Four Days Later

Four days after our first visit to Mt. Rainier, the kids and I went back again,

but this time we took Grandma.

We took an easier one mile hike that had plenty of views like this one.

Our destination was Myrtle Falls,

and this was the view looking up from the top of the falls.

Half of the kids thought the bridge was great

(the other half weren't so sure it was engineered properly), 

and they were all delighted to make a new friend

(from a distance).

Too much fun and way too beautiful to only go twice...

Mt. Rainier

On Sunday, we went up to Mt. Rainier on a four mile hike.

And when I say "we",

I mean we ALL went.

See?

The hiking part was fun,

and the mountain was even more beautiful the closer we got,

but crossing the snow patches on the trail was the most fun.

(Especially when we got to slide down the snow-covered trail on the other side!)

We saw a buck, two does, a marmot, and a lot of wildflowers.

A lot of wildflowers.

(So many that I got overwhelmed trying to pick which pictures to post.

So you get to see two.

I'm sorry and you're welcome.)

Too much fun and way too beautiful to only go once...

Why I Haven't Blogged Since May

I sat down and went through the pictures I've taken over the last few months, 

thinking that I'd just do an update in pictures

but it was so overwhelming that I gave up within minutes.

I know we've been busy, but I'd forgotten already just HOW busy!

This picture though, pretty much sums up my summer so far:

four happy, healthy, active kids!

(The girls are wearing some of my mom's keepsake clothes: 

Anya - a shirt from Mexico, Jaela - my mom's high school graduation dress, and Macey - my mom's first sewing project)

The Chicken Whisperer...With A Side of Ham

The chickens love this girl! 

They run to her...

...and will follow her anywhere!

A Visit to the Dentist

We like the people at our dentist's office SO much that today we decided to go visit them even though we didn't have an appointment.

They were SO happy to see us that they took us right back to a chair.

And they like us SO much that they kept us for almost two hours.

***

Oh, and Anya got new front teeth while we were there!

(Emptying the dishwasher can be a dangerous job, especially when there are plastic cups to put away!)

Before: black and white picture from the dentist's camera

After: cheerful smile

A Cleaning Party

After the chicks moved out of the house, we had some serious cleaning to do before we had company this weekend. Jaela and I tackled the bathroom, then Macey and I cleaned the guest room. We dusted every surface (including the ceilings), polished the logs, and deep cleaned until every last bit of chicken dust was gone. We had so much fun that everyone wanted to get in on the action, so Anya decided to take care of the cobwebs and dust the high parts of the log walls while she was at it...

then Isaak dusted and polished the staircase and all the parts of log walls that he could reach.

He asked to vacuum next, so of course I let him!

Jaela wanted to mop the bathroom and kitchen,

and Macey wanted to mop the laundry room.

Anya and Isaak worked together to "mop" the hardwood floors, then Anya finished mopping the dining room.

***

Who knew housework could be so much fun?!?

Bubbles!

The World is Not Enough

Anya got a globe Puzzleball for her birthday.

(We ignored the "for ages 12-99" label on the box.)

She worked on it a little Saturday night...

a little bit more early Sunday morning...

more on Sunday afternoon...

and after her schoolwork was done on Monday...

she finished it!

***

And now she wants the moon...

Anya is EIGHT!!!!

Happy Birthday Anya!

Our Vacation: A New Favorite

Over the long weekend, we went to one of our favorite vacation spots...

Grandpa Pat and Grandma Suzie's!

The view from our window:

(my husband tells me the mountains are even more spectacular by dawn's early light, but I'm just going to take his word for it on that one...)

The girls rode every day,

so of course Isaak did too.

The trip home included a long detour to Multnomah Falls,

which were beautiful as always,

even though the weather and the attitudes weren't!

Survival Essentials: January 2012 Edition

Survival Essential #1: Coffee

We learned that it is possible to grind coffee beans with a wooden spoon. Then when the water finally boils on the wood stove, our little French Press provides us each with a decent cup (or two) of coffee.

Survival Essential #2: Food

On Wednesday, the day before the power went out, I cooked up two huge batches of beans to freeze for future use.

They warmed up nicely in a big cast iron pot on the wood stove for dinner Thursday and Friday nights. (It will be a while before we're ready to have beans again!)

We learned that pancakes cooked on the grill are especially yummy.

(So are fried eggs and pesto-encrusted salmon!)

(But not all at the same time, of course.)

Survival Essential #3: Water

Remember the hand-pump we had installed on our well this summer?

Mike pumped lots of water.

LOTS of water.

For washing dishes, flushing, cooking, and drinking.

Survival Essential #4: Candles

Once it got dark, we all curled up in blankets and quilts in the living room and read by candlelight.

Survival Essential #5: Laundry Tub

Sunday morning I finally gave in and did some laundry.

Some things just can't wait.

Survival Essential, Special Mention: Wood stove

The wood stove was the center of attention. It boiled water for coffee and tea, heated food, heated dish water, dried wet gloves and clothes, kept us warm, and even provided (some) light in the evenings.

I can't imagine these last few days without it.