Spooktacular Halloween

Last night Gabe and I got dressed up and went to Aaron and Marie's annual Halloween Party. We had trouble coming up with costume ideas. Gabe's best idea was hippie zombies who eat grrains instead of brrains. I said normal zombies will be just fine. So here we are, all dressed up, with our friends Sonya and Joe (black widow spider and her prey). They won the costume contest, definitely put our lame costumes (and everyone else) to shame.

Today we took Levi over to the Children's Museum to play in his costume. They had a costume parade and some Halloween activities planned. He wasn't too interested in the costumes, he just wanted to play. He wore himself out! The last few weeks he's really been fighting taking two naps a day, more specifically his afternoon nap. We put him down when we got home at almost three o'clock. It's now almost five and he's still sleeping. Crazy kid!
Here he is sliding in the baby garden. It was probably his favorite thing. Which is funny because he refuses to go down the slide at the park!And here is our cute little dragon on his way out of the museum. Happy Halloween!

Pumpkin Hunting

In between torrential downpours, we went to the pumpkin patch Sunday morning. Gabe was watching the Doppler pretty close. So when the sun broke through, and the Doppler showed a dry spell, we decided to pack up and head out. We took tons of great pictures, so I had a really difficult time deciding which ones to edit and put on to show our outing.
Levi wasn't very interested in the pumpkins. Here he is "looking" in the patch for his pumpkin. He looks very serious, like he's really hunting for the perfect pumpkin.But really, Levi was much more interested in the chickens, turkeys and ducks in a pen next to the pumpkin patch. Gabe, I think that means he wants some chickens as pets! I have to share this one because Levi just looks so darn happy and proud of himself. What a cutie!And here's one of me and Levi with the pumpkin Levi picked out. Actually, like I said, he didn't really care about the pumpkins so I guess really his mommy picked it out for him. By the time we were done pumpkin hunting it was past Levi's nap time, and time to head home. Plus we were afraid the rain would start again at any moment. So, it was a pretty quick trip. It was still fun to explore the pumpkin patch and get a little muddy. Guess we'll hope for better weather next year!

October Catch-Up

Figured this blog has been neglected long enough. I just can't believe how busy we've been this month. I am definitely excited about having a day at home today. Gabe is off helping his friends at the Mt. Hood rally so Levi and I are going to play, clean the house and hopefully start working on Levi's baby book when Aunt Becky comes over this afternoon. It's nice to be here and not have a house full of people. Don't get me wrong...I love entertaining and having people over. But as you are about to see, today is a welcome break.
Several weeks ago now, my uncle John who lives in MN came out to travel with my grandma back home. He was here for a long weekend and I haven't seen him since my sister's wedding (was that 8 years ago?). So we spent as much time as we could with him while he was here. Took him out to apple tasting, had beers at Henry's, browsed the shelves at Powell's and a record store. Things you do in Portland when it's raining. It was nice to see him.
Here we are enjoying the many varieties of apples and pears.
Gabe was out of town all last week doing some trailer testing in Indiana. When he got back we took off to spend our anniversary in Hood River. We went wine tasting, bought some fresh apples and pears, enjoyed good food and beer, drove up to Lost Lake and had a picnic. It was a nice weekend. Here's a few of my favorite shots from the weekend.We arrived home on Sunday around lunch, and the Morrison's arrived moments later. We spent Sunday afternoon and evening playing and visiting with them. Levi just loves his big cousins. He followed them around every where. He really wanted to hug and kiss them, but Savannah and Sawyer aren't too keen on the slobbery baby kisses. Here's some pictures from playtime on Sunday.Levi also got to spend some time with his cousins on Wednesday. Everyone came over in the afternoon and we had dinner together when Gabe and I got home from work. It was really nice to see the family. Just wish we could have spent more time with them. They have so many friends and family to see when they come to visit.
We were hoping to make a visit to the pumpkin patch this weekend, but the forecast is looking really wet. We'll have to wait and see what tomorrow brings.

Mother's Little Helper

Levi has his own drawer in the kitchen that he can play in so he doesn't get into trouble in the other cabinets. In it is a basting brush that he's got all sorts of uses for. Usually it's a hairbrush or a toothbrush. Occasionally it's a broom like you can see in the video below. Levi was determined to help Heidi sweep the kitchen.

Another trip to the Zoo!

In an attempt to put off doing the work I brought home this weekend and never got done, I figured I'd post some pictures of our trip to the zoo on Saturday. This may be the last pictures of the zoo we take for a while. Temperatures are dropping and I'm sure the long winter will be upon us in no time.
Gabe's dad and Joanne came up this weekend to visit and go to the zoo with us. We wanted to take them when they were here for Levi's birthday, but that weekend was busy enough. So shortly after Levi's birthday, we put this weekend on the calendar for a visit and trip to the zoo with Levi's grandparents.
Levi showed his grandparents all his favorite animals. He also walked around the grassy amphitheater. It was hard for him to concentrate on walking when all the bigger kids were running around playing tag.
Most of the animals were out. Here's my favorite one of the giraffes. They're my favorite animal.
And here's the group shot of everyone before we took off to get Levi home for his afternoon nap.

September Recap

I can't believe that September is almost over. It's all been such a blur since school started. But at the same time if feels like the work week is dragging by, while the weekend is over in the blink of an eye. So unfair!

I had a nice birthday celebration a few weeks ago. Gabe and I went to The National concert downtown in Pioneer Courthouse Square the Sunday before my birthday. Then my family came over for dinner, cake, ice cream and presents on the actual day of my birth. I told Gabe the concert tickets could be my gift since the price of tickets has gotten so out of control. But he surprised me with this as my gift. I've been interested in them but never would have bought one for myself. He was a little nervous it wasn't going to arrive on time since the new ones were due to be released and shipped on the 17th (2 days after my birthday). But it arrived on time! And boy was I surprised.

Levi's walking is improving quickly. He can walk clear across the room without falling. He's a little unsteady and has to use his arms for balance. So we've been calling him Zombie baby. Totally fits! He's hard to get on video because he just wants to play with the camera. We're so proud of him and I'm sure he'll be off and running any day now!

I got to get away over the weekend and head to Rockaway with the girls. It was first time I've gotten away by myself (without either of my boys). We stopped in Tillamook for cheese, walked on the beach, made fondue, drank wine, played games and relaxed. It was a nice time.

I wish I could say I'll try post more frequently but looking at our calendar, October is looking just as crazy as September.

We've got a walker!

Just this morning Levi took his first steps without any assistance. He's been walking for a few months now with help from us or by holding on to something. For the last couple weeks we've been working on getting him to try to take some steps back and forth between us and it seems like he's finally gotten it!

Summer is Over

Maybe not officially, but around here it sure seems like it. Labor day weekend is over, so that means Heidi's back to school and her summer is over. The weather today also makes it feel like summer is over. It sure seemed like fall out there. We did have a good weekend though. I'm pretty sure we got everything done on our list, which includes both work and play.

First, the work. Heidi did some!

I've been teasing Heidi that she hasn't done a whole lot of work on the kitchen project. She promptly reminds me that someone has to watch Levi while the remodel work goes on. Heidi got her work on the remodel in this weekend when she did all the grout work on the new backsplash. I spent most of Saturday laying the tile and Sunday Heidi finished it up. It came out pretty nice if I do say so myself.

Now, the play.

As a reward for getting all the work done, we went to the zoo. We went in the evening as the crowds were on their way out, but it was still fairly busy. I finally got to see the lions in their new exhibit which was pretty neat. The cheetah was also out and pretty active. I also saw the orangutan in their new exhibit which wasn't even open last time I was there a couple months ago.

Monday we had some more fun when we went to Dave and Carley's for dinner. We enjoyed an amazing dinner of coq au vin and Levi got a kick out of Wags, their dog.

All in all, a fun and fitting end to our summer.

-Gabe

I should be at work...

but they cut two of our inservice days due to the budget shortfall. So, here I am at home. Doing laundry, cleaning my house, and playing with Levi. Not sure how I'm going to get my classroom and lessons ready for students, with almost half the amount of work time. But I decided I'm not putting in any extra unpaid time to start the year. Students might show up and the room may just be bare.

So these are the things I wanted to accomplish this summer.
Lets see how I did!

*Lots of snuggle time with my baby
Mission accomplished. I'm just lucky our little guy is such a snuggle bug!
*Swimming lessons
Done. I think we might try and go to family swim this fall and winter to keep Levi use to the water. It would be awesome if next summer I could sign him up for the over 18 month class. They swim on their own in that one!
*Walks and swinging at the park
We didn't get to the park as much as I'd hoped. Mostly because the weather this summer was sorta hit or miss. For example it's been sprinkling all morning and is suppose to be the same most of the week.
*SUNSHINE
See last comment. But the warm weather and sunshine we had was amazing!
*Going to the zoo
Boy did we go to the zoo! I think we went over a half dozen times with lots of different friends. Maybe we'll go with daddy this weekend.
*Starting a new painting
Well, that didn't happen. I didn't even touch my paints. Bummer!
*Reading-finishing this, then reading this and this
Oh...boy did I read. I think I made it through eight books this summer. But I still haven't touched the Sunset magazines that have sitting in a pile for months.
*A new kitchen
Almost done. This weekend we'll work on the back splash. Our other project is to get the hot tub full and ready to be used now that I'm going back to work. It sure helps get rid of the stress my job creates.
*Story time at the library
We never did make it. Just happens to take place during Levi's morning nap. Maybe once he's down to one nap a day we can check it out.
*Planning and throwing a 1st birthday party
And it was a ton of fun!
*Our vacation to the Olympic National Park and San Juan Islands
*The annual camping trip at Trillim Lake
*Starting, and maybe finishing, Levi's baby book
Wow! I printed off about 50 pictures and that's as far as I got on this one. Maybe this fall and winter will be a good time to work on the baby book. I'd like to have it done before he graduates from high school.

Annual Camping Trip: Trillium Lake

After much debate, I think we agreed that this is our sixth year camping together. Although I wouldn't be surprised if it's actually more than that.
This weekend we took off to the mountain and camped at Trillium Lake. This was the view we enjoyed Saturday morning!
There's a really nice loop that you can walk around the lake. It's a quick 2 miles around. I'd call it a hike, but it's has zero elevation gain and even has these really nice board walks to get you across some of the swampy parts. So it's more like a stroll through the woods than a hike.It was a super cold weekend. I don't think it got down to freezing at night but it sure felt like it. Levi spent most of Friday night in our sleeping bag with us and some of Saturday. I think the cold was waking him up and his forgetful mom forgot to bring him socks to wear in his footed sleeper. So he actually wore a pair of mine on Saturday night. Luckily they were ankle socks and only came up past his knees. Levi spent most of his time this weekend playing in the dirt. But Gabe also found this hole in the trunk of the tree that Levi sure liked a lot. Notice the dirt smeared across his face?
And here's our traditional group photo. You can tell how cold it was even once the sun was up. Look at Levi's lips. This was taken at 10:30 and I think his lips are still blue!It's now after 8:30 and the little guy still isn't asleep. It's either the fact that he's overtired since he didn't sleep or nap well this weekend, or the fact that he's working on cutting his first molars. Or I guess it could be a combination of the two.

This is what we've been waiting for!

Isn't it wonderful?
I will never forget how wonderful a working kitchen is again, in my entire life. I can't believed we suffered without it for 2 months.
As you can see, we still aren't finished. Gabe is out of town...again. He's presenting at a military conference in Austin this weekend. So we won't be getting the back splash put in anytime soon. To be honest. It could stay like this for the next year. I'd still be happy. All I care about is that it works! But we've both laid tile before so I think we'll be able to work on it in the evenings this week. The trim for the floor still hasn't arrived either. We'll have this kitchen finished eventually.
I'm back to "work" on Monday. Taking a class about writing all week. Then back for real, in meetings and in my classroom, the following week. Where did this summer go? I can't believe we're at the end of it already!

Party Animal

Since Levi is a Leo. We had a lion themed first birthday party. I figured we could do something cute before the party themes are racecars or Starwars.

It was a great party.
Lots of friends and family. Lots of good food. Lots of babies playing. Lots of sunshine and heat. I don't know what the final temperature was, but it was over 95. The shade in our back yard made it just barely bearable to be out.

It was wonderful to be surrounded by all the people who love our little guy so much. He's a lucky kid indeed!

Here's a slide show of just a few of the almost 190 pictures we took. Don't worry. It's edited down a ton.

1st Birthday!

Can anybody else believe Levi is one? Heidi and I certainly can't. Where did the time go? We're going to celebrate tomorrow, but there was no way he was going to miss opening some presents on his actual birthday. The toy car was from Heidi and I, when we saw it, we knew it was going to be his birthday present. It seems like he likes it too, he spent some time sitting on it this afternoon pretending to drive. He got a bunch more stuff this evening from his Grandparents and aunts. He's still not quite sure what to do with wrapped presents, but I think he's starting to figure it out.

Look for more birthday posts this weekend!

-G

HAIRCUT!

Well, Levi got his first haircut this evening. We're having professional pictures taken on Friday afternoon, so we though it might be time to loose the messy look. It was getting pretty long in front and around the ears.
Here's the before shot.
Levi was really not sure about those buzzing clippers at first. Or maybe it was in his dad's ability to cut his hair. Anyway, he got use to it and actually didn't cry a bit!
And here's the after shot. Not bad for the first cut. On a baby who won't sit still.
A kitchen update for anyone who's still interested in our progress (after almost 2 months!). Gabe painted this weekend, so things are looking really good. He also drilled holes in the cabinets for the handles and I put them all on this week. So all we're really waiting for are the counter tops and sink. Those are scheduled to go in at the end of next week. Oh, and a little bit of trim Gabe will need to put on the floor under the cabinets. That reminds me...I better double check with Gabe that he got it ordered. We'll be able to show of the finished product in a few "short" weeks. FINALLY!

The Cove

Gabe and I finally watched this movie last night. If you haven't seen it yet...it's a must watch. And you must also encourage everyone you know to watch it too.
Watch the public service announcement. Watch the movie. And here are some other things you can do to help end the slaughter of these amazing creatures.

Afternoon at the zoo

Peggy and Z have been here visiting from Maryland for the last week or so, and we've been lucky to spend some time with them. Last week we went to the pool. No pictures to show off since both Peggy and I had to be in the water with our boys.
Yesterday we went to the zoo. It was a warm afternoon and lots of the animals were being lazy. I did get this good shot of the elephant playing in the water.
He really was that close to us. It was pretty cool. Unfortunately, I didn't get very many good shots of the boys.
But here are our wild "animals" all caged up after their time at the zoo. Can you tell they're anxious for dinner to be served?
Boy I wish these guys didn't live so far away. I think a spring break trip to the capital might be on our agenda this year.

Where did my baby go?

This can't possibly be my baby!
He's really starting to look like a big kid....

In Better News

Gabe worked hard this week and got lights in the kitchen. He spent several sweaty evening up in the attic and even got up one morning at 5am to work. He hit a few bumps along the way but we have wonderful new lighting in our kitchen. As a reminder, here's what the lighting was like in our kitchen before. The previous owner installed this lovely fixture to cover the florescent lighting.
Here's the new and improved version! (and notice all the appliances are in)We also have a date for counter installation. I should have a working kitchen the evening of August 20th! I'm a little disappointed it won't be done in time for Levi's first birthday celebration, which we are having here at our house. But at this point I can't complain. Hopefully the weather for Levi's party will be perfect, not too hot and not too cold, so we can just have everything outside.
I also have better news on my grandma. The doctors removed her breathing tube and my mom called this afternoon to say she was eating a Popsicle.
Gabe just got home.
Things are looking up.
Plus, I got a lot of work done around here this weekend that we've been neglecting because of the kitchen. Car is washed. Lawn is mowed. Most of the weeds are pulled.
Like I said, things are looking up.

Trying not to be overwhelmed

depressed, sad, lonely or any other adjective you can substitute for melancholy.

Sunday night my mom and dad flew out to South Dakota to help my grandma pack up her apartment and move her to Minnesota. My mom's youngest brother and his family live there so it would be nice for her to be near family. They got there and found my grandma hasn't been taking very good care of herself. Actually ended up in the hospital on Tuesday and discovered grandma had several heart attacks. The routine testing of her heart did not go well, she was unresponsive after it was over. Once they got her stabilized and responsive they flew her to Sioux Falls, where they've been the rest of the week. The doctors need to put balloons into several of her arteries but can't because grandma doesn't respond well to even the most basic procedure. She's scared and her mind and body are not handling this well. Things have been up and down all week.
I'm scared too. I don't want to loose her. I'm sad. I haven't been able to see her since our wedding almost 6 years ago. We couldn't go out for her big 80th birthday party last summer since Levi was due to arrive the next week. We were going to visit this summer for vacation but since she was going to be moving, we figured we'd wait. We were hoping maybe my mom could convince her to come and visit us this fall. I wish I could be there for my mom. My dad is coming home this week, but she'll be staying another week. Many of her siblings are there but I just want to hug her. I haven't been sleeping well.
To top it all off, Gabe's going to be gone all weekend for a guys weekend at the coast. So I'm the single parent. A job I don't do very well. He's the patient one.
So, I'm trying to stay positive. I will have a functioning kitchen again some day. Levi and I will have a fun mommy and baby weekend. My grandma will conquer the fear, get the medical help she needs, and recover.

Busy Summer Weekend

So this will probably be my last post of the week. I've managed to put off the billion things on my to-do list for several days already. I've got a tone I need to get done this week and blogging isn't one of them.
But I wanted to share the fun we had this weekend. Friday evening we went down to the Oregon Brewer's Festival. It's always the third weekend in July, but we are often on vacation at that time so it's been a few years since we've gone. Levi went with us so we didn't stay very long but Gabe did get a few good beers sampled.
Saturday we went out to McIver Park for my dad's family reunion. Everyone was camping out there but given the camping we did just a short time ago, we decided a day trip would be more manageable at this point. Levi took a 'dip' in the Clackamas. The water was a bit colder than he was willing to play in. Dad had to stand with him the whole time. Here he is splashing with his great Aunt Teresa.
We enjoyed seeing family and playing some games. Here's Levi helping his grandpa play pinochle. Not sure he was much help.
And I have to share this one of Levi and his great grandma. It's so sweet! Plus it shows off Levi's favorite thing to do now. I think he just started it last week. He points at everything!!! And I mean everything. I'm sure what will come next is the "What's that?" to go along with the pointing.
Not sure what he's pointing at here. Could be all the dogs...or his grandpa...who knows?

Yesterday Gabe did finally get some work done in the kitchen. We were disappointed to see that the remodel elves didn't find their way in while we were gone and finish things up. We should finally have the counter tops ordered this week. Not sure how long they'll take from there. All the appliances are in but we won't have a sink until the counter tops are in, and a kitchen without a sink is pretty useless.

San Juan Island

After not really getting a chance to relax for the first part of our vacation, the week on San Juan really made up for it. We rented a great little log house outside Friday Harbor where the deer visited each morning and evening (little fawns too). Plus a little quail family lived in one of the bushes. We were able to take it easy and Levi get lots of play time and nap times in.

Of course we walked around Friday Harbor and the marina. Shopped at the farmer's market. Payed a visit to Popeye, the harbor seal who hangs out next to the fresh seafood shop on the marina. We visited both American camp and British camp. Learned way more history about the fight between the British and US over the San Juan Islands than I ever thought I needed to know. Watched the alpacas eat their breakfast. Had lunch in Roche Harbor. Wandered around the Westcott Bay sculpture park for a little while. Celebrated the lavender festival at Pelindaba Lavender Farm.Here's Levi enjoying the music and tasting ice cream for the first time. Just happened to be lavender vanilla and he loved it...of course!Tried to spot whales from Lime Kiln State park on several occasions, but with no success.

The highlight for me was definitely our whale watching trip. It was during Levi's afternoon nap and was 4 hours long. We were a little worried we'd just be dealing with a really crabby baby. But Levi did really great. The ocean air must have given him a second wind. And we saw lots of Orcas. It was my first time seeing them and I was thrilled. I filled one whole memory card with pictures of whales, but this is the closest one we got since we don't have a zoom lens of any kind. Guess that will be on our wish list for Christmas this year!

Olympic National Park

Gabe and I are now fully aware that five days of camping with a baby does not make for a relaxing vacation. While planning our vacation it seemed like a great idea. In hindsight, not so brilliant. Since Levi isn't walking independently, he just wants to crawl around, pull up on things, and hold on to things while he walks. That's fine at home, but doesn't work so great at a campsite when everything also goes directly in his mouth. So it was a challenge to keep him entertained and not eating the gravel and dirt of the campsite.
The first night Levi was a champ. He slept great even though he was up early with the birds and the sunrise. But our second day he wouldn't nap in the tent (too many distractions I think). So we decided maybe a drive would settle him down. Problem is...this kid will only sleep when the car is actually moving. Our second night was terrible. Levi ended up hogging our sleeping bag and air mattress instead of sleeping in his pack and play. We were able to see a lot of the park, it was just done in the car trying to get Levi enough napping time in.
Plus, we are so spoiled by nice Oregon state parks with their wonderful facilities...like showers. For just a weekend of camping I've never really felt like I had to have a shower but when you're going on day 4...enough said. I forgot that most national park camp grounds don't have showers. Before we camp in a national park again we'll have to get one of these!
Those things combined with kids riding their bikes around screaming until 10pm (when Levi goes to bed about 7:30) and a hole in our air mattress...we packed up a day early and headed to spend the night Tacoma. We'd had enough camping and figured it would make the trip up to Anacortes to catch the ferry to San Juan island a lot less stressful. You never know how terrible traffic though Seattle will be and cutting the length of that trip could only be a good thing. It was a great decision. We all got our respective showers or bath, and had a good night sleep.

Here are the highlights of our time in Olympic National Park:
We hiked around the Hoh Rain forest in the sunshine. Not much of a rain forest at this time of year.
Played a lot at Kalaloch beach.
Drove up to, and hiked around Hurricane Ridge.
Explored the tide pools at Beach 4.
Enjoyed beers, books, and s'mores by the campfire. Once Levi was in bed for the night, of course.

It's going to take me a little while to get things updated around here. We got back on Thursday but it's been a busy weekend too. I still have to put away all our camping stuff. And our tent needs to be cleaned out badly! So be patient with me this week as we recover from vacation.