Mt. Adams

My husband climbed Mt. Adams last weekend. And although Clara and I were not involved in the least, I figure it should be documented. It might not fit into an "adventure of the hooks", but I guess it was an adventure of a hook. Plus it certainly beat the adventures we were having back home (ie: little scare about potentially leaking amniotic fluid turned into four hours of tests at the hospital). I was hoping to have some nice little "mommy & Clara" moments but they weren't all that great, actually. Which is fine because we have plenty of good times every day together ;).

So here are some of the great moments from the much more exciting adventure of Jonathan and Neal as they scaled Mt. Adams on a near-perfect August day...

I am a little jealous as I look at these pictures. But not that jealous. Dragging this prego body up that mountain would not have been pretty. And I'm really glad my husband got a weekend away with Neal. He certainly deserved a little break.

Camping, Take Two

We returned on Sunday from our second camping trip of the summer. I have to say that camping with a two year old this year was much easier than last. Maybe it's because Clara has mostly refrained from eating dirt. Or it could be that she's a better sleeper (less likely to freak out if woken up at night in a strange place). Or maybe it was her increased awareness/excitement about every camping-ish activity. Whatever the reason, this year felt pretty easy. I anticipate it will get harder again next year.

We spent three nights at Beaver Creek campground at Priest Lake. When I made the reservations, I thought I was booking at a campground on the other side of the lake. Oops. It ended up being a beautiful, serene spot, though. Everything was fabulous (shady site, proximity to lake, etc.)) minus the outhouse situation. We haven't outhouse-camped in a while. It's not my favorite thing in the world (but I doubt it is for anyone else either).

We had a great time with the Pickering, Rockwell & Gutman families (nine kids, nine adults, one dog). We enjoyed lots of beach time, good food, a few nice hikes/walks, and lots of relaxation. It was camping at its finest, really.

On the way up we had a nice twenty minute pit stop outside the Newport McDonald while Clara used her potty chair. The goal was to arrive before dark and we missed it by about two hours. If we compiled a list of all the random spots the Claranator has used the John, it would be a long and interesting list, let me tell you.

Here's the crew: girls (me, Steph, Carly, Shelley, Janna & Meredith)

The guys (Neal, Chris, Jesse, Dan & Jono)

And the kids (Abby, Micah, Jake, Andrew, Levi, Clara, Quinn & Benj)

And here's what we did. Enjoy food...

Watch the kiddos play...

Hold snakes (yikes)...

Soak up some sunshine on the beach...

Hike to upper Priest Lake (and Lake View Trail, for Jono & Neal)...

Take a kayak ride at dusk...

And spend time around the campfire (with glow sticks, of course)...

It was a lovely time in so many ways. Now if summer will just hang on for a few more weeks. I'm not ready to say goodbye just yet!

While A Mother Is Away...

...the daddy and daughter play, of course.

After reading my last post, you may have been wondering what Jono and Clara were up to for five days while I was in Nashville. The first two days Clara spent with her nana and papa. And she loved every minute, let me tell you. It is so wonderful having them really know our daughter (I was not afforded a similar luxury with either of my grandparents) - and of course Clara is so familiar with them and looks forward to time at their house. She spent two great days with them (but I have no pictures, sadly). I just know they had fun 24/7.

And then her daddy picked her up. And this is what they did...

*Rode on a horse drawn carriage after visiting the art walk downtown and seeing the bubble illusionist (and before hitting up the Scoop for ice cream).

*Participated in the Eight Lakes Leg Aches bike ride with some friends, pulling Clara in the trailer behind. I should document that during her three days with daddy, two of her naps were in bike trailers/strollers. Way to go, dad ;). They also enjoyed pizza and more ice cream at the finish. She will be bored with mom forever after this, I am certain.

*BBQ'd with the Pickering boys. Swings. Wagon Rides. Hot dogs. Her buddies. You can't get much better than that.

*Ate out before church with nana and papa. Please note how well my husband did in the hair department over the weekend (bows, pony tails, etc. )

Don't you think a mama should feel pretty great in planning another weekend getaway? I'm already scheming ;).