The Phillips Family

Recently I “ministered to a brother’s soul” by going climbing with him up Mt Bancroft. He’s been very busy with school, and he needed to get outside. How could I say no? We got up early last Saturday and drove to the trailhead to climb the east ridge of the mountain, which is a little bit over 13,000′ in elevation. I picked up some new mountaineering boots at an REI garage sale recently, so I was excited to try them out. The climb was very scrambly with one technical section through what is called the Notch. We had a short rappel, then a short technical climb which Jon led. In the summer we could have probably climbed this free of rope, but not a chance with the ice and snow. This section was the by far the easiest and safest… with other exposed areas pushing class 4 and a 20-30mph wind with 60+ mph gusts, there were some uneasy sections of traversing and climbing. A slip of the boot and we would’ve bounced a long ways!

Two years ago, when I was turning 30, I wanted to be pregnant. But I wasn’t. And if I wasn’t going to be pregnant, I wanted to be younger than thirty. We had very nice birthday anyway, thanks to Jeremy’s devoted effort in arranging our stay at a B & B in Glenwood Springs.

One year ago, when I was turning 31, I had just received the best gift ever, little Annie Jane, 3 weeks earlier. All I really wanted for that birthday was time alone to take a shower and a chocolate cake.

This year, I am 32. I can’t imagine life being much sweeter than this. I have a devoted, funny, smart, athletic, creative, godly husband, who happens to be an excellent dad. I have a sweet little affectionate, silly, beautiful girl. And I have a cute little son on the way. I am blessed indeed.

And this 32nd birthday has started off magnificently! Jeremy took me out on a date last night. We ate at Thai Basil while Linda kept Jane. Then we came home to watch Lonesome Dove. I finished a good book (at 4:30 am, but some things can’t be helped). Jane let her parents stay in bed until 9 am. I felt our little boy move for the first time while we were sleeping in, and his flips were powerful enough for Jeremy to feel too. Then we got up to a world covered in fresh powdery snow. When I checked the computer, I had a sale in my Etsy shop (it’s the little things, sometimes) and a text inviting me to birthday lunch with some friends. I’m off to go to a holiday craft fair in the snow. What a great birthday!

PEARLY WHITES
As you know, I don’t really keep up with Jane’s stats on the blog, but for her 1st birthday, I thought I’d document a few of my favorites.

She got her first 2 teeth at 5 months. I had been dreading teeth due to nursing her, but was pleasantly surprised. Her teeth were mostly decorative; she didn’t bite! As for teething, we had it pretty easy. The first tooth bothered her a little and came in over Easter weekend in Hamilton. We didn’t even notice the next three until they were here and smiling at us.

She got her fifth tooth for her 1st birthday while we were in Houston. (Visits to Texas prompt tooth growth?) And then the next three teeth popped out a week later. Now as a big one-year-old, she has 8 teeth! (Still mainly decorative).

She is great at smiling with her teeth. She is not great at letting us brush them, even with her cute Hello Kitty toothbrush.

LOCOMOTION
Jane spent awhile revving up, and then took off crawling at 7 months. At a year old, she crawls faster and over everything, including stairs and anyone lying on the floor. I am sure that she could walk if she wanted to, but she is a little bit of a weenie wuss and doesn’t like to fall, even a couple of inches… on plush carpet.

Instead of walking, the girl dances. She dances at church, when Jeremy plays mandolin or guitar, to the radio, to her musical birthday card, and when she plays Jeremy’s keyboard. When she plays the latter, she throws her head back like Stevie Wonder and shakes her hair. She has some serious moves (just not walking moves).

CHITCHAT
Jane can say Da da da da da (always when she’s excited) and Mama (but only when she’s whining).
She can tell you that a chicken says “bawk bawk bawk,” a cat says “ow,” and an owl says “whooo.”
She can sign “all done” and point to what she wants you to give her next at the dinner table.

NUMBERS
From age 0 – 9 months Jane has been in the 50th percentile for weight and height. Then she shifted to 25% for weight at the last two doctor appointments, which is normal as babies get more active and busy. She still has rolls in all the right places. I confess I miss summer clothes that show those rolls!

OUR FAVORITE THINGS
Jeremy’s favorite thing is Jane’s belly laugh, and he commits real time to hearing it every day. It’s not hard; she gives up her laughs pretty easily, and the two of them don’t seem to get tired of rolling around on the floor laughing, only stopping to breath.

My favorite thing is when Jane and I are sitting near each other but working on our own things, and then all of a sudden she is standing in my lap with her arms around my neck and her head on my shoulder. She’ll work on her own book or blocks or puzzle for quite a while but all of a sudden it’s too much distance. I love that she needs me for a moment. I need her too. Every time.

Jane’s favorite thing (besides us, I suppose) is the cat. I know, our own ornery feline, Sophia Phillips, the same cat who hisses at our parents and dinner guests. EVERY SINGLE TIME Jane sees that cat, she squeals, or says “ow” (for meow), or “ke ca” (for kitty cat). Jane and Sophie routinely have a few episodes each night dedicated to Jane trying to kiss the cat’s fur or gently touch her paw or tail or… you get the picture. Jane is pretty careful with the cat, and for the most part the cat will tolerate a few kisses or pats per night.

A one year old doesn’t need too much hoopla for her birthday, verdad? That’s what we thought the first time Jeremy and I discussed how to celebrate this milestone with Jane. As it turns out, celebrating Jane was too fun to keep it low-key… or to celebrate just once. So we flew down to TX to spend a long weekend in Houston with my family, including Trey, Candy, and Trent. Then we convinced Jeremy’s parents, sister, and our niece and nephew to drive down from Hamilton. And we needed Patsey to be there, too. So our small family get-together meant 19 partygoers. We had my mom’s signature brisket and potato casserole. And Jeremy and Mimi made dessert with chocolate-chocolate cupcakes and a special giant strawberry cupcake for Jane. Jane opened her birthday gifts expertly; dismantling boxes and bags is her main hobby and skill. She has thoroughly enjoyed her new toys, books, and clothes (as have I). She didn’t get too overwhelmed until it was time for cake. That cake, though lovely, was just a little too much, and she didn’t appreciate pink icing on her fingers. (We’ve been practicing since then, and she’ll be ready for next year’s cake).

Thank you, EVERYONE, for making Jane’s first birthday such a rolicking good time!

Jane, your daddy and I are so proud of you and love you with all our hearts. We could not have imagined a tiny girl who would fit so perfectly in our family, but somehow you are the girl we always dreamed of. Thank you for making this the best year of our lives so far. Happy birthday, sweetheart!

We’re happy to announce that we are expecting our second baby, due on Cinco de Mayo! We’re very excited… you know, like the first big climb of a roller coaster or white water rafting towards the edge of waterfall. We’re going to have to get by with a lot of help from friends and family (again)! Jane will be a great big sister, though there’s not much big about her right now, or even in May (they’ll be 18 months apart). We find out the gender in just a few weeks, so we’ll keep you posted. We are thankful that once again the Lord has blessed us with a baby and a growing family!

You would think that an October post with a title like “Back from the Dead” would be all about haunted houses and zombies, but nope, it’s about our blog.  Slain with a stroke of absent-mindedness, about a month ago I single handedly obliterated our blog of  6.5 years.  I didn’t realize my error for several weeks (you may have noticed a blank page at the time) at which point it was too late to recover the site, and of course, I had no backups to restore it.  I had to break the news to Annie.  Ashes and sackcloth commenced.

After a day of mourning, we were fortunately able to recover it all with a combination of Internet Archive, Google Cache, and my internets handyman TSup.  So we are now back online, as if brought from death to life.  And yes, backups occur daily now.  So with that behind us, we’ll do our best to get caught up with more photos and stories.

In mid-October we headed to the pumpkin patch to let Jane pick a pumpkin.   She was less than impressed and a bit skittish of the whole process, but it was a beautiful day to get out.  We went to a patch between Denver and Boulder, so there was a great Flatirons/Indian Peaks backdrop to the landscape.

I carved a cat for Jane. She didn’t like touching the pumpkin “guts” but did enjoy nibbling on the cat’s whiskers.

One day we drove to Harvey Park a mile away from our house and fed the geese. Annie says the photos are bad because she was afraid one of them was going to get her.

Jane’s hair is getting longer and longer, and with a little rubberband, quite girly.

This is my precious girl who I come home to everyday. She has learned to stand near the door and yell “da da da da da” as she waits for me to get home.

One Sunday we drove out west to Bailey and hiked along the Ben Tyler Gulch Trail. I went on a run while Annie and Jane sampled the variety of rocks in the area. (Only Jane tried to bite them).

October also brought our first snows, but the weather is still rather mild so it melted quickly.

We sure do enjoy the seasons living in Colorado.

In September Southwest had a great deal on airfare to Denver, and I shamelessly asked people to come visit me. Jessica was sweet enough to oblige and took a few days off her THREE jobs to come see us for 4 days. Unfortunately, when she arrived, I was feeling a bit under the weather (more on that later) and was an incredibly dull hostess. I’m still feeling so sorry about that, Jess! But she is nothing if not understanding, and we still got to do the thing we were wanting to do the most- talk, talk, talk. It had been maybe 5 years since I had seen her and it was wonderful to be able to catch up in the same time zone, not phone calls from the US to Germany or sending emails to her in Iraq.

We did at least manage to visit REI and Fancy Tiger, sort of staples when you visit us here. And we had one splendid day of cooking at Kristen’s house with Linda and Chris. Jessica and Kristen whipped up a German lunch for us: spaetzle, purple picked cabbage, and sausage. We spent the rest of the day practicing a Thanksgiving feast with roasted chicken, dressing, pumpkin pie, and carrot souffle. Jessica somehow still had energy to make a pecan pie for our dinner when we got home that night. Phew! Thanks for coming to see us, Jess!

In September Kelly and Stephen took a little vacation to Colorado. They spent their last night in the Rockies with us, and we greatly enjoyed their visit. The first time we had met Stephen had been at their wedding (if you don’t count Skyping once), so I was really looking forward to getting to know him a little better. And of course, it was wonderful to have a little time to visit with my dear friend Twig. We went on a hike to St. Mary’s Glacier and it was gorgeous this time of year, with wildflowers blooming, the river flowing, and a few silly high schoolers sliding down dirty snow. Unfortunately, something was wrong with the camera lens, so none of our pictures turned out great. Come back anytime, you two!

I've never really considered metamorphosis. Just think about it… one body structure breaking down and recomposing into a new body structure with new features and functions.

Have you?

Here's the web site for the film and also a link to the companion book in PDF format.

August was a busy month for us, with my family in town, a trip to Texas to see Annie's family, and the Pikes Peak race. Our last busy weekend of the month was well worth it. I joined a group of friends from church in a fundraiser for the Wilderness Ministry Institute called Project 54. The goal is to have a team summit all 54 Colorado 14ers on a single day. Our group was tasked to climbed South Maroon Peak, one of the Maroon Bells (along with North Maroon Peak), some of the most photographed and iconic mountains in Colorado. These are serious mountains and were by far the most technically difficult 14ers that I've ever climbed. They garnered the nickname “The Deadly Bells” in 1965 when eight climbers died in five different accidents. A sign near the trailhead warns of “downsloping, loose, rotten and unstable” rock that “kills without warning.” Something my mother would've loved to know.

Since we were going to be climbing South Maroon, we figured we would climb North Maroon, as well, and for those that wanted, Pyramid Peak across the valley on Sunday. I felt bad leaving the Annies at home for the weekend, so the Sorensen's graciously allowed them to stay with at their house in Vail with them. More on their weekend a little further down.

After driving together to Vail, I continued onto Aspen and met up with the six other people of the team. Upon arrival at the trailhead and camp site, we saw numerous signs like this posted:

Ignorant of the exact “incident/encounter” at the time, we did our best to keep our food away from the tents and take whatever other precautions needed. After the weekend, I come back to these two stories, which took place in the exact same campground the weekend before. Evidently it was tracked and killed the next day. It was a good reminder that, even though I've never seen a bear in the wilderness, they are there.

Front Range man fights off bear mauling him near Aspen

Bear attacks sleeping climber near Maroon Bells

The next morning came awfully quick and we were on the trail up South Maroon. The trail was steep but the climb was incredible. We encountered a few technical areas of steeper rock, but the summit was not too difficult. The surrounding valleys were so green that they looked like manicured lawns from our vantage point. The best part of the climb was the traverse between the two mountains. There are parts that were low class 5, which typically means roped protection is required, but the climbing moves were within our ability as we moved slowly and carefully up or around each cliff or obstacle. From a distance the mountains look impossible with their steep faces of loose rock, but as we came to each difficulty, a way would become apparent and we kept moving. The longest part of the day was the trip down, where we descended the unfamiliar North Maroon trail, with its own sections of class 4 cliffs, which we had to downclimb (more difficult). Fortunately the rain held off for the day and we were moving down on dry rock. Overall it was a memorable day of climbing with a great group of friends.

Steep climb to the ridge

Looking back up the valley towards Aspen and the rising sun

The sun comes over the Pyramid Ridge

On the ridge

Our first view of South Maroon Peak

Complex and interesting terrain

People in a vertical sea of rock

Lots of traverses…

… and ledges…

… and more ledges…

On the summit with our next destination in the background

North Maroon in the clouds

Beginning the traverse

One of the many obstacles to go up and over

One of the more difficult cliffs, class 5 with lots of exposure

My favorite photo of the day, giving you an idea of the exposure

On top of North Maroon

Sitting by the trail to take a break, and up come the experts

The Maroon Bells

Back at the camp site I decided that two big summits was a great accomplishment, and with achy knees, decided to head back to Vail and spend the day with Annie and Jane on Sunday. We joined the Sorensens for church, then had german food in Vail at Pepi's for lunch. Then it was off to Piney River Trail, a beautiful valley with a great view of the Gore Mountains. It was our first time to see a moose in the wild, a large bull moseying through the shallows of the lake. Annie had a large crush immediately. Collectively over the weekend we saw a moose, a few snakes, a porcupine (that ran up and stole a friend's snack bag), marmots, fish, mountain goats, a hawk, and a pika. I still haven't seen a bear, a mountain lion, or, at the top of Annie's list, a beaver (there's still time, mom). After the moose we hiked a few miles in, where Tom and Kristen dropped some flies in the water, and Annie tried her hand at it, as well.

While I was gone on Saturday, Annie and Jane enjoyed the hospitality of the Sorensens and spent all day cooking with Kristen. They made handmade ravioli with three types of filling (wild mushroom, yam, and spicy pork) and three different sauces (a red sauce, romesco, and a sage-butter sauce). For desert they made a peach tart with quark cheese and homemade dough. Unfortunately I was not around for the feast, but I did get a few leftovers. A big thanks to Tom and Kristen for the hospitality (especially that hot shower Saturday night) and for the wonderful food and scenery.

Our sweet girl

The closest thing to a beaver so far, it's entrance hole