A Saturday morning with Daddy- finally!!

While we enjoyed feeding the birds in the past, they were a bit more intimidated this time around.

The otters are our favorite-- they're the most exciting to watch!

Great Salt Lake

Visiting Uncle Tosh at Work...

Academy of Natural Sciences...

Butterflies...lots of them...

(notice the mosquito bites on Kett's arm? They, and Brandon, get tons everytime they go outside. They were outside for 5 minutes and I counted 22 on Kett and 24 on Tanzen. I didn't count Brandon but he probably had at least 20 too)!

Mini-golfing...while learning about the environment...

We're big mini-golf fans now, in case you're wondering.

Irene's Visit...

K, I'm a bit late posting but guess what? It hasn't stopped raining since Irene left, so I figure it still counts, right? Seriously, it has rained A TON!!! Luckily I like rain...maybe not my favorite when I'm bringing kids and groceries in from the car or when our roof leaks, but other than that I'm a fan. I digress.

We were actually looking forward to having an August snow day-- Brandon's work had prepared for the possibility of not being open Monday, church was cancelled, we had plenty of flashlights, water, food.....I was a little concerned about the power being out for more than a day, but was ready for a bit of adventure. It pretty much just rained a ton (7 inches during the night) and was windy. This was the only hurricane I planned on being in so I was hoping for a little more, maybe, but safe and sound is good too :)

Sunday night we ventured out to see what Irene had done. She flooded the roads. Actually, the tropical storm the following week was worse-- it took me 40 minutes to get across the bridge by my house-- that would be 40 minutes to drive .7 miles, if you were wondering.

Hmmm....

I think we need a bigger kitchen table?

Ryme really wants to be a big kid-- she would throw fits every time I tried to feed her in the bumbo, she ONLY wanted to eat in the boys' high chairs. We caved- luckily they stack!

Rocky Jr's...

These boys love the Rocky statue and stairs...we're still working on their timing for the Rocky steps. If you haven't been to Philly (or especially if you have) you should watch Rocky. You'll get a great feel for the city...

It's about time!!!

The day Tanzen and Makett were born our church announced they would be building a temple in Philly. We were so excited! There has been a lot of red tape, such that it's taken 3 years for the groundbreaking, but it finally happened yesterday. It was an awesome experience, there was a wonderful spirit there. I couldn't help but get a little teary- this temple has been dearly prayed for for a long time.I think the design matches the city so well! Actual construction won't begin till the spring, I was really hoping they would start on it sooner. We're sad it won't be finished while we're here. The temple is in our ward boundaries, and, last I heard, they're going to put a church meetinghouse inside it, so we would go to church there. Darn red tape!

Makett and Tanzen were very excited for the groundbreaking. I tried preparing them that tey wouldn't actually start building the temple, but nonetheless during the ceremony they kept asking when the tractors would come. They were really disappointed that the only construction was a few shovels. Kett cried all the way home, saying he wanted them to build the temple now. I hear ya buddy!

Wake up calls...

This little girl is very loved......she gets personal, cribside, wake up calls...
...from 2 very cute little boys. Who could ask for more?

I just tucked my little darlings in...

Kett did his reading...and practiced writing (see his Thomas Magna-doodle on the right?)Tanzen tucked in his Baby Bear, Piggy, Doggy and Soft Bear (creative names, I know, but he came up with them himself)!
And Ryme? She's getting attached to her blanket

Mt. Rainier take two. . .

This month we were back on Mt. Rainier! We attempted Rainier last year and had to turn around at 11,000 feet due to poor mountain conditions. This year we were back on the mountain, determined to make it to the top. Our team consisted of two roped teams of three, Cecil, Brandon, Luke, Larry, Chris, and Jeff.

We got an early start on day one and made it to base camp, Camp Muir, in record time and were able to secure a spot in the shelter and even practice crevasse rescue (repelling into a 100 + foot crevasse). After boiling some glacier snow, eating a dehydrated meal and getting a little shut eye, we made our summit attempt at 11 PM. The mountain was in great condition, and after crossing several crevasse and climbing the steep, steep trail. . .

We were on the top of Mt. Rainier, 14,411 feet, by 8 AM. The Radiating Hope prayer flags flew very naturally in the high mountain winds. For those who have not visited our website, please see RadiatingHope.org and see how you can get involved and help cancer patient globally.

"Camping"...in the backyard...

Brandon has been longing for a 4 season tent since he contracted his Mountaineering obsession. He found a great deal on one on Craig's list...he needed a tent for his upcoming Aconcagua trip, so he was really excited to buy this one. However, (I love this--it's a classic Brandonism) he wanted to BUY this, then RENT one for the trip, because he didn't want it to get dirty or hurt by using it on the mountain. That's my man for you. Anyway, it was decided that he could buy the tent, as long as he USED it on the mountain, which he is going to do.

Just an FYI, a four season tent goes down to -60 degrees. It will be -40 on Aconcagua. Sound fun, anyone?

Tanzen and Makett couldn't wait to break the tent in! They pitched it in my parent's backyard and had a sleepover.

Fun times!

By the way, Makett and Tanzen are NOT allowed to go mountaineering anytime in the next decade and a half, just putting it out there right now.

Scooter-ing

Tanzen LOVED riding scooters when we were at my parent's house. It took him awhile to get the balance and coordination down, but he didn't give up! He got it down and enjoyed zooming around the drive way.

Ryme loves being a part of everything that's going on-- she loves watching her brothers and is interested in everything they do.

Opposites...

Makett and Tanzen have always been opposite sleepers. Even when I was pregnant with them they were awake at different times. The contrast continues--while they're now on the same sleep schedule, they certainly have different sleep preferences.

Figure 1: Makett. He prefers the floor. I'm surprised the blanket is touching his head- he usually insists on having it under his stomach, and will wake up and flip out if a blanket is on him...I keep trying that as I worry he's cold, and he wakes up and makes me take the dreaded blanket in the hall.
Figure 2: Tanzen. In his bed. Buried in blankets. If he could, he'd have all his blankets on simultaneously. I usually go in once he's asleep and pull blankets off him, he's always drenched in sweat. His beloved Piggy is always under the blanket with him, usually tucked safely in his arms.

Long Beach Island

Our incredible friend Katie was so kind to invite us to her parent's awesome beach house in Long Beach Island. We had a blast, although our trip was altered a bit by an unfortunate event...more to come on that later...

Remember Kett's fear of sand last year? I was prepared for a similar situation, however, he loved it. We had to drag them in for dinner.

They could have played forever...

Tanzen got to sleep in this huge bed by himself...with a little company from Reba, Katie's sweet dog.

Kett slept with me...because of his Owie.