Pigs must be flying

The impossible has been done! The Leavitts have camped. Hell is freezing over, the fat lady is singing, pigs are flying...because we actually had a great time. Our good friends, the Smiths, convinced us that a weekend at Big Bear Lake California would be a good time. We agreed and immediately started looking at cabin sites and cost. We didn't realize they had TENTS in mind. When we pulled up to the camp site, I had that feeling like you're about to be wheeled into surgery all while my buddy Brityn was literally squealing and clapping with glee.

Our trip down was great fun. We talked, laughed, popped open cans of pringles and watched Pete's Dragon in their super overflowing, packed-to-the-rafters with pillows Sequoia.


This picture is of Abigail (7) with sweet camping hair and her friend Madeline (4) emerging from the packed car. When we pulled into the little town of Big Bear, we stopped at Thelma's for lunch. We are out on the back patio with wild flowers. Max had a chicken fried steak that was about the size and dimensions of his forearm and deeply regretted it later.

After, we drove to our camp site, passing a ridiculously grouchy lady working for the forest service. At camp, I was so confused and lost about camping. But the Smiths literally took care of everything. Brandon and I coined the phrase, "Concierge Camping" and also regularly called it "Glamping." They made every meal and every activity so painless with all their preplanning and effort. We had just enough of a taste of camping (i.e. rolling out a sleeping bag, setting up a tent).

 



After camp was set up, we hiked down to see the lake. Big Bear Lake is dirty and stinky, but we still had a great time. We then went to the Discovery Center and pet lots of taxidermied animals and learned a bit about Big Bear. When we came back to camp, the kids played in the water pump, we went on another hike, and Max got started making us our camp feast of pork roast, Caesar salad and rolls with homemade jam. We ate ourselves sick and then, of course, had smores.

We then put our kids to bed and stayed up late talking and watching the stars. It was so fun to plan our futures, laugh, and tell stories about the kids. We got a little too ruckus at one point and the grumpy lady had to come yell at us in her little golf cart to keep it down. When we eventually poured ourselves into our sleeping bags, Brandon and I had the most hilarious night's sleep I think we've ever had. It involved mummy bags, cots, and a late night pee run. I seriously laughed till I cried and not just because it was 3am.

The next morning the Smiths fed us omelets, fruit and bacon. We packed up camp and then headed for a super fun family hike. The hike was just right- mountainous enough to really feel like a hike but short enough we didn't have to carry the kids the whole time. We then packed back up in the car and headed down the mountain. The roads are really curvy and poor Madeline threw up in a popcorn bag and I about joined her!

On our way home, we talked and laughed some more...ate more pringles, watched The Sound of Music, and Brandon finally, after 13 years, got me to stop at the Barstow Station McDonald's that he always went to in his youth on the way to Disney. It will probably take me another 13 years to be convinced to go back.

When we got home, we showered, relaxed and got ready for the next day- which was the first day of second grade for this little cutie!

 

She has Mrs. Moen this year and we're off to a great start. She is such a wonderful kid- so kind and helpful and just good down to her core. I couldn't be more proud. On Monday we unveiled the 2013-14 Leavitt Family Theme and for posterity's sake, I shall record it here:

 

Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your ^awork shall be rewarded.

 

It's from Chronicles and it's a good one for us. We're really busy but we want to focus on the blessings of work in our lives and how much more we are able to have and do because we work hard. It's going to be a great year!

Arizona bound

Last night I rolled back into town after a quick trip to Phoenix, feeling the pseudo-hangover that comes with too much fun and the sore throat the comes with too much laughing. A dear friend of mine, Aspen, moved down to Phoenix almost a year ago. While it is always hard to let a friend move away, it was extra hard with Aspen. Primarily because she's THAT incredible and so fun, but also because she's been battling breast cancer and having a really hard time. While she has an incredible husband, two beautiful children, a lovely home and more friends than I could ever possibly keep track of, we still wanted to go down and spend some time with our friend.

The "we" in that last sentence wasn't my little family (although Brandon adores her and her husband Pete and was super sad to be left at home). The we in that sentence are Brityn (my dear friend), Kari (my sister-in-law), and Miss Sunshine (she was the former nanny for their family and she is CRAZY awesome). Brityn called Aspen to set up our trip and told her that it would only be Brityn visiting. The rest of us were a complete surprise.

We left Friday afternoon after lunch and hit the road in Brandon's Acura. We had a great ride down, laughing and listening to 90's jams that only people in their late 20's/early 30's can really appreciate- snacking on red vines, plums and trail mix. Even with this party on wheels going on, we still had time to make a plan of how we wanted to surprise her. We decided to park a little distance from their house and have Brityn, who they were expecting, to go and knock on the door. We waited 5 minutes and then sent me to the door. What a treat! She was so completely shocked and started crying at this point. 5 minutes later, the door knocks again and it's Kari! Because Kari, Brityn and I are all friends she totally didn't expect her final guest who knocked on the door 5 minutes later- Miss Sunshine! (her real name is Debbie, but I think we called her that maybe 2xs). There were lots of tears and hugs.

That night, we ate dinner together and headed off for a little Super Target run (since I forgot jammies, and that's an awkward thing not to have when you're staying at someone else's house). While Kari and Miss Sunshine distracted her, Brityn and I made a mad dash grocery run. It was so Super Market Sweep! I loved the thrill of trying to check out before I was caught. We spent the night cackling and went to bed after almost peeing ourselves watching YouTube videos. Well, everyone except Kari and I that is. We shared a room and were up till 3am. I had a great time! I feel like we walked into this sister-in-laws and friends and are walking out sisters.

We got up at 6:30 the next morning and got to work! I won't be able to do it justice and I won't be able to make it sound not cheesy, but it was like a symphony. We all went because we are friends of Aspen's, but what we didn't know is that we are an absolute dream team when it comes to putting a house in order. Kari snapped on the rubber gloves and cleaned 4,000 sq ft. to sparkling. Brityn and I cleaned out the fridge, organized the pantry, and made an absolutely ridiculous amount of food for their freezer, pantry and fridge- all healthy and full of vitamins. We ate homemade warm roasted coconut granola, carrot cranberry bran muffins, chicken noodle soup with homemade wheat noodles, roasted butternut squash soup, turkey sausage/roasted veggie lasagna, honey whole wheat French toast, and more. Their fridge is brimming with lots of fresh fruits and veggies cut up, washed, ready to use. Miss Sunshine washed kids, played with them, fixed their appliances, folded clothes and helped Kari with the house. Nobody needed to be told what to do, we were all experts in our areas and we had an incredible time. We then, of course, all had naps.

That evening, we went out just us girls and got mani/pedis and had dinner. After dinner, Kari dyed Aspen's hair a darker color so it would look fuller. Radiation and chemo have thinned it out a bit and she looks fabulous as a dark temptress! While they were playing beauty shop, I made another run (sneaky style) to Target for diapers, dishwasher soap, Ziploc bags, etc. It made me feel like Santa Clause. It was super fun.

We went to bed around midnight after another round of laughing and talking. Well, everyone but Kari and I...we clocked in around 2 am this time :) Next morning, up at 6:30 again. I made everyone breakfast and prepared their dinner for that night (since we had to leave after church) and rocked the juicer with Pete. We had a tasty time together and then headed off to church. Aspen goes to the church of Christian Science. I really liked it. It was good to be there with her and Peter and pray together for our dear friend. We had a seriously tear filled goodbye in the parking lot and left for home. No one could speak for a long time...probably because we just left our hearts behind in a hot parking lot in Arizona. Things livened up a bit when we got out a romance book on CD. We ate Carl's Jr. and book clubbed it all the way home, pausing the CD to dissect the characters and their relationships. We had some AWFUL 90 minute traffic jam that had us inching. Minus the guy we saw peeing and the girl we saw getting digging in her trunk with no pants or underwear on (Brandon's theory is that she pooped), it was nice because it gave us longer with our book.

It was one of the most beautiful weekends of my life and I learned so much. Thanks to Brandon for providing for me so well that I can go help our friends like this and for all the husbands who stayed home and wrangled the kiddos.

 

On a final note, this is Brityn getting her first pedicure ever. She has feet like mine- like we are wearing shoes made of sandpaper at all times. The sweet lady got finished scraping her callouses off and said, "Well, you just lost 2-3 pounds down here." I looked down at the pile and it was like it had snowed. I laughed mercilessly and took a picture...but she got me back. There's a super embarrassing Jamie Leavitt pedicure photo floating out there.

 

"Peace out suckers!"- Banyan Marthaler, age 4

the rest of july

 I left a few important details out of July that I would be very sad to leave out, especially Abigail's birthday. She turned the big 7 on the 20th and since that is a very important time in a young girl's life, I have to document it.

By the time July was over, I felt like we had celebrated all month long (which is true, we did). I had a quite substantial sampling of ice cream cakes, of which I decided Baskin Robbins is my favorite.
She's gotten so big so fast- it was just yesterday she was in rose ruffled footie jammies and here she is rockin' shades and a studded sleeveless denim jacket- lookin' like the rock star she's quickly turning out to be.

While we did party hardy, her official birthday party was rock star themed this year. It was a fun little party with her adorable friends. The lady at Dairy Queen went WAY the extra mile by putting on guitar on her cake and writing out, "You Rock, Abigail!"I think the highlight of the party was when we were eating pizza and cake watching hilarious You Tube videos- particularly the Taylor Swift goat videos.