Rugged Exposure: Our Camping Trip!

Layla went on her first camping trip! Well, technically her second (since we went camping in Death Valley when I was about 8 weeks pregnant). But her first that she could appreciate! And she was quite the trooper. As is typical for her, she had a rough time falling asleep and definitely didn't clock the number of hours she needs for true rest, but it was enough. I fared worse than her, thanks to the annoying group across the creek that wouldn't be quiet until 1:30 am and then the drunk dude upstream that decided to serenade the camp with guitar at 4:30 in the morning. But other than that, it was fun to be in a tent again and out in the woods!

We took her pack 'n play, so she had half the tent....haha. We also took her Deuter Kid Comfort III which we just bought on Thursday! So excited to use it---it was GREAT! She took a nap in it during our hike and the sun roof kept the sun almost entirely off her. Also used a fantastic sunscreen from Australia (it's called Soleo Organics; I bought it from Summer for Kids in Montecito).

From finding a beautiful refreshing waterfall (with a hidden cave underneath it to crawl through!!) to going on a stinkin' hot hike in the backcountry of the Los Padres National Park, to finishing it off with a swim in a wild lake, it was quite a wonderful trip. S'mores, views of the stars, the creek singing a gentle lullaby throughout the night (with aforementioned disruptions of noisy laughing neighbors and drunk guitarists), baby's first skinny dipping experience, sweating like a mad cow, driving through the forest, hanging out with friends--a wonderful camping extravaganza.

Unfortunately I didn't realize how hot I got, cuz I came down with heat exhaustion and we had to return early. :-( But the trip was a blast. Can't wait to do it again!! Maybe not on the hottest weekend of the summer next time...that would be better I daresay.

Stay tuned because on my next post I am planning on sharing with you the best trick I've learned for dealing with a baby!!!! You will want to know this trick if you ever anticipate having or being near a child ;-)

Traveling [while Pregnant]

We traveled while I was pregnant! It was great fun, and now that the baby is here I am glad we did it. Because traveling becomes a little more of a process with the baby out than in.

Early in my pregnancy we went to Death Valley. I had always wanted to go, and you can only really go during the spring or the winter, so we went at the end of March and it was incredible. The rock formations were so impressive and the desert was in bloom with lovely wildflowers.

Of course I was more easily tired than normal and I always had to have oatmeal handy (strange cravings), but it was super fun. And quite an adventure, since the second night a sandstorm blew through with winds up to 70 mph. Needless to say, we spent the night in the car since not even massive rocks could hold our tent down.

We also went to Texas for a friend’s wedding (walking in high heels while pregnant is exceptionally hard!), Yosemite with a bunch of photographer friends, and San Francisco for a prayer tour. Great times seeing the United States of America.

(the photo above was taken by Montana Dennis)

Made in Tanzania

In February 2009, we went on a safari! My uncle and aunt generously gave us this top notch trip to Tanzania, and we had a fantastic time. Oh we lived it up! It was glorious. J We flew first class (amazing!! First time ever…), we stayed in ridiculously posh accommodations (so crazy!! Definitely not used to it…), and we saw way way way more zebra than we ever knew existed. Along with leopards and cheetahs and lions and wildebeest and deer and all the animals you see in the Lion King. We had so much fun on our safari—we really did. Oh and did I mention that it wasn't just a private safari, it also included hang out time and photo tips with a National Geographic photographer? Oh yes, it did.

Exclusive never-before-seen footage from our trip to Tanzania, put together by my husband. =) See his blog here.

So as I mentioned a few posts ago, we stopped using birth control in June of 2008 because we felt personally convicted to do so. This is not something I would recommend to others unless you feel God leading you in this way. For us, however, it was our act of obedience and faith.

Little did we know that this trip would change our lives forever. Because we went there just two of us—and came back three.