Gabe B-day.....Part 1

Hi all! Well, my computer finally died and took a bunch of my pictures and videos with it! I am having all my files transferred to my new computer, but in the mean time I will be blogging out of order. So, we'll start with our west coast family reunion - B-day party and work our way backwards. My folks stayed with us for a week, hung out with Gabe, and helped us put on a very successful party! Gabe loves anything that has to do with transportation, so my mom and dad picked out the perfect cake for him!

We had a great turn out and hope to get even more family involved in the years to come. It was so much fun to see everybody and have them all meet Gabe too!

Cousins!

(photos courtesy of Erin Mills)

Our First Camping Trip

We went on our first Camping Trip of the summer to the Metolious River. It was also our first time out with our new camper and Gabe's first time camping as well. Lots of Firsts! We got a good spot in a very crowded campground. We used to be tent people before the kiddo came along, but I must admit, it was very nice having hot water, and a warm place to sleep. My last camping experience was particularly memorable....and not in a good way! I was 6 months pregnant and did not get one minute of sleep the entire three days! I swore off camping until Gabe was old enough to toddle around.... and getting the camper didn't hurt either. Now we are ready to get back to our old routine of visiting all the beautiful places in Oregon...and beyond in the years to come. Dan and I both camped all the time when we were young, and we want that for our son as well!

Gabe had a blast! There was so much exploring to do, it was rare to find him seated like this.

Sitting creek side

Helping Andrew build a camp fire

Dan fishing on the Metolious.

Building Fence (part 1)

One of the things we have envisioned for our property is to have a small orchard and some berries along with some space for other crops that need more room then our little garden by our house can afford. We quickly realized that we have a major deer problem on our hands when we put in a few small apple trees last year and they were discovered and half eaten right thru the plastic mesh fence! Up goes the 8-foot garden/deer fence! With the help of a manual post hole digger (yes, we do believe in power tools ~ but the local equip. rental guy says augers are too dangerous to rent out, thus...) Dan dug three feet thru clay/rock/soil/etc. and erected our 4 corner posts along with a 5th post for the gate. Now we wait until it's dry enough to concrete them in and wrap our fencing.

Gabe helping move compost to the orchard. He loves to ride on the lawn mower!

Alsea Falls

Just took a day trip over to Alsea Falls to check out the campground and trails. This natural area is only about 15 miles south of our house. Our plan was to camp there this weekend in our new camper, but we will have to wait til they open in May. Oh well, it was fun to explore.

I just threw this picture in because it is rare to get the three of us together in a photo.

Stuff in March

Just a few days ago Gabe turned 20 months old! He is doing very well....we are all doing well and really looking forward to nicer weather. Here are a few pics of us bumming around outside. The "fire engine" is a hand me down from the Mills' boys, and, until now, has only been enjoyed by visiting kids. It plays some very "catchy" songs. I guess we got lucky in that it still works after being subjected to winter time monsoons. (sarcasm :)

Last year, Grampa brought the Dump truck for Gabe, and he really likes picking up rocks in the driveway and dumping them back out. This may prove to be a valuable skill in the future.

We have had some success in the "potty", but I can tell it is going to be a long road with many "accidents" along the way. He does like to sit on the potty and always points and says "poop" as he walks by, but most of that is just for fun.

"Grandma Nancy" and "Great Grandma" came for a short weekend visit. We had a big storm when they were here and the power went out for an entire evening. We were able to make the best of it by visiting and reading by candlelight.

My little boy...always playing around...