Mt. Rainier campout

We had an Eucker family reunion at Mt. Rainier last weekend and we really got lucky with the weather. The rain paused just enough for us to have our fun and then started again. Saturday was beautiful, although after 2 days of camping we were not so lovely. It was a TON of fun and full of true Howell family camping adventures. For some reason, the pictures I took on my dad's old camera (thanks for the loaner!) aren't uploading. Figures, doesn't it? So I'll just keep this brief and at least somewhat interesting. I just can't see that other post anymore without feeling anxiety about choosing a camera!

We got to Cougar Rock campground Thursday night and had hot dogs roasted over the fire with G&G and Auntie Lyssa. It was super fun. We slept okay that night. Except for Ellie, who woke up very thirsty around 5. So thirsty she couldn't sleep or let us sleep and it's not like we had water handy. But the little ones slept great and that was miraculous. We had pancakes for breakfast and hiked up to some waterfalls, whose name escapes me. The most interesting part of the very steep, feels like WAY more than a mile hike was the log bridge crossing the Nisqually River. It isn't deep, but full of large boulders and fast currents designed to make mothers like me nervous about their little ones crossing it on a bridge consisting of a large log with a wooden railing attached to one side. Yikes. I tried to walk quickly, not look down or think about the terrible realities of slipping into the river. Of course, we were all just fine. Lydia got a "blister" (I think it just got red in her too-small tennis shoes) hiking out and Derek gave her a shoulder ride on top of Carver on his back. Carver kept putting his hands up Lydia's shirt and tickling her back. Hilarious! But not so much for Derek, who was in danger of losing his heavy load and possibly his health and sanity.





That afternoon we went to Paradise and toured the visitor's center. I really wanted to go find the famous wildflowers, but the dissension in the ranks was getting loud and constant. I guess we'll have to go back another year. We took a shuttle to and from Paradise and that was the highlight of that excursion. Our drivers were chatty and interesting, the bus was mostly empty and delighted Carver beyond belief. Such simple pleasures.

We had foil dinners and s'mores that night with Tyson, Leah and cute cousin Ben. We were so glad to see them there, despite my bad directions (blame it on google, though). We slept terribly that night as the little ones stirred and tossed and cried. At least Ellie wasn't thirsty, right?



We hiked into the Grove of the Patriarch's that last, very dirty, warm morning. It felt like a much easier mile hike and had a neat suspension bridge that didn't even scare ME. The trees were impressive and the kiddos did great. We were all ready to head home and hit the showers, do a good 5 loads of laundry and spend the rest of the day cleaning up from camping. It is an absolute CRAZY amount of work, but so worth it. We loved seeing G&G, being outside as a family and eating over a fire. Mt. Rainier is beautiful this time of year, as well. It was a great last summer trip before buckling down to school NEXT WEEK. Where does the time go?!

camera-less

This post has to be picture-less because I am camera-less. Our camera DIED. It won't turn on, no matter how much I try. Sniff. Sigh. It feels a lot like going somewhere without my diaper bag, kind of small and empty. On Saturday we had plans to go to my favorite beach as a family and I almost just bought a new camera at Target on the way there, but just couldn't do it. I have a terrible time making decisions that involve lots of money. Somewhere in my crazy head, I believe that there is a one and only true camera and that buying the WRONG one might be equivalent to grievous sin. At least I'd probably regret my wrong decision that much and for years to come.

So back to the beach... the girls were delighted that mom couldn't take pictures of them while they played in the water and sand and I had to take many, many deep breaths and tell myself that it's okay to go to the beach without a camera. I'll probably even have more fun because I'll be IN the action instead of only documenting it, right? Or not. I missed my camera the whole time and found that watching Grace play in sand is only interesting for 5 minutes. It's probably good that I didn't have a camera because this summer Grace and Carver each need full time supervision and the girls aren't strong enough swimmers to be free from our watchful eyes, either. I really couldn't have taken the pictures I'd like to take anyway, right? I'm going to keep telling myself that.

We had our last camera (Canon Powershot A80 point-and-shoot with a 7.8 - 23.4mm, f/2.8 - 4.9 zoom lens, 35mm film equivalent: 38 - 114mm) for almost 5 years and have loved it - it's a great camera! We have been getting more and more interested in what we can do with lighting and settings, though, and I'd really like a digital SLR. But that's a big investment and there is no way I have the funds right now for fancy pants lenses. I found a great site with a really great price on a Canon Rebel XTi with a kit lens (18-55mm f/3.5-5.6). Okay, all you photography friends, is this going to be better that what I had or not since it's so basic? I could add a Canon 50mm f/1.8 EF II Lens for not a whole lot more to give me a faster lens for indoors (or ask for it for my birthday or Christmas). Or do I just hold out for a time when I can get better lenses and be happy with a good point-and-shoot for now?

I've given up having a camera in time for our camping trip in 2 days, but school starts in less than 2 weeks! I need pics of the first day of school, not to mention all the little stuff between now and then. I'm going to have to make a decision!

Revett Lake

Last Friday Dad (also known as Grandpa to the little people) and I took Lydia and Ellie on their first backpacking trip. We headed east on I-90 and windy mountain roads finally arriving at Thompson Pass about an hour before dark. Thompson Pass, elevation 4,859 feet, forms part of the Great Divide separating Idaho and Montana. About 50 feet down the trail we were obligated to relieve Ellie of her pack due in part to her whining the fact that it was too large for her.



We hiked a half mile or so that night before stopping at a stream crossing. In the fading dusk, Lydia and I set up the tent, while Ellie and Grandpa began a fire. All the while ominous storm clouds roiled on the horizon and lightning lit up the peaks. After complaining nosily about campfire smoke, Ellie was swapped to rain fly duty and Lydia was drafted to help Grandpa make the tin-foil pizza dinner. Dad’s pizza was excellent. Ellie and Lydia also helped him make some excellent vanilla ice cream using a block of ice that he hauled in on his back. It was so real, I even got an ice cream headache. Only a few drops hit our camp that night. Shortly before dawn, however, the thunder storm we dodged the night before finally caught up with us. Fortunately, it did not rain long.

Grandpa popped into the tent a little before 7:00 a.m. with warm eggs and bacon. For whatever reason, the girls chose not to eat their eggs and only nibbled on their bacon. Dad then made some amazing pancakes. Again, the girls decided they weren’t hungry and opted to sip on hot chocolate instead. The plan at this point was to finish the hike to Revett Lake, our original destination.



Not surprisingly, we hadn’t gone far before Lydia decided she was hungry. With a little “encouragement” she apologized to Grandpa for not having eaten his breakfast and asked if he had any snacks. Her face lit up when he said that he did, and fell just as quickly when he pulled out a bag of dry roasted peanuts and a second bag of dried apricots. Lydia choked down an apricot between tears and then nibbled on two peanuts. Ellie, on the other hand, devoured one dried apricot after another until Dad put the kibosh on that. She then practically skipped up the trail with Grandpa’s hand in hers. Lydia meanwhile began to wheeze and moan. “Daddy, the peanuts make my throat itch. I can’t walk. I want to go home.”



I could see that I might lose Lydia to backpacking forever if I didn’t stop the crying STAT. So I put Lydia on my back. (At nearly 60 pounds she weighed less than the pack I had shouldered in the night before.) It wasn’t long before Lydia calmed down and Grandpa and Ellie were in view again. Not long after that, we rounded a bend and Revett opened before us. When Lydia saw Ellie and Dad begin scaling a massive boulder on the lake’s edge, she forgot her woes and spent almost the rest of our time at the lake “bouldering.” She kept repeating, “That hike was totally worth it.” Seeing as how she didn’t actually hike, it probably was.





While Lydia tested her new-found aptitude and Grandpa went to work breaking down old fire rings. Ellie and I decided we were going to go swimming. So we found a secluded grove of larch, stripped to the buck, hung our clothes from the branches, and donned our suits. After touching the lake waters, Ellie determined that she was “just going to wade.” This is a very good thing since she doesn’t know how to swim. Eventually, Lydia and Grandpa joined us in their swimming suits at which point Grandpa offered to carry the girls on his back in what he insisted must be “70 degree water.” (Nope, it was a balmy 62 degrees.) Ellie, always the one for a free ride, took him up on the offer immediately evidently forgetting how cold the water had been earlier. He hadn’t gone ten feet before, like the Gingerbread Man with the Fox, she was scrambling up his neck onto his head. Lydia and I laughed so hard we nearly fell in the lake.



Dad and I took a few more laps. Then we changed and headed back to camp where we packed and herded the girls down the trail. On the way home we took the girls to Murray, Idaho. Murray is a 19th-century mining town with a museum in the rear of an old, but still operating saloon. The girls LOVED the museum except for when I told them we were in a saloon. Lydia ran out the front door as quickly as she could with Ellie close behind. Good girls. A few miles down the road we offered to buy them treats if they’d tell their mother they had a good time. They gleefully accepted; and after finishing off their Rolos, they became very silly.

I learned a few things on our trip:

1. It is beyond difficult to teach a girl to urinate in the woods.
2. Bring snacks as backup.
3. Don’t let girls pack themselves. (Ellie brought a skirt and neither of them brought a jacket.)
4. Bring packs that fit the girls.
5. Don’t expect to hike far.

It was a good experience for all of us. And in spite of a few hiccups, I think they genuinely had a good time. We plan to repeat this event every year.

Olympic ME!

Did I mention that we don't have cable? Or any network television, for that matter? It's true. So I've only watched a couple snippits of the Olympic Games online. Yesterday I showed the girls Michael Phelps win 2 golds and nearly cried. I don't know him! I don't really care if the United States gets all the medals. There is just something beautiful and inspiring about seeing people exceed expectations, push themselves to new levels and achieve success in their God-given talents. It makes me want to reach deep inside and be a better me. Long ago I gave up dreaming I was an Olympic figure skater just waiting to be discovered (or for my first pair of ice skates, for that matter!). I still feel that same drive to be an Olympian when I watch the games, but now I'm ready to let it be just as me. Too bad there isn't a speed reading event... Derek can't believe how fast I read "Breaking Dawn." Or maybe a multi-tasking medal... making dinner, changing diapers talking to children and reading my book at the same time. Okay, maybe not that many things, but sometimes it feels like it. My homemade wheat bread is better than it used to be. Does that count for something? Diapers or dinners, reading or weeding, I'm ready to beat my personal best and exceed all expectations. Gold medal here I come!

Grace's FIRST birthday ever

Grace is 1! This means she beelines for the stairs and climbs them like a crazy little monkey, she is learning to self-feed and it takes FOREVER, she babbles all the time, she can fold her arms for prayers and stand on her own, play pat-a-cake and loves to put things in and take them out again. She's a terribly picky eater, a darling flirt and does the cutest little point with her index finger you've ever seen. She's not wild about being weaned, but we'll get there someday. She liked the frosting on her cupcake, but kept wondering about the mess on her hands. She LOVED the gift bags her presents came in better than anything inside, but she does hug and love her $5 Wal-mart doll we all pitched in for. :) Aren't 1 year olds the best?

Just for Carver

I've debated this for some time, but decided to give it a try. Here's a blog about Carver, about his sensory processing disorder, our good days and bad days and all the other stuff in between. No guarantees that anyone wants to read this or how often I'll post. But it's prettier than the word documents I have been using! :)