Camping in Shasta!

This past weekend we met some friends from the bay area in the Lake Shasta area - Andrea, Randy and their son Cody (who is one day older than Eli - born in the same hospital!) . We camped at Castle Crags State Park, did some short hikes and played in a nearby creak to escape the heat! In the evenings we torched the fire to keep all the mosquitoes at bay...Eli and I were eaten alive!! He looks like he has measles, he got so many bites - and I just look like an animal scratching flees!!! Here are some pictures:

Camping on the Metolius

At the end of July Grandma Robin, Grandpa Terry and Aunt Sarah came to visit for 10 days! We spent the first weekend doing projects around the house (one medium job became a BIG job - the deck!) and then we headed out to explore some of Bend. One day we took a drive to the Prineville Reservoir and Smith Rock. Then we headed out to the Metolius River, just west of Sisters, at the base of Black Butte. Here are some pictures from our camping trip - a few captions to describe some of the pictures.

Camping with the Grasses in Newport!

During the second weekend of July we met Carol, Gene, Paul, Anna, Caleb, Andy and Jakey in Newport to camp and play at the beach. Oh my goodness!!!...did Eli LOVE his cousins, or what?! It is so exciting for us to be closer to everyone and to be able to do special adventures like this more often. AND...this was the first time I had been to the Oregon coast and had fabulous, sunny weather the entire time! :-)

Fourth of July!

This year was the first year Eli could actually enjoy (somewhat) the fireworks. I made Mike go buy a handful of fireworks to set off in our friends' cul de sac. The reviews, from Eli, were a little mixed...Wyatt, on the other hand loved every moment!!

Results from the first round:

And finally, he got excited!

After the boys went to bed we hung out in their backyard and watched the city fireworks show. They live in a perfect spot for viewing, at the base of Pilot Butte! And, I think this was only the second fireworks show Mike and I have seen together (the first was in Hawaii on our honeymoon!).

A 30-year mortgage!

What better an anniversary present, than to move into your first home?!

We found a beautiful lot in a quiet neighborhood on the northwest side of Bend. It's flat, has lots of trees, space for a garden, and lots of room for Eli to roam! It is an odd feeling knowing that it is ours, but also so exciting to feel settled and ready to be in one spot for the years to come!

Here are some photos - and yes, since we've been so busy this summer, we still have lots of boxes to unpack and "stuff" to organize!! Thanks to Carol and Gene for coming on the first weekend to help us unpack the kitchen, baby-proof the banisters and settle in! And then to my parents for coming at the end of July to help with "more" settling in!!!

Yosemite in June!

Before we left Berkeley we made plans with Eli's buddies to go camping in Yosemite. With all the late storms we ended up not being able to camp, but rather rented a cabin with 3 other families and took day-trips into the Valley. The weather and the waterfalls were gorgeous! Here is a slideshow of some of our adventures!

It's somebody's birthday!!

Eli was very excited to get both of his grandparents and his Aunt Sarah for his 1st birthday. And fortunately, in our first months in Bend, we were able to meet one really cool mom and baby so he could invite a buddy too!!

This is my first cake ever attempted to be something other than a rectangle or circle! Eli has a favorite toy dump truck that was the inspiration. He loves to push it around and be pushed around in it!!

And we used lots of blue dye!! His lips, cheeks, hands and shirt were stained for the rest of the evening!!! Afterwards we had a present marathon...and fortunately, three months later, he still plays with everything!!

Walking!!!

Laser Fun!

Teasing Surgi

Angel Island

Ever since Mike accepted his new job in Bend we have been scrambling to do all the Bay Area adventures we have been postponing! Our bucket list includes a lot of food related excursions. But at the very top of our list was visiting Angel Island. The history of the island is very diverse: from an Indian hunting and fishing ground to a cattle ranch to a US Army outpost to an entry port for immigrants to a holding area for POWs during WWII...! Now it is a State Park.

We strolled the 5 mile road around the island, capturing 360-degree views of the bay. We arrived in the fog, but in a matter of minutes the sun was shining and the fog was retreating through the Golden Gate Bridge. An absolutely gorgeous day!! Here are some pictures:

Water fun!

What can I say...Eli LOVES water!

Glorious weather!

We have had some beautiful weather lately. Eli and I have been hanging out a lot in the backyard - here are some random shots from a couple of days when I remembered the camera!!

Tahoe

At the end of January we rented a house in Tahoe with three other families with boys about the same age as Eli. We had a great time relaxing in the cabin, eating delicious meals, snow shoeing and playing in the snow. The night before we left we even got about 4 inches of snow!! What a wonderful thing to wake up to!!! Here are some photos:

Christmas #2 & 3

After we got back from Argentina Eli had two more gifts arrive in the mail. The first was from Grandma Carol and Grandpa Gene...he LOVES his new table!! He very quickly learned that it wasn't just to stand at...

Then, about a week later Eli received another package in the mail!! His first Christmas ornament from Grandma Carol...and his first dog! Hopefully soon he'll have a real one :-) And his only gift that was actually wrapped in Christmas paper, from Paul, Anna, Caleb, Andy and Jakey. If it wasn't so annoying, I would have included the series of pictures of him opening his gift - each tear proceeded by eating the paper!

Eli has a lot of fun with his new bath toys. He carries the alligator around with him outside of the tub and Michael enjoys squirting him with the fish and octopus inside the tub. Always lots of laughs at bath-time!!!

Progressing towards crawling!

It got way too busy right before we left for Argentina to post Eli's inch worm and 1/2 inch 1/2 crawl maneuvering...so here is the full progression!

In the beginning it was so hard to even move forward...



Then, I figured out how to inch!



And then I sort of figured out how to make the arms work with the knees - but only sometimes!



But then, I pretty much got it!



And after we got back from Argentina I was a pro...I could even crawl in fleece pants on the hardwood floors!! Grandma and Grandpa call me, "The Salamander" because I lift my arms so high. Mom thinks it's funny how I slap the ground so hard.

Playtime

Just hangin' out in the living room...

Giggles and more giggles!!!

It is so much fun listening to Eli giggle!! Some might think I torment the little guy...but it's all for a good laugh! :-)

What's Eli up to?

Here are some random videos of our days together! Now that he's crawling he is busier than ever and exploring everything. A few things remain...he LOVES his cat, he loves eating dirt and he LOVES bath time!

Poor kid, trying to figure out his sippy cup...



The indecision...do I stop the mess before it happens, or take a video of him making the mess!!



And...bath time! He LOVES to splash...but he is easily distracted by mom with the video camera!

First Playground!

Now that Eli is so mobile I take every chance I get to go to the park! I was so surprised with how well he did going up and down the stairs of the jungle gym...we don't have stairs in the house for him to practice - but he just went straight at it and didn't even tumble!!

I wish I had a video of this well-mannered little girl we met - she taught me how I should teach Eli how to play well with others. It went like this: The little girl was playing with a school bus, she left it at the bottom of the slide and proceeded to run up the jungle gym to slide down. Eli noticed the bus and crawled over and started playing with it. The girl arrives at the bottom of the slide, looks at Eli, then looks at the bus and says, "I was playing with that!" in a very calm voice. Of course, Eli didn't even notice her, he was far more into the bus. So she runs off and comes back with a fire truck...and she left with her bus!

Bay Area Discovery Museum

My mamas group ventured to Sausalito, on the north side of the Golden Gate Bridge, to the Bay Area Discovery Museum. They have an entire building devoted to crawlers!! So Eli and his buddies had a great time!

One room explored the life of a frog - the babies could climb on ponds with lily pads (water beds) and crawl through a waterfall (a plexiglass tunnel with water splashing around it).

Another room had more of a tundra theme with vinyl padded hills for the babies to crawl up, stuffed animals and costumes.

I tried to dress Eli up as a skunk, but he wasn't a fan!

They had a shape sorting table...but Eli was more interested in the underside and pulling the blocks through.

New shoes!

Eli got his first pair of new shoes. His favorite thing to do is chew on them...



and when he's in the stroller he kicks away!

Argentina!

About a year and a half ago my dad and I got excited about a hike in Patagonia. It was a pipe dream then, but finally I decided that if we didn't go soon it would be too difficult. Fortunately the summer season corresponded with Eli being at just about the perfect age (7-8 months)...just old enough to be interactive and engaged and LOVE the outdoors, but also not quite mobile enough to manage being carried for a few hours at a time.

It took 35 hours to get to our cabin in El Chalten, Patagonia. The following day we began our trek for 4-days. After the trek we spent 6-days in El Chalten staying in a cabin and doing daily excursions to explore the glaciers and the other trails in the area. We then transferred to El Calafate to see the Perito Moreno glacier and finally to Buenos Aires for a week.

Here is a slide show with some captions of our entire trip!

Eli's 1st Early Christmas!

Since we were leaving for Argentina at the beginning of December we decided not to decorate. So sad! for Eli's first Christmas!!! So, to get in the spirit, some mama friends and I went to the local shopping mall and took pictures next to the big holiday tree!

Aunty Peggy, Uncle Paul and Cousin Z sent Eli his Christmas presents early, so Mike and I decided to give him our present at the same time! Eli tends to distract pretty easily...so that's why he's in his high chair for present opening!!!