Visisting Great Grandpa

After we left the Lake on Saturday morning we went to visit M.G's grandpa in Spokane. We all had a nice time chatting about our visit to the lake and hearing about Grandpas happenings. But Owen had the most fun when he discovered the chair that "gives you a ride"



Wooohooo this chair is fun...


Saying good bye to Great Grandpa(who is in his own moving chair coincidentally)

saying good bye to the chair..."see you next time chair"

Priest Lake 2010

Every year in August we go to Priest Lake in Idaho with M.G's family. There is something magical about this place for me. Maybe it is because M.G proposed to me there or maybe its just the lakes peaceful natural beauty, or it could be watching Owen grow up in the same tradition M.G grew up in every summer on this very same lake. Whatever it is I love it there and am extremely grateful to M.G's family for letting us come along every year.

One of Owens faves the lake side sand box.


This year Owen was fearless about jumping into the lake(into waiting arms) he would just fling his little body off the dock over and over again until he was shivering and blue lipped.






Owen watching from the dock as I save his papa (who is floating in this little floaty) from going too far out to lake



M.G's cousin John took us out on his boat for a fun ride around the lake. He did swivels and bumps for Owens sake but it was fun(and a little scary)for all of us. Owen loved it!




Owen and Uncle Daniel had fun together in the paddle boat. They went on adventures to the nearby water spring and played basket ball-from the paddle boat-which was funny to watch, and they even came to the swimmers rescue when we got too far out in deep water and needed a tow back to the shallows.


I haven't done any research on the matter but I honestly think this may be the most scenic sand box around. Owen loves the proximity to the water and the plethora of toys for building cities. We all had fun helping him make good use of it.

We had such a lovely time together at the lake this year. Owen is so much fun to play with and to watch as he finally grasps the wonders around him in this beautiful place.

Letter to the Sprout

Dear tiny baby living inside my belly,
Having you on board has been a whole new experience for me. I have been sick, had about a million food aversions(ok lets face it I only like about 5 things to eat right now and everything else is out), I have this new uber sensitive gag reflex thats triggered by smells, seeing something undesireable, thinking about food I dont like, crying or coughing. My skin is plagued with teenage-esk acne, and my hair is not growing nearly as fast and glorious as I remember it growing last time. Basically this is the most opposite experience I could have from carrying your soon to be big brother around.

I don't mind though-I mean It is the last thing from fun-but feeling you move around in there and hearing your tiny little speedy heart beat makes it worth it. I know that you will be your very own person, that you wont be exactly like your brother, that you might not even be a boy...and I will love you who ever you are. You are already so very dear to me I am getting really excited to find out what kind of baby you will be. I know that I am in no way ready to be mother of two but I think it will grow on me and that its not something you can truly prepare for.

In just two or three weeks we will find out if you are a boy or a girl...we didn't do this with your brother...we waited until he was born... but with you I cant wait to know! So we will find out and give you a name and I will feel like I know you just a little bit more than I do today. Every one-except me-is convinced that you are a girl your G.G and Grammy and one good friend of mine even refer to you as a girl when they talk about you... soon we will see and we will all be excited no matter what!
That's pretty much all I have for you right now sprout. Keep growing and moving and I will see you soon.
Love Mama

Summertime

It hit me the other day day that this is my last summer with just Owen. It is a strange thing to try and imagine another person in the mix(exciting and terrifying all at once)thinking about how I will divide my attention and take photos of more than one. So I thought I had better document at least some of the fun things we have been doing in the last month or so. I only have so much time left to camera stalk my one and only while he is still the one and only.


Trips to the A.C. Gilbert house(a little children's museum here in Salem)we go about once a month but in the summer we try and go more often because the have a rad play area out side.


Play dates with Owens friend "K-love". They are really enjoying the rock garden this year...maybe not the way I had anticipated this area to be enjoyed...but hey they love to play "struction workers".


Weekly walks down the the Wednesday market. Sometimes we buy fresh local berries,sometimes we buy flowers,but most of the time we just stroll through and look at everything while drinking lemonade and coffee.


Dirty little summer feet that beg to be photographed. He loves to be out side with as few clothes on as possible and NEVER shoes.


Water parks. there are about four of these parks with built in sprinkling devices in this area and we love them! Its so fun to watch Owen as he try's to discern how it all works(and then try and stop it from happening)he is truly a wonder to behold.

48 hours

This weekend my big brother Devon and his film crew-which included M.G this time-entered the 48 hour film fest in Portland.They got the genre of movie they were to make on Friday night and then worked like mad men to produce a short film in 48 hours.

While they were doing this my sister and I were busy watching the three cousins.

It was a weekend to remember for sure. we made pillow forts and watched Elmos green plant and drank lots of caffeine.

We read princess stories and watched movies about ballerinas. We all piled in the car together.



They were three peas in a pod all weekend-mostly because we kept stuffing them in to tight spots with each other-even if they did squabble over toys,books and random things like the highly coveted tape measure.


By the end of the weekend I had a new found respect for mothers of multiples(like twins or triplets)and thought hats off to you ladies who have three three year olds all day long for your whole life! I feel extremely blessed to have only one little who will be four years, two months and 1 week older than his soon to be sibling...nice big gap. Not sure I have the temperament for triplets(which means I don't at all). But it was fun and the cousins loved having time with each other and there favorite aunties.