Sleepless from Seattle--with pictures!

Jetlag was one thing ahead of the trip I probably discounted.  Because we did smaller jumps during our RTW trip, we didn't have many instances of trying to re-adjust our bodies to a big time change.  But as we sat on the plane and I watched the flight timer countdown, I realized that making it through a seven-hour flight with the kids was one thing;  arriving in the morning with little sleep and navigating a new town with the kids was another.

The flight went better than expected.  I was cautiously optimistic since we'd flown to Hawaii with the kids, but we lucked out when the Iceland Air people saw we were hoping to take our carseats on board for the kids to sleep in and were able to seat us across a row by ourselves--six seats for four people?  Not too shabby.  And I was feeling pretty good about our pre-flight experience--free snacks in the Alaska Boardroom, playtime in the airport play area, lots of time to stretch legs and snack-pre-flight.  And it wasn't until we boarded that I realized I hadn't felt quite this kind of excitement--the feeling of taking off for an adventure in new, foreign lands--in quite a long time.

About to board!

Flying over the far north of Canada


It's an interesting thing to realize as adults we all the time have to sublimate our own desires and natural tendencies when we're hungry or tired or cranky.  Kids?  Not so much.  So as we got off the plane, with about two hours of sleep a person, and with understandably cranky children in the cold, grey of morning, it was definitely "soldier through" time. 

And soldier on we did.  We even took the bus into town and did the 900 meter walk from the bus station to our apartment for the week.  Speaking of which, I've been feeling quite pleased with our packing so far.  We used our RTW backpacks, so we can wear those and brought the carseats, which we can attach to nifty wheelie things, so we can push or pull the kids if they don't want to walk.  With my purse and two smaller carry-on bags, I'm sure we were quite a sight, but we were able to get about reasonably easy.  (We actually had one local dropping off someone at the bus station ask if he could take our picture since he liked to travel with his young kids.)

After settling in to our cozy apartment, we realized that we were all hungry.  Iceland Air was comfortable and pleasant, but they were a bit stingy on the food service.  So we decided to head out to a bakery, hoping some fresh air would clear our heads.  Our other goals for the day were pretty minimal--getting some groceries, maybe finding a park.  And take a nap.

First jaunt out to the bakery on a beautiful, brisk but sunny morning

Jetlag attacks!

A few notable moments in the day (which, not surprisingly, is a bit of  haze):  Tyler getting mistaken for a local about three times.  The sun shining and lots of people out and about enjoying it, especially tons of parents with babies in prams (Reykjavik seems to be very family-friendly;  I also suspect our first day was like my first day ever in Seattle, where everyone is happy because the sun is out--apparently it was snowing even last week).    Going for our first swim at our neighborhood public pool, which has geothermal hot tubs.

Post-nap walk--but my yawn gives away my true state....



Stella and Otto in front of the big church in Reykjavik--relatively close to our apartment and a good landmark for getting our bearings

Sure, there were  few meltdowns from usually calm and collected Otto, but overall the kids seem to be taking it in stride. I might jinx myself this early in the game, but Stella seems to be a natural traveler.  And we're trying to keep our expectations low about what we'll do and see.  If nothing else, even in these first couple days it has been a treat to really just get to be a family altogether, not juggling work and errands and home responsibilities.  And it's been very sweet to see Stella being a concerned big sister, watching over Otto  bit, rather than competing with him for attention.

Final thought for this entry:  it's been interesting to find that my mind so quickly has gone to trying to compare and categorize Iceland to other places I know (Alaska, Tasmania, New Zealand, Easter Island, even) rather than just taking it in for itself.  The little but we've seen also make me think that it seems very Scandinavian, though my main point of Scandinavian aesthetic is Ikea...  Looking forward to continuing to get to know Iceland on its own terms over the rest of this week!

 

 

A well-deserved (and extremely expensive) beer with dinner

 

This is a Test

This entry is a bit of a test. As I type this, I'm sitting in my backyard, at a table, in the sun, working on my Surface tablet. Rough, I know. But what makes it a bit of a test is that I'm hoping that using the Surface while on our trip will help spur Sarah and I into some more "on the road" style posting this go round. Because, while we both have done a solid job of posting about our trips to places like Hawaii, Mexico or even Texas and Illinois, all of those entries where written after we got home. And, while I still love those entries, they definitely don't have the same immediacy our original Round the World trip entries do.

Part of the reason we haven't been as good at posting while travelling has to do with the fact that Internet Cafes aren't as common in the U.S. or other parts of the developed world as they are in, say, Vietnam or India. But the other part of the reason has to do with the fact that -with two small children in tow- we are generally just less likely pop into an internet café, even if we came across one. But, that's not to say that we haven't had time to do entries while on our various vacations. In fact, generally speaking, in the evenings, after the kids have crashed, Sarah and I usually stuck in our rental... which would be the perfect time to do some blogging. If, we had a laptop or something similar with us.

Which is where the Surface comes in. With it's tiny touchpad keyboard, it effectively becomes a super-tiny laptop. And, while it might be imperfect in terms of size (and the general oddness of a touchpad keyboard), it's better than a lot of the computers we used while traveling back in the day.

But, enough with sounding like I'm advertising for Microsoft (Full Disclosure, Sarah has an iPad, which I actually like a lot too), let's talk about the plan for our trip this month!

The Plan
One week from today, Sarah, the kids and I are boarding a plane to Iceland, where we have an apartment reserved in Reykjavik for a week. Going to Iceland actually seems like sort of fulfilling a long term goal for both Sarah and I. Back when we originally brainstormed places we wanted to go on our RTW trip, Iceland was on both our shortlists. But, because it had a reputation for being expensive, and because there didn't seem to be an easy way to squeeze it into the itinerary, it didn't make the final cut. So, we are both excited to finally get a chance to check it out.

After a week in Iceland, we are back on the plane again, and off to Paris, where we have another apartment waiting for us and where we'll stay for the next week. Sarah and I have both been to Paris before, separately, though my visit was for only about 24 hours, and it's been roughly 10 years since either of us were there. Also, it'll be the first time visiting together, and -of course- with the kids. For Stella, I think this is the main event, or at least what she is talking the most about.

What I suspect will be the most exciting part of the trip for Otto comes next: Riding the TGV to Avignon. Train ride! From Avignon, we rent a car, and drive to our rental apartment in Arles, Provence, for our final week. Initially, we thought we were renting a townhouse in a tiny village near Orange, but -cryptically- that fell through and we've sort of scrambled this last week to find a replacement place. In the end, we are excited to stay in Arles, which was where we first started looking when we decided on Provence for our final leg.

After a week exploring Provence, it's back on the train again, a night in an airport hotel outside Paris, then the long flight home.

On Planning...(AKA: What We've Learned From Traveling with Small Children)

As you can tell from the last couple paragraphs, there's been a lot of planning done ahead of time. Sometimes, I feel like I've spent as much time pre-planning this trip as I did planning for our RTW trip... and this trip is only 3 weeks, instead of 7 months! But, part of that is because of some of the things Sarah and I learned from our trips to Mexico and Hawaii with the kids.

1) Arrange Transportation and Lodging Ahead of Time - Getting train tickets or finding a place to stay in a new location can be a challenge even if you are young and up for an adventure. Trying to do it with two kids who are inevitably tired and hungry is nigh impossible. While it kills some of the spontaneity to plan stuff like this in advance, it actually goes a long way to making the trip more enjoyable, just because it minimizes those moments where we are standing our trying to make decisions or secure reservations on the go.

2) Stay Longer in One Place - On our RTW trip, it was a rare occasion indeed that Sarah and I were in one town or city for more than 4 nights. On this trip, we'll be staying in each location at least 5 nights. Because, frankly, the "moving" days are the ones that are hardest on the kids. Usually, once we've arrived somewhere, they do well; but keeping them entertained, fed and happy while on a plane, train or automobile is a full time job. Plus, at the end of the day, while Sarah and I enjoy the thrill of being in a new place every day; we've sort of done that, and are more interested in exploring a location for a few days, at least.

3) Once You've Arrived, Keep Expectations Low - Basically, once we arrive in each destination, we have nearly zero plans... until we have to depart several days later. Sure, Sarah and I have both been thumbing through guidebooks and the like, and imagining places we'd like to visit, but frankly if we set our expectations high, everyone will end up frustrated. We'll be frustrated because the kids are "slowing us down" and the kids will be frustrated because their parents will be dragging them from one boring site to another. So, instead, we are keeping things modest. For example, in Paris, if a typical day involves a morning trip to a café, buying some food for a picnic on a market street, maybe a quick visit to some location of note, and then a shared bottle of wine after the kids crash in the evening... well, that sounds like a success to me.

I will say this entire trip does seem sort of like a grand experiment to me. A test, if you will. I mean, why even take a 4-year-old and a (not quite) 2-year-old half way around the planet? It's not like they are going to remember it. Maybe it's because travel is important to Sarah and I. Maybe it's because -in some way- we hope this plants a seed in both Stella and Otto that makes them excited about travel to and, that even if they don't remember it explicitly, they will at least -in some way- know that travel is possible. They won't have that strange, unspecified fear that many people have about strange food, foreign languages, stomach bugs, invented crime and unusual toilets that seem to create an often insurmountable obstacle to travel. Instead, maybe, by taking them traveling when they are young, it will just be somehow baked into their DNA. And, maybe, just a little bit, the reason we are doing it is because of the challenge and absurdity of it all.

Challenge or no, if I get a picture of Stella in front of the Eifel Tower, it will be worth all the work.

And now, to end this entry, I'm going to try posting a couple of pictures from the last month. Partially, to see if I can get my camera and Surface to play nice. And, partially because I imagine there are a couple grandparents reading this and thinking "yes, but where are the Stella and Otto pictures?!"


Exploring the Seattle Sculpture Garden

Spring has arrived!! ...oh, wait. Still, cute picture of the kids looking ridiculous.

A sleepy day at the Hill-Stach Shack.

Opening Easter Eggs after the Easter Egg Hunt at Grandpa Rick and Grandma Susan's house.

Finally, I want to say a quick "thanks" to my brother, Travis, for being able to house-sit for us while we are gone. As I'm sure I mentioned before, last year we had our house robbed while away on a camping trip. So, its reassuring to know someone will be watching out for house in our absence. So, robbers, don't even try it. Travis knows, like, ninjutsu. And stuff.

(Well, I think my little test entry went smoothly.)

Winter of our non-content...

Oh, right, we have a blog...

It amazing how quickly this blog has fallen off our radar. I think that between both Sarah and I being heads down in our jobs and with day-to-day life, and with that "instant gratification machine" called Facebook, how rarely either she or I think to post here. It's not that we don't have anything to post, but instead the events of our lives these days are more, well, normal. Work. Kids. Date Night. Work. Wine Making. Work. Kids. Cleaning. Repeat. Suddenly, two or three months have past. And, once those months have past, getting caught here seems like a chore. And, once something seems like a chore... well, it never gets done.

So, in hopes of getting this blog back in order, I'm letting Sarah and I off the hook. I won't try to do some sort of comprehensive catch up session. Just trust us that we had a great Christmas and wonderful New Year. And, to help you imagine, here's a couple photos...


Riding the Holiday Merrry-Go-Round in downtown Seattle.


Picking out our Christmas tree at the Dunshee House in Seattle, a family tradition.


Standing in front of the same tree a couple hours later.


Stella playing in the snow... in Texas! I might be mistaken, but this could have been the only snow we saw this Winter. It was a surprisingly mild Summer in Seattle.


Stella hugging her Great-Grandma (my Grandma), Gloria, at our family Thanksgiving get together.

Also, I'll talk a little bit about the kids, since -frankly- they are amazing. Back last December, as a sort of spur of the moment decision, I took the two of them to Vashon, while Sarah worked. It was one of those special days that I'll look back on fondly, not just because of the fun we had, or because of the opportunity to hang out with just them, but also because of what a perfect little snapshot it was of where they were at the time.


Exploring the beach.

Stella had just turned four, and what a fun age it's been. Having finally emerged from all the awkwardness and frustration (learning to walk, talk, toilet training... etc, etc) of being a toddler; she is now an amazing, inventive and inquisitive little girl. As someone who has always valued my creativity, and enjoyed the creativity of others, it's awe-inspiring to watch her creative spirit bloom. Her days are filled with imagined ballet performances and trips to outer space; and as a little illustrator she grows by leaps and bounds daily. Four is definitely a fun age.


How old are you Stella?


Stella and friends at her party at the "Bouncy Place." A party she'd been planning for most of the year.

As a side note, one of the incredible things about this age is watching her friendships form. She's moving from that age where she'll just sort of play next to whoever is near her to actually having true friends, who she'll play complex, imagined games with.


A close up at a wine-bottling get together from a month or so ago. I'm not sure what parenting professionals would say about having your pre-schooler help make wine, but it's definitely something she is fascinated in helping with this year. From helping de-stem grapes, to pushing down caps during fermentation, to helping with corking... Stella now probably knows more about wine making than a lot of my friends.

As for Otto... well, you know all that "awkwardness and frustration" I just mentioned Stella emerging from? Well, he's right in the mix of it. Sarah and I had sort of (maybe deliberately) forgotten how trying that stage from about 18-months to 2 years can be. Otto is developing by leaps and bounds... walking (well, running and jumping... and dancing) now, and talking more and more. And, recently, at his Child Care's urging, we've begun toilet training. But, the side effect of all that development is that he spends a lot of time really, really frustrated. He's developed enough to see his limitations, but the struggle to overcoming them is just that... a struggle. He wants to do things himself. He wants to make his thoughts known. But, he's just not quite there.. yet.

But, Otto, we are all rooting for you!


Otto, meet otter!


Riding piggy-back on my shoulders. And, oddly, looking less than amused.


Getting his first haircut. Again, not amused.

If one things saddens me about mine and Sarah's neglect of this blog is missing recording all the little moments with the kids. During our first year or two with Stella, we used these entries as sort of an unofficial baby-book for her. And, while in entries like this, we can hit some highlights, it largely misses out on the little details, like Otto's obsession with metal measuring spoons. Or playing "gelatinous cube" with Stella.

The other reason I wanted to post here, beyond catching up and clearing the slate a bit, is to also mention our next big adventure! Before Sarah and I had the kids we promised that we'd still continue to travel. And, that instead of using the kids as an anchor, we'd use them as an opportunity to see the world through new eyes. But, while we have traveled a fair share in the United States over the last couple years, and while we've been to Hawai'i twice since our big trip, and even taken Stella to Mexico, we've probably been a little more domestic than I think either of us had thought we'd be. But, that's going to change in less than one months time, when Sarah, Stella, Otto and I head to Iceland and France for three weeks!

We're all very excited about it. Or at least Sarah, Stella and I are. Otto's cheerfully oblivious. Stella, in particular is excited about Paris. Here own personal cosmology hinges on the binary stars of Disney Princesses and Fancy Nancy, and to quote Nancy herself "everything in French sounds fancier." Ooh lala! The plans right now is to divide the trip up into three parts: One week in Reykjavik. One week in Paris. And one week somewhere else in France (likely Provence). We are renting apartments in each place, so the kids will have some space to play, we can have some place to hang out while the kids sleep, and we can have a kitchen to make the kids various cheese and bread meals when the inevitably revolt against the local cuisine. And, after using trips like last years trip to Hawai'i as test runs of sorts, we've adjusted our expectations. No running off to a different city or country each day, like in the old days. Instead, focusing on exploring the area we are staying, just focusing on being and staying someplace new. We are really looking forward to our upcoming adventure together!


Let's go team!

And, hopefully, it means this blog will get more use! Because, honestly, it means a lot more to me than my unending stream of Instagram photos and Goodread reviews over on Facebook.

Two Month Catch Up (sort of)

The other day it hit me that it's November. And I'm not sure where the last two months went--I think I lost September and October. It might have had something to do with having had four work trips and 60-hour work weeks.... But we're still here, plugging away, checking in too rarely, and having too little time for things, especially chronicling life when we feel like we're just barely keeping up as it is. And there's a lot that's been going on:  a trip to Walla Walla, Halloween, a trip to the pumpkin patch, winemaking..... but this won't be a faithful recounting of all of that.  Rather, I just want to capture a few thoughts about life these days.

I'm starting to get hints at life with two kids, rather than babies. Yesterday, we were outside, Stella was helping rake, Otto was keeping himself busy, and we were getting things done, getting fresh air, and the kids were even playing together.  (Of course, these moments are also regularly followed by fights and tears...)

Otto's a happy, easy-going guy.  And definitely more physical than Stella.  Here he is having graduated to sliding facing forward instead of on his tummy--just one of the many ways he's growing up so quickly!

 

Halloween 2012, with a Rapunzel Fairy and raccoon.  We went to six houses where Stella shyly said trick-or-treat.  Otto was ready to be right in the thick of it--definitely less shy than big sister!

Building a tower--another way that Otto definitely seems more boy-like.

Crush 2012:  Stella got to get her hands dirty this year.  I'm guessing she's one of the few four-year-olds with working knowledge of the wine making process.  ("Mom!  The caps fell!")

Stella's been a mama's girl for a long time, but she's increasingly getting more daddy-centric. I love this picture of them both in Walla Walla.

 

The family these days--Otto talking, copying Stella, laughter, a bit of chaos.

 

And, here we are, all together, the Hill-Stach's at the Pumpkin Farm. 

In a land called Hanalei

Well, the trip to Kauai was a rousing success! I can say that without qualifications. Well, maybe one qualification: Flying for roughly 6 hours with a 13-month-old who is eager to walk and reluctant to sleep is a bit on the rough side. But, beyond that, the complaints about our trip to Kauai are few and far between.

The early idea behind this trip was one that Sarah and I have been musing over along with two other families with kids. Knowing that it can sometimes be difficult to travel with young children, and knowing that you inevitably end up hanging out at your rental house or hotel room more than you'd like; the idea was to go on vacation with a small group of friends and rent a large house for all of us to stay in together. That way, there would be other kids for Otto and Stella to play with, other parents to help with watching the kids and, if we did end up just bumming at the rental, at least we'd have friend to hang out with there.

So, after quite a bit of hunting, I eventually managed to find the Taro Plantation on Kauai's North Shore, just outside of the town of Hanalei. (Incidentally, the town in Puff the Magic Dragon is actually "Honah Lee," so I can only presume it's coincidence.) The Taro Plantation was a large, four bedroom, three bath house, with an enormous living space, large deck and a pool. Definitely a suitable place to spend our time...

Sarah and Otto in the living room. Definitely enough room for the kids to run around.

Stella and a couple other kids on the deck. You can see the amazing view of waterfall striped hill (literally, we counted, like, 6 or 7 waterfalls after a rain one day), and the pool below. The pool was nice, because it was on-hand when we wanted it, but remote enough that we didn't have to worry about the kids jumping in while we weren't around.

Overall, it went amazingly, I thought. As predicted (read: hoped) the kids all really enjoyed hanging out together, and it was nice to have people to talk to while lounging around the house. This later point was especially important since we had several days where it would rain heavily for long periods of time, limiting our travels. (Hanalei is located more or less North of the wettest place on Earth, Kauai's Mt. Waialeale.) Also, luckily, all the families seemed to have the same expectations: When we all wanted to do something, we would. But, if only one family wanted to do something, they didn't hesitate to go do it. It made for a nice flexible day. It also ended up allowing us to do things we wouldn't otherwise have been able to do, like take a boat tour of the Na Pali Coast (more on that later).

Since most of the trip was a cycle of eat-sleep-sit-beach, I won't bore you all with a day by day account. But, instead, just hit on some of the high points. And, one low -or at least humorous- point...

Luckily, that isn't one of our cars.

On (I think) our second day there, another group of tourists attempted to drive down the road leading to our house, and managed to drive their car off the edge of the road, getting it stuck. They ended up needing to call a tow truck from the far side of the island to pull them out. Ouch. The down side was that it left us having to walk into and out of our house for half the day. The upside? This was our view during that walk...

On our third day, we took a road trip around the island, to see some of the sites there, including Waimea Canyon. The Canyon was actually socked in with clouds when we got there (I think that the other two families, who were on a slightly staggered schedule, might have had better luck), but we did get to see the amazing Kalalau Valley.

The Kalahau Valley. Sarah and I had to take turns going to look, since Otto was sleeping in the car. Sadly, for Sarah, I think I got a clearer view than she did.

Stella at the Valley. Overall, it was really warm in Kauai, but at the elevation, someone got cold.

Also, on the way to Waimea, we hit our first beach, the "Baby Beach," thus called because it lava rock pools provided a calm, shallow place for the kids to frolic.

The whole motley crew at the Baby Beach.

Stella and I also got to check out the Sounding Horn (a famous blow hole), frolic on some rolling red-dirt hills and -on the way home- Sarah and I got to sample some Saimin.

Saimin. A Ramen-esque dish. I think that the local lore says that Chinese immigrants say it's Japanese, while Japanese immigrants say it's Chinese. Either way, it's tasty!

The next day, we went to the other "end of the road" to check out Ke'e beach.

Ke'e Beach, caught as a quick rain shower passes through. In the hill behind the beach is the start of the famous Hanakapi'ai Hike down the Na Pali Coast. Obviously, with three infants and three pre-schoolers, that hike will have to be a pass this time.

Now's probably a good chance to talk about the kids and swimming. Stella has been taking swim lessons at the YMCA recently, but -despite that- she's notoriously cautiously around water. In past trips to places like Oahu and Mexico, she wouldn't even approach the water, claiming the waves were "too loud." That said, on this trip, she definitely rounded a new corner. Starting with Ke'e Beach, she started slowly adventuring into waves. By weeks end, at both the pool at the house, and Tunnels Beach, she was a full on water spaniel, jumping and playing in the water with (not-quite) reckless abandon. It was really great to see her make that transformation, and probably especially fulfilling for Sarah, since she spent several years working as a life guard and swim instructor.

Stella, cautiously, tries out some waves.

Otto, on the other hand....

...seemed to have little reluctance getting in the water or -more notably- playing with the sand at waters edge. Surprisingly, he was actually a little more cautious around the pool (not a bad thing), but he enjoyed splashing and playing in both.

One of the biggest advantages of traveling with the other families was that we got to take turns doing boat tours of the Na Pali Coast. Since we couldn't hike it, the boat tour seemed like the best alternative (well, short of dropping thousands of dollars on helicopter rides, I suppose). First the dads all went on the tour, while the moms stayed home with the kids. The following day, it was the moms' turn.

A Panorama of Hanalei Bay, where the tour departed. We didn't spend much time on this bay... but, wow! Stunning!

The Na Pali Coast. The beach in the lower half of the picture is actually the campgrounds where the hike terminates, but it's hard to even notice them with the stunning mountains looming overhead.

Our tour boat going into a cave that had collapsed. You passed through a cave opening into a large, round, open-air pool surrounded by sheer cliffs stretching up on all sides.

While there were definitely nicer boats doing similar tours, I'm not sure if there were better boats. The small six passenger boats we were on were able to speed and bounce over waves as well as slip into and out of small coastal caves, giving the whole thing a distinct sense of adventure.

Unfortunately, in preparation for the choppy, open water, we all popped Dramamine. Luckily, no one got sick, but on both days, the people who had spent the morning on the tour spent the afternoon sleeping off the effects. Speaking of sleeping...

Stella sleeping at Anini Beach. Anini Beach was supposed to be another great beach for kids, but ended up being a bit of a bust, owning to several of the kids just sleeping through it, but it not being a good place for adults to swim (shallow, oddly slimy conditions). Still, cute pic.

Tunnels/Haena Beach, our last, beach. Stunning, though a bit of a hike to get there.

The final day was spent at Tunnels/Haena Beach. Here, like on our tour and Ha'a Beach, we got to do some snorkeling. I'd actually never snorkeled before this trip, but after these experiences, I've definitely a convert. The Na Pali Tour's snorkel stop was probably my favorite of the three I explored, but might be trumped by the fact that I got to swim next to a sea turtle at Tunnels Beach.

But, sadly, soon enough, our vacation was over. I know I'm forgetting a ton of stories and events (the dad's taking the kids to brunch at the Commune, shaved ice, group dinners, that amazing Banana smoothie thing at Banana Joe's... and on and on). But, I'll end this with one or two more pictures, and call it good....

Stella, Otto and I in front of our rental car. The continuation of odd tradition of rental car photos.

Sarah and Otto at the Hanalei Bay Pier. It's been years since our RTW trip that started this blog, but it's wonderful to still be traveling with my best friend in this new context.

Chicken in a Barrel! ...just because. Actually, quite tasty. Worth the stop on your drive through Kapa'a.

So, to summarize, a wonderful, successful vacations. A few minor hiccups here and there, but a great time, and traveling with the other two families add a great new dimension to things. Sarah and I have spent so much time traveling together, that it was a great change of pace to share the experience not just with Stella and Otto, but with our friends.

(For more pictures, check out our Flickr set.)