Sundays With Emma

Church with a two year old can be pretty tricky. In my mind, I have this perfectly timed schedule for Sunday mornings that will have us arriving at church five minutes early with smiles on our faces, ready to feel the spirit. Unfortunately, this rarely translates in real life. I often feel bad about it because as we shuffle in at the last minute (or late) looking frazzled, I notice all of the other families that have managed to arrive early with their multiple children sitting reverently in a row. I have one child and church doesn't even start until 1 o'clock in the afternoon. Even so, I rarely manage to have one of those "perfect Sundays".

Sunday mornings are all about timing. Timing the nap, snack, and dressing, perfectly so that we can be ready on time and Emma will be fed, rested, and ready to go so that we can avoid major tantrums at church. Between that there's the fact that I need to have myself dressed and ready, the bag packed (I've made the mistake of not making time for this step and paid the price in the middle of hour #1), and find time to make food for myself. If I get behind schedule, Emma decides she doesn't feel like napping, or we can't find a shoe--chances are, we're going to be late. Because Sam works on some Sundays, I am doing this by myself sporadically throughout the month. In summary, I am yet to master it. 

I'm not saying we don't have good weeks. Weeks where Sam is home and the planets align in such a way that we are able complete everything that needs to be done so that we can arrive early. The thing is, it's not just about arriving early. Getting there is only the first hurtle. Getting through Sacrament meeting with a toddler who's either really tired and ornery or really energetic is a challenge but, for me the hardest part is nursery. I thought nursery was going to make church so much better but, it's actually become the part I dread the most. Emma HATES nursery. When the closing song starts to play in Sacrament Meeting, that's Emma's cue to start letting me know she has no intention of going to nursery. When we get there she claws into my arms and begs me not to leave her there. I've tried the whole "tough love" thing by just leaving her there to cry it out and get used to it. Unfortunately, Emma is a very stubborn little girl and will cry the entire time. I don't have the heart to do that to her (or the nursery workers). Sam and I usually take turns in the nursery and sometimes only make it through second hour before we decide to call it a day. 

The best parts about church nowadays come in small moments. Listening to Emma "sing along" with the hymns, hearing her loud "AMEN!" after every prayer, teaching her about the sacrament by reminding her to think about Jesus as it's passed, and feeling the spirit as I listen to the speakers undistributed for the tiniest, sweetest moment while Sam entertains Emma with a book. Because I am craving those precious spiritual moments when I attend each week (and even throughout the week), I appreciate them and treasure them that much more as they come. 

Lately after church, we've made it a habit to go for a long walk or drive somewhere beautiful. Last week we drove through Parawon Canyon and walked on the Henderson Trail. The green pines against the red mountains made for an absolutely breathtaking setting. The trail was damp from fresh fallen rain and the cool air was welcome after an hour of hanging out in the crowded nursery. 

Emma freed all of her pent up energy on the trail going up and winding hills by herself at her insistence. She copied everything Sam did as we walked-when he held a stick above his head, she held a stick above her head. When he tossed a rock into the water, she tossed a rock into the water. At one point we stumbled upon a hollow tree trunk which Emma declared was her house. She played inside and got a kick out of me knocking on her "door" to see if she was home. 

Taking these walks is another way that we feel close to God and renew our spirits on the Sabbath Day. It's not always easy to get to church and by the time we leave we are often exhausted but, we need those sweet moments of refreshment each week. After church, I think about those moments while we walk in the trees and my heart and spirit swell, filling to the brim. Those moments remind me of why Sunday is so special and important. As we spend time together in nature, we reflect and feel truly grateful for all that we have. I love those still, quiet hours we spend together every week. 

Emma's First Camping Trip

We've made a point of taking Emma on many of our trips and adventures in the past two years which means, the three of us have had a lot of fun experiences together. We had planned to take her camping last summer but, never did. This year, Sam got a new tent for his birthday and we were excited to use it so, we decided this would be the perfect opportunity to take Emma on her first camping trip.

Something I've learned about making memories like these with a toddler is that sometimes they are magical and sometimes they are a little bit more...challenging. Either way, they are always memorable. Let's just say that this particular memory started out magical and ended up a little bit less magical. 

We began our journey to one of our favorite camping spots in the early afternoon on Friday. We found a perfect place to set up our campsite and Sam and I pitched the tent while Emma finished her nap in the car. When she woke, she was ready to explore her new surroundings. Her favorite part was the "Ocean", as she called it. We had chosen to camp in this particular spot partly because of it's proximity to a beautiful reservoir where we were eager to try out our new kayak. Emma was filled with excitement when she saw daddy "making a boat just like Moana!"

We enjoyed the kayak together as a family and then Sam and I took turns going out on our own. What a thrill to be able to sit on the water and glide like that to any part of the reservoir your heart desires. I was grinning from ear to ear like a fool in the middle of the water by myself. The best part is when you stop paddling and just look-taking in your surroundings. Completely alone and quiet. I watched ducks landing on the water and fishing jumping from it. All the world was still but also very much alive with movement. 

I returned to the shore because I knew it was Sam's turn and he paddled out to do some fishing from the kayak. Emma and I watched as he grew smaller and smaller and then headed to the tent to read some stories and have a snack. Emma loved the tent and I was content to relax and snuggle up with her with no distractions.

Sam and I take these kinds of trips to really unplug and get away from the world so, we were disappointed when a large, rowdy group chose to pitch their campsite a little too close for comfort. They were loud to say the least. Aside from the steady, loud laughter and yells, there was a very unhappy baby who cried for over an hour straight and received no comfort that I could hear. Instead, there were more yells directed at the baby and a whole lot of swearing. They seemed most upset that the baby was putting a damper on their fun. This was both irritating and very sad. We chose to move our site. 

After getting set up again near the stream that runs into the reservoir, the noise was no longer and issue and we were ready to move into the next phase of our adventure-campfire time. Emma and I gathered rocks to put around our fire pit while Sam gathered logs and kindling. I was a bit of a nervous wreck trying to keep Emma from falling into or touching the fire but, after it had been burning for a little while, Emma settled into her chair.

Sam and I had prepared tinfoil campfire dinners so when the flames were right, we tossed them in and they began to cook. In the meantime, we decided that dessert before dinner was a good idea. Emma had a hard time with the whole "being patient while cooking the marshmallow" thing, but once we got through that battle, she was super excited about her s'more. She enjoyed every messy, sticky bite and we got a kick out of watching her. We finished dinner and then Emma let us know that she was tired and ready for bed.

I was able to get her to sleep fairly easily with singing and bottle but, I was realizing that it was getting colder than I'd anticipated and we'd forgotten one of our sleeping bags. This meant that we'd decided to unroll the other sleeping bag and use it as a sleeping mat and cover up with the blankets I'd brought. After bundling Emma up and wrapping her in blankets, I still wasn't convinced that she'd be warm enough. 

Sam and I enjoyed a few more minutes alone by the fire before putting it out and joining Emma in the tent. It was freezing. Not to mention, the ground was hard and bumpy. (Note to self: buy an air mattress before next camping trip.) Emma seemed warm enough with her layers and three times as many coverings as Sam and I had so, eventually I was able to drift off to sleep. 

1:00 am-Emma was wide awake. I don't know if it was the uncomfortable ground at her back or the freezing cold temperature but, something woke her up and she wasn't happy. She tossed and turned and cried and kicked at her blankets. I sang to her, tried to tell her stories, and finally ended up showing her some videos on my phone to get her to stop crying but, she still refused to lay down. She insisted "it's time to go home."

Finally, we did. We packed everything up in the freezing cold with flashlights. I kept Emma entertained with videos while we tried to arrange everything quickly into the trunk. Nothing seemed to fit like it did before. A few minutes after leaving, Sam was unsure of where his wallet was and we worried that it might have fallen out. We decided to pull over and search the car. After pulling nearly everything out of the trunk, we found it buried and continued on our way. 

We arrived home, carried Emma in, got her back to sleep, changed out of smokey clothes, and took showers. We were in bed by 3am and I've never appreciated the quality of my mattress quite so much. We all slept like logs but, unfortunately my internal clock wouldn't let me sleep in. On the bright side, it gave me time before Emma woke up to write down this eventful memory. 

Here's hoping that Emma's second camping trip is a little more mundane.