Mt. Rainier Take 2

After Brad's last attempt at climbing Mt. Rainier he has been anxious to get back on the mountain.  There were, however, a few things holding him back. 

Climbing mountains is not an inexpensive hobby, especially when you go with a guided group.  This was the first deterrent. Second, Brad only wanted to go back up with RMI and their openings were very limited.  Finally, Brad was very sensitive about his time away from family and making sure he could find a time that would work.  All of these factors posed a challenge but Brad made it back out there.  

He was sponsored by Sports Reaction Center.  The place where he has had physical therapy on his knee for the past 5 months. 

There were only two openings left for this summer, June 30th and July 8th.  As soon as he made the decision to not go on June 30th he commited to July 8th.  But when he called to make a reservation it was gone!  Brad was bummed and seemed to be back at square one.  He called on Monday and asked if there had by any chance been any cancellations.  The receptionist said in fact there was and it meant that Brad would be hiking on July 4th with a July 5th summit.  

After discussing it with me we decided he should go.  The weather forecast looked great and we weren't sure when there would be another chance this summer. 

The whole family drove him to Ashford where he bunked in a bunkroom.  (it was actually way nicer than he had expected).

Getting their gear assembled.

Day 1: Rest Stop

They arrived at Camp Muir with beautiful weather.  Brad didn't fall asleep and the guides came in to "wake them up" at 10:50 so they could begin their summit attempt at midnight. 

They climbed up to 12,800 feet when the guide made the decision to turn around because of unsafe snow conditions.  Brad was very disappointed (and so was I when I heard the news).  We know it is way more important to get back down but it is still hard to be so close and not get to that final summit. 

Brad is anxious to reach the summit but we aren't quite sure when that will be.  All those factors listed above come back into play.  Maybe next summer? 

He did take some great pictures. 

A bag from Sports Reaction Center (He was going to take one at the top.) 

Darby's PINK sunglasses

Since Darby is the first girl we don't have certain "pink" essentials like sunglasses. Well, we do have sunglasses because Aunt Angie gave these ones to her. But if these weren't given to Darby I'm sure she would be wearing blue ones. 

Have I mentioned how much I LOVE this little munchkin?

Under the Tree

Brad snapped these two adorable pictures of the boys hanging out under the tree, avoiding the little rain drops.

Summer Setup

Now that it is past July 4th Summer in Seattle has started. We are excited for the forecast of beautiful weather that is not too hot, but hot enough to get out the pool.  Brad helped with the set up and we are ready for some lazy summer days and lots of BBQing. 

A few silly faces.

And a sweet face. 

Colt & Darby

The boys always want to hold Darby and they usually want a picture to go with it. How can I refuse? 

(Unfortunately Darby wasn't in the best mood for these pictures)

Superhero Power Cuffs

Last week Aunt Jenny sent a birthday package for the boys and Darby. (she wanted to make sure their birthdays were celebrated all year long.) Brody got a new Lego set, Darby got her own Lego set and Colt even got two new cars from the movie Cars. (Jenny felt bad that Colt doesn't get to celebrate his birthday with everyone else. She's so sweet.)

In my opinion the coolest gift was Ollie's Superhero cape. The boys have one just like it but Ollie didn't have his own. Now he does and its just as cool as the others. Jenny also made these new Superhero Power Cuffs. (If you want to buy one of these you can go to her Etsy shop....oh wait she doesn't have an Etsy shop...but I think she should).

Ollie is trying to say thank you but sometimes he gets so overwhelmed with excitement he can't get any words out.  Thank you Uncle John, Aunt Jenny, George, Wesley & Elijah!

Buddy Kicks Soccer Camp

I organized another soccer camp with my friend Julia. We have officially named our "soccer camp" Buddy Kicks. I planned for three days from 9:30 - 11:00. We invited some friends with kids from 2 - 5 (and a few 6 year olds). It was a little chaotic but I think everyone had a little bit of fun. Our first day was rainy and we called it a day after only an hour. But I think all of the parents were just as happy to pack it up. At least we got the kids outside for a little bit. 

We played games (red light, green light. sharks & minnows and the pirate game).

 We had skill stations. 

Took water breaks.

And most importantly had snack.  

My friend Lori was our team photographer.  She was able to get some great pictures.

I never officially counted how many kids we had but it was a lot. 

We can't wait until our next soccer camp!