Yosemite and Sequoia

If you want to see all of the Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks pictures, go here (you have to be a friend of facebook though). Here are just a few highlights.

Monday, September 13th: left Irvine at 11 something. Drove for HOURS, stopped at Sonic for lunch!!!! It took 7 hours of driving time to arrive in Yosemite, plus 1 hour and 15 minutes of stop time for the kids. Arrived after dark at 7 something. Ate dinner at one of the Curry Village eateries, unloaded the car, and finally got to bed at around 9. Stayed in a yert (sp?) in Curry Village. The first night, I swear I heard a bear growl, then heard a horrible noise that sounded like someone being attacked and mauled by a bear. Chad says it was a recording the rangers play to scare the bears away. Heard it again later that night. Also had to get up a few times to go potty in the middle of the night, but was way too scared to walk to the bathroom, so went by the tent. The kids slept great and slept all night. Got down to about 45 degrees, COLD!

Tuesday, September 14th: Got up at 7 am, thanks kids. Didn't get going till about 10 am though. Drove to a trail head and walked the Lower Yosemite Falls hike (about 1 mile).
Then attempted Upper Yosemite Falls trail, trying only to reach the second viewpoint at 1.5 miles. That mile took TWO hours; it was very steep. Every time we stopped to rest, the kids enjoyed throwing rocks down the path.
Gave up at the 1-mile viewpoint and turned back.

On the way back down, we saw a BEAR! It was so cool to see one. It was a teenage-aged bear, we decided, only in view for about 5 seconds before he disappeared over the rocks. That made that horrible hike worthwhile. Finally made it to the bottom and rode the shuttle to El Capitan and watched the mountain climbers while the kids played in the river below. There is a man with cerebral palsy who's never walked in his life who is climbing El Capitan; I'll write about him in another post.

Cooked our own hotdogs with chili and made smores for dinner. Actually got to take a shower today!

Wednesday, September 15th: Woke up at 7:30 (yay!). Hope saw an 8-point buck just chillin by the registration center at Curry. Drove an hour to a different area of the park to hike Taft Point, a 1.2 mile walk. We took it easy on the way there and stopped a lot to climb on rocks, etc. It was a steady downhill walk. At the end of it, there is an AMAZING viewpoint from up about 7,000 feet into a valley. Very beautiful and very scary. Chad kept wanting to get close to the edge with the kids; talk about a mother's nightmare! Ate a picnic there (away from the edge!) and then started back. An extremely nice man offered to carry one of the kids for me on his shoulders; God bless him; I never would have made it back otherwise. We walked back with his group, a group of Georgians who goes hiking all over the world (e.g. Peru, Norway, Cinque Terre, etc). The group leader is named Tom (I think the last name is Dennard), who's written a book called Ramblin' Man, which I've actually heard of before! When I met him and told him that, he said he'd mail me a copy of the book! Cool. I think this is it here.

Drove back to the valley and walked to Bridalveil Falls (a really short walk), then the kids played in the brook below. Then drove back to El Capitan so I could see that guy again (he'd made progress!), and the kids got extremely dirty playing in the dust and the river below. Ate dinner back at Curry Village, took showers (aahhhh!), and went to bed.

Thursday, September 16th: Pack up our tent while the kids climbed on rocks (I think all the pants I packed for them have holes in the bums where they slid down rocks on their bottoms). Left Yosemite at about 9:30 and drove to Sequoia National Park. We stopped at scenic overlook for a break, then drove to the General Sherman hike. That was really incredible: a grove of really, really HUGE trees, and "General Sherman," the largest Sequoia tree in the world, and the largest (by density) tree in the world.

Then we drove through the rest of the park and saw more amazing trees, mountains, rivers, and other scenery. We were too late to make it to Crystal Cave though. :(

Then we drove all the way back to Irvine, FINALLY making it back after 10 pm.

It was a GREAT trip; we made lots of good memories, and the kids loved camping and being dirty and climbing on rocks. But, I'm so glad to be home!

Girls, vegetable scales, and toilet paper

First of all, I'm ashamed that it's taken me so long to write a follow-up post to my previous one. The main reason I didn't is because I posted the results of the ultrasound on facebook, so most everyone found out that way. I am EXTREMELY happy to announce that we are going to have a girl! I feel so "lucky" to be given a daughter, and I am so happy that everything on the 20-week ultrasound looks healthy and great. I truly am grateful to God for all the blessings He's given me.

The other reason I haven't posted about this is because the thought of scanning in pictures made me feel overwhelmed for some reason. But it was totally painless; I did it!

Here are some pictures of the little peanut. The first one is her footprints.

And this is her little face. If you can't tell, the chest cavity is on the left. The forehead, nose, and lips are on the right. She's kind of squished in there.

And now, some other great news. You know the fruit and veggie scales at the grocery store? Well, I found out I've been reading them wrong all these years! Yep, that's right, I've been reading the kilogram side! (what was I supposed to think; it's in red, and red attracts more attention!) No wonder all those "medium butternut squash, about 2 lbs" that I was getting for recipes always seemed underweight. And all those grapes I didn't buy because they were $1.99 a pound but weighed what I thought was 4 lbs?! Never again!

How embarrassing.

And the other interesting bit of the week is that I'm going to try more expensive toilet paper. I've always bought the cheap, lousy, thin, scratchy stuff that aggravates my hemorrhoids and that I have to use twice as much of because it's not absorbent. But, last time at Target, I forced myself to buy the pack of Angel Soft (or whatever it's called) that costs $12 instead of $8, and I can hardly wait to use it. I'll let you know about the results.

Daughters

I want a daughter very, very, very, very much. Most of you know this. But some people have been ridiculously disparaging, rude, and insensitive about my desire. Here's what various people have said about it:

"At least you won't have to pay for a girl's wedding."

"Be glad if you don't have a girl. Girls are just drama."

"As long as it's healthy, it doesn't matter what it is."

"Be careful what you wish for. My daughter was ...."

"Be grateful for what you have."

"At least you won't have to go out at buy girl stuff."

Why would people say such discouraging things about girls? And why do people tell me what I should and should not want?

I WANT to pay for a girl's wedding and be involved in helping her plan one. I WANT to go by pink and purple onesies. Yes, girls are more drama in general, but so worth it. Yes, I will be extremely grateful if my child is healthy, but does that mean I can't pine for a certain gender?

I love my two boys BEYOND MEASURE, and I'm so grateful that God has given them to me. I'm so glad that I had two boys together, close in age. I think they'll grow up close, they can share a room, they'll be less lonely with each other, etc.

But now that I'm going to have another child, I would really like to have a girl. I would really like to experience that mother-daughter relationship. Most moms I know treasure their girls and have a bond with them that is very different from the bonds with their sons. I want to experience that. I would love to pick out a girl name, and buy girl clothes, and (hopefully) still be close to her when she grows up and marries and has children. Boys generally leave their parents more than girls do.

My desire: Is it immoral or unethical to desire a daughter? Absolutely not. In the Bible, children are described as blessings to be grateful for (Matt 19:4, Mark 10:14, Mark 10:16, Psalm 127:5), and nowhere does it say or insinuate that one sex is more valuable than the other. Is it okay to be obsessed about it? No. Do I need to thank God for my blessings whether it's a boy or a girl? Absolutely. And I will ... eventually.

If I have another son, I will probably go through a grieving period because I will feel disappointed and sad not to have a daughter. I don't think that will be a bad thing. My feelings of disappointment will be valid, and I should be allowed to have them and process them so that I can get to a point where I am happy to have another little boy in my house. Even King Solomon knew that disappointments and desires are real: "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life" (Prov 13:12). So, yes, if I find out it's another boy, my heart will feel sick for a short time. Please allow me these emotions and don't tell me how to feel.

I'm going on Sunday to an ultrasound school for one that costs $25. I'll post the results when I can.

Sick heart or tree of life?

Sprinkled Eggs and a Belly Pic

Benji's been eating scrambled eggs for the last few mornings for breakfast. He calls them "sprinkled eggs." It's adorable, and it makes me laugh.

Secondly, here's my very first belly pic! It was taken at 14 weeks. Let me just remind you that with my first pregnancy, I was BARELY showing at 14 weeks and didn't start wearing maternity clothes till around 20 weeks. Not this time.

Also, don't forget to notice my new hair cut and color.

Over the Hill

My 30th birthday is one month away and fast approaching. I dread turning 30. It seems like it's the top of the hill and the rest of my life will be down the other side of that hill. I remember being 16 and 18 years old and seeing a 30-year old and thinking, "Wow, 30 is so old. I'm glad I'm still young." I don't feel that old, but I think the numbers are telling. And anyone who's over 30 and reading this will probably think, "Oh please, you're just a baby." But let's get real here, people. Thirty is no baby. I've been alive for 30 years. That's a really long time.

In fact, the other day, Chad said "...back when we were young and in love. Well, we're still in love, but we're not young anymore." I was washing my hands, so I flicked water on his face and said, "Speak for yourself!" But he's right.

And it's starting to show. The lines on my face aren't very bad, thanks to years of anti-aging products, but they're there. And I've got some new spider veins on my legs (that's probably more due to pregnancy, but still). And my breasts sag down half way to my belly button (that's more breastfeeding for a total of 46 months, but still).

I'm not young and spry anymore. I can't stay up much past 10 pm, and I don't like to get up the next morning. I get back pain, and my body gets tired much more quickly than it did 5 years ago. I already have high cholesterol, thanks to some bad genes and my love of butter. That's only going to get worse with age, my cholesterol I mean, not my love of butter.

And my evil metabolism slowed down by about 50 miles an hour. Here's a confession I've told few people because it's so awful: Right from when I turned 29 (last August) till I got pregnant in April, I gained 8 pounds! Eight pounds in 6 months! Didn't change my eating habits at all and was still working out 4-5 days a week for an hour or more each time. Just turned 29, that's all. Lousy metabolism!

Oh, and I STILL HAVE PIMPLES!!!!!! If I'm going to be old, can't I at least have a clear face? What the heck?

And I still haven't published a single thing! (Except for a poem in a totally random Canadian magazine, so that doesn't really count). I've got to finish all those novels I've started and work on publication. In fact, in my long life, I've accomplished nothing at all of significance, aside from having two children and raising them reasonably well (which is a pretty big accomplishment).

All you optimists out there will probably respond, "Be happy. Thirty is the prime of life. Wait till you're forty. Then your metabolism will really slow down, and your body will really not feel young and spry. Forget about ever running a half-marathon again then. Enjoy the life you have right now." Most of me realizes that this is true. I'm sure after awhile of being 30, I'll feel better about it. But right now, with those horrible numbers looming before me, I don't like it. I don't want to be over the hill. I don't want other 16 year olds looking at me and thinking, "Eww, she's old."

I think the only advantage to being 30 is that I'll be taken slightly more seriously. Once you're in your 30's, it's kind of like you've arrived, you're a real adult; not one of those people in her 20's, wavering between teenage-hood and adulthood.

Big Accomplishment

Over two years ago, for Christmas, Chad gave me a cookbook: Barefoot Contessa Family Style. I thought I would cook through it so I could learn a lot and become a better cook. This was long before anyone had ever heard of Julie and Julia, so don't think I'm just a big copy cat.

Well, two and a half years later, I'm done! Tonight, I cooked the last of 79 recipes! Now, if you're not familiar with the Barefoot Contessa, she does write easy, four-ingredient recipes that take 30 minutes to do. They're usually complicated, full of ingredients (often expensive), and take lots of cook time. So, I think this is quite an accomplishment. Chad has enjoyed it as well. The kids...well, they don't really care.

I've learned SO much cooking through this cookbook. I've learned what annis, fennel, rutabagas, stilton, endives, wheatberries, brioche, and tabbouleh are. (Many times throughout this endeavor, I had to ask the grocers what the heck something was and where to find it). And I've created many amazing dishes, such as buffalo wings, herb-roasted lamb, rosemary polenta, corn pudding, roasted winter vegetables, rum raisin rice pudding, and homemade cheesecake.

Here are recipes to some of my favorites, available online for you to print and try yourself:

curried chicken salad (the first time Chad tasted this, he said, "Oh, Hope, I think I'm falling in love with you all over again)

chicken stew with biscuits (this one is so amazing because it calls for 2 sticks of butter!)

linguine with shrimp scampi (this one is really easy)

baked "chips" (even my kids like this one)

garlic sauteed spinach

raspberry cheesecake (OMG! This is TRULY incredible!)

banana sour cream pancakes

frozen key lime pie (Y-U-M)

challah French toast

birthday sheet cake

Happy cooking, friends!

I dream of Ranch

I think I have an official pregnancy craving. I think about it night and day. I want chicken (breaded and fried of course) and french fries dipped in Ranch dressing. I've only had that once since I've been pregnant, with my friend Karen at Chick fil-A. But now I can't stop thinking about it. And since that's so unhealthy, a forbidden fruit, it makes it even more desirable.

Not just any old chicken strips will do, my friends. Not McDonald's nuggets; they're not even real chicken. And not the dinosaur-shaped nuggets from Costco that my children eat. I want high-quality chicken, deeply breaded, and fried just right. Like Chick fil-A, or Honey's, or even Wing Stop chicken wings. And Hidden Valley Ranch just won't do; I need restaurant Ranch. It's not as thick, and it's so much tastier.

So next time any of you want to go to Chick fil-A, make sure you call me. If I find out you went without me ...