The Beach

We spent the day in Newport with some friends and I wasn't quite sure how it would go when they said they wanted to go down to the beach for awhile, but when I plopped Gabe down on the sand, he raked one side with his hand and then the other side with his other hand and looked up with a huge grin on his face!

Case shared his bucket with Gabe and even showed him how to put sand in it.

When we took him down to the water, he was alittle scared of the waves. We will have to wait til he gets alittle older and try again.

We had a great day at the beach!

My Little Organizer?

I just wanted to share some pictures to let you all know what Gabe has been up to lately. One of his new hobbies is opening and closing the cupboards in the kitchen. I put some child safety locks on a few of them, but have declared most safe for his exploration (under supervision, of course:)

I have always loved Tupperware and/or plastic containers. Little did I know that they could be so much fun to push around on the floor too!

Hey Mom, is there a lid for this?

Apparently, the cupboards are not the only thing that can be emptied around here.

I was told the day would come when he will actually "help" me pick everything up.

Memorial Weekend in Pendleton

We had a good time in Pendleton during memorial day weekend. It rained off and on, but we had enough dry, warm weather to get out and explore a little bit. We walked down the levy along the Umatilla River to check out a place where the blue herons nest with their young. (Unfortunately, it was too far away for my very old camera). As we walked along the little league ball field, Gabe watched the boys play baseball. He thought that was cool. This park brings back alot of childhood memories. Erin and I spent alot of time here playing softball with Dad coaching and Mom watching our games.

We had a chance to get out and do some exploring around the eastern Oregon countryside one day while Gabe napped back home. Only a few minutes out of town, we came around a corner and spotted a doe licking off her new born, and very wobbly fawn. We watched as the fawn staggered over to its mother and started nursing for the first time. We just snapped a few quick pictures and hurried off as not to disturb them. It was very cool!

Gabe had a wonderful time playing with the "grandmas" and Dan's grandpa "poppy". He did very good in the car (5 hour drive each way) too. Thanks for a great weekend. We will see you guys in August for Gabe's 1st Birthday!

This & That

Normally by the time we get into June, we have had a decent amount of sunshine and warm days. This year has been quite different. It rained just about every day in May and we are suppose to get more then 2 inches in the next few days. Everybody keeps asking "When is it going to be Summer?". It sure is green though.

Our garden is off to a slow start....

Most of the stuff we started from seed is still awaiting transplant. We were very successful starting plants this year, thanks to our little make-shift greenhouse. Hoping to expand next year and use saved seeds from this years bounty. With Dan's compost pile consisting of chicken manure, yard debris, and hay, the cost of putting in a garden next year will be pretty minimal.

The flower bed I planted last year sure likes the rain though....

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope you all had a great Mother's Day! We did some yard work in the morning, but decided to take the rest of the day off to do some exploring. We drove the back roads (or some might call it the "long way") and stopped at the Fish Hatchery on the south fork of the Santiam to take a break. They have a big fish tank filled with huge trout. When we held Gabe up to the tank, he started kicking and laughing. He thought it was pretty cool! He would put his hands on the glass and the fish would swim right up to them. We held him up until our arms finally gave out! Looks like I have another fish addicted guy on my hands :)

After the hatchery, we headed on to a local natural area called McDowell Creek. There are about 3 miles of hiking trails that criss cross the creek on wooden bridges. This time of year the water is flowing pretty good and the vegetation is very lush. It makes for some really great pictures.

Dan got the pleasure of carrying Gabe up the trail in his pack, while I took the return trip downhill. We have gotten so much use out of this pack (thanks Jon!) and Gabe just loves it. He kicks when you stop to try and get you going again. Kind of makes you feel like a pack mule! I find it much easier then lugging around and trying to maneuver a stroller just about anywhere.

I can say I definitely have a new found appreciation for Mother's Day and Mothers in general. It is a wonderful thing to celebrate!