My family's latest adventure...

...and what an adventure it was. For a long time Ben has wanted to hike Timp and be at the top for the sunrise. We thought it would be great to do it as a family. So after a couple months of talking about it and planning for it, we headed out late Friday night.

We met at my parents' house that night for a dinner of pasta to get some energy for our hike. We were on the trail at 12:20 am - ready for long hours of hiking.

Most of us were geared with headlights. We all looked pretty cool if you ask me.

A little while into it we came across what was thought to be a bear. It was dark so we couldn't say for sure, but whether it was or it wasn't it scared us all half to death. We turned around and walked away and waited for a while to make sure whatever it was had left. Ben and I were bringing up the rear and all I remember is my brother-in-law turning around and saying, "There's a bear. Bear, bear, bear." While pushing me forward to get out of there. It was terrifying at the time but now I can't help but laugh when I think about that. My brother carried around this branch for a while after that.

A little while after the bear scare, we came across a porcupine. It was thought to be a skunk at first and we weren't about to disturb it.

We had to cross lots of little, slippery creeks/waterfalls. In the dark that can be kind of daunting because you can't really see where it leads or if you'll just fall straight down if you slip.

We also had to cross a lot of snow fields/glaciers. This picture was taken on the way down in total daylight. But.....imagine it in pitch black darkness. You have no idea how far down it goes or what, if anything, is at the bottom. This had to be the scariest part of it all. They were all really slippery and this particular one was really steep. We were trying to cross it very carefully. My little brother slipped and fell down a bit (I won't even try to guess how far). We all thought he meant to. He just knows how to fall with style. He said it was scary. A while later my sister asked, "What do I do if I fall." Boy did she jinx herself. A couple minutes later she fell. It had to have been the scariest thing because I was right behind her. She went down, we all yelled, she yelled. It seemed like she slid forever but she finally stopped. My amazing husband just jumped right down to get her followed by my brother-in-law. (I wish I were a storyteller. This story would be so much better if I could tell it right. Just trust me, it was terrifying - something right out of a movie.) After they got her back up and the rest of us finished crossing it we took a little break. There were a few of us who needed to let out some emotion.

This is where she stopped. We were crossing somewhere up out of the picture and she stopped just above where my brother-in-law is standing. She wasn't available for the picture so her husband stood in for her.

Ben and I with our headlights. They're turned off so you can't see them.

We got all the way to the basin of the summit. (a.k.a. almost to the top) There was a whole LOT of snow we would have to cross to get to the summit. Most of us were emotionally drained at this point and not ready to risk our lives any more than we already had so we stopped and just waited for the sunrise for about an hour and a half. It was really cold and windy so we huddled together next to some trees. We had a couple of sleeping bags we passed around (thanks Jeremy and Terry).

This is the beginning of the sunrise.

The boys

Jeremy, Ben, Koy, Pace, Brandon, Ty

(Terry's the only one who got a half decent nap while we were waiting so he's not pictured :( )

The girls

Cameo, Trina, Me

Cassie, Misti

Ben thought the bushes made for a more comfortable bed than the rocky ground

You be the judge.

Was the sunrise worth it?

I thought it was beautiful.

Behind us was our goal - some day.

On the way down Ben decided to pull out his trash bag and use it as a sled on the last snow we had to cross.

He was so grateful to be done he had to kiss the ground

The end

We're all still smiling after about 9 1/2 hours on the mountain. That has to be a good sign.

I'm just now thinking that I would do it again but only if there were no glaciers to cross. Later in a not-so-cold-and-wet summer.

If you want another person's perspective, check out my sister's

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Some beauty we got to enjoy

could be a picture out of a creepy, haunted movie

Look how thick that snow is

Blessing Day

Yesterday, July 5, was Miles blessing day. It was amazing. I always look forward to those blessings. There is a special feel to it and Ben always does an awesome job. Their blessings have all been wonderful and so different. This was no exception. Miles looked so cute in his little white outfit. Thanks Mom and Dad for finding it for him.

Can you believe that in the 2 months he's been here we have not had one family photo? Not even the traditional hospital family photo.

The group of us. We added an extra 35 people to sacrament meeting. Our group took up 5 rows. Sorry to all those whose spots we took.

The men

(my sister and brother-in-law had to leave early, so he's not pictured. Sorry Terry)

Ben's brother, Dan, and his family drove in from Kansas and were here with us. It's always fun to get to see Ben's family. The kids like to play with their other cousins.

Our 4th of July

My family ran the fireworks tent again this year. For those of you who dont know, we've done this for the past 17 (?) years. (We started it to help pay for my brohers' missions and the oldest is now 36.) This year was no different. The kids look forward to it every year. They are always asking when the tent starts. They have fun playing with their cousins and helping out.

The kids make really good baggers.

We have uniforms. My mom provides us all with the Old Navy (this year mixed in a little WalMart ) flag shirts every year. The babies always look adorable in their shirts.

Kamri has mastered the art of getting into everything and anything. She is so good at it and so fast. Sometimes it's really hard getting mad at her because she just gives you the cutest smile, but I'm getting better at it :). This is the only way to contain her. It worked for a little while, but then she wanted out.

Friday the 3rd we lit some sparklers and a few fireworks while we were waiting outside our house for the big fireworks show to start.

On the 4th I went to the Stadium of Fire with my brother and sister. Some random guy came into the fireworks tent and offered 3 extra tickets to my mom. It was fun. None of us had ever been to the show. Shedaisy and the Jonah Brothers performed with Glenn Beck as the host. I only recognized a few songs from both groups, but it was still fun.

This is a 90' by 100' that has been used at the show for years and numerous other events around the state includin the 2002 Winter Olympics. It had become unfitting of an emblem of the country so they retired it that night. They burned it at center field. It was cool to be a part of that.

Last post for today. With a new baby and three other kids I barely have time to brush my teeth so the posts come when they come.

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This has been my latest obsession. I made these crayon rolls for my kids (and a couple of birthday presents) so they can each have their own set of crayons that stay nice and neat. . They are perfect for church. They roll up and tie into a small roll so everything stays put. They love them and I love them.

Beauty...

This was the rainbow we saw on Friday night after the storm. It was a double rainbow AND it was a full one. It took my breath away (not many things do that).

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Sidenote:

We were outside having a picnic and Kamri was touching her dirty feet while eating her sandwich. I told her to keep her hands off her feet while she was eating because her hands would get dirty. She put her hands out palms up and said, "They not dirty." I was trying to explain that just because you can't see it doesn't mean it's not dirty. To which Sara replied, "Just like Jesus. He's with you even though you can't see him." Yes, Sara. You're right.

Officially a big boy...

The training wheels are off!!

We waited way too long with both our kids to take the training wheels off. I think they were ready sooner, but I liked the safety of the extra wheels. We took them off last week and they are off for good and he rides like a pro.

Fathers and Sons campout

Aren't they cute!!

On the way there Ben stopped at a store to get a few things and found this rubber band gun. We don't let our kids play with guns and swords and such in our home so Evan thought this was cool. They practiced shooting a soda can. I don't know how close they actually got.

A guy in our ward (my old Seminary teacher) and his sons brought his BB gun. They let Evan have a turn at shooting it.

Just so cool in those shades

A couple weekends ago Ben and Evan got to spend the night at the Fathers & Sons campout. Evan has been talking about this since last year when they went. Hallelujah it has finally come. They had a great time. Once again Ben was in charge of bringing and cooking our ward's share of the breakfast - sausages. I guess they were really good because they were a hit and Ben wanted me to go buy some more for our family to have. (If any one is wondering they were the Banquet brand fully cooked sausage links in the freezer.) Now Evan just has to wait another year for the next one.