We prepared dinner the old fashioned way last night–we hunted and gathered. Or was it caught and cleaned? However you say it, we saw our food swimming in the morning, then cooked on our dinner plates in the evening.

We found a place called Rainbow Trout Farm a few miles south of Flagstaff. It’s a great business idea–they stock a pond full of rainbow trout and rent out poles, nets, buckets, and bait for $1.00. Then you fish away and are virtually guaranteed to catch something. You pay for what you catch, and they clean the fish and put it on ice. They also have several grills and picnic tables around if you want to cook and eat your fish right there.

The fishing poles were at least three times the kids’ height.

Jeremy was the first one to catch a trout. I think it took him all of 3 minutes.

Peter caught two by the time we were finished, and his fish were by far the largest.

Derek seemed to have the touch, as almost every time he put his pole in the water, he made a catch. Meanwhile, I was seeing dollar signs add up since throwing your catch back in the water is prohibited.

Jake was a natural too–must be due to all those hours fishing in the pond at home.

Every time the boys pulled out a fish, I was happy I had Ruthie duty that day. After prying the hook out of the mouth, Jim had to wrestle each slippery trout into our bucket. Yikes.

When all was said and done, the kids caught eight fish. After the little buggers were cleaned, we had them packed on ice and put in a cooler. The fish, that is, not the kids.

This is the part that made me very very thankful for grocery stores and their arrays of boneless, skinless eyeball-less fish fillets. It must have taken Jim and me over an hour to debone and de-skin those eight fish. But it was worth it for the family experience. From pond to table in one day; dinner doesn’t get much fresher than that. We threw in some onions, butter and limes before wrapping them in foil and throwing them on the grill.

No one seemed bothered by the fact that we were eating the same fish that were swimming in the pond earlier that day. Except Peter. You see, the boys and I watched the whole cleaning process at the farm, and the fisherman was having some fun with his audience. I won’t go into detail here, but let me just say he was going for major shock value.

As we sat for dinner, Peter was hesitant to dig in. I asked him why, and he just recounted the bloody water in the bucket and the fish being cut open. It didn’t take him long to get over it, though, when he knew that s’mores were on the menu for dessert.

While Jim and I prepared dinner, this sensitive little guy took care of Ruthie. The pictures speak for themselves.

They’ve been bonding this week.

“Let your eyes look directly ahead and let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you. Watch the path of your feet and all your ways will be established. Do not turn to the right nor to the left; turn your foot from evil.” (Proverbs 4:25-27)

I love when spiritual truths are confirmed in the physical life. This proverb was playing over and over in my mind when we visited the Grand Canyon on Wednesday.

In our prior research of the Grand Canyon, we learned that it has two visitor centers with trails, etc.–one on the south rim and one on the north rim. Most people go to the south rim because it has more civilized trails, amenities, and it’s much closer. But the north rim draws less of a crowd, has better views, and not to mention the trails are more…interesting. This planted the idea in my beloved husband’s mind that we must drive to the north rim. Never mind the fact that it takes 3.5 hours to get there.

I must admit, though, that even during the drive, the views did not disappoint. When we finally arrived at the canyon, our jaws hit the floor. Amazing.

Here, the kids pose from a safe perch near the parking lot of the visitor center.

After being charged with Junior Ranger instructions, we set off on our hike–but first another 45 minutes in the car to get to the trailhead. Now, I didn’t know what to expect as far as safety measures go. Were there guardrails? Paved paths? I had read that each year several people die at the Grand Canyon by falling. But it is a national park. How dangerous could it be?

It didn’t take long to realize just how dangerous it is. As soon as we got out of the car we found a spot to take a quick family picture. Gorgeous backdrop, but no paved path, and definitely no guardrail. The longer we stayed on this cliff, the faster my heart beat and the more my palms sweat. If you looked over the edge, you could barely see the bottom of the canyon. But we did manage to snap a photo before I had a panic attack.

I probably would have handled it much better if we didn’t have curious children underfoot. For the first time in my life, I wished we had them all on tethers. Notice where I’m positioned in the picture–closest to the edge. I wanted to see everyone and be sure that no one was too close. That edge was not one you would tumble down if you went over; it was a sheer dropoff to the bottom over 4000 feet down.

This relatively short experience on the cliff set my mind spinning with so many thoughts of God. How vast the Grand Canyon is, and yet He created it and the earth that holds it with the words of His mouth! Looking out over the chasm terrified me. It is downright dangerous, and I feared and respected the Lord in a whole new way that day. Once our feet were on safer ground, it drove me to be utterly thankful for His protection and His mercy.

You can imagine my relief when we began our hike on a paved path which at times even included guardrails. People were laughing at me as I walked around saying how much I like guardrails. Still, I held onto Jeremy’s hand for dear life.

When we walked out onto this rock, named Angels’ Window, Peter, Jeremy and I sat on a rock away from any edge. Peter, who had a healthy fear of the edges, said, “That’s good God put this rock here so we can be safe.” Then Jeremy wisely stated that “You don’t have to be afraid because Jesus is protecting us. And Jesus is way bigger than you because He made this whole place.” Such an apt reminder from the little guy.

Jake and Derek were considerably less fearful. I’m not sure what to think about that right now.

And sweet, trusting little Ruthie perched in her spot on Daddy’s back.

We plan to return next week, only this time to the south rim, with the Goldings. And we plan to watch the path of our feet and not turn to the right or to the left.

We are amazed at how much there is to see in the Flagstaff area. Here we are nearly a week into the trip, and we haven’t even been to downtown Flagstaff yet.

On Tuesday, we visited Wupatki, another national park in the area. It’s a spectacle of 1000 year old pueblo ruins, among other sights.

The kids learned all about the Wupatki indians who lived in the area soon after the eruption of the Sunset Crater volcano. We observed a blowhole–the earth kind, not the whale kind–and felt cool air blowing up from underneath the earth. As the boys and I walked away, I looked back and caught a glimpse of Jeremy laying on it with his shirt pulled up to feel the cool air on his belly.

Oh, Jeremy. He has been quite a trip this week. I could blog for days with quotes from the mouth of this soon-to-be four year old. Since Jim has been toting Ruthie on our hikes, Jeremy has been my little buddy. We hold hands everywhere we hike, at times holding on for dear life (more on that later). Today, he said to me, “I like hiking because I have you all day.”

The Junior Ranger program is proving to be a gem on this trip. Derek, Peter, and Jeremy each earned their second badge at Wupatki as Ruthie looked on.

First, the test.

Then the pledge to respect and preserve national parks, and to encourage their family and friends to do the same. The effort that is required to become a junior ranger makes the badge exceptionally valuable.

The family embarked on our first day out to nearby Sunset Crater National Park.  The place is quite interesting in that about 1,000 years ago (scientists estimate) the place was covered in lava as a volcano erupted. Even today, it looked as if a bulldozer wreaked havoc on the place.

What was simply amazing is that despite there being acres of ash and lava rock as far as the eye can see, life prevails. Our minds immediately drew the parallel with what is quoted in Psalm 113:7 “He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap.” Whether its human life or a mere tree, God enables life to rise above a catastrophe for all who call on His name.

Ruthie continued being a hearty traveller.  Her first experience in the baby backpack was pure bliss.  As we walked the one mile lava trail, she was giggling, laughing and then fell fast asleep.

Meanwhile, the family took in the sights and the experience of walking on an ancient volcano.

The National Park Service has a neat program for kids called Junior Rangers.  We were thinking that all you had to do is run through a few tasks and you get the obligatory participation certificate.  No so.  The boys did have to finish certain tasks, but when they went to the park Ranger to turn in their task list, they were quizzed on everything they wrote down – even Jeremy! When Jeremy forgot to circle something, the Ranger walked him over to a display and had him point out the correct answer to a question she asked him.  After an acceptable test result, the boys had to take an oath, raising their right hand and reciting with the Ranger that they will participate in taking care of the National Forest lands – pretty heavy stuff!

I couldn’t participate in the “ceremony” since I was with Ruthie in the car, but I heard what was going on inside and snapped the oath-taking from afar.

And here’s the badge they earned (which have been worn ever since)

We arrived yesterday, safe and sound. 25 hours of driving and the kids did really well, especially Ruthie.

After leaving Albuquerque, NM in the morning, we had a mere 300 miles to drive, far less than the 700 miles we were averaging the last two days. That being said, the 300 miles turned into 400 miles after we had to detour from our route 60 miles short of Flagstaff, AZ. I’ve been stopped by bizzard conditions and flooded roads before, but the cause of this detour/delay was a first:

Those are not ominous storm clouds in the distance, that’s zero visibility blowing dust from an unusually strong Pacific storm that moved through the area.  The Interstate was shut down for two days!

We found a route south that navigated the mountains and it ended up being a beautiful two-hour drive through the world’s largest continuous Ponderosa pine forest.

This morning we woke up at 5:30AM (body clocks thinking it was 7:30AM) and the Legos made their way out.  The house is more than accommodating and the kids, at least, were well-rested.

On to Sunset Crater National Park today, and some groceries (the locusts’ appetite are insatiable!)

Yes, you have a geek for a Dad/husband when the GPS gets dusted off and tracks your every move on your vacation.

Note the elevation gain as we made our way from Tulsa, OK to Albuquerque, NM

OK, according to the blue graph, you can see I largely stayed within 5 mph of the 70 mph speed limit (75 mph in New Mexico). We also took two rest stops.

There was an unplanned third rest stop when I was pulled over by a Texas State Trooper (around 4 hours and 30 minutes on the blue graph).  The trooper came to the window and saw all the wires connected to GPS devices hanging off my windshield.  He asked me for my license and insurance and said I was speeding.  I replied kindly,

“Sir, GPS had me going no more than 75 mph”

He said he clocked me at 77 mph.  Then he looked at all the wires again, paused, and then declared, “Say, I’ll just write you up for a warning – no fines or penalties.” Five minutes later we were on our way, cruising at 74mph.

It pays to be a geek.

We’re off to Arizona.  Just a quick post of pictures of our first day, which included a rainy start…

…but Ruthie was well attended to. She loved the attention and was a stellar baby for the 10 hour drive to Tulsa.

This was how she was able to catch a glimpse of Mom despite her seat being rear facing.

And she spent hours playing with her toys, which the boys quickly gave her the moment she attempted to communicate any complaint.

The boys switched between playing games, to Playstation, to watching movies, and to asking Dad “How much longer?”

And when we arrived in Tulsa, we stayed at the Janowski’s house. Heidi and I took Braden’s $185,000 car out on a late night Taco Bueno run after the kids went down to sleep. Heidi looks like she fits just fine in it.  Me on the other hand…

For the record, Ford produced only a handful of these cars in 2005 and 2006 to prove to the Italian sport car manufacturers that they could produce a better, faster sport coupe. The car easily tops out at 200mph, although we never hit above 60 going to Taco Bueno.

After breakfast it’s off to Albuquerque, NM and then to Flagstaff, AZ

…when you’re a three year-old with a vivid imagination.

1. Sword

2. Goggles

3. Belt

4. Tiara

On second thought, let’s leave the tiara at home.

Yesterday morning the doorbell rang at 7:30. It was the neighbor boys arriving for their daily run with our boys. It’s a great way for them run out their excess energy, and we like to call it P.E. class.

After their jog around the neighborhood, they congregated in the backyard and this is what I saw:

That compassionate second-born son of ours was shooting at ducks and geese with the BB gun.

Not only that, but he was teaching the neighbor boys how to get a good shot.

I can just picture the conversation they had with their parents when they returned home. You shot what with a what? And we thought they were nice boys!

It may have been their final P.E. class with the Johaniks.

You don’t realize how expensive baby food is until your baby, after a number of tries, does not eat it, and you end up either cleaning it off the floor or throwing it away. We’ve tried different fruits, various vegetables, we’ve tried mixing it with rice cereal, tried heating it up, tried it cold. But all Miss Ruth will eat is rice cereal. Call me a bad mom, but I am not buying any more overpriced convenience packs of pureed, watered down fruits and vegetables baby food. Table food is soon forthcoming.

Did I mention that she really likes rice cereal?

That Derek. He’s a good nut.

Ruth paid a visit to her cousins, Hannah and Ellie, the other day. While there, she was taught the fine art of accessorizing.

We know you’re almost here.

Despite 50 degree weather in the forecast, we put the pool up a couple weeks ago. The next day Peter asked for permission to swim in the icy water, and if it weren’t for his two older brothers gasping in shock at the thought, I believe he would have jumped in.

Derek had the dirty job of sweeping out the debris before the water went in.

Meanwhile, we made use of the leftover sand from leveling the base of the pool and made a hole-digging area for Molly sandbox.

The boys’ favorite pastime now is placing WWII German army guys on the top of a sand cliff and causing them to fall off. Boys. Speaking of favorite pastimes, biting fingernails seems to be Jeremy’s lately. I don’t know where he gets that.

This is turning out to be Bubbie week on the blog. He just provides so much material about which to write. It’s like having free entertainment right in our own home! Well. Not exactly free. We do have to feed him. And clothe him. But you know what I mean.

Derek has been teaching the younger boys spanish on the fly. For example, he asks them if they know how to say “dog” in spanish, and when they reply with the obvious “no”, he tells them the word in spanish.

This inspired Jeremy to teach me french this afternoon. Here’s how our conversation went:

Before his naptime, I read to Jeremy about some WWII french plane with lots of letters in the name. I told him it was french, then I pronounced it like a frenchman (i.e. I pronounced 1/3 of the letters).

Jeremy then asked me if I knew how to say “tree” in french. I said the obvious “no”. He said, “It’s ablee”.

I raised my eyebrows impressively and nodded “ohhh”.

Jeremy: “Do you know how to say wall in french?”

Mom: “no”

Jeremy: “It’s odee”

Mom: “ohhh”

Jeremy (looking at Ruthie on my lap): “Do you know how to say Ruth in french?”

Mom: “no”

Jeremy: “It’s addoo-bogu”

Mom (suppressing laughter): “ohhh”

This went on for quite some time. Sure he was probably prolonging the start of his nap, but it was awfully fun.

We have one in the family now.

His inspiration? Guido and Luigi from the movie Cars. On occasion, he even attempts an Italian accent. But he does take his job seriously,

from the uniform

down to the tools.

If you need work done on your wheels,

Bubbie’s your guy.

A certain three year-old in the house keeps us rolling on the floor in laughter much of the time.

I’ll save the story behind this get-up for another time.

Anyway, last week the kids learned a simple phrase about why it’s good to obey. It goes, “Obedience brings blessing, disobedience brings trouble.” This activity was mainly targeted to Jeremy. Did I mention that he’s three? Throughout the day, I would quiz him on the phrase. I’d start, “obedience brings…” and he’d finish, “blessing!”

So I thought we could impress Jim when he came home from work that evening. “Jeremy, let’s tell Dad what you learned today about obedience. Ready? Obedience brings…”

(long pause)

“Trouble” he belted out. I should have known.