Friday, August 31, 2012

Anniversary Hike

Two weeks ago we celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary!  The new baby prevented a really big celebration trip, but we did have Oma and Grandpa to babysit while we went for a lovely hike for the day.  We went to hike the lower Palisades, which is only an hour away from our house.  It was splendid scenery, peaceful, quiet, and the weather was enjoyable to boot (although the regional wildfires did make it a little hazy).  Just the sound of rushing water and the wind in the trees...  Our little escape.  :)

The only downside?  It was a 4-mile hike... one way uphill, making it an 8-mile round-trip trek!  A little tiring for a first hike after baby.  Anyway, I just wanted to share some of the sights: a beautiful creek rushing down a canyon from a secluded little lake.  Enjoy!

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Mini-family Portrait

Well, almost...  Daddy was at work.  But, a fellow mom is trying to get back in the photography groove and took some shots of us at a local park.  Here's the result.  (Owen is all about CHEESE! for photos unless I'm paying for them, I guess.)




Monday, August 27, 2012

Visit Over

It was sad to see Oma and Grandpa head back to Ohio.  We definitely enjoyed their company and help entertaining Owen, comforting Hadley, preparing food, and going to the grocery store!  The Mr. and I tried to take advantage of the help at home with a hike on our anniversary (pics to come later), dinners out, and sleeping in as much as we could.  Thanks Oma and Grandpa!  

Here's a look back at the last week of their visit.

We're glad they got to take a few days off to go see Yellowstone.  Here's how Owen spent their time away.  (Just kidding!  We went to Bear World, per the previous post, on one of those days.)

We did have some record high temperatures, so Owen had fun with Oma and water in the backyard.  This is not what I envisioned when I got him the water table, but I'm glad he's enjoying it!  :)

More fun with sidewalk chalk.  One of these days, we hope that Owen will actually draw with the chalk himself!

Grandpa relaxing with Hadley one of the few times she didn't require constant motion to be calm.  (She really likes bouncing, swinging, rocking, swaying, jostling, etc.)

On a side note, Miss Hadley has plumped up quite nicely.  We had to say good-bye to the newborn clothes and move on to the 0-3 month sizes.  She has so many cute summer outfits; I hope she gets to wear them all before it gets too cold!  She's also sleeping 5-7 hours at night for the past week, so Mommy's feeling pretty good these days!  :)


The day before they left, we went to Rigby Lake, which has a sandy beach.  Owen was all about the water, splashing and running and giggling.  Carson (beige hat below) was all about the sand, and they did not really compromise to play together, except maybe on the playground.  Owen didn't seem to mind that the water was chilly at all!  We could have stayed there all day.

Obligatory group pose before departure.  Owen kept saying "cheese!" so I kept snapping pictures.  It's hard to get 4 people to make one good picture, so here are the best two.  Thanks again Oma and Grandpa!  You are welcome back anytime!

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Yellowstone Bear World Revisited

In an effort to make shorter posts, this one will only cover our recent visit to Yellowstone Bear World.  Actually, Owen went twice in two weeks, but he definitely got more out of it this year than he did last year.  Mostly because he can ride the rides now without my help!  He's on the far right in this berry drop ride, and screamed during every drop.  (Carson's on the far left - they wanted to ride together but forgot to sit near each other!)

He could have ridden this car ride all morning, I think.  Especially when riding with his friends (Carson up top and in the video, Sebastian in the second picture).

Just like last year, his favorite ride was the tiny train, and he still did not like the roller coaster.

We did see the animals on the drive through the park, but I won't repost pictures since they haven't really changed since last year.  However, the bear cubs are worth a post!  I can see why they make teddy bears so cute and cuddly.

Just a little bit shorter than a grizzly bear...

And the petting zoo was worth a stroll.  He was more interested in the animals this time and less in the water and rocks, at least.  He was particularly into following the chickens, pot-bellied pig, and deer.

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Mid-visit

I feel like I'm getting behind on my posts!  So many pictures and not enough time to review/edit/post them.  Here are some random moments from Week 2 of Oma and Grandpa's visit.

Grandpa is holding Hadley and dragging Owen around the living room.  Not sure how this happened!

Hadley has started to make faces and smile when she feels like it.  At least, I think it's more than just gas...

Family story time

So long, crib!  Owen "helped" disassemble and reassemble it.

No visit is complete without a trip to the zoo.  I like how Owen knows to go get the brush for the goats.

Grandpa getting in on the nightly routine

 Chip off the ol' block: he likes the comics with his cereal.

Playing in the water with Oma

Our little card shark!