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. 

Celebrating the life of Uncle Bruce

We found ourselves on a last minute trip to California over the weekend due to the passing of my uncle Bruce. Bruce was my dad's younger brother. He had some difficult challenges and trials in his life so my family took comfort in the fact that his suffering is over and he is in a happier, more peaceful place. I was grateful that we were able to join my parents and attend his funeral.

It was an intimate gathering with only family and a few close family friends. Because of Bruce's struggles in later years, it was wonderful to recognize and remember some of his positive qualities. He truly was a very giving person. I remember waking up at times to find a box of citrus fruit or bagels on our doorstep that he'd surprised us with. I remember him bringing exotic flowers and handmade bath salts. I also remember as a child watching him give free massages at our family events to the adults on his massage table. Bruce was athletic-he once was the only American chosen to compete on a prestigious Swiss cycling team. He had unique ideas and ways of thinking. He was very interested in science and numerology. He knew more about the Chinese Zodiac calendar than I know about most things. He used to call me Natty-Goats because I was born in the year of the goat/sheep. We always had lots of funny stories about uncle Bruce as kids-he was a real character in our family and he is missed. 

The whole Stucki family. Bruce is on the very top left, dad is next to him. 

Because we were going all the way to California, we decided that we would make a trip out of it. It was a short trip and a long way to go but, we made the most out of it and had some fun along the way. We thought that breaking up the long drives to and from with a couple of stops would make it easier on Emma (and therefore, all of us). First stop was Las Vegas where we indulged on lots of yummy food and cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory, toured the Belagio Gardens, and did a little bit of shopping. 

We made it to Murrietta, CA that night and my aunt and uncle were kind enough to let us stay with them. It was so nice to visit with them and their cute kids. Emma was especially drawn to my cousin Sylas who is just a couple years older than she is. That boy is like the energizer bunny on caffeine! We had so much fun watching him bounce around and listening to him tell us all kinds of funny stories.

The next morning we woke up early so that we could show Emma the beach for the first time. The Oceanside beach was about a 45 minute drive from where we were staying. It was an overcast morning and the rain just ended as we got out of the car to head down to the water. The ocean was beautiful against the clouds and gray sky. Because the sun wasn't really out, the people weren't either. We had the beach almost to ourselves at first but, the ocean was full of surfers because there were beautiful waves in the distance.

Emma wasn't too sure about the beach at first! I tried to take off her shoes and she was a little disturbed by the sand under her feet. My dad helped her warm up to it-he walked her around and showed her how to play in the sand with the toys we brought. Soon she was out playing in the waves with daddy. At one point, we found a lobster stuck between a couple of rocks that had been washed up by the tide. Sam picked it up and after some observation, we returned it to the ocean.

I think Emma's favorite part was when we left the beach and walked the pier. She liked looking down at the water from the railing and looking at the birds. We watched the fisherman waiting for a bite-even watched one reel in a little mackerel. Halfway down the pier, we stopped at a little stand to buy bag of these interesting wheel chips-Emma probably ate most of the bag. She even stole one back from a bird. Emma was fascinated by all of the joggers on the pier and eventually insisted on jogging along with them! She shouted "I'm running too!" as she chased after them. 

I've always loved the ocean and it was a wonderful experience to share that beautiful place with Emma. I love giving her these experiences and memories. It's something I will never forget and I'm already excited to take her back again and again as she gets older.

Later that day, we attended the funeral for my uncle. I got to sing with my sweet cousins, hear stories and words of comfort given by my dad and uncles, and reconnect with family that I haven't seen in too long. I felt the spirit as I listened to their testimonies of Heavenly Father's plan and love for each of us. We laughed, shed tears, gave hugs, and talked. I'm grateful that our family got to be there to feel that love and comfort.

We started our journey back that same day and stayed a night in Barstow, CA to break up the drive. The next morning, we left after sub-par hotel breakfast and headed for home. A little ways into our drive, mom mentioned a the Calico Silver Mine Ghost Town that she had visited once before and we decided it would be fun to see it for ourselves! We pulled off the freeway and took an hour or so to wander around the quiet ghost town. We looked through the old buildings and even climbed up to peer into the mine. It was a fun little addition to our adventure.

Emma was such a trooper on the drive-even when we got stuck before the AZ gorge for a couple of hours in standstill traffic! At one point she kept insisting that she wanted a carrot. When we stopped for lunch, I was happy to see that a smoothie shop had them on the menu. Emma kept busy with our portable DVD player, toys, books, LOTS of snacks, and plenty of chit-chat throughout the journey.

 It was a whirlwind of a trip and we did it all in three days but, it was one for the books. We saw some new things, visited people we love, and made some memories. If you know me, you know I love an adventure-especially with the people I love. Traveling with a toddler has it's challenges but, I will be forever grateful for the memories we make together on these trips. 

Family Update

It's been a busy time for us in the Fetzer household so far in 2017 but, God is good and we have been so blessed. It's been amazing to look back and understand His timing better as we've gone through challenges and learned from them. He truly loves us and knows what's best. My testimony of that has been significantly strengthened this year already and I'm grateful for those opportunities for growth and learning.

We moved into our new home in the first weekend of March. I was so (over dramatically) worried that we wouldn't find a place in time. Thanks to the help of so many kind friends and family members, we were able to find a wonderful new home that we love. It's the perfect place for us, has all of the things we wanted and needed for our little family, and it is miraculously located only a few streets away from where we had been living for the last 5 years. 

Even though the distance we moved was pretty insignificant, the change has been enormous in the best way. We have been doing a lot of de-cluttering and organizing and we are blessed to have more space to work with than before. The last house we were in was great for Sam and I as a young, newlywed couple but, even then it was a little snug. (I mean, the kitchen had ONE DRAWER for crying out loud!) Emma may be small but, she comes with a lot of "equipment" and all of that stuff takes up a lot of space. We were starting to get pretty cramped in our cute little home. Our new house has plenty of space for Emma to play. The back yard is the perfect, kid-friendly space for her to go "running and chasing" as she calls it. I love the open concept living room and kitchen that lead into the back yard so that I can have my eyes on Emma wherever she's causing her mischief. (and YES. The kitchen has more than one drawer!!) We feel spoiled to have a garage to park our car in and for extra storage. The whole place has a really abundant amount of storage which is a welcome change for us. We've been pretty creative with our storage for the past 5 years. We are feeling much less cramped in our new home. We planted some strawberries in the back yard and potted some cute flowers in the front. I've enjoyed setting up our new space and making our house into a home.

Besides setting up a new house, we have all been keeping very busy. Sam is still working as an exercise therapist at IHC in St. George which means he does a lot of driving back and forth from Cedar City to St. George. His department recently extended their hours which meant that Sam's hours increased significantly. That has been such a blessing (moving is expensive!)  but, it also means that Sam is away more often and doing more driving back and forth. We miss him! Sometimes we opt to travel with him and stay a night or two to be together and save a little gas money. I'm so grateful for his hard work and that he understands and supports my desire to stay home more often with Emma. 

I have been working on building my bath bomb business and have enjoyed adding some new products and scents and trying new ways to get myself out there like the Tuacahn Saturday Market and my Etsy shop (etsy.com/shop/bathbombsbynatalie). Some weeks are slow but others are really busy. I've enjoyed doing it and am excited to continue adding and growing. I'm grateful that it's something I can do to help support our family without being away from home more often.

Sam and I continue to enjoy serving as cub scout leaders in our ward. Emma knows our scouts by name and gets excited every time we tell her that we're going to see them. They are such fun, sweet boys that are excited to learn and try new things every week. They are rowdy and goofy and just plain fun.

I am still working part time (mostly from home) at Discovery Ranch for Girls as the admissions coordinator. I have worked there now for nearly 3 1/2 years and I have enjoyed working in a few different positions during my time. I have been lucky enough to get to learn a few different positions and I continue to learn constantly in this one. It's nice to have a few hours out of the house each week and I am grateful to get to work from home most of the time. I have enjoyed seeing a new side of the business and love the people I work with. They are talented, driven, and passionate about what we do. It adds to an already busy schedule but, I am blessed to have the experience and income. 

I am, of course, constantly busy taking care of my little miss sassy pants. Emma is getting close to her second birthday and I am struggling to keep up with her growth and energy. She is all go, all the time. Emma's hobbies and interests include "running and chasing" (especially when we're in a long line at the post office), coloring on the walls of our new rental, telling mommy and daddy "NO!" or "SHOO!", and hanging with her grandparents. She also loves Disney princesses and knows them all by name. She is a really big Sofia the First fan as well as Winnie the Pooh and Curious George. She loves going to church but NOT going to nursery. She loves being outside and exploring. She likes to whip up treats for mom, dad, and dolls in her play kitchen. She adores her dog Daisy and really any animals that we come across. She has no fear for animals and will pet (and boss around) any dog, no matter the size. She loves her cousins, aunts, and uncles.  She likes to get the mail with grandpa-She really prefers to be with her grandparents more than anything most of the time. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful family support system. I get the whole "it takes a village" thing now that I have a child of my own and I'm so grateful for the love Emma receives from many family members and friends who care about her and for the lessons she learns from them. It's so important to me that she gets to spend time with family. I know it will be of great value to her throughout her life.

I love how aware Emma is of people and their emotions. She really is a "people person". She's so friendly and outgoing-she will introduce herself to everyone we pass in the grocery store. "Hi! This is Emma and this is mommy. Daddy's at work", she'll say to each person. The other day, as we were leaving JoAnns, a woman shouted "bye Emma!". I didn't know who she was so I was a little taken aback by it until I remembered that Emma had introduced us earlier. She makes friends wherever she goes. She has a gift for lifting those around her. 

This is Emma's "grandma" Bonnie. She is a sweet lady in our ward who loves Emma and
Emma loves her! They have become fast friends. Emma loves to visit her grandma Bonnie.

Emma loves to sing and dance. She likes to mother her dolls (and other babies!). She still LOVES her books. We recently started going to story time at the public library and she is really into it. It's so fun to watch her listening so intently to the songs and stories or see her shout out answers to questions they ask during the story hour. She's getting so grown up.

We are getting excited for spring and have already been out enjoying the warmer weather whenever we can find the time. We had a lot of fun visiting the chicks and baby bunnies at Cal Ranch this year as is our yearly tradition. Emma was fascinated. 

We are pretty big on holidays of all kinds over here so, of course, we had some fun with St. Patricks Day. We spent the night before at Grandma and Grandpa's house and the next morning, we found that the leprechauns had paid us a visit.  They left some fun little surprises along with the traditional Lucky Charms for breakfast. We dressed up in our green bling complete with green mani's and pedi's. 

It's hard to believe how quickly this year is already passing. We are nearing the end of March already and spring is fast approaching. This time of year is my favorite for a lot of reasons. It makes me think of my grandma to see all of the colors of spring. The flowers blooming, brightly colored easter eggs, and pastel, spring decor. I get excited for our family "birthday month" where we will celebrate all three of our birthdays. Easter is my favorite holiday so that's always something that I look forward to. I love the warmth after a long, cold winter and the opportunities that we have to get outside and be together as a family. Life is good and we are so blessed. It's easy to get caught up in the challenges but, I prefer to notice the good that is all around us every day. 

God Bless! 

Be STILL My Soul.

At the beginning of December last year, I was not doing well. I wasn't taking care of myself. I had taken on one too many projects and was way too caught up in them. I wasn't making time to eat (and certainly not eating very healthy), I wasn't sleeping well, I was ornery and stressed. Physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually, I was feeling stretched thin. I really felt like I was spending my time doing things for others but, not in a way that was making anyone feel good. I had a poor attitude and just plain didn't feel well. As a result, I wasn't being as good of an employee, friend, wife, or mom as I could have been. Forgetting to take care of myself was turning out to be a major disservice to the people I loved.

It was around that time that I started getting the promptings. Promptings that I needed to slow down, take care of myself, focus more on my family. God was letting me know that I needed to take care of myself so that I could serve others better. I decided that one of my goals for 2017 was going to be to focus on self care, slowing down, saying no, and making the moments count with my family.

Well, we're almost two months in to the new year and I'll tell you, it hasn't been easy. This year has been quite a challenge for our little family. Some reasons for that are a little too personal to share but others have had me publicly asking for help. One of the biggest reasons was that our house was put up for sale in the second week of January by our landlord. About two weeks later, it sold. 

Rewind to just before our house sold: Sam's hours at work got cut a little bit. We were feeling a kind of stressed about money and I was wishing that I could contribute a little bit more without having to leave Emma any more often than I already do. I was thinking about our predicament one afternoon when I received some inspiration. I was literally inspired to make and sell bath bombs. It might sound like a kind of silly thing to receive inspiration about but, I had never even thought about making bath bombs before and I really did have a clear prompting. I had seen something about DIY bath bombs on Pinterest weeks earlier and thought maybe I'd try it someday but, really hadn't even given it an after thought. Well, the more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea. I had a few weeks until Valentine's Day which seemed like a good time to be selling bath products. I felt like it was something I would enjoy doing and a product that people would like. I studied several recipes and then ordered the ingredients I'd need. I had a lot of fun experimenting and choosing the scents I liked best and when they were ready, I put them out to the world.

In that same week, our house sold. While it's been an extremely busy time, I've been so grateful for the timing of my little shop opening. I've been able to make some extra money to take some of the financial stress away from our family. This has been especially good because finding a new place to live has been a whole new stress. You wouldn't believe the difficulty we've had in trying to find a home with everything we need. I'm talking pretty bare necessities here. (Enough rooms, a monthly payment we could afford, a place that would allow Daisy to live with us, etc.). Nothing was working out for us and nothing felt quite right. 

I was so discouraged by our house hunt that I reached out to friends on social media for help. The response was so overwhelming! So many kind friends began tagging me in posts with homes for rent, messaging me ideas, texting me names and numbers of realtors they knew, offering words of encouragement. I was so emotional as I had friends I hadn't spoken to in years reaching out to me to help in any way they could. We felt so blessed and so loved. I was immediately hopeful and just knew that something would work out. Even though we now have less than two weeks to find a home, I am sure that we will. Heavenly Father is watching over us. 

Now, back to my 2017 goal. Taking care of myself, saying no to extra projects, SLOWING DOWN. Sounds like I'm failing pretty badly doesn't it? I've had some time to think about it and I've decided that I'm actually succeeding. I am being more deliberate in taking time for myself-making a conscious effort to be mindful, fuel my body, make time for self care, and do the things I enjoy. I'm also doing a better job of keeping my life balanced. I've said no to a few cake orders (not easy for me to do but, I've realized that now is not the time for me to be doing extra things that take away from my family.) I've been better about holding a boundary for times that I can work and times that I can't. I think the reason Heavenly Father was pushing this goal on me so hard was that He knew of the challenges that were coming for us. He knew that I would need to work on taking care of myself better so that I could be strong, optimistic, and healthy for my family during a time that would be difficult. 

I've learned that "slowing down" doesn't mean LIFE slows down. It means that you have to make an effort to enjoy the small moments, prioritize and balance, and do what makes you happy even though life is crazy and busy and full of challenges. 

Yesterday, even though we were in the thick of house hunting, packing, and cleaning, our family took some time out to go do what we love. We drove up the winding canyon through low clouds and high snow banks to enjoy some mountain air. Sam tried out his snow shoes and took a walk on his own in the quiet, snow-covered trees while Emma and I played in a giant mound of fresh powder. I watched as she ate handful after handful of snow and laughed with her at Daisy, leaping and frolicking through it.

Finally, Emma's hands were too cold and she and I headed back to the car. 15 minutes or so later, Sam made his way back and climbed into the seat next to me. "I needed that", he said to me. I nodded. It had been exactly what we needed to do. That time was more important than packing another box, looking at more listings, or cleaning more of our house. I've learned that these moments of stillness are just as much a need as the other daily tasks we have to complete. 

We ended the day with a campfire in the backyard and banana boats. These are the best kinds of days.  The most important.