The wonderful thing about family travel: it provides you with experiences that will remain locked forever in the scar tissue of your mind.- Dave Barry

There's no such thing as vacationing with a 1 year old. You can travel, yes, but not vacation.

Last week we trekked out to northern California for a wedding and a Peace Corps Reunion. Both were a blast. But boy how things have changed. The first Peace Corps wedding we went to was Errol and Sara's. A weekend of debauchery, rowdiness, and de-trousering. A few short years later and we are renting a house so we can cram 6 Peace Corps babies and 10 adults into one spot. We're talkin' organic baby snacks galore, toys covered in snot, and bleary eyes not from alcohol consumption, but because your kid wanted to see how many windows they could break with their piercing screams. (Thankfully, no windows broken, only eardrums and patience.)

Rigley certainly made a good run at the "Crankiest Baby" competition, but you really need to hold the parents responsible for such a strong showing. We made her sleep in 3 different places in 2 different pack-n-plays and spend more time in her car seat than the rest of her life combined (who knew California was so big?). Rigley was a champ, but we pushed her a little too hard. Not that we accepted the blame at the time. Having not slept more than an hour in 2 nights, we may have... sort of... said a few things... out loud... that maybe we... regret now. Rigs may have been in the running for "Crankiest Baby," but we blew away the competition for "Crankiest Parents." As of now, the nasty things screamed back at the baby will forever be swept under the rug and chalked up as one of those moments when you feel ashamed as a parent.

Traveling is tough with kids. No doubt. But what's the alternative. We said many times over the past week,"We're never traveling again." At least until Rigley is in her early 30's. By then we'll be in our 60's and she'll be changing my diaper in the middle of the night while I scream for some warm milk. Until then we're doing a cost benefit analysis for each trip. This one to California? A no brainer. A great wedding and celebration I would have taken 15 screaming 1 year olds to. Heck isn't that how all trips are? Well worth the price you pay? So maybe, since the trips must be taken, we're looking for travel tips with toddlers. Reply to this post with your best ideas or at least most embarrassing moments. It'll either be helpful or soothing.

Parents first child still alive! Public in disbelief

One year already? No way!

Yes way!

Rigley made it through one year on the planet with us as parents. I'm really celebrating US this birthday. Two yahoos who really don't know what they're doing, kept a baby alive for a whole year. Pretty soon Rigley will be independent and then we can start crediting her with her own survival.

Its actually been a pretty amazing year.

Looking back I am so surprised with how much fun we've had. Before Rigley was born I would tell myself, "Ok, these first 5 years are going to suck. We just have to make it through and things will get easier." This first year has been a blast. Way better than I could have imagined. We've had two hospital stays, breastfeeding was awful for a while, and we still don't sleep much. With all that, the pro's still outweigh the con's by a mile!

That's what we can really credit Rigley for. She is hilarious, easy going, and feisty. She makes all the work fun and worth it.

For her birthday we bought a brand new bike trailer. So far she seems to like it. And she better. She'll be in it A LOT.

Feed Me Seymour!!

We are full blown into real people food now. This kid will try anything. As you can see in the photo above, she loves her beets. Also as you can see, beets get kind of messy. And, if you ever give your own baby beets, give the day care lady a heads up. Red diapers tend to cause a stir at day care.

I wish I could make a list of her favorite foods, but there really is only one. Black beans. When other food ends up on the wall, black beans are the "go to" item. If she won't eat her kale, spinach, or lentils (hmmm... i wonder why), we can out a black bean on the spoon and she'll pound it.

The biggest drawback of having a kid who loves black beans...

...the diapers. OUCH!

We're Back!!

Yeah, I know. It has been a while since the last post. And yes, I remember saying I would be better about this in 2010. Maybe this time its for real!

Things just seem to be pretty smooth around here. As you can see in the picture above, Spring is in full swing here in Colorado. Sorry if that's not true where you live, but no one is forcing you to live in Minnesota. Hiking on weekends has been a new addition to the routine. Breakfast with friends and then a quick hike in the foothills. We continue to discuss what spirituality might look like for our family in the future, and this is our favorite option so far. Connect with people and nature. And watch out for snakes too.

Its chow time at our house as well. Big Rig will eat whatever we put in front of her. Jen even caved recently and let Rigley have some banana. I know, I know, banana sounds safe, right? Well, you know Jen. She's pretty concerned that Rigley will develop a taste for anything sweet and may some day, when we're not watching closely, and the world is about to end... have a piece of candy. GASP! Or some ice cream. DOUBLE GASP!! We all know that Jen tends to live on the fringes in certain situations and she'd like some company.

Finally, Jen and Chris got a little break from any responsibility and jetted off to Las Vegas for a weekend. Thanks to Oma (Rigley's Grandmother) and the Fort Collins Support Staff (Linder, Dora, Meredith, Tim, Camonica, and Josie) for helping this happen. I can't say much about the trip because apparently what happens there, stays there, but I think the picture below sums it up.