Tent Time

We're Back! Last tuesday we headed out to the city of rocks, ID, a super-primo-groovy rock climbing area.  It is composed of large swaths of granite fins/domes that are medium grain, making for friendly crack climbing and fun face climbing (or both).  It was all a giant experiment as we had no idea how squeek would do.  Not only were we all sleeping in the tent together (in 35 degree clime), but also trying to climb as a duo (sienna makes an awful belayer).  As it turns out, we were more successful in the first endeavor than the second.  But I'm getting ahead of myself.
First we drove.  Googlemaps put it at 6.5 hrs, though it took us closer to 8.5 due to various baby-induced stops (and taqueria-induced temptations).  Squeek wasn't too psyched, but did fine.  we had borrowed a mini dvd player thing so she could watch harry potter if she got bored, but we didn't need it ("Peterrrrrr. This is why people think we're bad parents. Stop lying!").  Then we got to camp and set up our place.


Aftering pulling out the camp essentials,
we were ready for fun



getting ready for bed.

 though sienna took a little while to fall asleep (basically until dark), and required mommy to cuddle her to sleep, she slept through the whole night. not bad.  The other nights she fell asleep on her own, so momma and I could hang out and not go to bed immediately.  yeah squeek!  during nap times, we had to open the fly so that it didn't get too hot, but basically she would crawl around in circles for twenty minutes before falling asleep.  A few times we peeked in and she would be reading books to herself or stroking the sleeping bags.  Overall, not bad.


During the days we hiked around a bit.



Checked out the climbs.



We climbed around on rocks



We chewed on some dirt.  Actually,
we chewed on a lot of dirt.



we took a bath



We walked around a bit.







And otherwise chilled out!



 All in all a good vacation. we had to leave early because we were starting to get epic weather.  40mph winds with rain and snow.  Not fun. the utah desert was gettin blown to us, so we couldn't see the other side of the valley because of the dust.  we didn't get any pictures of climbing because, as it turns out, not only does sienna not belay well ("watch your brake hand!"), but she also is bad at photography.  She got one, but it didn't turn out well. 

The first climb set the tone.  I start out soloing up a chimney twenty five feet to the top of a boulder where the climb starts.  I choose left side in when it should have been right side in.  Then I make a long stretch over the gap to get my first piece in, which since it's been a while I don't trust and I have to extend for rope drag anyway.  Sienna, in the meanwhile, has occupied herself with fitting marble sized rocks into her mouth, and so mama is occupied with chasing her around to get them out of her mouth ("watch your brake hand!"). Sienna hates this, and proceeds to yell and cry. I climb up, trying to concentrate, and discover that while my strength is fine, my footwork is awful. It's been since two aprils ago since we climbed anything seriously, and it shows. So up I go a hand/fist crack with good smeary feet.  Then it starts raining and hailing.  Laura yells don't fall, trusts the grigri and grabs sienna to go under a boulder that is protected.  Sienna is screaming, though she finds some bat and pigeon poo to eat and is happy, until momma takes it away.  I'm nearing the top, having walked my three number three camalots up and up and up. I had read that there was a bolt near the top as the crack widened to number six size, but it's still a ways off and I'm runout.  The good news is that I can't hear sienna crying anymore, because I'm far enough away and because the wind has picked up. Unfortunately, what should have bee cruiser friction is runout sketchfest since now my shoes and the rock are saturated.  Additionally, my trail rope (the climb is 150 ft) and the lead rope are really heavy and dragging at this point, further precluding smooth slab climbing.  So I grovel up the 70 degree OW/chimney for the final thirty feet expecting to see some chain anchors as it levels off. Nope, and all my big gear is on the route, so I make a creative anchor and rap off.  Laura is feeling epicked, so I go back up to clean and downclimb the back side.  While the other climbs we do are better, all had an air of "we're in an epic, even though this is a one pitch crack climb."  We ended up deciding that it wasn't particularly safe so said we'd only climb on more straightforward, shorter, easier, and better baby-set-up climbs.  That's when the weather turned, though.  But, regardless, the climbign was fantastic there, and the whole place was beautiful.

Sienna loved camping.  not only could she crawl anywhere and eat dirt, but she could be with momma and dadda always. and there were lots of dogs.  highly recommend the baby camping experience, especially when it's with such a sweet little girl.  We'll be doing it again very soon as we drive out to wisconsin.  hot dog.

Mother's Day

By the way, happy mother's day, and thanks scott and abbie for callin'.
It was laura's first.  she got breakfast in bed (it was gunna be, but she got up.  it's her own fault), and then free frozen yogurt at moberry, and then a big party (that she made brownies for.  thanks dana for the ooiegoowey fudge brownie mix suggestion. wow).  I hope that I was able to display my appreciation of your new state as a mother.  and happy mother's day to all such empowered individuals.  you make this world a better place.

Baby Steps

Auntie KT came to visit the other weekend.  We packed up our goods and headed over for an old-fashioned sleep over at le chateau Schoene up the hill.  Luckily, there was enough space (just barely), and we settled in comfortably up there.  Ms Kira thrilled us with her rendition of that favorite singsong "I'm a cat, you're a dog, and you're a mouse. meow meow meow."  In turn, sienna thrilled us with her gasps of jubilation. Above, she is celebrating the catching of the mouse by the cat, who in turn got caught by the dog.  True to sienna form, the dog got caught by the tiger (daddy was the dog).

Over dinner, sienna discovered that she can get what she wants faster if she walks, rather than crawls.  She was hanging out with mommy on the floor when KT snuck up behind her.  Sienna has a sense for these things and thwarted KT's approach by detaching from mommy and walking the five or six steps, unsupported, to KT.  Actually, I don't think squeek realized what happened nor figured why we were cheering. She repeated the endeavor later that night, and has since withheld her acrobatics.  We can get her to walk the few steps between us (again and again), but only right before bed.  It turns out that KT is a baby whisperer, and that she should really focus her professional efforts not on college-level athletics, but rather knee level athletics.  Way to go squeek!

On a related note, our pictures from this batch are not nearly as cute because her face is covered in bruises and wounds.  It turns out that even carpeted floors can do some damage (Laura is not here, but I'm pretty sure that she would want me to clarify that squeek is as cute as ever, which she is, despite her bruises.  I would counter-clarify that being cute isn't everything.  She would offer a reconciliatory counter-clarification that both agreed with my point but asserted her own, affirming that the world is neither black, nor white, but rather green and brown).

On this one you can see her teeth.  The configuration is the two front
bottom ones, and then the next out upper ones (if the internet is to be
trusted, that's the lower central incisors and the upper lateral incisors). 
She looks like a staple remover, though when I put her to the task
she only complained.

I'm not sure which one is Adam and which one is God.

It turns out that squeek loves the bling, perhaps more than auntie...
I've seen that look before, and it's not to be trusted.

Unwilling to repeat.

May Day

Happy May Day!!!

Another fine spring day in Montana.  Looking forward to a
superb morning ride to my last class before summer vacation.

I've got a bunch of posts to do, but let's start with easter.  Laura went up to boulder to help get the summer beds ready and then played cello at the easter services in Butte. 

Using the new backpack to get some hoing done.  Sienna
loves the backpack.  she's up higher so she can see much
better than in the other carriers.  and it's probably more comfortable
on her groin. Hey, I know she's flexible, but it seems a little
sadistic to fit her into some of these things.

squeek was a hit with the ladies.  she's like a magnet for
grandmas across the building.

pretty ladies. enjoying some brunch at the hot springs. 
I can't quite tell what squeek got served, but it looks
a little under cooked.



the spawn of peter cottontail



Unfortunately, daddy couldn't join because he was feeling a little sick...


Incidentally, this was the first cow tongue experience since the
accident.  I was proud that it could inspire one of my favorite
quotes, from susannah: "Are you tasting me or am I tasting you?"