Adventures in the Tent Trailer Part III: The Big One

Well I survived the Boards with a great result. My family, immediate and extended, survived my psychoses surrounding said event. Many thanks to all. Needless to say the JonesZees where in great need of a vacation; enter Rob-Vacation planner extraordinaire. Given that we have a tent-trailer, no trip is a trip without it. Hence we headed out on a Northern California Road Trip early in the morning on the 14th after my graduation party. We left at 4am with the truck packed to the roof with gear and Floyd paraphernalia. We were intent on eating healthy along the way. Which lasted until St.George for Grand Slam breakfasts at Denny's, then In-And-Out burger in Barstow.
We arrived in Sequoia National Park around 7pm Utah time after 16 hours of travel. Floyd was a superstar in the car, so we just pushed through. We woke up in a giant sequoia grove. See the white dot in the picture above, that is my head. Note the size discrepancy between a 5 month pregnant woman and the General Grant Tree, the third biggest tree in the world. Floyd was in heaven with an abundance of sticks, rocks, and small rodents.
We went on a few short hikes in the park. Floyd has become very intense and independent. He hiked 1 mile and 1400 feet of elevation all by himself.
After three days in the park, we headed for the coast. We made it to highway 1 just south of a cute town called Cambria. We headed north to a great campsite just outside the Big Sur. We had great ocean views and a fabulous fresh fish dinner. Floyd wanted to be just like dad and pulled his shirt off to bask in the sun.
So ends part 1 of the big one. The next day we headed into Carmel for my half of the vacation which does not involve camping. Stay tuned.

The Buzz

The stress of it all! I finally completed my board exam. After several months of study, and worry. I made it to Louisville Kentucky and took the test. I kept it cool for the build up, and through the test, then unleashed the pregnancy-amplified deluge of emotions on poor Rob on the way home from the airport. I would hope to blame most bonehead moves for the past five months and the four more to follow on pregnancy related brain. Like when I booked my airline ticket for my test one month in advance, then realized the day before I was to leave that I reserved flights for "St. Louis, Missoura"instead of Louisville, Kentucky. Pregnant brain saw the "Louis" and thought, wow I am getting a sweet deal on a direct flight to Louisville. The rest of my classmates are suckas!
In other bigger, more important news, I am 20 weeks pregnant and officially having another boy-LLOYD Jones. Floydee doesn't yet grasp the magnitude of my incredibly growing belly and behind. But alas a rude awakening will arrive in October. He continues to blossom into a unique little dude. He says Mommy and Daddy, and dog.
On the Rob -oh so many hobbies and methods of time suckage-front. We finally did something about the bees buzzing around our deck. Turns out a hive of spanish honeybees had taken up residence in the stucco around our balcony. After interviewing a bunch of beekeepers, and investing in the eminent publication, "Beekeeping for Dummies," Rob decided he should rescue said bees and take-up beekeeping. A contractor/beekeeper came over and cut a whole in our wall revealing thousands of busy bees. He transferred them to a hive which will now reside behind our garage.
The dude's latest nickname is Bluto, of Animal House fame as he will pour any liquid on his chest prior to imbibing.
To keep my sanity with months away from my bike, Rob got me a cruiser. And I got a little seat for the dude where he rides in the front. He loves it, and I get to cruise around the neighborhood.

That's the buzz. Wish me luck on the results of the boards eh.

Adventures in the Tent Trailer part II

The last few weeks have been eventful. Floyd has learned a few new talents; 1) removing his diaper;2) that he likes to eat dog food; 3) he has learned to say no and wag his finger; and 4) how to transfer dirt from one flower bed to the next.  I reunited with old friends due to a death, and have been buried in board studying. We decided that this was a good weekend to get away. Rob and I had never been to Canyonlands, so we headed out Friday. 

We did some primitive camping outside of Moab. Floyd was so psyched for his very own giant sand box.
We hit the Needles area Saturday morning. FLoyd was able to walk the majority of the way.
Later that afternoon , after a trip to Moab for some ice cream, we went to the Island in the Sky area of canyon lands. This is Mesa arch. I strategically placed Floyd over my belly.
This was the Grand Overlook in Canyonlands. It was a great Mother's Day weekend.

Adventures in the Tent Trailer part 1

Rob was intent on going...good weather or not. The last several weekends, the weather had deterred his efforts to embark on a camping adventure. We decided to go to "the Swell" even though the forecast that morning called for rain mixed with snow across the entire state.  It was raining by the time we made it to Spanish Fork, at Soldier Summit it was snowing.  Floyd was having a great old time in the back seat, reading books and dancing to mom and dad's music.  He held it together for 4 hours while mom and dad "calmly" looked for a campsite in Buckhorn Wash despite the fact that every Billybob Joe, their family and all there ATV's had staked out every conceivable spot.

We let Floyd out for a breather while we checked out the our options. We set out towards BLM land. We finally found a spot overlooking the wash, far away from the ATV traffic. As we pulled into the spot it started to snow. Rob set up camp, Porter escaped the truck, and FLoyd and I waited in the truck.
Despite all the mud, and the dog being soaking wet. The tent was toasty warm. We played a few games of Yahtzee then, when the rain stopped we went out side to throw some rocks and play in the dirt.
This was our view. 
Obligatory self-timer family photo.

Floyd loving the tent. Hogging the bed, and sleeping better that both Rob and I. The furnace kept us warm all night long.  We had a super breakfast of bacon, eggs, and hashbrowns.

Then we packed up and headed out to explore the "Little Grand Canyon."

All in all it was a successful trip. Floyd had a great time, and Rob was a proud father. The only drama happened when Rob got the trailer stuck in the mud...in our backyard.

Bringing up Baby

   

I dropped Floydee off at the big kids class yesterday, and had to run out of the building before I started crying. It was nearly as bad as his first day of school, but it was pretty tough. He is growing up so fast.  Mind you, he was excited for the new toys and ambulatory-babbling kiddies to play with.  And uh, in other news....

if you hadn't heard. Number 2 is in the works. I am 12 weeks prego, and surviving. I only vomit when I am really hungry, which is every morning.  Rob and I are excited, but the reality of it hasn't quite hit us. Early reports look like another little boy!!

The leader of the Band....

Floydee loves music! He will stand by the stereo and bob up and down, and shake his booty. He even knows how to pump up the volume! Grammy bought him a drum set, and his excitement was palpable. He had the biggest smile as he pounded the drums and marched down the hallway.  His mouth was open so wide I could see all the back teeth he is getting, which may explain his poor sleeping habits.

Adjusting

We are all getting ready for spring. Floyd loves the warm weather and playing outside with rocks. Rob is also getting ready for spring and summer camping. He bought his dream tent-trailer complete with a stereo and solar panels for back-up power. I tried to tell him that my main memory of tent-trailers involved poker games in the Rasmussen's garage, and truth and dare in the Thomson's trailer. No good can come of this. But his memories involve Griswald-type vacation memories with his family traveling cross country to Disneyland, camping all the way.

We are adjusting the the dude becoming more opinionated and increasing dexterity. He has learned the the toilet can be loads of fun, on the level of the dog bowl. Mornings have been a little crazy over the last few weeks too now that Rob has started a home workout regimen too...P90X! He asks me everyday if I can tell the difference. He poses in the mirror several times a day and asks me if he looks skinny or fat. He is worse than any girl I have met.
And with spring comes board examinations. For the next several weeks, up until May 31st, a majority of my days and a smattering of evenings will be allotted to preparing for my oral board examinations. We are lucky that my mom is around to play with Floyd on the late nights where Rob and I are not able to pick him up from school. He loves to play with grammy b's kitties. Floyd is also moving up in school, from the Waddlers to the Toddlers. No more sleeping in a crib at school, he gets his own cot. He loves to brush his teeth and hair too. Soon he will be off to college!