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.

Kett's Rite of Passage to Boyhood

After a fun filled day in the sand we got our pj's on and were just settling down, looking forward to a beach day in the morning.

Unfortunately, after having a blast making forts with the couch cushion, Kett collided with the coffee table...

...so we ended up here...

It was an awesome four hours in the ER. Katie and her mom had Ryme and Tanzen, I wasn't planning on being gone that long and was worried about Ryme needing to nurse. Kett was very sweet and brave. I'll admit it-- I cried when they were sewing him up--he was screaming and all I could do was touch his toes, heartbreaking! I just kept thinking about Moms whose kids deal with major health problems.

When Brandon decided to be a doctor I was relieved I would have him to save the day with all health concerns and emergencies. Problem is, he's always gone when these things happen! I'm sure if he was there, he would have pronounced his favorite phrase lately, which is, "Don't ask me- it's not cancer." All the same, we were really wishing Daddy was there!

His eye was quite swollen for a few days...

Then he had a cool black eye

Brandon studies in our basement. One of the quirks of living in an old row home with the original wood floors is that we have big gaps in the floor--they laid the wood planks right over the beams without a subfloor.

There's a particularly good hole that Tanzen and Makett love to look through to see Daddy "working." Brandon sometimes sticks treats through the hole for them.

Miss Ryme LOVES to eat, definitely her Mama's girl in that regard. I started feeding her solids a little earlier than planned because every time we'd eat in front of her she'd want a bite too. When I gave her her first bite it was like she'd been starving, and she was so excited for another bite. I'm glad to have someone around here share my love of food :)