Don't mind if I do. . .

Lil' L

• First tooth broke the surface
• Ate a flower petal (my bad)
• Watched an ant crawling across the floor (this might not seem big, but she's never focused on anything that small before)!
• Fell asleep in the Bjorn at yet another potluck
• Will "hug" back (sweetest feeling in the world. Not even kidding.)
• Swam in her first warm springs and loved it
• Played chicken with a mama&baby moose on the trail
• Peed on our bed (why do I give her diaper free time on the mattress)??
• Laughs hysterically at peek-a-boo
• Has no interest in crawling

Wildlife and the Wild Life

This little face greeted me yesterday on my way outside. We've seen several bears this spring (one last night while bouldering also). Chalk it up to the extra-snowy mountains. I might add that this bear walked right by my peas and lettuce plants without so much as a glance. So much for being a bear attractant.

I went on a seriously fun bike ride with Liesel yesterday to Mormon Row in the park. It was a good 18 miles and the weather was perfect! The valley is flooded with wildflowers (Balsamroot! Larkspur! Lupine!) and the rivers/creeks are all running HUGE.

A mini-Mormon on Mormon row.

My friend Becky was my running buddy in college. We hiked up Hanging Canyon with her hub and baby Alvin; I realized this was perhaps the only time we hung out besides at 6:15am, panting, sweating and listening to me analyze my relationship with Brian. Bet that was fun.

On Monday B and I hiked up paintbrush canyon (he skied). We found this pond that had sort of a mythical quality. In a somewhat nerdy-Lord-of-the-Rings moment, B named it Wizard Pond.

Brian defending the family. This little sucker was brazen.

Sunday stroll:

Little baby elk

Mt. Moran and String Lake. L and I have been hikin' machines. When the sun comes out, so do we.

Liesel chillin' on the the Teton version of a beach.

The weekly 10

1. Could double as a Dr. Seuss character in her orange suit
2. Totally flirted it up with a 7-month-old
3. Can see what she wants and pick it up right away
4. Loves to grab fist-fulls of my hair and suck
5. Can pull a Houdini and get out of any swaddle
6. Still doesn't like solid food (ugh)
7. Will "sing" in long, loud, monotone noises (and thinks its funny if you harmonize)
8. Sits up without falling over at all
9. Loves sucking her feet and digging in the dirt
10. Saw her first play (Seven Brides for Seven Brothers)

I'm not the only one who's happy its summer.

Hard Things

White Rim Trail, Canyonlands-- 100 mile mountain bike ride in less than 12 hours. This was the first truly hard physical feat I accomplished and it convinced me that I could go on a mission. May, 2004

The Tetons are phenomenal right now; snow-covered peaks and bright green Aspens in the valley, flowers blooming, sun shining, wind blowing, beautiful. . . and it gives me the itch. On Sunday I was teaching a lesson on developing our talents and one of the girls talked about how good it feels to do hard things. We talked about the feeling of being outside all day, working really hard and accomplishing something. I LOVE that feeling. I love getting to the summit and just hanging out. . .eating M&Ms and feeling my tired muscles. I love coming home having earned the right to be exhausted. I love going for it. And I really love going for it with Brian.

When I was 18 I came to the Tetons with my family right before starting university and we hiked to Lake Solitude. When we took the boat across Jenny Lake I sat across from a bronzed blond-haired Fabio-like Exum guide, who when I expressed my desire to climb the Grand, balked and said that I could only do it if I had a guide and $500. Ten years later, I finally have a shot at it. This is one "hard thing" that I've wanted for a very long time and I can't wait to check it off my list. Here's to other some other "hard things":

Teewinot, Grand Teton NP; July, 2010

The Petit Grepon 5.8 500ft; Rocky Mountain 2009

Mt. Nebo, Wasatch Front. Feb, 2007

Long's Peak; June 2009

Blizen Ridge 5.6 1,500ft. Rocky Mountain 2009

Indian Creek x20; 2007-2011

Biking the White Rim solo with a Bob trailer; Oct 2008.

Royal Arches 1,500ft 5.7; Yosemite May 2009

Sharkstooth 800ft 5.7; Rocky Mountain 2009

Diamond 1,200ft 5.10- Rocky Mountain 2009

Dream Weaver WI2 at 13,900ft; Rocky Mountain 2009

JahMan 400ft. 5.10, June 2008

Castleton Tower; 5.8 & 5.9 routes May & Aug 2008

Kolob Canyon; 12 rappels, running water, killer hike out. Zion Oct. 2008

"May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. May your rivers flow without end, meandering through pastoral valleys tinkling with bells, past temples and castles and poets' towers into a dark primeval forest where tigers belch and monkeys howl, through miasmal and mysterious swamps and down into a desert of red rock, blue mesas, domes and pinnacles and grottoes of endless stone, and down again into a deep vast ancient unknown chasm where bars of sunlight blaze on profiled cliffs, where deer walk across the white sand beaches, where storms come and go as lightning clangs upon the high crags, where something strange and more beautiful and more full of wonder than your deepest dreams waits for you -- beyond that next turning of the canyon walls." Ed Abbey

Little Miss Bright Eyes

This week's TEN:

1) Is obsessed with grabbing the phone while I'm talking

2) Was overwhelmed by 10 kids trying to give her "lovies" at daycare (I'm subbing there)

3) Took her first (and hopefully only) big fall

4) Ate a lot of sweet potatoes

5) latched onto and started nursing my cheek

6) Has perfected the fake cough, blowing razzes and flirting with strangers

7) Fit perfectly into a 9 month outfit at 6.5 months (sigh).

8) Interrupted my sleep a total of 23 times.

9) Went grocery shopping with Dad alone.

10) Saw her first Grizzly.

Went up a baby, came down a mountaineer.

What do you do in the summertime in Wyoming? Ski.

Well, I guess I snowshoed, but Brian skied and Liesel wore her mini-crampons and ice axe. Kidding.

There's one peak in all of the Teton Mountain Range that I felt we could do with L: Table Mountain. It's a long, albeit mellow hike to the top with a phenomenal view. And now with Wyoming 311% (!?!) of normal snowpack, were were hiking on snow even before we got to the parking lot (too deep snow patches had us parking a mile away).

Wondering why my hunky husband with the lungs and heart that never tire isn't carrying Liesel? Because he had the water bottle. Not really. I tried to let him, but couldn't keep up and found myself in a constant state of paranoia wondering if she was hungry? cold? alseep? crying? Too hot? Has enough sunscreen? So I ended up carrying her up. . . and that would be why I'm blogging (aka sitting) today.

The Middle and South Tetons poking just over the ridge while we hike up.

This shows the summit of Table Mountain in front of Mt. Owen, Grand, Middle and South. The summit is the snowy mushroom in the center of the photo.

Sven about 25 yards from the top.

Sven and Brenna summit shot. So tender.

Obligatory family summit photo. I was actually really excited to be up here with Brian. I've hiked this darn trail like 10x and I've wanted to hike it with him for a long time.

L on top:

I wouldn't want to mess with that. That's one stone cold stare. . .

Contemplating her future ascent of the west ridge.