July 4, 2017
Sufferfest 2017 — The best mistake I’ve ever made
They say “the devil’s in the details,” and after our Cumberland Island trip, I would have to agree. Our plans for a relatively laid-back vacation became a strenuous adventure thanks to a piece of paper, some tent poles, and nonpotable water. Thankfully, with perseverance and a good attitude, we discovered the treasures hidden behind fatigue, dehydration, and disappointment.
Fayetteville, Arkansas is one-thousand forty-three miles from St. Mary’s, Georgia. For the Newcomb family, that translated to 17 hours (with stops). Our Subaru Forester was packed to the gills and then some. We arrived in St. Mary’s at 8AM with 3 hours to spare until we had to check-in for the ferry ride to Cumberland Island, perfect timing since we still had to go to the store and buy our groceries for four days on the island. One of the most unique things about CI is that there are no stores, restaurants, or services on the island. Once you’re there, you survive on whatever you brought. We had spent the past six-weeks planning every last detail of the trip. I poured over the Cumberland Island National Seashore website, personal blogs, and Pinterest articles, gleaning information from each source. I had a fancy folder for all the required paperwork for the ferry, park admission, campsite, maps, etc. We were nothing if not prepared!
When we arrived on Cumberland Island at 12:30PM, we were tired, hungry, and thirsty, but most of all, excited! Our plan was to rent a $5 cart, transport our gear to our campsite (just half-a-mile from the dock), grab a bite to eat, change into our beach duds, and spend a few hours on the beach before we set up camp. We had already caught glimpses of the feral horses and the picturesque live oaks with Spanish moss. In my heart I knew we were about to have the experience of a lifetime!
We were “greeted” by a grumpy park ranger who grunted his requests, “Day or camping.” “We’re camping at Sea Camp!” I responded, practically giddy. “Nope. Sea Camp’s full,” he grunted, “where’s your permit.” I pulled the permit out of the fancy folder, and at the same time we both saw the sad truth, Campsite: Stafford 8. Although I was certain I had booked Sea Camp online, there it was in print, Stafford. Detail #1: Read that piece of paper. My stomach hit the floor and I felt like vomiting. Zach (my sweet husband) looked at me with disappointment and said, “we’re gonna have to go back.” Meaning, we weren’t going to be able to camp on the island. It was a fair assessment, Stafford is not like Sea Camp. Sea Camp was half-mile from the dock, while Stafford was four-miles. We had about 300-lbs of gear: a 12-inch cast iron skillet, two ice chests full of food, beach chairs, beach umbrellas, boogie boards, 4 hammocks, 2 tents, and on-and-on. Basically, we planned for the apocalypse, but not a four-mile hike on a sandy road in 75% humidity with a heat index of 105 degrees. We were wearing jeans, we hadn’t been eating or drinking much in order to avoid excessive stops while driving. Zach and I hadn’t slept in over 24 hours. Besides the distance, Sea Camp had drinking water while Stafford had a water source, but it had to be purified before drinking. We didn’t bring any supplies for purifying water. Dehydration and heat exhaustion are very real threats on the island. A volunteer told us they rescue at least one person a day from the island due to heat exhaustion or heat stroke! Well, I tend to be more adventurous (read: stubborn), and I wasn’t willing to give up so quickly. I encouraged Zach that we should stay, so he managed to convince the cart rental guy (thanks, Jeff!) to allow us to take a cart to Stafford (normally NOT allowed). We filled up our water bottles at Sea Camp, loaded our cart, and started our four-mile trek north to Stafford!
The first ten yards we were so mesmerized by the scenery we didn’t even notice the heat, or our hunger, or our disappointment, but we were quickly overcome by the agony of dragging our gear down the sandy road. We were trying to follow a sad excuse for a map, knowing we weren’t making any real progress. It was disheartening and exhausting. We all trekked along in silence. I looked behind me — my 9-year-old son had tears and snot streaming from his eyes and nose. My 10-year-old daughter was muttering under her breath, “I’m alive, I’m alive.” My husband, pulling the heavy cart, stopped every 20 feet and avoided making eye contact with me. I was so hot my jeans were soaked with sweat, and every few minutes my vision would tunnel to black for a few seconds. I tried to stay positive, so every time we stopped to rest (literally every 30 seconds) I’d mention how beautiful the trees are or how exciting it was that the kids were about to experience their first time on a beach. In my mind I was just praying I would survive to see them on the beach for the first time. I truly thought I might pass out at any time.
There are very few vehicles on the island. Only the park rangers, two tour vans, and a handful of private residents are allowed to have vehicles on the island. Only 300 people are allowed on the island per day. As you can imagine, we didn’t see many people while we were walking. The drivers of the two tour vans stopped to ask where we were headed, looking genuinely concerned about us when they heard it was Stafford. “Call if you get in a bind,” they both warned. I wondered, “what do you mean ‘in a bind‘? Does one of us have to pass out? Do we have to start talking about seeing a bright light?” In my mind, we were “in a bind.” Apparently they thought so too because eventually, the grumpy park ranger came by with a truck and (reluctantly) offered us a ride in the back of the truck. He impatiently waited while we loaded our gear, and ourselves, into the bed of the truck. He drove us three-and-a-half miles to the trail near our campsite. In one hour we had walked only half-a-mile! We walked our gear about 100 yards to our campsite and as we rounded the corner we saw the most glorious campsite imaginable.
It was huge and perfect; the campsites on either side of ours were “closed,” so we were secluded. The giant live oaks provided cover from the sun, and excellent hammocking. The fire ring with grill provided a place for us to constantly boil water for drinking. Stafford campsite provided a small bathhouse with a men’s and women’s restroom, cold showers, and electrical outlets. There was also running (nonpotable) water and a kitchen sink for washing dishes. We started to realize what a blessing this campsite was going to be! And it truly was. This became home for the next four days.
Soon after arriving, we had a cold shower, changed into bathing suits, had a snack, and headed for the beach! Witnessing the kids on the beach for the first time is indescribable. All the driving, walking, and near-death experiences leading up to that moment disappeared as we played in the ocean. It was extra special that the beach was completely unoccupied except for us and the wildlife; our own private beach!
Sitting on the beach, watching the kids jumping waves with the loud ocean breeze in my ears and no technology to distract me, I thanked God for the moment. I thanked Him and praised Him for the next thirty minutes. I transacted with God in an intimate way. In that moment, I knew I would leave Cumberland Island changed. And I did.
The next three days were a mix of fun times and challenges. Detail #2: Drinking water. Because we were unprepared for camping without potable water we had to spend a lot of time boiling water to drink. We needed to drink at least 3 liters of water per person per day to stay hydrated. At one point Zach fell behind and his hands became so swollen from dehydration that his wedding ring was threatening to cut off his finger! That particular day we hiked over ten miles in the heat without drinking enough water. Because of the lack of available drinking water, we were unable to explore the island as extensively as we had hoped. We were unable to make it to the northern part of the island because we wouldn’t have access to enough drinking water considering the number of miles we would have to hike round-trip (about 14). Detail #3: Inadequate sleep. When we went to unpack our tents, we discovered that the larger of the two tents didn’t have tent poles in the bag so we were unable to use it. Instead, I slept in a small, 2-man backpacking tent with both the kids. Zach spent the nights in a hammock nearby, chasing off Rocky the Raccoon all night. Most days we were fatigued by the heat and lack of quality sleep. Detail #4: Bike rentals. We planned to walk to Sea Camp and rent bikes, which would allow us to bike up north much faster. Unfortunately, after we walked four miles back to Sea Camp to rent bikes, we discovered all the bikes had been rented out for the day! There are only about 25-30 bikes for rent, and you cannot reserve them. Instead we ended up exploring the south end of the island: the Dungeness ruins.
The island has a rich history, and walking around the Dungeness ruins listening to the audio tour brings you right into the story. I could imagine the native American Timucuan people, the Spanish invasion followed by the English. Next, the plantation era of the 17- and 1800’s before the elitist estate era when most of the island was owned by the Andrew Carnegie family. Eventually, the Carnegie family donated most of their estate to the NPS. Currently there is a Save Cumberland Island petition underway as many who love CI are fighting against efforts of developers who want to buy up CI and turn it into a resort island. From what we experienced on CI, we support efforts to keep CI undeveloped. It really is an experience unlike any other. I’d hate to see it become another beach resort.
We made two lists on our drive home, one with all the challenges we overcame on the trip, and the other with all the pleasures of the trip. We labeled them: Suffer Well and Pure Joy. To end this post, I’ll leave you with our list. We had an amazing adventure!
June 29, 2017
Cumberland Island National Seashore
If you are looking for a guide to help you prepare for a trip to Cumberland Island, you have arrived! My family: Zach (husband), Clara (10-year-old), Ike (9-year-old), and myself visited CI from June 22nd – June 25th, 2017. The information in this post is based on what we experienced when planning and visiting during this time. I was inspired to write this post because we had a terrible time finding reliable information as we planned for our trip. We had an AMAZING time on CI! We have camped and backpacked in national parks and forests all over the country, and CI offered new, beautiful experiences for our family. You WILL see wild horses, turkey, deer, and tons of bird species. You could see alligators, sea turtles, jellyfish, and wild hogs. We hope to return someday and discover parts of the island we didn’t get to during our four day stay. Read on for helpful tips and tricks we learned!
The only way to access CI is by Cumberland Island Ferry ($28/adult; $18/child), which is NOT operated by the NPS/Cumberland Island National Seashore. Also, there is a $7/adult (over 15 years old) park entry fee. There are a variety of ways to experience the island: 1) a day-trip to explore the South end of the island on foot, 2) a day-trip to explore most of the island on (rented) bicycles ($16/day; $20/overnight), 3) a day-trip to explore the entire island in the comfort of an air-conditioned tour van via the Lands and Legacies tour ($45/person), 4) camp on the island for one to seven days in the more “comfortable” campsite, Sea Camp ($22/night), 5) hike to a campsite that still offers a few amenities at Stafford ($12/night), or 6) hike to one of the three campsites that offer no amenities at Hickory Hill, Yankee Paradise, or Brickhill Bluff ($9/night). All of these options are very affordable. Our family of four purchased round-trip ferry tickets, four days at Stafford, and rented bikes for less than $200! 7) There is an option to see the island by staying at Greyfield Inn. This option is quite expensive ($425-$650 per night with a 2-night minimum); however, if your style is to have air-conditioning and an all-inclusive meal, lodging, and transportation package then this would be an excellent option.
Take some time to thoroughly look over the Cumberland Island National Seashore website to learn all about campsite reservations, ferry reservations, Lands & Legacies tour reservations, and safety/planning tips.
Now that you have familiarized yourself with the website information, let me reiterate a few key points. TOP TEN things you should know before you go:
TEN, you can ONLY book your campsite reservations online via recreation.gov, and at the time of our trip the website was not very informative. I booked our campsite about six weeks before our trip, and I am certain I selected Sea Camp from the drop-down menu, yet when we arrived ON the island we found out we actually booked a site at Stafford! I have read accounts of similar issues experienced by people booking on the new website. Hopefully this issue is being resolved since the online reservation site is very new. But, be warned, I personally heard people trying to call the Cumberland Island NPS to reserve a campsite, as well as try to show up in person to reserve a campsite, and in both cases they were instructed to go online to recreation.gov to book campsites. I suggest you carefully review your reservation email, and your camping permit once it’s printed (10 days prior to the reservation). If you realize you are at the wrong site, call and talk to someone. We found out from a park ranger on the island that Sea Camp typically books out about six months in advance, with June and July being the most difficult time to reserve a site at that location. Sea Camp is the ONLY campsite that has potable water (meaning you can drink it from the tap). Stafford, Hickory Hill, Yankee Paradise, and Brickhill Bluff have non-potable water, so you have to either bring a filtration or purification method, or boil the water for 3 minutes before drinking. Dehydration is a serious issue here, the primary reason for “search and rescue” on the island, accounting for at least one rescue per day according to a friendly volunteer we met. Adults should drink 3-4 liters of water per day. June, July, and August are hot and humid on CI, and water sources are spread out miles from one another.
NINE, you MUST have round trip ferry tickets in order to camp on CI (unless you have a private boat to take you there). These tickets are transferable one time per person, so it’s best to go ahead and book your ferry the same time you reserve your campsite and then change your arrival/departure date if needed. Ferry tickets cost $28/adult round-trip and $18/child round trip. The ferry offers other services while on the island, but they are only available when the ferry is docked on the island. These include: rolling carts for loading/unloading gear ($5 for 45 minutes at Sea Camp only), purchasing bags of ice ($4 for 1lb bag), purchasing firewood (not sure on price as there is downed wood on the island you are allowed to use), renting bicycles ($16/day or $20/overnight; adult cruisers only), and Lands and Legacies tour tickets ($45/person; on the morning ferry only, usually sold out unless booked in advance).
EIGHT, bicycles cannot be reserved and are first-come, first-serve. This proved to be a problem for us and we didn’t get to explore the north end of the island like we hoped because all the bicyles were rented out the day we walked to the ferry to rent them. There is an option to bring your own bike, but you cannot reserve a spot on the ferry and it is contingent upon there being room on the ferry. Basically, bicycles are a great option for exploring the island, just be aware that it may not always work out. There are 300 people on the island per day, and about 30 rental bikes. I wish we had known this ahead of time.
SEVEN, I wish we had known how to pack our gear. All the sources I had read prior to our trip mentioned rolling carts for loading gear. I even saw pictures of happy people lugging mountains of gear on carts! No one mentioned WHEN the carts were accessible, or that they cost extra. So, let me tell you, the carts are ONLY available when the ferry is docked on the island, not on land. You will have to get all your gear from your vehicle onto the ferry without a cart (unless you bring your own, which many people do). Once on the island, you can rent a cart for $5.00 for 45 minutes ONLY if you are camping at Sea Camp. The cart cannot board the ferry, so you still have to get your gear off the ferry and onto the island. The cart is basically to help get your gear from the Sea Camp dock to your Sea Camp campsite about half a mile away (well worth $5). Experienced CI campers had most of their gear packed into large rubbermaid tubs that fit easily onto the ferry and then the carts, making the transition quick and easy.
SIX, the one-and-only map of the island is not very accurate as there are paths and private drives on the island that aren’t on the map. Once you arrive at Sea Camp dock: if you are at Sea Camp campsite, you will walk 0.5 miles; for Stafford campsite, 3.5 miles; for Hickory Hill, 5.5 miles; for Yankee Paradise, 7.5 miles; and for Brickhill Bluff, 10.5 miles. We found we had to use the GPS on our phones to track our mileage because the map was more of an estimate. From Sea Camp dock to Stafford, our GPS reported the distance as 4 miles.
FIVE, when possible walk along the beach to reach destinations further than a mile away. It is shorter, cooler, and has fewer mosquitoes. You will be in the direct sun and you won’t get to see the amazing live oaks and wildlife during your trek, but I promise you will see plenty of the beautiful landscape and wildlife as you explore the island. Walking from Stafford to Sea Camp along the beach was 3 miles versus 4 miles along the road. It is so hot and buggy during the day that the beach is much more enjoyable for walking distances. We found coconuts, sand dollars, sea shells, horseshoe crab sheds, and watched ghost crabs, pelicans, and sea gulls while we walked the beach. We also saw dozens of sea turtle nests in the dunes as we walked the beaches. We even saw the long tracks from a sea turtle who had laid her eggs the night before!
FOUR, the raccoons are no joke! My poor husband never really got a good night sleep because he was up all night chasing off a raccoon. The raccoons and opossums are bold! We followed instructions and tied up our trash and food from a tree limb, high above the ground, but the raccoon (and opossums) still visited every night. We were at Stafford campgrounds which don’t have food lockers like they do at Sea Camp. I heard raccoons are still a presence at Sea Camp, though. We weren’t prepared for raccoons to visit our campsite while we were gone during the day, and our trash was raided one day while we were at the beach.
THREE, bring plenty of OFF! bug spray and sunscreen. We pre-treated our tent and hammocks with Permethrin which seemed to help a lot. We still went through two large cans of OFF! 40% Deet during our four-day stay. We would have used more if we weren’t trying to ration it out for the whole stay. Mosquitos are the only insect we encountered, but I read that no-see-ums are also a problem. We really didn’t find the mosquitos to be any more of a nuisance than they are in our backyard in Arkansas during the summer. They are most problematic at dusk, and the more inland you go. Stafford campground is closest to the beach compared to other campsites. I heard from others that the bugs are worse in the “wilderness” campsites. We had zero issue with bugs on the beach. We found that Rubbing Alcohol on cotton balls is the best way to stop the itch from the bites. We tested several suggested methods: witch hazel, hydrocortizone cream, benadryl cream, white vinegar, and rubbing alcohol. My daughter and I agreed the rubbing alcohol was the most soothing initially, and provided the longest relief. My son and husband only had a few bites each, I had 10-20 bites, and my daughter had 40-50 bites. In no way did the bugs hinder our trip, though. We also saw about three ticks, none of which were on us, just our bags. I got a pretty decent sunburn, but the aloe vera cooling gel I brought along was a life-saver to keep it manageable so I could sleep. The beaches are beautiful, but there is no protection from the sun except what you bring yourself. We found these long-sleeved shirts protected against the sun and the bugs. Our favorite beach items were boogie boards, these beach chairs, and a large beach blanket. I tried a beach umbrella but it just blew away all the time so I stopped messing with it.
TWO, know your limits. If you visit in June-August, the heat is real. It doesn’t sound too bad when you read the highs are in the upper 80s, lower 90s, but with 75% humidity and a heat index of 105, it feels HOT! I found I could walk three miles on the beach almost twice as fast as I could on the inland roads just because I was so exhausted from the heat on the island. Stay hydrated! Drink plenty of water and include an electrolyte replacement. Our rule was that we each carried a one-liter Nalgene bottle at all times. We had to drink 3 of them a day, and in one of the three we added powdered Gatorade for electrolytes. My husband slacked off one day and felt pretty sick the next day from dehydration. Dehydration and fatigue really slow you down and make you feel lousy, so it’s worth it to stay hydrated! It is WAY easier to stay hydrated if you camp at Sea Camp because you have an abundance of potable water, but if you are prepared with a filtration/purification system then any site is manageable. There is also potable water at key locations like Dungeness, Plum Orchard, and the First Settlement. I wish we had had a few extra bottles with us to fill up when we could. There is an amazing building near Dungeness called the “cooling station” where you can sit in an air-conditioned room and cool down. It was so refreshing after a long walk on the beach and around sunny Dungeness. Other air-conditioned buildings include the Ranger Station at Sea Camp dock and Plum Orchard mansion. Take advantage when you can!
ONE, plan the right trip for YOU! We loved our campsite at Stafford, campsite #8. Most of the sites have large live oaks which are great for hanging hammocks and providing shade. Stafford requires a bit of a walk, but like Sea Camp, it still offers restrooms, charging outlets, cold showers, and running water. Only Sea Camp has potable water, and only Sea Camp and Stafford have fire rings (and allow camp fires). For us, Stafford was better than Sea Camp because the beach was much less crowded (we were usually the only ones there), and the campsite is less crowded (even during peak season less than half the sites were filled). We often felt we were the only people on the island with the horses, deer, turkey, crabs, and raccoons (of course!). We visited the Sea Camp beach which was more crowded, and the campsite was full. It is still beautiful, and not nearly as crowded as your typical beach. On Stafford, we were less than a quarter mile from the beach so we could always hear the crashing ocean waves and feel the ocean breeze. It was delightful!
I’ll leave you with a few more pictures. Feel free to leave questions in the comments and I’ll try to answer them if I can! Happy travels!
March 25, 2011
Clara: Four and a half years
Dear Clare-Bear,
Wow, look how big you are!!! You are growing up so fast. You are becoming so independent, always wanting to do everything for yourself. You like to make your own toast, sandwiches, drinks, and pretty much everything I’ll let you do. I often find a chair pushed up against a counter in the kitchen where decided to “wash the dishes” or “make lunch” or “just cut some paper real quick.” I must tell you to ask permission before doing ________________________, a few hundred times a day. And you are getting better at it, but you have taken it to an extreme, asking me if you can ask me a question. You say, “Mom, can i ask you something?” But, i am glad that you asked me before you took a bath with your unicorn pillow pet. (NO.) Or, made Ike some juice. (YES.) When you make yourself and Ike juice, you make it just like Daddy and i do, with mostly water and about 1/4 juice. You just picked up on that by observing us all these years. You are very attentive like that. You are often pointing out things that i wouldn’t have thought you would even notice. Of course, that means you never forget anything, so you are quick to remind us, “Remember yesterday (meaning any day before today) you said i could ride a horse.” “Remember, you said my hair will be long.” “Remember, we are going to see JuJu and Pawpaw and Boomer tomorrow (meaning any day after today).” Boomer is a neighbor dog at JuJu and PawPaw’s house that you are obsessed with. You ask about him all the time and wonder when you will get to see him again. You have already started asking for a pet, but so far you want a horse. It is pretty clear to you that it wouldn’t work out though, b/c we don’t have a stable, hay, or barrels. You were the one who pointed that out, so i am glad that you realize that a horse is not very practical. 🙂
I love watching you run. Honey, i love you, but you are NOT graceful. I don’t care one bit, but i just want you to know that so far, you have no rhythym or grace. You are precious and adorable, but i fear for your life when you run. I usually have to turn my head whenever you are dancing or running so you don’t see me laugh. We dance around together many nights, and it is one of my favorite things in this world. I have some video of you, and i am already looking forward to showing it to you when you are a teenager. 🙂
You still like posing for pictures, and you will come and get me sometimes to ask me to take your picture in a certain pose. Here is an example:
Which, do you notice that you are in a tree?! You have started enjoying the outdoors more than you ever used to. You cannot wait for it to be warm enough to get out the swimming pool, and you have been climbing all the trees in our yard! This is pretty much amazing for you! Up until about two weeks ago, i have had to basically force you to play outside, especially if dirt was involved. You have always liked playing on your bike, or pushing a doll in a stroller, but that is about it. About a month ago, you and Ike each got to pick out a ball for outside and you picked out a soccer ball “because you wouldn’t have to touch it and get your hands dirty.” Really, you told me that! Anyway, we are hoping to go camping this spring/summer, so i look forward to finding out if you will enjoy it or not. You are excited about the idea of camping, so that’s a start!
We have been working with you on how to be a big sister, and loving on your brother. You do a good job most of the time, but you are just old enough and girly enough, that you get frustrated with him sometimes when he comes in your room and messes up whatever you have going on. Like a puzzle, or a “project” (usually something involving tape, scissors, paper, colored pencils and a stapler–I’ve never actually seen a finished “project”), or maybe you have all your dolls lined up just so, and he has messed it up. So, we try to give you a certain amount of personal space, but mostly encourage you guys to play together. Most of the time you guys prefer to be together, and you beg to sleep together every night. It works out sometimes, but usually you just end up playing and talking and eventually getting separated. We have stopped trying it on weeknights, and reserved it as a special weekend treat. You guys really do love each other, and that just makes me the happiest Mama in the world. You are so helpful to Ike, so much so that sometimes i have to remind you that you are not Ike’s parents. 🙂
I am so blessed to be your Mom. You make me work harder to be a better person so i can be the example that you deserve. I love you, Clara.
Isaac: 37 months
Dear Ike,
You continue to be Mr. Go!Go!Go! and as you can see from the photo above, you are hard to catch on film. You don’t like having your photo taken, and you have to be bribed to get a shot like this:
And it was clear that while you were posing for the pictures, WITH a smile, it was all but killing you! I mean, what was i thinking? We were at a park. With trees. And slides. And a CASTLE!!! It was pretty silly for me to think that you might want to stop long enough for me to capture your image. But you know what? You are growing up so fast. You must know that in, like then minutes, you are going to be driving, and in ten more you’ll be graduating and off to college. Before i can count to thirty, you’ll be married and having your first child. So, you see, i need to document you right now. I need to be able to remember how you grew almost TWO INCHES in three months this winter!!! And how you have little chicken legs and the squeeziest little booty, that i just love to pinch right after bath time! You laugh hysterically when i grab little chunks of flesh between my thumb and forefinger and proclaim, “booty, booty, booty!” You say, “stop it Mom, that tickles!” So, i stop and then you say, “Do it again!”
You are really into superheros this month, and your favorite story is David and Goliath. We read it every night before bed. You have a Goliath action figure and we use a “Daddy” doll from Clara’s doll house for David. You find all three of the sheep figures that you own, and you set up a David and Goliath scene. I helped you fashion a slingshot out of a hair tie, and we can put a small rock in it that will launch when you swing the hair tie. You like to kill Goliath over and over again. I used to try to sway you away from wanting to “kill” and “shoot” everything. All the time. But i have decided that that is part of who you are, so we have redirected your attention to who/what you should be fighting against. Now you kill monsters and “bad guys” only. You are very passionate, and i love playing with you and listening to your playing with others. You go full force at everything you do. And you do it on much less sleep than i would expect. You like to be up before 6am most days. Thank God for your Daddy, because he is the one who gets up with you everyday. I know you guys enjoy that special time together. But, Clara and i are happy to get in another hour! 🙂
I love hearing you and Clara talking together. You are both talkers, so you have long conversations. I find myself listening in on your conversations b/c i am so impressed with your relationship, and with your vocabulary. Yesterday Clara was crying in the car b/c she was scared about getting her hair cut and you looked over at her and asked, “Clara, why are you scared about?” “Are you scared of all the people?” “They like you, Clara, they won’t hurt you. It not hurt your hair when you cut it.” You were being so sweet, and Clara was ignoring you and grunting at you, which she does whenever she is mad, and you just said, “OK, Clara, we talk about it later.” I was driving with a huge smile on my face, so proud of how sweet you can be. I continue to pray that you and Clara will always be great friends, and protect each other. I know that you are a great brother.
Son, you are a light in my every day, and you make life so much more exciting. I love you so much!
February 26, 2011
Isaac: 36 months, that’s 3 years!!!
Well, Ike, we’ve made it another year, and this time you didn’t break any bones! Yay! 🙂
Three years old!!!
Ike, you are turning out to be such an amazing little person. I love your personality, how you are so active and adventurous but still cuddly and loving. I love that you are so talkative lately and you like to tell me all about what is going on at any given time, my little narrator for the day to day.
The above picture reminds me of that day when we went for a walk in the first of two eventful snows this month. Once we were all bundled up and outside you started squinting and grumbling, “Mom, the sun is looking at me. It in my eyes!” And who knew that the tacky sunglasses that came in your kid’s meal 6 months ago would come in so handy! You loved how the orange tint on the sunglasses made everything look orange. It was pretty stinkin’ fun! Speaking of orange, you have become very good at identifying your colors. For a while i actually worried that you would never learn your colors, b/c you called everything green. But in the past few weeks you have been correctly calling things by color. You like it a lot; it’s one of your favorite games right now for me to ask you the color of things. Sometimes you say, “Mom, say what color is that _______________.” I like when you tell me to ask you something. You do that almost every night at bedtime. You tell me to lay down with you and ask me about pre-school. Then, “Ask me ‘What does the hippopotamus say?”
When we built this snowman you stopped and proclaimed, “Mom, we have a problem! It’s a snowman problem! We need eyes quickerly!” I laughed so hard. You were so serious when you made that statement and the whole time we were working on the snowman you were very focused. You constantly instructed me on what the next step was, “now we need arms.” “His head isn’t bigger enough.” “…eyes quickerly!” So cute.
You had a ton of fun sledding in the snow. You were a machine in the snow for about 30 minutes at a time, refusing to go inside and just going non-stop. Until all of the sudden in a split second the cold would become unbearable and you would start screaming and crying that your hands hurt and you were cold. You learned to love my heating pad to warm you up once we were inside.
This month we received record-breaking snowfall for Arkansas. We got 18 inches of snow in 12 hours at our house. You were super excited.
Look closely, you can see your bikes buried on the porch!
in our cul-de-sac you were up to your knees and sometimes waist
I got to be off work with you guys for a total of 5 days due to the snow and we all loved it so much that we had a difficult time going back to school and work. And this year President’s Day was on your birthday so i had a vacation day and we got to play all day in celebration of YOU! Here are some birthday photos:
you woke up from nap to a giant dinosaur
You were a little confused for a few minutes, but you have been talking about wanting a dinosaur party for a few months. Grandma and Grandpa came to Fayetteville and we had dinner and a party at Uncle Adam’s house.
I made you a fun dinosaur cake, by request of course!
Your 2 favorite toys: a dragon and Godzilla
Blowing out your candle=spitting all over the cake 🙂
fun times wrestling the dinosaur
decorating cupcakes
enjoying his "masterpiece"
Aren't they lovely 🙂
We also had a fun time at Chuck E. Cheese which you requested to be your “special birthday.” You loved the game where you make balls go into a dog’s mouth. You played it about 10 times! Ms. Rachel was there to celebrate with us. We had a chaotic, but fun time. 😉 My favorite part was how much you liked the weird, mechanical Chuck E. as he was singing and dancing. You kept wanting Rachel to bring you to see him.
Happy Birthday IKE!!! I love getting you be your mom and sharing life with you.
P.S. We’re almost completely potty trained! WaHoo!
January 29, 2011
Isaac: 35 months; Clara: 4 years 4 months
Well guys, we have had quite a busy month! Life hasn’t slowed down justs because the holidays are over.
Ike, you continue to be a busy little boy, full of energy and excitement. I love your excitement for life, and how much you love learning about the world around you. We have been streaming NetFlix through the Wii since we got it last month, and you really like to watch National Geographic documentaries about animals. We have learned that we have to watch them closely with you though, b/c they don’t quite make them for almost 3 year olds, and sometimes they get a little graphic. You don’t mind, but we do!
This is the only picture i took of you guys this month! We have taken a lot of video though. Clara, you are all about dancing. You have declared Mommy and Daddy’s bedroom as the “dance studio” and you dance on our bed while watching yourself in the full-length mirror. I have some cute video of you showing off your moves. You are very animated, and quite the booty shaker which i am afraid you have learned from me. Oops! We all enjoy dancing around the house in the evenings. Ike, you have an adorable dance move where you swing your arms back and forth dramatically while your arms are bent at the elbows. It’s difficult to explain, but again, we have video. I am happy to report that you are almost potty trained. You can go all day at Day Care with no accidents, and you are only wearing big boy underoos all day. We are so proud, and especially excited about the thought of never buying diapers again!!! You will also move up to the big boy classroom once you are officially potty trained. It’s hard for me to believe that you will soon be three. I really don’t have any babies anymore. You are talking up a storm now too. You say some of the best things, and i am kicking myself that i don’t write down every word. Your current obsessions are dinosaurs, dragons, and snow-related activities. We just had 4+ inches of snow and you & I sledded down our steep driveway over and over. You beat me up the drive every time and you jumped up and down calling out for me to hurry up. Clara, you went down with me one time and decided it just wasn’t for you. You are not our dare devil. I am happy to know that you are cautious and at least one of you guys will have enough sense not to jump off a bridge. 🙂
Clara, you talk like a very intelligent adult. Sometimes i forget that you are only four years old. You are always my big helper. You clean up without being asked. You have started earning an allowance for doing chores and you picked out a shiny, purple piggy bank to keep all your hard-earned money in. You love writing and you are learning to read quite well. Anytime i am sitting down to write, like paying bills or writing a grocery list or journaling, you want to write too. You can sit and have me spell words for you to write for hours. You make me feel special when you tell me you love me. You tell me out of nowhere several times a day. It warms my heart. You continue to be a sweet, sensitive young girl. We do have to watch your crying and whining though. You complain about being hurt every single day, and i have learned that my heating pad or an ice pack cures just about anything. Also, you complain that your stomach hurts all the time which can always be fixed by suggesting that you eat something or go poopers. 🙂
Both of you are snuggle bugs, which i love. It makes it next to impossible to get anything done while you are awake, but i welcome all your affections. You also both want me to put you to bed every night, so you have to take turns. That is just because I rub your backs for about 5 minutes before i leave your room, but it still makes me feel special. Daddy is great at the bedtime routine, but he just doesn’t stay and rub your backs for that extra 5 minutes like i do. You both love this extra time, and you both tell me all about your day while i rub. Ike, you like to tell me about all the kids that got in trouble and why. Clara, you like to tell me about your worksheets (your favorite part of the day). Ike, you also ask me about what different animals say, and i tell you, “they say, ‘close your eyes, go to sleep.'” about every animal you ask about. Clara, you also ask me about my day. You will say, “Mom, how was your day?” “What did you do?” “What were the kids names that you made feel better?” I love that you are thoughtful enough to ask me questions too. Often you start asking me before i have even started asking you!
Some of my favorite things that Clara is saying now: ” For real, mom.” “I’ll be your big helper.” “What can I do for you?”
Some of my favorite things that Ike is saying now: “I’m not a big boy, I’m Ike!” “I need to go potty.” “Shake your booty!”
We have so much fun around our house. I have been having a difficult time the past couple of months with having to work full time. I know it is what God has for me for now. And I do like my job, but after having some extra time off with the kids over the past couple months i am reminded how much I love being with them all the time. Maybe one day I will get to be back in part-time job mode. You never know. For now though i am just happy to have a Day Care that i trust and continually appreciate, and i see my children are smart, sensitive, thriving little blessings.
I love both of you so very much.
January 9, 2011
Christmas Edition
We had a great holiday season. Once again we hand-picked a Christmas tree from the Spencer’s Across the Creek Farm and it was beautiful and HUGE! I had that nasty stomach virus the day we planned to go pick out the tree, so Zach and the kids went on without me. I was planning to pick out a tree that would be smaller than the 6 foot one we got last year, but i never got to relay that information to Zach due to being sick and not caring much about trees at the time. Anyway, Zach and the kids came home with an 8 foot tree!!!
It took up a good portion of the living room, but we really did enjoy it. Sadly, i think we are going to have to go fake next year because i am 99% sure that i have an allergy to cedar or something growing on the tree because i was a sniffle-y, sneeze-y mess the whole month we had the tree up.
The kids got to spend four days with the 2 sets of grandparents the weekend before Christmas so Zach and i could have a romantic staycation (oh yeah, i just said that) in celebration of our 11 year anniversary. I was also off work, so i enjoyed 4 days without kids to run errands and get things done around the house. I forgot how productive i can be when i’m not being interrupted every 2.5 seconds! Also, my memory isn’t as bad as i thought, i’m just distracted a lot.
This was the first year that the kids have really gotten into Christmas completely. They knew exactly what they wanted for Christmas. Clara wanted Jessie and Bullseye from Toy Story 3, and a Rapunzel and Murdock dolls from the movie Tangled which we saw the week before Christmas. Ike wanted Iron Man, Buzz Lightyear, and Woody dolls. They were so excited about everything they received. It is a real joy watching your children’s dreams come true. It’s nice right now when their dreams are so easy to fulfill. Zach and I were thrilled to get a Wii for Christmas. The whole family has been enjoying it on a daily basis. We actually got TWO Wii’s because both grandparents got the family one!!! It was great because we were able to return one and get the Wii Fit and some extra games and accessories with the money! When we returned home and unloaded the car into our living room I looked around at everything and reported, “It looks like Toy Story 3 and Wii threw up all over our living room.” Truly.
The kids were both very grateful for all of their gifts, and they did amazingly well considering they were out of town for a full week. But we all let out a huge sigh of relief when we arrived home from our travels. Hope you all had a very happy holiday season!
Some pics from the Lights of the Ozarks on the Fayetteville Square:
November 27, 2010
Quotable Clara: 4 years 2 months
Clara’s interpretation of Snow White. I love the after Halloween sales, i was able to score this costume and one other for only $3 each! Perfect for the kids’ dress up box. Both of the kids greatly enjoy dress up. Clara also really enjoys “modeling” the past few months, as you can see in the photo. Clara continues to want to grow her hair long, so we are allowing it as long as she continues to let us wash and brush her hair without fussing. But, i will miss her current shorter hair, i would LOVE to have her haircut:
serious face
The second picture here is Clara’s “serious face”. She wanted me to take a picture of her “serious face.” So, now we have it documented. I am glad though, b/c this is the face we see whenever she is not happy with what someone is asking of her, but i wouldn’t normally get a pic of it. She is a funny girl. Lately we are really having to deal with issues like talking back and disrespecting adults/parents…when did she become a teenager? Well, she is responding pretty well to correction, but we have learned that we have to keep a tight reign on her attitude b/c if we let anything go she knows it and runs with it. Most of the time she is a big helper, and a great rule follower. As a matter of fact, i think she may be a little too serious/strict sometimes.
Clara’s PreSchool recently had a few “Police Officers” come to her school and talk to them about strangers, how police are their friends, and obeying rules. Well, I have always told Clara that she has to wear her seat belt in her booster seat or else the police will come and give Mommy a ticket. A few days ago, I was starting to drive off and Clara wasn’t finished putting her seatbelt on (she likes to buckle herself) and she started crying and was genuinely scared that she was going to have to go to jail! Bless her heart, she was so serious and so worried. I had to pull over and help her get buckled b/c she was so worried. Later she asked me what would happen if she was in jail. I never thought I’d be having a conversation like that with my four year old! 🙂
Isaac: 33 months
a walk in the park
Ike, you are so funny lately. You are talking so much more, pretty much always using full sentences. Only on rare occasions do we not understand what you are trying to say. You are obsessed with Iron Man, Spiderman, and Toy Story 3. We just took you to see Mega Mind the day before Thanksgiving, and afterward i asked you if you were a super hero and you answered, “No, I’m the BAD GUY!!!” Mega Mind is a bad guy turned good in the movie. I hope you won’t continue to insist that you are a bad guy! You like to “save” people now, as if you were a real super hero. You will tell me, “Mama, who do i save?” I’ll say that your bear needs saved, or your tiger, or one of Clara’s babies, and you will say, “OK, I’ll save him!” Then you will run to the bedroom and find the victim and bring it back to me. Sometimes when i need something I’ll just say, “Ike, I think I hear my phone (or shoes, or drink) calling for help, will you save it?” Most of the time you will comply. Ah, fun times!
You are a snuggly sweet boy too. You like to sit right on top of me on the couch, which makes playing on the computer or doing anything really, pretty difficult, but that’s OK, it helps me remember that sometimes i need to stop being so busy and just sit and hold you. I keep watching as you grow up too fast and i want to take the time to remember the little things about you right now. You almost always have a bruise on your face from where you have fallen. You answer most of our comments to you with, “Oh.” A common conversation with you goes something like this: “What’s that Mom?” “That’s a turkey.” “Oh, a turkey?” “Yes, a turkey.” “Oh. A turkey.” It always ends with me smiling. I LOVE how you talk. You have the sweetest, loudest, monotone voice. Your natural voice is loud, so sometimes i ask you to whisper/talk quieter, and you will make this really funny almost growling voice that is only a smidgen softer. It’s cute. A few weeks ago you used a word that i use all the time: actually. I still remember the first time Clara used that word too. She was probably about your age. I guess i say it a lot, b/c you and Clara use it a lot too. But it made me laugh when i overheard you telling Clara, “actually, that’s mine.”
In other news, you are NOT winning any awards for sleeping lately. You are starting to resist going to sleep, then you wake up every morning around 230am and jump in our bed like you are ready for the day, and once we get you back to sleep you usually awaken again for the day around 600am. I’m sorry to tell you this, but we are about to make some changes in the bedtime routine. You will probably resist for a few days, but you should catch on pretty quickly.
You have started having tantrums now too. You are very much following the same pattern as Clara. I remember with her i thought, the Two’s aren’t so “terrible” until she was a few months from turning 3 and then she started really overreacting to everything. Well, right on time, you have started throwing yourself on the floor and crying uncontrollably in reaction to the simplest things, like Daddy telling you to sit down and eat, or asking you to wait just a minute for something. The worst is when Clara or another one of your friends has something you want. Oh, Ike, we are working with you. You have been spending a lot of quality time in “time out.” And i know that your poor sleeping patterns aren’t helping matters, which is why we have to address that right away. It is so sad to watch an overtired toddler having melt-down’s over such small little issues. We are doing our best to equip you with tools to help you deal with your emotions/reactions correctly. You are a passionate little guy, so i know that we have our work cut out for us. As always, we look forward to being there and being able to help you grow and mature into a man of control and governance over his emotions and reactions to any situation. Your dad and i work hard to teach you by instruction and example. We pray all these things for you.
I wish i had more photos of you to show off how handsome you are, but you are still in that phase when taking pictures is not your bag. So, you will just have to trust me, you are so adorable that i can barely stop kissing your still slightly pudgy cheeks, and i find myself regularly admiring your long, dark eyelashes and deep, brown eyes. You are getting taller. Recently i have noticed how long your legs are, and how slim you are starting to look. Thankfully you still have your chubby knuckles, your pooched out belly, and your pudgy cheeks; they are the only things to remind me that you are still my baby boy. I love you my handsome boy, you really are my super hero.
November 6, 2010
Isaac: 32 months & Clara: 49 months
Well, kids, this is a catch-up post. You should both know that October came and went in a flash. It barely started before it was over. But, it was such a fun month that i would never want you to forget it…so, this post will hopefully capture some of the highlights.
Early in the month we bought our pumpkins and carved them up so they could provide some much needed fall decor on our front stoop. You guys loved digging the “guts” out of the pumpkins. Then, Daddy made homemade pumpkin pies from the guts. It was delicious and so much fun! Clara, you really took up baking this month when your class went to Mazzio’s pizza and learned how pizzas are made. We made homemade pizzas several times this month.
We have also enjoyed a few outings to the castle at Wilson Park in the beautiful weather we have been having. Clara, you have started to want to pose for pictures, even telling me where you want to have your picture taken and how you want to pose. It’s pretty cute, and we have been getting lots of good shots. Here are a few of my favorites from this month:
The outfit you’re wearing in the last two pics is from Namma, and you picked it out on a shopping trip with her. You really like clothes, and shopping, and “matching.” You like to put together outfits and you always have an opinion about what you want to wear, and most of the time you will give unsolicited advice to others regarding their outfits. Like, “Mama, i don’t know if i would wear that.” And you are often concerned b/c my pj tops and bottoms don’t match like yours do! You have a new favorite beverage: ice water. You specifically ask for “cold water with ice, and lots of water, all the way to the top.” I think you started that from taking drinks of my water. You are sooooooo talkative, and inquisitive. I feel like i answer “why” questions all day long. I love it though, nothing is more fun that getting to be there as you learn about the world. We have to correct what you have learned quite a bit too. But, you definitely respect our instructions above all others which is so important to me while you at such an impressionable age. I will continue to pray that you will always value my input (and your Daddy’s). I pray that you will always know that we only want the best for you, and that that is always our motivation for what we require of you. You take instruction so well right now, and we thank you for that. Not that we never have to discipline you, but usually you are quick to respond or even apologize/correct yourself before we even have to tell you. I love that about you. You are such a sweet, smart, and funny girl. I love seeing you as your personality continues to bloom.
Ike, the degree which Clara has started to want her picture taken is equal to the degree which you will NOT agree to having yours made. I have to bribe, beg and grovel in order to get you to even sit still long enough to snap a photo of you. Which is fine i suppose, except that i would love it if i had more photos of you at every stage just to document how stinkin’ cute you are! Although, I accidentally shaved your head this month!!! I am so upset about it b/c i LOVE your hair. I was trying to trim it, but you were hysterically sobbing and drooling and crying, “Stop Mommy, no haircut Mommy!” and Daddy was telling me to “just shave it!” over and over again until i finally just stopped trying to trim and put the 3/8″ clippers to your head and started crying myself. After some therapy we should all be fine, HA HA!! You continue to be really active and outgoing, very physical by nature. You love playing dress up with Clara, and you regularly sport your spiderman, Max from WTWTA, and Razorback outfits, plus the occasional pirate, train engineer, or cowboy. You love changing shoes. You will beg for your spiderman shoes one minute only to see your rainboots and start begging to change. We have had to set a strict rule in our house that you and Clara can only change outfits once a day, otherwise you would both change every hour or two. You also have learned that your pockets are quite useful, so i can find all sorts of surprises when doing laundry. My favorite is how much you like to hold on to receipts. But rocks, berries, change, paper scraps, etc can all be found on any given day. Ike, you are just so precious to me. I don’t really know how to explain it, but i catch myself having moments when you are snuggling with me and my heart is melting b/c you will look at me and say “love you too Mommy” even if i haven’t just told you i love you. Sometimes you say, “Mommy, touch my hair” or back, or ear…whatever it is, you want me to rub your hair, back or ear b/c that is how you are soothed/calmed. And even though you are very go-go-go! you also require your down time. And you are sleeping much better lately…by better i guess i mean longer…no more crazy 500-530 am mornings. Thank God for that!
On that note, Ike, you have joined Clara in sneaking into our room at night and climbing into bed with us. Somehow we don’t notice, and so we just wake up at 300 am with two little monkeys in our bed. Clara is always on the edge on my side, and Ike is always right between me and Daddy. At that time of morning i just can’t seem to convince myself to get up and put you guys back in your own beds, so instead i toss and turn until my alarm sounds. We will probably soon be remedying this issue. I must admit that i love how the two of you look when you are peacefully sleeping. It’s tempting to just buy a bigger bed and let it go, but obviously that is not the right answer. So, soon we will have a little discussion to address the coming to our bed during the night…soon.
Other October happenings: Halloween, my trip to Baltimore, and painting a horse!
We had to split up b/c Clara wanted to take her time and slowly take everything in, but Ike wanted to dart here then there, then there...
Mama: Queen of Hearts; Clara: mermaid
Ike called me "Queen Mama" all day!
Visiting friends in Baltimore
The Cystic Fibrosis Conference that i attended in Baltimore was so good, but i mostly looked forward to this trip because i got to see these amazing friends, and their wonderful wives, while i was in town. I was treated to a delicious home-cooked meal, and fun times meeting their precious boys and trying to catch up even though time was much too short! The following day i enjoyed the Aquarium (which is definitely as amazing as Emily promises) with Ang and Em. The only things that would have made the visit better: more time and having my family along too! I think the sea turtle was my favorite. Thanks for finding time for me, i carry you all in my heart!
Ang: pie making superstar & Em: baby girl in belly!
Little Hog fans enjoying some chili
We love having the Spencer family over for any reason, but it’s the BEST when Spence cooks! Thanks guys!
If you live in NWA, check out the florist horse this month. A small group of devoted TC’ers designed and painted the horse the last weekend in October and it will be on display all of November.
Cheesy photo with the horse and some random american flags. We are quite proud of our final product:
If by some miracle you are still with me…
THE END.
The Notable Newcombs 