Rouse Family Adventures

"How  long have you been living aboard?"  When I was pregnant with Annabelle, Brandon's hair was just starting to become something magnificent. We thought we'd cut it when I went into labor so I had something to do. Turns out when that happens you don't feel like doing anything. Fast forward two years - his hair is even better. Brandon has leveled up and successfully achieved Wild Dad Hair. Something all Dads desire, but many never accomplish.  We spent the majority of our summer sailing in the San Juan Islands. Despite it being our first season sailing here, his feral hair has given us some serious credibility. Frequently asked, "How long have you been living aboard?"  His reply, "About 6 hours".  I'm not sure what his motivation was. It could have been the complete strangers basically asking him if he was homeless, or simply sick of hair being in his face. But all good things come to an end. Last week Brandon ran his longest run- 16 miles...

We call her "Pig Pen"   Backpacking with a mobile small human requires massive wrangling skills. Annabelle is so little, maneuverable and fast- chasing her is like trying to catch a greased up pig. Combine that with uneven terrain and a little person who likes "bouldering" and the path less traveled - you are in for a treat. Often we simply wonder ,WTF are we doing here.  But Behold!!! We went backpacking again, and discovered another holy grail of baby herding. Find a campsite filled with huckleberries and send the young one out to pasture. The bushes are the perfect height, provide hours of entertainment- and so many berries sized distractions toddlers don't make it very far.  A beautiful weekend amongst a chain of alpine with friends Stephen and Erin didn't disappoint. Sign us up again.  Here I am after playing a few rounds of  "Applesauce or Poop"  Free range baby