So When Do You Let Go Of The Cagefighter Dream...?

So..........the word is Japan! After being in the orders window for several months, and going a few rounds with the detailer, we've finally heard the word and it sounds like...........Japan! Won't that be fun?!! Right? That was the jist of the conversation Mark and I had. Something like "Gee, I hadn't really thought about it, but I'm sure it will be great and won't it be nice to get out and see all kinds of new places over there ......and we've heard only good things and you and Max can get back into Judo....won't that be fun?"
You might think the appropriate follow on would be........"Sure! That sounds great."
Nope (Have you met Mark) this is what I get. "I could actually earn some extra money pride fighting over there......there is always a crowd for a big white guy."
At this point, I'm just speechless. Isn't there an age limit on this kind of fantasy? I get it that Mark is pretty tough, and I get that he can somehow settle some of his supervisory (work-related) issues with a friendly throw-down.......... but at some point don't reasonable people draw the line at a UFC cage?
I'm guessing he's not serious ........(I'm choosing that he's not) and didn't dignify it with a response. But if it comes down to my having to actually say no, it would sound something like this..........."I don't think Heavenly Father would want you to cage-fight for entertainment, dear."

He Can Be A Moody Little Bugger...........

Tobias is such a cutey (to me) but he sure can be a moody little bugger. He is developing a very unique personality and it can seem very intense at times. That is a word that fits him well. When something catches his interest.........his attention seems intense....... when he gets unhappy (which can come on quickly), it can be intensly so. He loves Max and always lights up when he sees his face. But Lillian seems to annoy him, and that is just how he looks......annoyed. I'm working on a collection of 'The many faces of Tobias'. He has some killer dirty looks. It's still adorable though.

Mount Rainier

So never mind that we have a brand new baby, and never mind that we are down to the last few weeks of sunshiny weather. I still had that crazy 'Washington State Itch' to pack in the summertime memories. You really have to have those to get you through the dark and rainy months.
Plus, on our list of must do's before we leave the state was: Return to Paradise.
The historic Paradise Inn on Mt Rainier and the National park are really my idea of what paradise might look like. It's absolutely beautiful. We stayed at Cougar Rock and although the area was great, it ended up being a lot colder than I had expected. (For late august). Tent camping with an infant ended up being a little more difficult than I anticipated..... I was right in that Tobias was easy and immobile.........but I had overlooked the fact that if I was holding the baby most of the time, I really couldn't do much else. Mark ended up doing pretty much everything..............

It was suppose to be a four day adventure, extending down to Mount St. Helen, but on night number two, after nine hours of a torrential downpour all our gear (and tent) was soaked. Mark still pouted that it was do-able, but come on..........we have three small kids.......do I really have to be the bad guy by not wanting to sleep in a wet sleeping bag? (Why do I feel the need to defend my call........wouldn't you pack it in?)

Otherwise it was great and I'm so glad we did it!

Olympic National Forest

Our final camping trip of the season was a blast! After giving it a go with a tent at Mt Rainier, we learned a lesson about roughing it with a newborn and decided to rent the Hamma Hamma Cabin for this go round. This was the perfect fit. The kids loved it! Kate loved it! (You can go inside when the mosquitoes come out). And Mark loved it! (He didn't have to set everything up by himself). It was win-win-win.
The Olympic National Forest is amazing and there are trails, trails, trails abound. A couple were a little spooky with their isolation, but the Lena Lake Trail was a winner. The kids were awesome troopers and hiked over six miles............ Mark thinks I have a strange idea about what fun means.