First Haircut

Well, I finally broke down and took Gabe to get his very first haircut! He did awesome. The beautician gave him a comb to hold in each hand and he just sat very still with his mouth open the whole time. I think he was trying to figure out what was happening.

The final product! He looks very good with his new haircut!

Zoo Lights

The Oregon Zoo in Portland has a lights display every year in December. They have over 200 light displays throughout the zoo, many of them with moving parts. We decided to get together and take the kids this year when Mom was in town. It was very cold, but we had a good time and I know the kids really enjoyed looking at all the lights.

The kids always love to ride the train. During Zoo Lights, they have the trains all decorated and they had several running so you get to pass them every so often during your ride.

15 Months Old

Gabe had his 15 month check-up at the doctors and was diagnosed "healthy as an ox"! He weighed in at 27.6 lbs (standing on the "big kid" scale!) and 31 inches tall.

Just a few recent pics.....

Well, he's still not really riding it yet, but he likes to sit on his quad and push it around the house. Frankly, I think we'll enjoy it now, because once he learns to hold down the button, the house will probably become a bumper-car track!

Gabe has some stuffed animals he carries around now. The dog is named "Henry"and was Dan's favorite stuffed animal when he was little.

Gabe loves to read (just like his mom and dad!). He will bring you books all day long. It's the only time he really sits still. Story time at the library is our favorite night of the week!

We put the turkeys up in the yard and Gabe thinks they are cool. We have wild turkeys in our yard all the time, which most people consider a nuisance. We like to watch and listen to them, as long as they don't get in the garden.

Learning how to use his "big kid" toothbrush.

Aunts at the Oregon Coast

The month of October started out with a family gathering at the Oregon coast with my Dad's sisters; Margaret, Evelyn, and "Sis" Rita. We spent time visiting, playing with Gabe, and eating wonderful sea food...(thanks Dad!) During their time here, my aunts were visited by all the Oregon family including Stella and Shawn, Erin and kids, and Paul and Megan and family. We really enjoyed our visit. It was so great to see them all!

The wind was so strong on the beach, Gabe had a hard time standing up.

There are so many cool and unusual things to pick up on the beach.

Gabe had a great time hanging out with the Erie Aunts! As you can see, he got pretty comfortable too!

Pendleton, Vacation, Round-Up

We just got back from a week in Pendleton where we took in some of the festivities of the famous Pendleton Round-Up and had fun tromping around the woods in pursuit of Grouse. This year was the 100-year anniversary of the Round-Up, so the town went all out in celebration. It has been several years since Dan and I have been in town during Round-up. Now we're more like tourists, then locals.

Gabe is sporting his little western outfit.

We went to the dress-up parade that kicks off the start of Round-Up.

I wasn't sure how Gabe would do, but he really had a great time. He especially loved the big loud trucks and all the kids running out for candy. He was wide eyed the whole 2 hours that went right thru his normal nap time.

We spent many hours driving and walking through the mountains of Eastern Oregon...our old stomping grounds :) After living so long in the crowded Willamette Valley, it was very nice to get back to the peace and quiet of rural Oregon. We saw lots of wildlife including two black bears, one of which we had a very close encounter with! Lets just say, we spooked him and he definitely spooked us.

A more familiar sight was this young buck.....

A view of the Steens Mountains in the distance.

We were going to camp a few nights, but thunderstorms kept rolling thru almost every day. At the prospect of getting soaked in our tent, we decided to do day trips instead.

Dan fishing on the Wallowa River. He caught some trout and plenty of White Fish.

A friend of ours from Portland came thru town so we went out to take in some Round-up Night Life. The is the famous Hamley's Steakhouse in downtown Pendleton. It was packed!

We finally did kick-up some Grouse the last day of our trip.

We had lots of help taking care of Gabe while we were there. Dan's mom and grandma watched him while we went out exploring (Thanks! we really enjoyed the break!) Gabe attached himself to his Aunt Kris whenever she was around. He had a great time and went to bed exhausted every night! We are already looking forward to our next trip back to Eastern Oregon.

Gabe Turns ONE!

Wow! I cannot believe a whole year has gone by already. Gabriel turned one on August 5th, and he is more of a little boy, then a baby now (sniff, sniff). Nana and Grandpa were here to visit for a whole week to help me with Gabe while Dan was in Montana. We had such a great time. This is Gabe's first Birthday Cake. I'm not sure he really knew what was going on, but he sure didn't mind all the attention (or the cake!)

Nana and Grandpa took Gabe all over the place, going out to eat and shopping. He had a wonderful time (getting a taste of retirement. I hear it's a good life!) Grandpa is good at getting Gabe all wound up. Some giggles before bed, in this case.

We met Erin, Greg, and the boys at Bauman's Gardens for a little birthday get together and picnic. They had a big play area for the kids, not to mention petting zoo, wood fort and beautiful flower garden picnic area. We spent the afternoon running around, playing, and eating more cake! Gabe can't keep up with his cousins yet, but it's just a matter of time, I'm sure. The boys all sit down for Birthday Cake.

Gabe in a sugar trance...

Nana and Gabe spent alot of time together reading and playing.

After a fun-filled week with my folks, Dan came home from Montana and his Mom, Grandma, Sister and cousins Ashley and Terry came to visit and celebrate Gabe's Big Birthday! The kids played around the house, listened to Dan play guitar, and even helped him sing a few times. We also spent a day at the beach and the Oregon Coast Aquarium.

Dan made us great meals every night. The kids sit down with Great-Grandma to eat.

Gabe is enjoying a Giant Chocolate Chip cookie for his Birthday.

I'm ONE!

We had such a great time with everybody over the last couple weeks, it does seem kind of lonely around here now. Gabe has lots of new toys to play with and keep him busy. Thank you all so much for spending time with us and Gabe for his first Birthday. We are very lucky. Love and Miss you all!

Twin's Birthday Party

Happy Birthday to Ian and Ryan, who turned 2 on Friday! We had so much fun helping them celebrate their birthday this weekend. Erin and Greg had a small family get together complete with good food, beers, and an Elmo birthday cake. The boys had a great time playing in the back yard.

Nana was halping Gabe play with all the big boy toys.

The Pool

We finally broke down and got Gabe an inflatable pool. He wasn't that impressed with it until about the third day when the water had finally warmed up to bath water temperature. It will hold 150 gallons! of water, but we just put alittle in for now. Even Daddy got in on the fun!

4th of July

Hope you all had a good 4th of July (OK, I know it was over a week ago now) I guess we've been busy. We went up to St. Helen's to spend the holiday with Dan's Aunt and Uncle, Grandparents, and Mom. Bet you'll never guess who was the life of the party (no, not Dan this time :)

"Poppy, I want the Foods Page, not the Sports Page!"

"Me and my Grama are so silly together"

Wear'n Daddy's Hat

Practicing my Fujian White Crane