The Valley of Fire
Last weekend we trekked out to the Valley of Fire State Park for an all-day outdoor adventure. For this adventure, we actually planned ahead—most of the packing was done the night before so we could leave first thing after breakfast. Valley of Fire State Park is a short 1.25 hour drive from the house. After we arrived in the park, we quickly realized that the Valley of Fire “current temperature” from the Interwebs was off by about 10 degrees and that “breezy” was an understatement.
Our first stop was a quick one at Atlatl Rock to see some petroglyphs and look for a hiking trail. After Atlatl Rock we opted for “Mouse’s Tank” hiking trail. Ava loved the hike! We didn’t make it very far from the trail-head because Ava was so busy exploring every nook and cranny of the rock formations. She clambered up and down the rocks looking for “houses” (little caves in the rocks). Noah slept for most of the time in the Moby—far superior to the Bjorn.
We all worked up a pretty big appetite climbing the rocks, so we set up our picnic to cook some hot dogs and rest from our morning adventures. During lunch, several chipmunks visited Ava and her lunch scraps which the wind had stolen. Ava would chase after the chipmunks which naturally scared them into the scrub. When Ava continued her pursuit of the chipmunks farther away from the picnic area, the chipmunks would return to pick at the peanuts from her trail-mix.
After lunch, we decided to tackle the “White Domes” hike—a 1.25 mile hike through white-capped sandstone rocks. The White Dome hike started off pretty tough—tons of loose, fine sand, high winds, and a tired, fussy pre-schooler. The view from the hike was spectacular and definitely worth braving the rough start. Throughout the hike, Ava repeated, “Hey, guys, I just want to walk on the rocks. Can we go walk on those rocks?”
By the end of the White Domes hike, we were all pretty tired and ready to head home. Ava was a trooper, but she needed help finishing the course—it turns out she was carrying most of the sand in her shoes.
Scrub-a-dub
Two babies in the tub!
The one surefire way to get Ava to take a bath without any dawdling, rule breaking or arguing is to give Noah a bath too. Baby boy is clean these days.
Half.
It hardly seems possible, but the first half (plus a little bit) of Noah’s first year is over. He turned six months on February 27. I can’t believe he’s so old already. I’m pretty sure we blinked and open our eyes six months later. Before we blink again and find ourselves at his first birthday, I’m hitting the pause button and capturing him just as he is…now.
:: Noah can finally roll in both directions. He rolls readily from front to back. But, we almost never see him roll from back to front. There isn’t much in this world worth that kind of effort to him.
:: This newfound rolling skill did not, as I had predicted, improve his sleep at school. Maybe there’s just too much to learn there, but he will not sleep for longer than 40 minutes at a time at school.
:: Thankfully, the fact that he doesn’t nap at school does not affect his napping at home. He takes a one hour nap in the morning and then a two hour nap in the afternoon. Bedtime is anytime between 6pm and 7pm…whenever he gets tired. It’s closer to 6pm on school days and could probably be after 7pm on days he takes naps.
:: Dude isn’t sleeping all through the night yet, but he’s only getting up a couple of times now. We still do a 1-2am feeding and one around 4-5am. By 6 or 6:30, he’s UP for the day. And, boy, does this kid wake up happy. When you pick him up out of the crib, he gives the tightest, best hugs. He actually puts his arms around your neck and squeezes. Makes the early wake ups worth it.
:: Doozers is a champion eater. So far he’s had oatmeal, spaghetti squash, avocado, sweet potato and mango. For the record, he HATES mango. Made himself gag to spit it up. Offer that kid avocado and sweet potato, though, and there isn’t enough in the world to satisfy him. Boy loves his veggies.
:: Of course, all those solids also solidify, ahem, other things. His teenaged self will not be happy I have this photo.
:: Besides food, Noah has two great loves in his life. Libby & Ava. If either one of them cross his field of view, he’s glued to their every move. Luckily, he’s just as adored by those two. I think Libby would lick his hands right off if I let her and Ava is the gentlest, kindest big sister a baby boy could ask for. When Noah was on the way, I just knew this would be how it would turn out. So grateful that I was right.
(A little sneak preview of the results from the photoshoot we did on Noah’s six month birthday)
:: I’ve said it before and I’m likely to say it again. Doozers really is the happiest baby on the block. He’s got a huge smile for everybody and is just so content. He’s happiest when surrounded by a bunch of people and loves to just watch and take it all in. Who could resist this smile? I hope he always smiles with his whole face like this…it lights up a room (and my heart).
:: The other big skill Noah has mastered recently is sitting. He’s pretty stable now, but if he gets over excited or tired, he’ll just tip right over. I’m pretty sure the tipping is willful now, though, rather than a lack of balance.
Look, Mom! No hands!
:: Baby boy has two favorite toys. This one and this one. After he eats dinner, and while we all finish ours, these two keep him completely involved in his booster seat.
I could go on and on about this baby boy. He’s fun and getting more so every day. His smile warms my heart, makes bad days melt away. So glad he’s the baby we got to bring home. We love to watch you grow, little dude. Can’t wait to see what you do next!
Need a giggle?
I have a “Noah @ Six Months” post percolating, but wanted to share this right away. He’s just the happiest kid…also, he’s ticklish!