for. We had been watching the weather all week leading up to the big trip, and each time we checked it, we saw a 10% chance of rain. I should have known better. During most of the summer's that we spend our week at Trinity, we get rain. But in the past, the rain comes for 30 mins, pours and is gone. But not this year. We had a solid day of rain. We were so thankful that Mom and Dad had their trailer up there...Can you imagine trying to keep an 18 month old, who never sits still, out of the rain all day!!?!

Pancake breakfast in the trailer while it rained!

Daddy & His Girl

Another reason this week was so hectic, was Sophia! Now, we are not complaining, just giving all you fellow families out there a heads-up! Sophia is an explorer. She is constantly looking at new things, opening drawers and cupboards, picking things up, putting things together, etc. So this week of outdoor surroundings created a different atmosphere of exploration. Dirt, rocks, trees, rocks, pine cones, rocks, sticks, rocks, the lake, and...rocks. :) For some reason, this girl was entranced by rocks! Every time we took a walk somewhere she would stop us, look for a rock and pick it up. At times she had 3 or 4 in her hands and still tried to pick up another one! They were like gold to her!

Sophia trying to ride Bandit

Breakfast with Mae-Mae & Papa

Watching her explore this new territory was so much fun. And so much work! Keep in mind, there are no walls when you go camping! And invisible boundaries are so difficult to explain to a little one...So one of us was up and following her at all times. (Not to mention the "heads-up" we got from our camping-neighbor about scorpions!)

Another part of the week that made things hectic was sleeping in a tent. :) Sophia is pretty set on her bedtime routine, which at home is great. We never have any tears. She knows the routine. Dinner, playtime, bath time, story, and bed. But camping through that whole routine for a big loop. Not to mention the different scenery. A tent was definitely not her bedroom, and she knew it. The first night was a nightmare, seriously. The playpen was clearly not her choice of beds. (which, given our limited travel for it's use, we nearly forgot to pack! can you imagine if we had gotten up there and realized we didn't have a bed for her!!?!!) She woke up about 3 times, screaming. Screaming in a tent. (Now if you remember last year, we were dealing with teething...) So by the 3rd wake up, she was in bed with us. An air mattress that caves to the center, with 3 people. I know that some people make a big deal out of co-sleeping, and everyone has their opinions about it, but it was not something we got in the habit of with Sophia. So having her in our bed made sleep difficult. (But that's not to say that I didn't indulge in every second of her cuddles!) Not only because of the limited space. But because of my paranoia. I could not sleep more than just a doze with the thought of blankets and the air mattress blocking her air. Call me crazy if you want to! So we spent the week, cuddling on an air mattress, with very, very limited amounts of sleep!

Sophia kissing her best bud Zoe!
(I don't know what we would have done without Zoe...She was attached to this dog all week!)

Sophia playing in the trailer

But the best part of the week, was the reason that we are all there. Fishing. Fishing is a big sport on the Sterk/Sanders/Nason side of the family. So big, that our entire week of camping seems to revolve around several key questions:

*Who's going fishing with whom?

*What bait are they using?

*How big are the fish?

*How many were caught?

*What depth of water were they caught at?
and the biggest secret of all...Where they were caught?

My dad has always answered these questions with "I caught them with bait in the lake." :) But when it comes to family, all those questions and answers are shared...after all, we have to have enough fish for the big fish feed on Friday night! And everyone has a fair shot at the trophy! I mean really, who doesn't want this beauty on their mantel, right?!

Uncle Jim & Aunt Char and their catch!

Matthew and I got a pretty good routine set. He would go fishing in the morning while I stayed at camp with Sophia, and when he got home, we would do a family activity together, and he'd give me some "baby-break time." But on Monday night, Matthew surprised me. He told me that he knew that the trip would not be the same for me if I did not get out on the boat for some fishing time with my dad. And he was right. We've been going up to Trinity Lake for as long as I can remember, and for many years, I was as fierce a fisher woman as any of the men in the family; up at dawn, baiting my own hooks, and catching hogs! So I was especially touched that he volunteered to stay at camp so I could take part in the fishing tradition.

View from the lake during the fishing...talk about relaxing

When I got home, we suited up and headed out on the boat for some swimming. Sophia was not a big fan of the boat and her life jacket this first trip out to the beach. But by then end of the week she was a pro! So relaxed that she fell asleep both on the way out, and on the way back to camp! She was not very adventurous at first, staying close to the shoreline. But just like the boat ride, she was comfortable and having fun by the end of the week. She would walk out in the water, with one of us always by her side, and eventually made it to shoulder deep water! I'm secretly hoping she's a little water-baby like I was! :) I still can't get enough of the water in the summer!

Sunblock hair Mohawk!

Hamming it up out on the lake!

knocked-out after an afternoon on the lake! She wouldn't even wake up to get out of her swim-suit!

An afternoon at Alpen Cellars Winery

Thursday night our family started a new tradition! a dutch-oven cook off! Our family is full of foodies who can appreciate a good meal, so adding a little competition ensured the best foods yet! :) Everyone took their recipe and cooking so seriously. It was fun to pull up and see all the cooks tending to their food...and it smelled great too. We were equally excited about the arrival of our cousin Erin & her husband Matt! They drove all the way down from Oregon to be a part of this special weekend! As expected, dinner was delicious, and every recipe was equally yummy! So instead of voting, each cook pulled straws. Uncle Bill was the winner this year! The trophy for this competition is an old wooden pepper mill that belonged to my grandparents. It sat on their dining room table or kitchen counter for as long as I can remember. Now this pepper mill was used by my Gramps for every meal. So you can imagine the state of this pepper mill after several years and several hands had been on it. But somehow, through all the yard sales and donations upon selling Grandma & Grandpa's house, Uncle Bill salvaged it, which made it even more fitting that he was the inaugural winner!

Papa Don tending to his Dutch Oven Ribs! Yummo!

Boys playing washers

Uncle Bill & Aunt Pam waiting to hear who the winning chef will be!

The next night was the annual bass fish fry! :) Yummy! We even had an appetizer of catfish thanks to my Momma catching the first catfish in 20+ years! To say the experience was far-out would be putting it lightly! :) Mom, Dad, Aunt Pam & Uncle Bill had the "bright" idea to get each of us tye-dye shirts to wear at the annual event! As you can tell from the pictures, our group was glowing...I'm sure we could be seen from space! As silly as it is, it was so much fun!

Us Girls in our traditional picture
(This year Sophia got to join us!)

Even Sophia had a tie-dye onesie!
(and yes, we brought a play-pen to help contain her / give us a running break while we were in the wide open outdoors! Though this was the most time she spent in it all week!)

Ladies prepping the dinner line!

Men frying the fish!

Erin and both of The Matts!

Memories...
This prompted me to come home and order actual prints of all the pictures we've taken in the last year...There's just something about turning the pages of an album and reliving those moments that clicking the button of a mouse does not fulfill!

The Whole Clan!
(Though we missed you Dev, Monica, Maya, Isaac, Dan & Melinda!)

After dinner, we all gathered around the campfire, as is tradition. And the nominations went flying! One after another people were nominating others for the big bass trophy. Some nominations were for the big fish that were caught this year. Some nominations were for sportsmanship. Some for the most fish caught. One for bringing a boat. Two for just being there! One for allowing me time to keep my fishing tradition (Thanks again sweetie, that really did mean so much to me!) But when the votes were tallied, it was easy to see. The winner this year didn't catch the biggest, or the most fish. In fact, he hardly caught any fish at all. But he never complained. And every morning he was out there again. The winner this year showed what it really is about; plain and simple, The Love of Fishing. Congratulations Dad!

Handing over the trophy to it's newest owner!


And then Sophia's sleepy/silly/ham-it-up side started showing
(never mind the crazy sunblock filled hair!)
Hamming it up with Cousin Erin

and Cousin Matt

18 Months??? How Did That Happen?

Dear Sophia,

It's truly unfathomable that we've had 18 months with you in our lives already. You are growing and learning so much that we are constantly amazed. Here are some things that we want to remember about you at 18 months old:

* Every day we are hearing more and more new words from you. Just this morning when we were getting you dressed, you picked up your swim suit and said very clearly, "swim suit", then you found your shorts and said "sorts" and then you found your shirt and said "sirt". So cute.

*We absolutely love the way you will pick up a book, turn around and plop down in our laps for some reading. You are getting so good at naming the things you see in the books, and even telling me which books Elmo is in, and which book Lola is in.

*You build Lego's nonstop some days. Which is great because you are finally learning that you can SIT to do something! :) I honestly think that from the day you turned 9 months and were walking until this week, we have not had a break. So we are loving that you've found a quiet activity.

*Though you still keep us on our toes; Just when we think it's safe to move the coffee table back into the house, you take a little tumble; reminding us that our "big girl" really is still a little girl indeed!

*You are OBSESSED with shoes. Seriously. You pick them up, you try them on, you bring them to the people they belong to. You ask for them when you wake up. When it's time to go somewhere you, you bring Daddy or me our shoes.

*You are trying so hard to get the words right when you tell us "I Love You" and they sound like "I Luh Ooo" It's adorable.

*When you can't find something, you will stop what you are doing, stand up, turn your hands palm up and say "...Where are you?" until you find it! And that goes for everything...Mommy, Daddy, Bubbas, Legos, your ball, the music, anything...

*You love playing Hide And Go Seek. Your favorite hiding spot is in your closet, behind your clothes. If we find you right away, you will cover yourself and tell us, "no...no..."

*We are trying so hard to limit your "Binky time" so now you only get it with naps and bed time. You are great about putting it into your crib after naps, but every once in a while you will go back to your room, get the binky and come up front with it in your mouth and smile at me very mischievously! You know better Missy!

*You love Bandit, and still call him "Bubba" all the time. When we leave the house, backing out of the driveway you always tell him "Bye-Bye Bubba"

*You two will run around the living room and the backyard together, almost like playing chase, and he is so good with you.

*You love to help us feed him in the morning, and if even one piece of his food falls on the ground, you are sure to pick it up. And when the whole container spills as you are putting the scoop back, you help pick up every piece then too!

*You now have names for everyone: My parents are "Mae-Mae" and "Papa"; Daddy's parents are "Grandma" and "Grandpa". Auntie Carly is "Ti-Ta", Uncle Josh is "Uncle" and Auntie Alisha is "Ti-Ti".

*When we pull up to someone's house, you know where we are and will say their names!

*You will not touch a banana after 6 months of eating nothing but them. Now you love green grapes, "gra-gra" strawberries, "straw-straw" and graham crackers, "cracka." If we have these 3 snacks in the house, then we are all set!

*You drink more milk than I can keep in the fridge at a time.

*Since we've had your tubes put in your ears in April, you have not had a single ear infection! :)

*You love to climb on the couches, and put the pillows on the ground to crawl on.

*You wave to everyone when they leave, and you blow them kisses as we're buckling into your car seat. You really are a big sweetie.

*You tell me now when you are ready for a nap. Usually when we're getting out of your high chair from lunch, or returning home from errands. You will tell me as we pull in the driveway, "Binky. Nigh-Night"

*You are curious about all things new. We went to lunch with Mae-Mae & Ti-Ta last week and our food was very hot. As it was steaming, you were slowly waving your hand through the steam and when it would disappear, you looked around saying, "Where go?" It was the cutest thing and totally had your attention for minutes. (Which is a long time in that curious little mind of yours that jumps from one thing to the next!)

Sophia, there are so many things about you that we love. We just can't get enough of you. To even try and explain the love we have is impossible. You are such a sweetheart. You share with everyone. You follow directions pretty well. And you LOVE to help us out. Anything that you can do to help us makes you smile.

We are so excited to see what God has in your plans. Daddy and I comment all the time that we must be the luckiest parents in the world to have gotten a little girl as sweet as you...You brighten our every day.

We Love You Tons,
Mommy & Daddy

Here are some pictures from one of our backyard swim days this summer!

Exploring the yard



Hiding from Mom!




Helping to fill the pool




But then, you discovered that the hose is much more fun!




So forget the pool! Let's play with a hose!




Or just explore the grass!

The Lazy Days of Summer

We're having lots of lazy days around here. But not by choice.

I know I've stated on here before that I can not tolerate laziness. Lying around doing nothing is one of the things I simply can not do. So when sickness strikes, I can only handle so much.

Sophia on the 4th; Wearing her cute shirt from Grandma Sue & Grandpa Whit! At least she was festive despite the lack of festivities going on in our home!

4th of July

Well...Bronchitis hit our home. Just in time for the 4th of July, which turned out to be a big bummer. We had plans to head up to Miranda for the 4th and spend some time with my Aunt Pam and Uncle Bill. Miranda is a place that is special to me for so many reasons. Some of you might be asking "Where is Miranda?" Miranda is just over an hour south of Eureka (where my mom is from) right in the middle of the redwoods. It's a tiny little town with a post office, a school, a market and a hotel. And that's about it. My mom's family (I think it was her grandfather) built a small summer home on a piece of property in this tiny little town and it is like a retreat. When Carly and I would stay up in Eureka for a week at a time, Grandma and Grandpa would take us out to Miranda for a day or two, and there are so many memories of that place. Here are some of the things I love about Miranda, some of the things I want to share with Sophia:

*The smell of the bay leaf trees hit you the second you step out of the car.
*The way the fresh air leaves you feeling relaxed.
*Grandma would always cook us a breakfast of pop-overs and bacon. (She would begin this process about 6am, and as much as she tried to be quiet, it always sounded like she was re-arranging the pots and pans in the kitchen!)
*We would get to take the stale bread crumbs out to the porch and feed the birds

***Picture Disclaimer! These pictures are from various trips we've taken to this spot I love, not to confuse you since we didn't go this past weekend!***

*If you looked in the morning when the dew was still on the ground, you might find a giant banana-slug! (And yes, we did pour salt on a few of the poor things just to see if they really do bubble up...)

*Grandpa was so proud of his tomatoes. He grew them in wine barrels on the back porch, because that's where most of the sun was.
*When we were really little, we had a little pool to fill up. If we filled it in the morning, then in the afternoon it was warm enough to swim in.
*Grandma always had a jigsaw puzzle going. She would sit on the porch and work on that thing for hours. And when we had to leave, she would cover it in plastic, and keep it in place with rocks. Then it would be there to work on next week.
*In the living room there were these closets that were covered with curtains, and I remember mom telling me that one summer they came out to the cabin and found a bat in the closet. So I never wanted to look in them. Ever.
*In the evening, after Grandma had gone to bed, Grandpa would play Chinese Checkers with us. And he NEVER let us win. We had to win legitimately. Which I never did. I remember this one time when our eldest cousin Devin beat him, and I remember thinking that he was a genius, because no one EVER beat Grandpa.
*One summer, when we got too big for the inflatable pool, Grandpa went to the hotel downtown and paid so that we could swim in their pool!
*Sometimes Grandma and Grandpa would park their 5th wheel on the property and Carly and I would get to sleep in there with them. Then we got to eat our cereal in there too. It felt like an extra special treat.
*Then during the day, we would play "McDonalds" and use the door of the 5th wheel like it was the drive up window! (I know, dorky)
*But when the trailer wasn't there, we'd set up a store on the cement pad, and use acorns and leaves as our money
*We liked to take walks down the hill to see the cousins. Cousins John and Jim used to give us candy, and tell us about all the wild animals they'd seen around the property.
*Once in awhile we'd get to go swimming in the river. It was cold and the ground was so rocky.
*Sometimes we'd get to go to Benbow, a resort further south, and use their day-use area for a picnic lunch and swimming.
*On a few occasions we were out there for the 4th, with all the cousins. We got to take our fireworks down to the river and let them off on the rocks. Though they were tiny fireworks and the rocks would have never caught fire, I'm pretty sure that was probably illegal.
*We always had dinner on the long table in the dining room. After dinner, Great Grandpa Archie (who had passed away long, long ago) used to visit us...(Grandpa would lift his end of the table with his legs and tell us that Grandpa Archie was visiting. We always tried to catch him lifting the table, but he was sneaky and we never actually saw him do it!)
*We used to walk down to the little market every afternoon to get a Snapple, and when we got a little older, the 5 of us cousins were allowed to walk down together without the adults!
*When Grandpa wanted to lay down in the afternoon, Grandma would take us for a walk through the redwoods. (Or Aunt Pam would take us to the Hobbit-Town Trail, where we meandered along a trail through the woods and along a creek, spotting hobbits as we went along!)

(an old picture, and kinda blurry, but I love it because it was from our first trip to Miranda together and our first walk through the woods.)

*The redwood trees in the area are majestic; they are so huge it's unbelievable. I remember as a kid going on "hikes" (though most of them are more like walks) through the redwoods, the paths lined with clovers, searching for the 4 leaf clovers, the sun streaming in through the branches, sure that we were going to see a fairy or a leprechaun or something magical. (Seriously, this is a memory of mine.)

*The way that the forest floor is silent

*Listening to the memories of mom, aunt pam and uncle jim as they talk about their summers
*(And sometimes even funnier) Listening to them talk to their cousins about what they remember (Their cousins have a cabin just at the bottom of the same hill.)
*The drive to Garberville, (Hippy Town USA) seemed so long, but it was the closest grocery store available. And if we had been really good, we got to stop at Blue Moon toy store to find some totally unnecessary trinket.

And I know, I couldn't have given all these experiences to Sophia this weekend, but a few of them would have been fun. I watch my classroom kids and listen to them talk about their summers and often wonder, "where has childhood gone?" I just want Sophia to stay a child for as long as possible. I want her to get outside and dig in the mud, and walk through the woods, and go fishing, and enjoy camping. And I know, these are my memories. I am just thankful that my family gave them to me! I just want to be able to provide her with experiences as she grows, so she can make her own memories; memories that hopefully she will want to pass on to her children. And that makes me smile.

Craftiness

So in my downtime I've been feeling crafty. As I've stated in the past, art is not my thing. But crafts, that's a whole different story. My Grandma Jean passed on her craftiness to both my sister and I. And what started out as cute little hair flowers for Sophia last year, has turned into a whole new monster. Carly and I participated in the Colusa Craft Fair, decorated our booth so well that we won free booth rental at the upcoming Craft Fair in December of this year! So my craft-wheel has been turning, trying to find new, fresh ideas.

Sophia's room was one of my most favorite to decorate and design. Maybe becuase it was for a little girl who is so close to our hearts. But maybe also because many things in there have a special meaning.

The one thing that always gets at me in there is the blank wall above her dresser.

I waited for a while to put anything up there, because I wasn't sure what to do. But then the "waiting for a while" turned into 18 months! I have been eying these pictures at Target for some time now. Waiting, waiting, and waiting for them to go on sale. They don't. So, I started searching online for something I could make in their place. I didn't even contemplate painting anything, because I'll be real with you, I don't paint.

And I found something else instead. I loved it the second I saw it, and I knew I could easily replicate it!

As many of you know, Matt's mom, Sue has passed on her love for scrapbooking and card making to me.

A baby card I made for a friend

I've really taken an interest in it, and Sue has so generously helped me build my supply needs. Christmas, Birthday, Just Because, :) She'll bring me a cute stamp set, or ink, or papers...papers! I have so many scrapbook papers that this was going to a cinch. I just needed a few tools.

After getting some much needed rest this weekend, I felt rejuvenated enough on Tuesday to give it a go. And here's how it happened;

A FEW of the things we sold last year:

Coffee Cuffs

Reusable cuffs to go around your coffee cup!
Go Green!

Bow Holder/Memory Board

So, we're on the craft quest again. Any fresh ideas that we can whip up by December would be much appreciated! :) And yes, we will be on ETSY.com come the Christmas season... And we love to customize! So let us know!