A week in the pines of central Arizona—just what I needed.
Summer has been busy so far, but Eve and I took advantage of
the other kids having a fun week away from home for the two of us to hide at
the cabin.
We left Hyrum in Utah at Brad’s mom’s house when we came
back from Idaho on Sunday. He was excited to spend the week with cousins with a
few dollars burning a hole in his pocket. I got pictures throughout the week,
and it looks like he had a great time.
Micah had to be ready for scout camp by 5:10 am Monday
morning. That made things a little crazy when we got home from two weeks’
vacation—packing for camp and trying to find everything he needed. Why do we
always lose one of every pair of socks? I had to take a quick trip to Walmart
at 4:30 am to fill the rest of his list, but he’s off earning merit badges,
getting dirty, and losing sleep for a week. He has great scout leaders, and I’m
sure it’s been fun.
Lily also had a busy Sunday night—laundry and packing for
EFY in Flagstaff. She went without a roommate, hoping to make some new friends
while she was gone. I haven’t heard much from her, but we pick her up tomorrow
morning.
After dropping Lily off, Eve and I took a back route to
Pine, and we’ve been holed up here. Brad came for the first two nights, but
otherwise it’s just been the two of us, and the time has flown by.
We painted. We hiked.
We played Steal the Pile, Go Fish,
Life, and Sorry.
We saw tons of deer, a few elk and squirrels (Eve's photo), one ornery javelina
I surprised at dusk, and a flock of vultures that have been swooping from tree
to tree every afternoon. I couldn’t figure out why the vultures were hanging
around here until yesterday. That’s when I smelled the decaying flesh of
something. Eve and I were playing cards on the porch when I asked her if she
could smell that. She wrinkled her nose and spouted, “SOMEONE needs to take a
bath, and it’s not me!” She quickly scooped up the cards to continue our game
inside. The smell has gotten worse over the past two days, becoming so bad that
I googled how long it takes a carcass to decompose (wonder if there will be a
tracker on my google search after that one . . .).
I worked some, and as I worked, I listened to her talk to
herself as she pretended or sang. At seven, the age of imagination is nearing
its end, but I was happy she got a week alone without bigger people making fun
of her imaginary games. She made endless how-to videos on how to build a fire (without a real spark). They are hilarious shots of trees and sky and her running back to adjust the angle to capture her explanations.
One thing I learned about my Evie this trip: She is a really
good worker when it’s just the two of us.
We scrubbed cupboards and bathrooms. We dusted and swept and mopped. We
organized books and towels and pillows and the game cupboard. We inventoried
each room then took a trip to Payson to restock supplies. We cleaned the
fridge, the freezer, the oven, the stove, and the microwave.
And our last big
project was today—that girl can wash windows. It took us over 90 minutes to
wash the screens and the windows inside and out, and she never complained once.
We laughed on either side of the glass as we sprayed each other, but neither of
us laughed harder than when I accidentally sprayed myself in the butt with the
hose.
She did use an entire roll of paper towels and half a bottle of Windex,
but those windows sparkle. It was a joy to work together all morning—and earn a
trip for an ice cream cone this afternoon.
My favorite memories from this trip:
- Snuggled up on the couch combing each other’s wet, clean hair as we watched “The Neverending Story”
- Eve sneaking up on a small group of deer and the joy on her face as she got closer and closer before they bounded off into the forest
- Her scream when a spider was in her bathwater and my scream when a squirrel was under the table where I was working
- Naps on the living room couches. She's getting too long to fit.
- Eve practicing an entire day to learn how to do “the bridge” when she shuffles
- Disney Radio for hours and hours and spontaneous dance parties to our favorite songs
- Sleeping late together when Eve snuck into my bed around 6:30 every morning
Alone time is hard to find in a big family, and it’s even
harder when you’re the baby. Love you, Evie. I can’t wait to come back.
