8 Years!

For our 8th wedding anniversary this year, we headed out of town to Hood River for a couple of nights without the kiddos.  THANK YOU Grandma Sherry and Grandpa Keith for chasing after our two wild rugrats while we enjoyed some delightful couple time together.  We started our trip with a libation.  Might have been 10am in Portland, but it was 5 o'clock somewhere, right!?!

On our way to Hood River, we hiked up to Triple Falls.  With our abnormally warm weather this year, the falls were a bit small, but still very pretty.  We love being out in nature!

 We also checked out Upper Horsetail Falls.  Love this man!

A little afternoon pit stop at Thunder Island Brewery.  We were less than impressed with their beer, but the view was beautiful.  Worth a trip for the view alone.  During the weekend, we tried out six new-to-us breweries (Ryan's favorite part), ate great food (my favorite part) and casually strolled through the city throughout the weekend. We actually didn't drive our car the entire time we there.  Awesome.  A few days of being unplugged from our everyday responsibilities, simply enjoying each other's company, was so very lovely.  One of favorite little adventures in our 16+ year love story.  Hoping for another great year to come of adventure and memory-making!

Wallowa Lake

For our annual family summer vacation this year, we went camping at Wallowa Lake.  It might have been a little nutty to drive across the state with a baby, but he was surprisingly patient and well mannered.  9 hours in each direction!  Big Brother Henry did amazingly well too (every penny spent on our portable DVD was well worth it).

Baby Russ and Nana O getting ready for the first trip out on the lake and Russ' first trip out on the boat ever.  He was not a fan of his life jacket, but he humored Mama and wore it just long enough for one trip out on the boat. 

 Henry was promoted to co-captain.

 Henry was thrilled when the first fish of the trip was caught.  That smile never gets old!

 First trip out on my new kayak.  Best birthday present ever (from my favorite man ever!).

 Love my fishing partners.

 Henry reeled in his first very own fish!

 All the toys and dirt in the world to play with, but he preferred his brother's shoe.

 Cheesy smiles!

 The view here is breathtaking from my kayak.  So much fun!

A rare family photo with all four of us.  A bit dark, but I will take it!  We took the tram to the top of Mt. Howard.  Henry was such a trooper, walking around for nearly two hours without a complaint. 

 Russ liked the tram, but mostly he liked cuddling up to Daddy.

We went into the town of Joseph one afternoon and Henry found a tiny little shop with his FAVORITE toys...Legos!  Nothing makes him happier than a new Lego.

 Russ discovered the swing at the playground.  He LOVES to swing!

Looks like we have two water babies.  Russ loves the water just like Henry.  He sat there for nearly thirty minutes straight just splashing with his stick.

Summer Portraits

 I may be partial, but I think these boys are gosh darn cute!

Fourth of July Celebration

A rare treat of shirtless weather for the Fourth of July at the beach.

 In Orange is the New Black fashion, Saundra was crowned (tampons and all!).

 Girlfriends, for life!

 FRIENDS!!!

 Uncle Mike and Aunt Sondi joined the barbeque festivities.

 Chuck and Saundra. We love them like family!

 Hugo and Grandma Saundra.

Bros just chillin'.

 First fireworks.  Their expressions were priceless!

 Party poppers!

Sunglasses are so fun to play with (and break!). Grandpa Keith is daring to permit Russ to manhandle his shades.

First Birthday Party

On June 28th, we celebrated Russell's first birthday with family.  Mommy made a special three-tiered baby cake, just for the occasion!

 New toys!  The packaging is just as fun as the toys inside.  Russ likes crinkly sounds.

 Russ had a great time playing ball with his cousin Stella.

CAKE!!! Yum!  He was a bit tentative at first, but one he felt the cake squish through his fingers, he was all in!  Playing with your food never gets old.

Sweet baby boy LOVES his Grandma Sherry.

Summer is here!

Crawling, crawling, crawling.  This Baby Man keep me on my toes as I have to chase after him now. He's speedy and nothing but trouble!

Are those socks on his hands and tinker toys?  Perhaps, but according to Henry they are his ninja armor along with a sword for protection. 

Sweet baby boy.  He's fiercely independent, but I steal as many love squishes as I possibly can from him.

This smile melts my heart, E.V.E.R.Y. time!

10 Months

 Baby Man takes selfies just as well as his big brother...fuzzy, but CUTE!

He has all the toys in the world, but a piece of string still brings so much delight.

 He is a serious mess maker!

 

Russ loves being outside.  The fresh air does us all good!  

By way of other developments, Russ is a crawling machine now.  He is into EVERYTHING.  You can't turn around for a second without fearing another drawer being emptied or box toppling over.  He also loves to walk with assistance, holding a finger in each hand.  He enjoys banging things against hard surfaces, the louder the noise, the better.  Russ prefers chunks of food over purees, and we haven't found anything he won't eat yet.   He still just has four teeth, but I suspect more are on the way because the drool factor has significantly increased in recent days.  Russ is still enamored with his big brother, trying to mimic him and wants to play with Henry's toys rather than his own (which Henry doesn't always appreciate). He is also very opinionated (squawking until he gets his way) and prefers to be the center of attention...at all times.  He's not a particularly cuddly baby, but would rather just be in close proximity or on the move.  He sleeps best alone, in his crib, and is early to wake (usually during the 5am hour). All in all, he's developing into a fun-loving, energetic little boy.  Can't wait to see what the future holds for us!