CF Family: Alaskan, Catholic, Homeschooling Family with Kids with CF ~

Or, our entire family went camping this weekend. It dawned on me, while awake and freezing in the tent the second evening because I switched sleeping bags with Clare and she got my down one, that this trip embodied my subtitle, which is My Life.

ALASKAN:

We live in a gorgeous place and when we drive a few hours south to Seward, on Resurrection Bay, it's gorgeous-er (if that's possible). Behold ~

From the top of Mount Marathon, which Ken, Rees, and John decided to hike/run at the last minute. Sounded fun, they said. OK.

Lots of other people thought it'd be a good idea, too, so they asked someone to take this shot. Thank you, Stranger!

It really was hot, on the washout plain of Exit Glacier, but Ken left his warm-weather clothes at home and Luke wanted to dress like Ken.

This was usually all we saw of Clare: hunched over, staring intently at some small something. Or running.

Like a cat, Ian found a patch of sun for the chilly, early morning. Meow.

CATHOLIC:

One of the children was grounded. I know, I know, grounded on vacation? But it was either that, or cancel the whole thing and by golly, I wanted to be close to the ocean because I grew up in SE New England and I missed it. Here is where it is wonderful to be Catholic. It packs a whole lotta more punch to answer a belligerent child with, "...because all I care about is the salvation of your eternal soul!" than with, "...because you're rude." If the salvation prayer, said at 4 years of age guarantees Heaven no matter how disobedient or naughty or rude, than you don't get to ~~yell~~ gently admonish, "Proclivity to venial sin leads to mortal sin and over my dead body are you going to Hell!"

It all ended up just fine. Marvelous, really; all was well about half-way through. Thank you for your prayers, dear Saints Augustine, Terese, Anne, and Our Blessed Loving Mother! (See, Catholic again.)

HOMESCHOOLING

When one homeschools loosey-goosey, as we do, a trip like this is golden. See stuff; exclaim over it; take a photo; ask leading questions even if you don't know the answer; and google more information at home. I present :

A Stellar's jay, noticed and photographed at Primrose Creek; identified at home with our books.

Exit Glacier's washout plain play led to map-reading and rock-skipping.

Which led to this discovery at home, while looking up the physics of it all:

Bingo! School.

WITH CYSTIC FIBROSIS

Oh yes, can't forget CF.

The flutter valve and baby percussor and pills-in-ziplocs and water bottles and applesauce are small enough to fit in any baby carrier or backpack, so easy-squeezy to take care of anywhere. Rees fired up the van in the early morning and evening in order to plug in a converter and nebulizer for his lung chores. He and John played cards together. I no longer ask what in the world they talk about. It's all good.

*I just realized that I got the order wrong between the subtitle and this post title, but my quiet time here at the computer is over, so oh well.*

Happy Alaskan, Catholic, Homeschooling, CF-ing (That sounds bad, but you know it's not. Well, it is but you know what I mean...) Summer~

Love, Allison