River Ramblings

Meadow's graduation

2011-05-25T15:30:00.000-07:00

Meadow had her last day of preschool for the year and had a little graduation ceremony in the evening. The kids worked so hard at practicing the songs and they all were really into it. Meadow went to preschool twice a week this year and always looked forward to going every day. She made a lot of great friends and we will be seeing many of them over the summer and will be attending the three day a week class next year. Her fine motor skills have grown so much. She can trace, color, and use scissors like a pro. And of course learned a lot about letters and numbers.

She has also learned so many valuable social and friendship skills, including keeping sticky fingers to yourself, and saying sorry even if it was an accident. I love this one too, do not touch other kids snacks as you are passing them out, and that includes licking. When I was volunteering one day I spotted one of Meadow's classmates licking each cup of applesauce as he was putting it on the table. Meadow's teacher handled this one with the grace of a preschool teacher. Luckily, no one had started eating yet. I wish I had been a better blogger this year because there has been so many fun moments and experiences at preschool. But, one of the mom's in the older class did an amazing job of putting together a yearbook so all of their field trips and fun events are documented in the book.

Here are some fun pictures of the graduation.....Starting to line up for the graduation show.
Some great dance moves

I was really impressed with how all the kids participated. They were definitely even more animated from the holiday show.

Meadow receiving her diploma and flower

Her teacher Ms. Kristen

Getting to sit with the parents

We went out to dinner at the local brewery after the show. The kids did great!

Ghanny and B Pom!

It is so hard to believe this school year is already over. I am so blessed to have such a talented and smart little girl in my life. She is turning 4 on Sunday.

Little Noise Makers

2010-11-01T10:43:00.000-07:00

IT has been tooo long

2010-10-16T15:39:00.001-07:00

Now that the Portland Marathon is over, I am hoping to be able to do a little better job of sharing things on the blog. I do really love it as a vehicle to share things with family and friends. It feels a little more personal than facebook. Although, facebook is a quick way to get information out. We have been having fun doing various things this fall. Thankfully, we have had a pretty nice fall with only a few bouts of rain. Unfortunately, the rain was pretty previlant when my parents were here and during the marathon. But, as an Oregonian I just grin and run through the puddles. Both the kids are doing great. Beckett is walking about 9 or 10 steps in a row, but still likes to crawl most of the time. He is a very speedy little guy. Meadow is loving preschool and seems so much more mature these days. Here are just a few pics from recent weeks.

Beckett loves to pull all the books off the shelf. After letting him do this a few times, we have since encouraged him to do other activities that are a little less messy. I love his his cheesy smile for the camera. He did crawl up there all on his own with supervision.
This was a messy spaghetti dinner

Posing in one of her preschool outfits

Beckett chatting

2010-06-21T21:36:00.000-07:00

Beckett Crawling and Meadow singing

2010-06-21T21:25:00.000-07:00

A little background on the video of Meadow. We have been setting up this stage with my yoga mat and taking turns with performances. Even Todd has sung on the stage. Would love to post that one. But, don't know if he will let me yet. I love the bowing at the end. The movie of Beckett was taken last weekend so he has become even faster.

Meadow turns 3 and Beckett is 9 months old

2010-06-20T22:01:00.000-07:00

Life has been very busy at the Van Hee household. I just can't believe how time has been flying by. Meadow had an awesome third year birthday party and has been thoroughly enjoying all her gifts. She has been especially busy riding her new bike. Beckett just turned nine months old this past week. He is loving crawling everywhere and getting into everything. Even though he still does not have any teeth yet, he is eating any small mushy food he can get his hands on. He has been one of the easiest babies to feed. He pretty much likes anything you give him in any form. He is already enjoying drinking out of a sippy cup. He is still breastfeeding, but we will see how long he continues, because for some reason he just loves drinking out of a cup, or water bottle, or bottle. I will be sad to see this phase go, so I am hoping he will hang on for a little longer. But, it has been nice knowing that he will still eat even when I am away from him. He is such a happy smiley little guy.
I have been busy being a mom as well as starting to train for the Portland Marathon, which is in October. Todd has been doing his usual fun activities when he gets the chance, kayaking and mt. biking. Just wanted to do a quick recap, just in case I don't get a chance to post again any time soon. The kids and I are headed to California next week to see some friends and family. Should be a fun trip and hopefully, I will survive the airport part with the two kids by myself.

Here are a few fun pictures taken recently.
This is Meadow with the monkey she made at Build a Bear -we got a gc from the Wubbena crew for Meadow's birthday.
Meadow actually took this picture of me. I just had to post it because she did such a great job.

Beckett on his nine month birthday

Meadow playing dress up with all of her new fairy wings and tutus

Doing some pretend flying in the rosetta tinkerbell outfit from Grandma and Grandpa Dubach

Another 9 month photo

Hopefully, I can post some more pics soon and some video of Beckett crawling.

Cute Videos

2010-05-17T08:06:00.000-07:00

Early Birthday Presents

2010-05-17T07:55:00.000-07:00

Todd took this picture of Meadow the other day while I was out on a shopping trip with Beckett. Some beavers have been using some of our trees by the river for chewing practice. This one fell during a hail storm last week. B

Beckett and I had a fun time doing some shopping for Meadow's birthday. I just couldn't wait to give her some of her gifts. We are heading to San Diego this week so I wanted her to be able to wear some of these cute new things. And Meadow really isn't at the point where clothes are all that exciting to her. It will be interesting to see if that changes over the years.

I love this look!

I could not leave this in the store. Meadow loves giraffes and there is a shirt to match.

I had ordered this from gymboree.

Just hanging out on the deck on a beautiful day. We had some crazy weather in the beginning of May. But, this past week has been amazing.

Mother's Day!

2010-05-17T07:46:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, Rita and Steve invited the Wubbs and ourselves over for a bbq. As always Rita put together a delicious feast and Tonia and I brought along some sidedishes. Next year, we will have to come up with a plan where the Mom's don't cook. Todd did have to work so we didn't get to hang out with him for most of the day. But, it was a pretty nice day here so Meadow and I got some gardening done while Beckett was napping. It was a pretty low key day. Here are some pics from our fun evening at Todd's parents.

Xavier and Meadow love each other. They always have a great time together. Tonia took some great one's of Hope and Meadow. wish I had time to post those.

The Mom's.

Beckett performing his balancing act with Tyler. He was doing great until we started clapping and surprised him. Poor guy.

Meadow Skiing in May!

2010-05-17T07:37:00.000-07:00

We took advantage of the big snowpack on the mountain to go skiing with Meadow again last weekend. We also decided to have Beckett go to daycare so that we could spend some one on one time just with her. It was a fun afternoon and a beautiful day on the mountain.

Heading to the slopes
She opted for the sunglasses over the goggles.

Doing a great job skiing out in front of daddy. I was practicing my little hops on my snowboard so Meadow started to do it on her skis too.

Having lunch in the camper

Run Girlfriend Run!

2010-05-16T13:30:00.000-07:00

This morning I just completed my first 5k race since having my children. The race was called Run Girlfriend Run and it was a fundraiser for the American Heart Association. It was a female only race, which was kind of fun to be able to run just with women. No offense to men, but it was nice having our supportive husbands, fathers and friends on the sidelines cheering us on. My friend Liz ran with me who is one of my best gal pals up on the mountain and actually lives in our neighborhood now down the street. The course was really fun and wound through nature trails and by the local high school. There was a lot of up and down, but I definitely did not get bored.

I ran a little bit faster of a pace than I thought I would, so i was pretty proud of myself. I finished in 23rd place out of 123. I guess I have set myself a new standard to work towards. So, I am hoping to run a 10k at the end of June. I am on a little bit of a high today because it was definitely an adrenalin rush being able to catch up to people and pass them and see my family cheering me on at different points. Todd did a great job getting to the race with both kids and finding places to cheer. Thanks so much Todd, love you!!!!

This picture kind of cracks me up because the women I am running next to are pretty tall.
Nearing the finsh and I still have energy.

The tired but happy 5k finishers!!

Meadow helping me eat the snacks at the end. She did some running herself to get to all the cheering spots.

Special Outings

2010-05-06T08:08:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we had a chance to go to Sesame Street Live with the family. Both kids had a great time. Beckett kept us both busy with jumping on our laps and needing to do everything that babies do during the show. Meadow was very into the show and would take a break here and there from watching intently to put a few pieces of popcorn in her mouth. She didn't want to miss a thing.

Meadow chose to get an elmo balloon for her souvenier. She is showing off her balancing skills in this picture too.

Just yesterday we met up with our friend's, Jen, Maddie and James at OMSI. Maddie and Meadow had a great time at all the exhibits. It if fun how they can enjoy some of the bigger kid exhibits now too. They are growing up so fast.

Checking out one of the first space capsules.

Getting ready to take off!

The boys hanging out while the sisters play. Beckett also got to play in the discovery gym area. They have a wonderful baby area with lots of interactive toys. Meadow did a great job playing gently in this area so her brother could have some play time too.

James is four months younger, but has definitely caught up in size to Beckett.

We have had a busy past week. But, it has been fun to get out and enjoy some activities.

Crazy Weather in May

2010-05-06T07:54:00.001-07:00

Well, it has been an interesting past week for weather around here. We have had a lot of rain, which makes sense for May in Oregon. But, we have also had hail on several days and then to top it off yesterday morning we woke up to a couple of inches of snow. We have had some sun intermixed with all this too. Meadow has had fun playing in the various precipitation. In between hail episodes she went out on our deck and filled a bowl with the little hail stones and she got to play in the snow for a bit on our deck before it melted. Beckett was very curious about all the noise the hail was making.

Here is the snow on our deck on Cinco de Mayo

My lovely garden I had just planted a few days ago. Luckily, I planted all cold weather plants and I think they are hanging in there because the plants didn't look totally dead last night.

Just taking it easy in the rocking chair

2010-04-26T21:10:00.000-07:00

Tonight as we started to get jammies on the kids out in the living room I just decided to put Beckett in the kid's rocking chair. He of course is so photogenic, I just had to get a bunch of photos with the chair. We got the kids this chair for Christmas. A local artist makes them and we just couldn't pass it up. It is also so well made that our grandchildren will most likely sit in it as well.

They were being so cute together and Meadow was even letting Beckett grab her hair. He is starting to pull himself on to things including his sister.

Beckett is 7 months old!

2010-04-21T08:49:00.001-07:00

I just can't believe Beckett is already 7 months old. He is growing up so fast and he has such a growing fun personality. I think in honor of his seven month birthday this week he slept seven hours in a row, which is a major sleep milestone for him. He also keeps trying and liking many new foods. His most recent is yogurt, pureed mango and asparagus. He really will eat almost anything I give to him. He has also mastered the pincer grasp so he can now pick up and eat puffs. Still waiting on some teeth to come in before we try the cheerios. He is definitely becoming more mobile and will often end up on his belly from a sitting position. He has almost rolled over from his back to front, with everything over but his head. But, I don't think he has wanted anything so badly to make the full effort. He is such a happy, giggly guy. I just feel so blessed to have him. Due to the little guy just growing up way too fast I felt the need to take some naked baby photos before he turns into a little man. There is just something so cute about a naked baby bottom.

Meadow showing Beckett how to crawl

Easter Festivities

2010-04-08T22:12:00.001-07:00

We had a good time celebrating Easter and the beginning of spring by doing a few different activities with friends and family. Our weekend started out by Todd and I skiing and snowboarding in a foot of fresh powder on the mountain on Friday. Even though we were celebrating the beginning of spring, it really has felt more like winter this past week. We had a good time though despite the frigid conditions.
On Saturday, Meadow got to meet the Easter bunny at the Resort at the Mountain. They had their own egg hunt, which we barely missed. But, the Easter bunny was still giving away a lot of fun toys, so we didn't miss too much anyway. And as you can see in the later pictures, Meadow had no shortage of candy on this holiday.
Here we are dying eggs later that day.

She was very focused this year and worked hard to decorate the eggs to their fullest. Some were stamped, others had stickers and some were multicolored.

Liz and JD came over later and made some scrumptious lasagna for us. Meadow just loves when they come over and we do to, especially when they bring us, sleep deprived parents, food.

Here is Beckett practicing his balance skills.

The morning of Easter. We started a tradition of the bunny leaving a few of his favorite foods behind. Meadow loves carrots too and of course chocolate.

She also got some dress up accessories in her basket, including clickity clack shoes.

This is Beckett's basket. I know I could have done better with the presentation. But, again being a sleep deprived parent this just had to do for this year. It includes all the solid foods he now eats. Well, pureed of course.

I love this look. He is like, what the??????? Where are my treats? Soon enough buddy. Don't grow up too fast on me.

We were invited to an Easter Egg hunt over at our friends Mikell and Keith's house this year. It is going to have to be an annual event. A side note here, Mikell and Keith are avid Syracuse fans like myself. Keith is also from Central NY. Kind of a coincidence that we both moved to this area.

My two handsome men!

Beckett's partner in crime. These two are so cute together and both just want to grab anything in their reach. Caleb is a few months older so he likes to scoot around to get to things. I can't wait to see when both of these guys are crawling and walking.

Meadow and Bailey practicing their backstroke for swimming class.

After the egg hunt we headed over to Persimmons for their Easter brunch with Todd's parents. There was an amazing spread of food and it was fun to catch up with the family.

Rita and Steve got Meadow an early birthday present of a fully accessorized pink and orange outfit with ice cream cones on it. It is going to be a fun outfit to break out for the trip down to San Diego in May. We may actually need the sun hat down there and hopefully will need it in Oregon soon. Here is the hat and there is a tank top and capris to match.

The Family

I also had some nice conversations with most of everyone on my side of the family as well. It was nice to be able to connect with everyone on the east coast. I am not sure what else we could have done to make the weekend more of a success. But, maybe next year we will have some warmer weather. Here is the parting shot for this blog post. I tried to put in a lot, since I may not be able to post again for awhile.

Meadow pretending to be Percey Persimmon the golfer.

Beckett's six month photo shoot

2010-04-08T21:50:00.000-07:00

My good friend Heidi took these a few weeks ago. They turned out pretty good despite Beckett starting to get tired and hungry near the end. Meadow also joined in for a few of the pictures.

Beckett is an occasional thumb sucker and does it mainly when he is bored or to just look really cute. For those who don't know he is fascinated with his hands and will look at them like they are the coolest things ever.
Showing his strong muscles..

Meadow looks like such a big girl in this picture. Okay, she is still really petite. But, to me she is getting so big.

This was when Beckett was getting his tired eyes.

New Outfit Showcase

2010-03-31T08:42:00.000-07:00

I never knew that it would be just as fun to dress a boy as it is to dress a little girl. Thanks to many hand me downs I haven't had to buy many things for Beckett. But, he didn't have many lighter pants for spring and summer and also needed some swim trunks so I got to go on a little shopping excursion the other day. Also, Thanks to Ghanny for making the shopping trip a success with the kids.

This surfer outfit is from Todd's parents. Meadow is always giving Beckett loves.
Rita also pitched in for this cute ensemble. He is already for some dips in the pool and for our trip to San Diego in May.

I couldn't pass up this outfit. The pants are awesome too because you can make them shorter for the warmer weather.

Meadow loves to make a cave out of Beckett's jungle gym. I gave her a flashlight and some books and she camped out in there for a good twenty minutes. After awhile she got a little bored and wanted Beckett to join in on the fun. He just was giggling and laughing. I am already starting to see how they are going to have fun playing together. On the way home yesterday, Meadow was making funny noises and making Beckett laugh and then she would laugh back at him.

St. Patty's Day!

2010-03-23T08:36:00.001-07:00

The kids had fun celebrating their 1/16th of Irish ancestory and I just joined in on the fun. I actually had a dentist appointment that day so Rita and Tonia helped watch the kids for me. Tonia and I did not coordinate the girls outfits at all. We just dress the girls to match Ghanny's house colors. These are just a few pictures that were taken that day.

Fun Videos

2010-03-22T09:02:00.000-07:00

Meadow's Second Trip to the Dentist

2010-03-22T08:54:00.001-07:00

Being cuties together For Meadow's second trip to the dentist she wanted to wear something special for the occasion. So, she actually let me put clips in her hair... and wear the new dress that Ghanny got her. This is a special twirly dress. Meadow had a great time making sure it twirled perfectly.

She looks like such a little girl in these pictures.

She did so great at the dentist, again! She sat perfectly and let the hygenist clean all of her teeth. She did so well that she got a prize at the end. You will never guess what she picked. A frog. I love her growing personality.

We had gone over to Ghanny's afterwards because she was so excited to show her the new dress on. Well, after such a long day you get pretty exhausted. This was her on the couch fast asleep in this wierd position.

Spring is in the air!!! Now let's Social

2010-03-22T08:09:00.000-07:00

On Thursdays we get together with some of the other local moms at our neighborhood association lodge. It is so nice to have a place to get together with other families and chat and have our kids play. A few of us had just arrived with our babies so I had to take this photo opportunity. My friend Jen's son James is on the left. He was around a month old in this picture. Beckett is in the middle, 5 1/2 months old when this was taken and my friend Mikell's son Caleb is on the right. He is nine months old.
I had brought my toddler yoga video so we got all the kids to participate. It was so cute to see them all doing the different poses. We will definitely have to do this activity again.

We have been having very beautiful spring weather here so a few weeks ago we got together with several friends over the weekend. One night we had Liz and JD over, the next day we went snowboarding and skiing with Sara and Randy and they spent the night and went on a nice hike the next day. They spend a few weekends at our house over the winter so that they can be closer to the mountain and so we can spend some quality time with them. They live in North Portland so it is a little harder to just get together for dinner occasionally. They are also our rafting friends. So, in the summer we try to go rafting and camping and in the winter we go snowboarding. Sara and I actually met playing field hockey with our Portland field hockey club. And then on the Saturday evening of this weekend we got together with other local friends Keith and Mikell for a bbq. It was a really fun and social weekend!

Here is a picture of Sara and Randy. This was taken near the trail head of the Upper Salmon River hike. This is definitely one of my favorite local hikes. The hike brings you along the Salmon river and takes you into the national forest.

On the way home from the hike, Sara was taking pictures of the kids. Here is documentation of Beckett's fascination with his hands. He will sometimes just look at them and move them around. It is so cute!

Here is Todd with Caleb and Beckett having some floor time.

Meadow had gotten a sliver in her foot so Mikell got her a foot bath set up and of course Bailey had to have one too. I love watching Bailey and Meadow play together. They have very similar energy so they are like two little giggle balls of energy.

We didn't get any pictures of the adults but we had a good time playing Sequence after the boys fell asleep and the girls were entertained by a movie.

I love this picture of Beckett because he looks so proud of himself. I think his looks just says I am getting so big, yup I am sitting in my high chair and eating solid foods. If I was great with computers I would make that little bubble for words next to his mouth. I think he would also say I love solid foods, but I still really love mommy's milk.

Beckett is 6 months old!

2010-03-22T07:57:00.000-07:00

Haven't had a lot of time to blog lately. Hmmm wonder what I could be doing all my spare time??? Well, I guess that is the problem there just isn't a lot of spare time. As i write this Beckett is trying to take down the computer and put the whole thing in his mouth. So, very quickly..... Beckett had his six month check up last week and he is growing great. He is growing along the 10th percentile. He is a very compact little guy. He weighed 14 pounds 12 ounces and was 25 inches long. He is a very social little guy and loves to laugh and smile. He is starting to be quite the chatter box, making different sounds. He can pretty much sit up all on is own. You definitely still have to have pillows around him just in case he falls over. He is really enjoying solid foods and is now eating oatmeal cereal, sweet potatoes, avacado, banana, and squash. I just cannot believe how fast time is flying by. Meadow continues to enjoy being a big sister and pretty much loves to do whatever Beckett is doing.

I call this picture the "little studmuffin"

Some cuties from the past few weeks

2010-03-04T07:48:00.000-08:00

Beckett has been enjoying playing with his toes lately and is almost sitting up on his own. He still looks kind of like a weeble wobble. I love this stage!

This is Meadow at gymnatics class. She absolutely loves it. As you can tell in these pictures!!! She especially loves the jumping parts of the class.

She can do the small balance beam all by herself. She just needs a few reminders to slow down and then she can do it.

We also did some gardening the other day in the beautiful weather. Meadow had such a blast digging in our empty garden.

We did a hike on the upper salmon a few weeks ago. As you can tell we have had very little snow in the lower elevations this year. Last year this hike was buried in snow till June I think. Meadow has been enjoying riding in the backpack again, which makes a good work out for daddy and we can hike a little bit farther these days. I am also excited that Beckett has graduated to the ergo carrier. This was the last hike with the bjorn. The ergo is just so much more comfortable.

Rocking the shades

Our little girl is growing up

2010-02-19T21:07:00.000-08:00

I just had to share with the world that our daughter went a whole day going on the potty and had no accidents. She has had interest in going on the potty on and off since she was around 2. But, didn't really seem to want to give up diapers until a few weeks ago. We really let her take the lead with this process with a few incentives of course. We were home a lot this past month due to being sick so she had a lot of practice. It is such an amazing thing as a parent seeing your child accomplish these milestones. Seeing her get the hang of riding her tricycle a few months ago was also definitely a highlight. Just had to share the good news.

Beckett turns five months old tomorrow!

2010-02-16T15:51:00.000-08:00

Just had to share some of the recent cute photos of Beckett and some of his new accomplishments. He weighed 13 pounds 3 ounces when we had to take him to the doctor's last week. He just seems to be growing a lot these days and filling out his clothes.

One of his famous smiles. He loves to laugh and smile.

Here he is playing in the exersaucer.

And here he is eating. He just loves rice cereal. Who knew it was that good?? We will probably be trying some new foods in a few weeks.

He loves to grab his feet now. He has very long toes, so I will not be surprised if he doesn't start picking up things with them.

Sickness attacks Van Hee household

2010-02-16T14:49:00.001-08:00

The past few weeks have been a little rough in our household. I got a bad case of strep throat and a cold and just felt awful for a good solid week. Todd stayed home for one of the days so I could get some rest. Luckily, the kids and Todd did not get the cold or sore throat part. This past weekend I was really starting to feel better and we even took a quick trip to the zoo so we could get out and walk around. Unfortunately, on Sunday evening Meadow woke up and got sick with the stomach flu. She is doing a little better today. We have a vacation planned for next week so I am hoping we will all be 100% by next week so we can have some good family time together. February has definitely been a tough month, but in between all the sickness we had some funny moments.

This picture cracks me up now. At urgent care they gave me some masks so I could try not to spread the strep infection. Meadow thought the masks were pretty cool.

Todd had some good one on one time with Meadow while I was sick. This was one of their projects they did together besides taking many walks and throwing sticks along the river.

Meadow trying to hold on to her squiggly little brother. They really do have a special bond already. Beckett just laughs when Meadow looks at him. He is getting a little harder to hold on to because he is already half her size. He is certainly not a big baby, but he is a compact solid little guy.

You can see his precious dimple in this pic.

A few pictures when we went to the zoo.

Fun day on the mountain

2010-02-06T15:12:00.000-08:00

A few weeks back we headed up the mountain as a family. It was a beautiful day with the snow lightly falling. Meadow skied by herself for the first time out in front of Todd. We were able to borrow a special harness and a strap that goes on her skiis to keep them from splaying out. She had a great time. After a lunch we went on a nice snowshoe hike so Todd and I could get some good exercise.

Hanging out in the lodge

Snowshoeing with our awesome Charriot.

They both had a nice nap in their little caccoon.

Time is flying by

2010-02-06T14:44:00.000-08:00

Life has been very busy these past few months. Definitely, the addition of Beckett has added so much joy to our lives as well encouraging us to relax a bit more and take it one day at a time. Meadow just seems to be growing leaps and bounds developmentally in the past few months. We have been going to story time regularly at our local library and she loves to sing songs and listen to the stories. We also participate in a community playgroup. She enjoys spending time with her little friends. We also just started gymnastics this past Monday and she seems to quite the natural. I was so proud of my little girl. She already was learning how to do moves on the big balance beam. I was also pretty jealous. It looked like so much fun jumping on the trampoline and learning how to do some of the basics of gymnastics. She had so much fun and we are both looking forward to next week.

Beckett is growing up so fast. He is definitely a little cuddle man. He has been rolling a fair amount from front to back. I think mainly because he really doesn't like tummy time. He is really grasping things now and can pretty much grab anything in his little radius. We also just recently started rice cereal with breast milk and he really loves it. Beckett loves his big sister and just lights up when he sees her. It is definitely cute to watch them interact. Todd and I have started a weekly date days again. Unfortunately, we have had to cancel a few due to me or the kids being sick. But, when we have had them it has been fun to head up to the mountain and enjoy our time together. I made a deal with myself that I had to do one more run each time I head to the mountain. So, by the end of the season hopefully I will be in great shape. That is pretty much the summary of what has been going on in our lives over the past month. Hope to update this more soon.

These are pictures from almost a month ago. We did a hike along the Salmon river, which is one of our local hikes that we enjoy with the kids.

These are pictures from when Meadow and I had fun doing her hair.

Meadow wanted to put as many hair things in her hair as she could.

Beckett's Laugh

2010-01-16T08:36:00.000-08:00

Beckett is 3 months old

2009-12-18T21:10:00.000-08:00

This is a picture of Beckett on our trip to Maryland this past weekend. I flew across the country just with Beckett so I could introduce him to his great grandmother and uncle and aunt. My parents came down as well. It was so fun for them to see how much he had grown in a month and a half. He has definitely turned into a little charmer and loves to smile and coo. We have had some great conversations. He is starting to grasp some objects and has pretty good head control. He even rolled from his front to back the other day. He still likes to spit up a fair amount, so we always have a burp rag handy and I am still doing tons of laundry. I can't believe he is three months old already.

Beckett is 2 months old!

2009-11-22T09:12:00.000-08:00

Beckett turned two months old during our recent mini vacation to the Great Wolf Lodge. He did great while his parents and sister enjoyed the water park. He is staying awake for longer periods of time and sharing beautiful smiles and small coos. He is not very chatty yet, but his sister probably talks a lot for him already. I love seeing Meadow talk to him. He has slept for six hours once in a night. Can't wait till it happens again. But, we have had several times where he sleeps for four hours in a row. It is amazing how much more rested I feel after one of those nights. He seems to be growing great despite taking after his father with being a "puky baby." We have an appointment this coming Tuesday so it will be nice to check in with the pediatrician and see how much he has grown. Happy 2 month birthday Beckett!

First Day @ Mt. Hood Meadows for the family

2009-11-22T09:04:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we went up to Meadows so that Meadow could try out skiing with real skiis. We had rented a pair to try out and since then Todd picked up a pair for her at the Sandy ski swap sale. She had a good time skiing with dad. I took pictures while carrying Beckett in the bjorn and then got to go take a run myself on my snowboard. It was good to know that I still had a lot of my snowboarding muscles intact after having a baby less than two months ago. Go Me! Todd got a nice day on the mountain the day before, so he didn't mind hanging with the kids. What a nice daddy.

Getting some nice smiles after a fun day!

Cute outfit showcase

2009-11-13T17:00:00.000-08:00

Here is Beckett at around 5 weeks. We just love hoodies in our family.
Meadow loves to snuggle with Beckett

Cute guitar outfit from Jerri, Mark and Zoe

Owl outfit at around 6 weeks.

My parents come to visit

2009-11-13T16:44:00.000-08:00

My parents came to visit from NY for ten days so they could see their new grandbaby. Meadow was calling them grandma and grandpa boobach. Made me laugh every time she said it. We did lots of fun things, including a trip on the Mt. Hood Railroad, seeing the snow on Mt. Hood, visiting a few pumpkin patches, and an unexpected trip to OMSI after my parents flight got cancelled and they got to stay another day. My dad also finished our bathroom in the garage while they were here. It was kind of a busy time, but we also had a fair amount of down time where the grandparents got to hold Beckett and have lots of playtime with Meadow.

Here we are at the Soup Spoon. One of my favorite lunch spots on the mountain.

We headed up to Government Camp after lunch and saw one of the first snowfalls on the mountain. Meadow was very excited and loved stomping around in the snow. We all were not quite prepared to be playing in the snow, but it was a good time anyway.

Dinner at the Rendevous!

Meadow being a cool cat in her sunglasses and hat.

Halloween

2009-11-10T08:29:00.000-08:00

We had a really fun Halloween. Our day started out going to a party at the Persimmon golf course where Todd's dad is a member. They had a lot of great activities for the little kids and we got to meet up with the Wubbena's and see their awesome costumes. Then later on in the evening I took Meadow out trick or treating.

Here is Meadow in her giraffe costume. It was hard to get her to smile during this party. I think she was a bit shy with all the people around. You will see the hood on later in the pics.
Ghanny holding Beckett aka the monkey. You can see the tail in this picture. It was such a cute outfit.

Hope and Xavier. Hope was a flower and Xavier was bumblebee from Transformers.

Waiting in line to show off her costume on stage. I just love the bat girl and wonderwoman costumes ahead of her.

Going on Stage. She did such a good job.

The whole group of kids at the party. I loved seeing all the different costumes.

Getting her face painted. She got a little giraffe on her cheek. It stayed on really good the whole day.

Beckett sound asleep in his monkey costume. He had so much fun at the party between eating and sleeping.

Trick or treating at Ghanny's car.

Meadow and Beckett in their Halloween shirts

Liz and JD came over to help with the Halloween festivities. JD helped hand out candy while Todd was on Beckett duty. They didn't really mind staying home because they watched the Oregon Ducks beat USC. A major accomplishment in the football world. Liz came along with Meadow and I as we went trick or treating. She did a great job knocking on doors and saying trick or treat. We just went down a few of our streets in the neighborhood. I figured once she was having a hard time carrying her pumpkin it was time to go home. It was so much fun watching her enjoy halloween. I really can't wait for next year.

JD handing out candy

Even though I didn't catch many smiles in her costume, she really did have a great time.

Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-18T10:18:00.000-07:00

We had a great time going to the Liepold Farms Pumpkin Patch this past Friday. They have a lot of great activities for kids. So, it was fun to see Meadow enjoying the little hay maze, corn pit, and mini horse merry go round. It was also nice because Todd and I could sit and watch and enjoy some yummy hot chocolate while she ran around.

Hanging with the pumpkins.

She loved this little ride. So perfect for her size.

Beckett slept in the bjorn the entire time. He loved the fall fresh air. It was actually in the low 70's.

Bring the pumpkins, squash and apples to the car

Making Apple Crisp that night. We have sice made two batches it was so amazing.

Random Moments

2009-10-18T10:06:00.001-07:00

We went on a hike last weekend to see the salmon spawning on the upper Salmon river trail. It was a beautiful fall day. Meadow is wearing her new fall/winter fleece jacket. We got her all geared up for winter a few weeks ago. We did see one big salmon on our hike. So, it was well worth the effort. I am caring Beckett under my sweatshirt in a sling. He was nice and warm in there. Liz also joined us for the hike.

Meadow's halloween costume. Had to give everyone a sneak peak. She is so cute in this thing.

Meadow has been loving playing her cave game. Where she hides in her make pretend cave with her animals and dolls.

Cave I helped her build with Beckett's discovery gym toy and his blankets. She really loves to play with all of his things and does like to show him his new rattles and toys.

One Month Birthday

2009-10-18T09:59:00.001-07:00

Beckett has been busy growing in his first month of life. I figure he is somewhere over eight pounds. He was born at 5 lbs 12 ounces and lost some weight before he started gaining again. He is becoming a little more alert during the day, but still loves to sleep most of the time. He even slept a four hour stretch last night. No wonder why I feel so rested.

He has definitely filled out this little newborn outfit.

Newborn Photos

2009-10-15T17:51:00.000-07:00

My friend Heidi took these amazing photos last week. I think Beckett did a great job posting for all the pictures. He was three weeks old when the photos were taken and it is amazing to see how much he has filled out in just three short weeks.

Meadow loves her little brother. It is so cute to get these moments documented on film.

B-Pom's Birthday

2009-10-05T11:53:00.000-07:00

Todd's dad, Steve's birthday was this past weekend. We had a nice birthday celebration over at Steve and Rita's house. All the grandkids were in attendance. Our big present to Steve was his first boy Van Hee. Quick photo opp of all the kids. Parker did an amazing job holding Beckett for us.

Life is busy!

2009-10-05T11:21:00.001-07:00

It has been hard to post an update these days with life being so busy. We have been enjoying our new little family of four. Meadow has been adjusting fairly well and really enjoys helping out her mom and dad and giggles when Beckett makes his funny baby noises. Beckett is growing really well. He had his two week appointment this past Friday and had gained 14 and a half ounces in nine days. He weighed 6 lbs 6 and a half ounces. I have to admit I am pretty exhausted from nursing every one to three hours round the clock, but I know this stage is only temporary so I am enjoying all the snuggling and holding I get to do with Beckett. Todd goes back to work on a part time schedule this week and next so I will still be getting a lot of help around the house. I posted several pics from the last week and a half.

Heidi came to visit with Esther last weekend. We took a light stroll by the river to see Meadow and Jonah playing.
Mary Jo and Gene stopped by in his first week.

Meadow loves to pat his head.

Meadow's big present for getting a baby brother. She loves this new toy!

One of the posed shots. I am still trying to get a nice picture for his announcement. Hope we can find one soon. He is wearing the knit hat my mom made for him.

Beckett next to Esther. She weighed 11 pounds in this picture and Beckett about 6.

His first bath. Look at those feet!

Meadow loves her new baby doll, called "other baby Beckett"

This picture shows her new haircut too.

Holding Beckett in the sling at our trip to OMSI last week. A little shout out to OMSI's discovery playground. What a great place for families and toddlers. They have so many great places to sit and a nursing room!! I wish all public places were so family friendly.

He loves to sleep in this little cacoon.

Todd has both kids asleep in his arms and one of his first jubelale's of the season. What a life!

On a hike by the Salmon River

We are slowly getting into our routine as parents of two. It has been nice receiving food from friends and family so that we have been able to spend more time with Beckett and Meadow. I am trying to be patient with my body recovering from the birth, but as most of you know it is hard for me to sit still for too long. But, hopefully in a few weeks I will be able to start doing some of the fun activities I missed while being pregnant.

Beckett River Comes Home

2009-09-23T11:18:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to be able to finally post some pictures of our son Beckett River Van Hee. Our internet has been down for a few days, which was very untimely for such an exciting time in our lives. Beckett was born on 9/17/09 at 12:01am. He was 5 lbs 12 ounces and 18 inches long. He arrived a few weeks early because I developed signs of pre-eclampsia again so the doctors thought it would be safer to have him arrive a little bit early. We started the induction process about 2 and started pitocin at 8pm and he arrived just a few hours later. Todd and I were so excited to meet him. I unfortunately, had a few complications after he was born, which I won't go into on here, but I am doing good now and on the mend. It was a little bit scary for our family that evening, but the medical staff at Kaiser Sunnyside did an excellent job and the next morning I was able to really start to bond with Beckett. He is a very easy going little guy and only cries when he is hungry or needs a diaper change. He is so precious and we all are excited to watch him grow and develop. Meadow is doing great as a big sister and is learning how to be gentle around her little brother. Can't wait to share more pictures in the coming weeks.

Meadow and Daddy with Beckett in the hospital
Going Home Outfit

He is so tiny in his carseat

Getting wheeled out of the hospital. Yheaaaaaaaa we get to go home. We were there from Wednesday to Saturday.

Sleeping on the way home.

Beckett seems to be quite the mix from our families. His eyes are definitely from Todd's mom's side of the family and his nose looks like from the Dubach side and he has dimples. I think these come from my dad. He has really long toes too, which definitely look like Todd's and his brother's.

Sleeping after a good meal.

He likes to sleep on my belly. He probably misses that warm and cozy environment.

Sunday Fun!

2009-09-13T20:48:00.001-07:00

Today, Meadow and I got together with our good friends Jen and Maddie. Todd had to work and Tony, Jen's husband, was on a hunting trip so it was a good excuse for us all to hang out. We started out our day with yummy breakfast at the ZigZag cafe and then headed to Little Zig Zag falls to burn some of our energy off after breakfast. It is a nice short half mile hike, which is perfect for toddlers and pregnant people. Jen is 19 weeks pregnant and due in February and I am officially 38 weeks. Here is a picture of all of us.

After the hike, we discovered the playzone at SkiBowl in Government Camp. What an awesome find and it is open during the winter months as well. Meadow and Maddie had such a blast crawling through all the tunnels and going down the slides. Jen was able to help the girls get over some of the challenging obstacles. But after awhile they were able to do everything on their own. We all worked up an appetite so we had a nice lunch enjoying the views at Skibowl. It was a beautiful day on the mountain.

Meadow also officially slept through the night sleeping in her big girl bed last night.

She also had such a busy day that she fell asleep on the way home and finished her nap in the toddler bed. What a great day!!!!!! Good food, great exercise, fun conversation, and some rest and relaxation. You just can't beat that.

Enjoying the last bit of Summer

2009-09-13T20:38:00.000-07:00

We had a nice weekend in Brightwood. Temperatures were in the low 90's so we decided to enjoy one of our last dips in the pool. Rita let us have this nice blow up pool, which was great because Meadow and I could both fit in it.

We also got the stethescope out to see if we could hear the baby so Meadow was testing it out. She was so cute listening to her own heart beat.

We also had a great time at the Festival of the Forest at Wildwood park. We listened to fun music and Meadow got to meet Smokey the Bear and Woodsey the Owl. We accidentally left the camera at home, so we apologize for the lack of documentation. It was a very nice relaxing weekend where we mainly stayed around the house and the local area. I got a prenatal massage on Saturday morning, which really helped my achey shoulders and back and I also got to splurge on a yummy cinnamon roll and decaf coffee drink. yummy. We definitely took time to enjoy one of our last weekends as just a family of three.

Oregon State Fair

2009-09-09T08:59:00.000-07:00

This past Labor Day, Todd actually had the day off. This is one of the first labor day's he has had off in seven years. The weather was a bit drizzly in the morning, but the forecast said that the sunshine would be out by the afternoon. So, we decided to make the trip to the Oregon State Fair in Salem. It is about an hour and a half from us. We knew that Meadow would love to see all the farm animals.

Due to the weather being a bit cold I put Meadow in her new fall jacket and hat. She also got new rain boots this past weekend because she had grown out of her old one's.
Checking out the cows. I was actually pretty impressed with how big some of these gals were.

Meadow was probably most excited about seeing the pigs. They were funny how they snorted at us.

Slumbering away........

Checking out the bulls with their huge horns. I wonder if this one was checking out my big belly.

Riding a john deere tractor. Unfortunately, this was the only ride Meadow could do because you had to be 36 inches tall to do the kid rides. It kind of worked out in our favor though because even the kid rides were still pretty fast and too old for Meadow. We were also all pretty tired by the time we walked to the ride area.

Having fun digging

It was a great first trip to the fair. It was definitely really busy on the last day, so if we go again we may try to go earlier in the week. We also didn't time things perfectly so we could see some of the different events going on. We caught glimpses of girls roller derby, an acrobat show, and a kid sheep riding contest. Oh the things you can see at the fair.

Getting Ready

2009-09-09T08:34:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we had quite a bit of rain for labor day weekend. I actually didn't mind and enjoyed the cooler temperatures and the chance to get some more work done on the nursery. In between some of our to do lists, Todd went up mt biking on Mt. Hood. Liz, Meadow and I dropped JD and Todd off at Timberline Lodge and then we picked them up below Government Camp. Liz and I did a short walk around part of Enid Lake and were shocked by how quick the guys were. They made it to where we were walking in 23 minutes. It is a pretty steep downhill, so they can go pretty fast. The whole ride only took 53 minutes.

They guys in their gear
Later on that evening we had a little date night to go out for JD's 31st birthday. It was a fun night and nice to go to a unique and fun restaurant called Mybrother's crawfish. Here is my pregnant belly at 37 weeks.

While working on the nursery this past weekend, we set up Meadow's toddler bed to see if she would like to sleep in it. She has been camping out on the floor for some of her naps and she even has at bedtime. So, we figureed why not? The transition has been a little bit rocky, but she has slept part of the past few nights in it. Doesn't she look like such a big girl? This is a bed we are borrowing from Todd's sister's neighbor. It really fits right in with her room.

Once we get a few more things done in the nursery, I will post some pictures.

First Trip to the Dentist

2009-09-03T07:16:00.001-07:00

Just had to share these pictures from Meadow's first visit to the dentist. She did an absolutely amazing job and I couldn't have been more proud. I was actually the only one near tears. I just couldn't believe how grown up she is getting. We had hyped up the visit and talked about how fun it was going to be for the dentist to look at her teeth. She also knew we were going out to lunch with dad afterwards, which is always a fun treat. The dental clinic is right across from where Todd works. The hygenist did such a great job of interacting with her and making her feel comfortable. She loved to wear the cool sunglasses and especially loved the prizes she got at the end.
The hygenist showed her the tools she was going to use and she gave them special kid friendly names for fun.

I think she also loved sitting in the big chair

She let the hygenist check out all her teeth and let the dentist count them all with her. The dentist said her teeth look great and there is lots of great spacing so it will be easier to clean her teeth. She let the hygenist clean her teeth and also let me paint flouride on her teeth. What a trooper. The staff said that she was the most well behaved 2 year old they had ever seen at an appointment. Now that makes you feel good as a parent.

I was so relieved that her teeth look great. She has been doing a little better with brushing and letting us brush, but it is always a challenge to get in the back. We will be back to the dentist in another six months. I am so glad we started this early so she can get used to the dentist's office.

Baby Esther Arrives

2009-09-03T07:08:00.000-07:00

I just had to write a quick note for those who have been wondering if my friend Heidi had her baby. Esther arrived yesterday morning about 6:45 after only a 2 and a half hour labor. Heidi had been having mild symptoms for a few weeks, but nothing really seemed to be moving forward. Esther was a week over due and weighed in at 10 pounds and 21 and a half inches long. She was really enjoying being in the womb and growing so well. Heidi and Dave, the proud parents, were happy that they had their son stay with Heidi's parents the night before or they may have not made it to the hospital on time. I had the honor of seeing this little one yesterday after she was about six hours old. I had a midwife appointment in Clackamas when I got the call that she had been born.

My appointment went well and I am measuring right at what I should be. So, for all those who think I look huge, nope just got a normal sized baby in there packed into a 4'10 inch package. I have weekly appointments from here on out just to make sure my blood pressure stays normal and everything is progressing well. I shouldn't be too worried about getting pre-eclampsia again, but it is in the back of my mind. It would be amazing to not go through the experience of being induced again. That just didn't work well for me and my body.

Timothy Lake Camping Trip

2009-09-01T09:19:00.001-07:00

We had another great year camping at Timothy Lake with the Wubbena's and friends a few weekends ago. The weather was perfect and we had plenty of sunshine. It was also nice that it wasn't too hot. We all got some relaxing in along with some nice walks along the lake.

Hope really liked this tree to help her stand up. She is walking a few steps at a time now. Won't be long till she is chasing the boys and Meadow.
There were 14 adults and 18 kids on the trip. Every family had their own site, so it was nice to be able to come together at the Wubbena's campfire, but also have lots of space for the kids to play and roam.

Kids working hard digging and playing in the water. Meadow insisted on wearing her wet suit with the swimsuit on top. She did seem to stay pretty warm all day. Pretty smart girl.

Taking the kayaks for a spin. This was probably my last kayak trip for a little while. It was getting a bit hard to get out of the kayak. Thankfully, Todd is a great help, otherwise I probably would still be sitting in the kayak as we speak.

Meadow in her dirt glory. She absolutely loves camping and being in the outdoors. I am so glad she has such a good time.

Getting an airplane ride from Jaiden

Hope getting one from Parker

Tonia and Hope enjoying their juice boxes. Tonia's is a little bit more fun. It is a single serving of boxed wine.

We watched the boys go down on the alpine slide and of course had to enjoy the view of the mountain while we were there.

Summer Fun

2009-09-01T09:11:00.000-07:00

On some of the hot days this summer we headed over to Ghanny and B-Pom's pool to cool off. It is sad that the evenings are getting so cool and the days not quite as warm. We are going to miss the pool when they close it up for the year.

We also have enjoyed spending time with Heidi and Jonah this summer. Heidi was due on August 24th. She is still waiting for her daughter to arrive. Hopefully sometime today. Maybe she just really wanted a September birthday. I am hopeful, that Baby Boy Van Hee will arrive sometime in September. The official due date is the 28th, but my first guess is October 2nd. I just don't know how he will have any room left by that point.

Saying Goodbye

2009-08-31T08:38:00.000-07:00

Our last few days with Jerri and Mark were fun. Although, Meadow ended up getting a bad 24 hour fever that put a damper on our last full day. But, you never know when those things are going to happen so at least we had already gotten in a lot of fun before that. On Sunday we hiked along the upper Salmon River trail and saw beautiful views of the Salmon river and both Zoe and Meadow got a lot of walking in themselves. Meadow had fun riding in the back pack with Mark on the way back. In the evening we headed over to Little Zig Zag falls on our way to the Ice Axe Grill.

Here is a picture of Meadow while sick. It was a very scary fever with her temperature spiking at 103. I had never experienced this as a Mom and hope I don't have to again any time soon. But, thankfully as quickly as it came on, it quickly left and she was back to her normal self by Tuesday morning. It is definitely hard watching your normally very active, energetic child be so innactive. She stayed on the couch all day Monday until about 6pm. Then as her temperature dropped she came back to life again.
Mark enjoying some down time on the deck.

Meadow insisted on having these balloons come along with us on the hike. Meadow has definitely become very particular about certain things. Everything was great until one of the balloons fell while she was running and it landed in the creek. Todd tried with all his might to get the balloon, but while he was attempting to retrieve it, he got stung by a bee and then the balloon popped. I think they both wanted to cry, even though Meadow was the only one who shed any tears. I had been hiking ahead with Jerri and Mark and didn't realize the drama that had unfolded. This may be a note of advice to other parents that it may not be a good idea to bring balloons on a hike. You just never know what is going to happen.

In front of Little Zig Zag falls. Meadow now with only her one balloon. Zoe was so cute, she let me hold her a lot during their trip and really enjoyed walking with me. I think I was at great hand holding height for her.

It was so great to be able to spend such quality time with my good friend from childhood. We have such a great friendship and I can't wait for our next adventures together.

Blessingway

2009-08-31T07:55:00.001-07:00

While my friend Jerri was here from out of town, I thought it would be great to be able to have my baby shower/blessingway so that she could be a part of it. A couple of my friend's had offered to plan something, so I gave them the idea of hosting it at my house. It was nice to be able to bring some of my closest friends and family together to celebrate the upcoming birth of Baby Boy Van Hee. It was kind of an overcast day, but the sun decided to make its appearance during the event so we were able to all enjoy the views of the river from the deck. The main premise behind a blessingway is to bring your main support system to your home, where labor usually begins, to take part in a few activities that will help bring strength and calm during labor.

Before the event got going, Tonia gave Meadow a very cute shirt. It says Big Sister Meadow on it. Tonia also decorated a onesy that has Van Hee on the back of it. She always does such a great job at personalizing things.
Meadow in her cute U of O outfit. She actually wanted to wear this that day. She must be gearing up to cheer for football season.

Some of my closest friends. Amy, Heidi, Liz, Jerri, Rita, Sara, and Jen.

Rita took a picture, so Tonia could be in it as well. Everyone brought a dish to share and the food really turned out amazing.

One of the activities for the day was to share a bead to add to a necklace for me to have while in labor. Everyone picked out such amazing beads and shared such thoughtful words. The necklace will help remind me of all the women supporting me in this endeavor. It was amazing how most of the beads were blue and green. I guess they know what kind of colors I like. I thought this picture of Rita was so cute. She gave me three beads. One for Meadow, one for Todd and a heart that represents the baby.

The organizers. Sara and Amy

The finished bead necklace.

Another "big" activity we did was to have everyone draw something on my belly. It turned out really cute. I may have Meadow draw on it on my due date, if he hasn't arrived sooner.

The finished belly. I will also add that this is my belly at 34 weeks and yes I know that it looks huge. But, I am measuring right on, so this is what happens when you are under five feet tall and pregnant. I have definitely noticed in the past few weeks that I cannot go anywhere without someone mentioning that I look ready to pop and how much longer do I have? Wouldn't it be nice if people said, Wow what an amazing belly you have, or, what a beautiful pregnant belly.

Opening some gifts. Tonia and Rita had fun shopping for their new little man in the family. He will definitely be dressed to impress. I got some wonderful handmade items as well. My friend Liz made a quilt and Sara is in the process of making the baby a blanket. It was fun to start making up his little wardrobe with cute outfits. I also got a great postnatal yoga video you can do with your baby from my friend Jerri. It was such a fun event and so nice to be able to have it in such a relaxed environment. I really hope that my labor can at least begin at home so I can enjoy a few views of the river before heading to the hospital.

Jerri, Mark and Zoe come to visit from Minneapolis!

2009-08-25T17:43:00.000-07:00

My childhood friend Jerri and her husband and their 13 month old daughter came to visit us for eight days in August. We had a great time showing them some of our favorite hikes and places to go on Mt. Hood and at the coast. The first day of their trip we headed up to Trillium lake and enjoyed a picnic lunch and went sea kayaking. The girls had a blast playing and wading in the water. The next few days we camped at Ft. Stevens and also explored Cannon Beach and Ecola state park. The day after we came back a few of my friends also facilitated an awesome baby shower/blessingway at my house while Jerri was here. It was great to be able to have her here for it. It was hard to just pick a few pictures, so I posted a fair amount.

This was taken before our guests arrived. We tested out our hand me down bike trailer with Meadow and she loved it. Todd and Meadow relaxing on the back of the pick up.
Zoe and Meadow at Trillium Lake. Both the girls just love the water.

Truck all geared up for our camping trip.

Back of the truck on the drive on I84

Zoe and Meadow got busy right away at the campsite playing with buckets and sand.

A cute photo opp of the girls in the bike trailer.

Meadow loves the coast, can't you tell.

Having a scrumptious breakfast. I believe this morning was blueberry pancakes.

Even though, Zoe wasn't too fond of riding in the trailer she did love to model her bike helmet. They really did have a grand time together.

The campsite! We really lucked out with the weather. It sprinkled here and there, but only when we were driving or sleeping.

Meadow posing for this picture

The Wagners at Ecola State Park

The girls at the North Jetty, where the Columbia River and the ocean meet.

Meadow was also helping Zoe walk in this photo.

As always, our trip to the coast seemed to fly by. We did get eat some ice cream and enjoyed some great food. Todd got a chance to surf kayak. If we had more time, we would have like to have kayaked on Nahalem Bay. Hopefully, we can do that the next time we are at the coast.

35 Weeks and counting

2009-08-25T16:54:00.000-07:00

Just had to do a quick update post before I post about all of our fun adventures in the recent weeks. I am currently 35 weeks and will be officially a month out this coming Friday. My body is hanging in there, but I have definitely felt a bit more tired and I can tell the baby is growing nicely as I have less room to bend down and tie my shoes. Baby Van Hee is about the size of a honey dew melon and weighs around five pounds. We have been busy in the past few weeks hosting friends from Minneapolis and then going on our annual Timothy lake camping trip. So, I think I am holding up pretty good for having been camping twice in the past two weeks. Meadow just woke up from her nap, so not sure how much I will be able to post now. She continues to be a very active and energetic child and is chatting up a storm. Hope to post some pictures soon.

Five Years!!!!!

2009-08-02T17:51:00.000-07:00

Just had to share some of these pictures from our wedding, five years ago. It was really fun to be at our friends wedding recently up at Timberline and reflect on all the fun we had at our wedding. I can't believe all that has happened in five years. Can't wait for the next five!

Liz and JD's Wedding Weekend

2009-08-02T17:07:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was filled with wedding festivities for our good friends JD and Liz. We felt so honored to be included in all the activities over the weekend. Todd started out his weekend on Thursday for JD's bachelor party. He had a great time with 12 other guys kayaking and rafting down the Deschutes and then spent the evening at Mcmenimins Edgefield. Friday, we were invited to the rehearsal dinner, which was a beautiful event held in JD and Liz's backyard. They have a great friend who is a professional chef and made an awesome southern spread for the event. Meadow had a great time with her gal pal Maddie and also had lots of attention from many of the dinner guests. The day of the wedding, we dropped Meadow off at Todd's parents for a fun filled overnight stay with the grandparents and we headed up to Timberline to enjoy the wedding and reception and to stay the night.

It was a nice coincidence that their wedding pretty much coincided with our fifth year wedding anniversary. So, it was a great excuse to stay up at Timberline and celebrate our anniversary. On Sunday, Liz's family also hosted a brunch for family and friends and then later we hosted a little bbq for the bride and groom and some of their out of town guests. So, it was a fun filled weekend with lots of socializing and celebrating.

This is their backyard. It definitely inspired me to want to host a formal outdoor dinner party someday. It was just so beautiful and fun to have this outside. It also helped that the weather was pretty much perfect the entire weekend.
Another view, with pregnant lady in it.

Meadow and Maddie having fun in the hammock

All tuckered out after a very fun filled evening

Liz walking down the trail with her dad. So, hard to believe I did this same walk five years ago.

The happy couple

Beautiful Bride.

The cake was actually a mountain with both the bride and groom wearing skis on the top. JD actually shrunk pictures of their actual skis and pasted the pictures unto the skis for the cake. Now, that is the most attention to detail I have ever heard of from a groom.

First Dance

Handsome Todd all dressed up.

Todd and Tony. Drinking pals for the evening
Jen, aka Maddie's Mom

Me at 31 weeks pregnant. Maybe not the most flattering picture, but the mountain does look picturesque. We have a picture from when I was almost due with Meadow in front of the mountain as well.

I just had to share this picture of JD's Mom, Sarah with Meadow. She was so cute with her at our little bbq. Meadow wanted to show her the river, so they went on a little walk together. I also have to had that Sarah is 6 feet 4 or 5 inches tall. So, Meadow looks like an even tinier peanut.

New Shoes, Trip to the Zoo, Rose Garden, then Nap

2009-07-24T07:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a very fun filled day for Meadow and I. Todd was going to be gone all day and night for a bachelor party so I wanted to fill our day with lots of fun activities. It was nice also because I got a full night of sleep and had a fair amount of energy yesterday. We stopped in Gresham to do a quick return at one of the children's shops and ended up finding some cute shoes and a dress for Meadow to wear to JD and Liz's rehearsal dinner. Meadow had a lot of fun trying on new sneakers and did a great job testing them out in the store. She was so excited about the one pair we had to wear them right then. I have to admit, they do feel super comfy. She is actually wearing them in the pictures. After a short shopping trip, we drove out to the zoo and met up with my friend Amy and her son Quinn, who is four months old. It was so great to see them and to see how much Quinn has grown and changed in just a few months.

The weather was also just perfect. It has been really hot here and is supposed to get hot again soon. So, we took advantage of the mild 75 degree day to check out all the animals. I definitely think the highlight for Meadow was the train and probably the ice cream treat we got after our lunch. Meadow really loves trains and whenever she hears a noise that sounds like one, she says choo, choo train very excitedly. We had started to play in this sand area and she heard the train and I asked her if she wanted to go on the train now, and she left the sand area lickity split. We rode the train to the Portland Rose Garden and got off there and went down to the playground for a bit and then checked out the roses before heading back to the zoo. After such a fun filled day, Meadow was fast asleep in the car within about ten minutes from the zoo. A true display of a very fun filled day, since Meadow rarely takes naps anymore.

Meadow thinking about giving Quinn a kiss. I think she was also copying him putting his fingers in his mouth in this pic. She was also copying another baby crawling around near us.

He was giving me some great smiles and I kind of caught one of them.

Quinn thought Meadow was pretty cool

Well, until she decided to grab his hand. This was really great practice for Meadow. She wasn't super excited about Quinn on my lap at first and actually said, "no baby Mama" But, then she warmed up to him a bit.

On the train ride. I just had to share this pic of her calf muscles too. She definitely has her mom and dad's muscles.

mmmmmmmmm they smell so good.

This one had actually fallen off, so Meadow had fun holding this one and getting a good smell.

Relaxing Afternoon at Trillium Lake

2009-07-22T05:28:00.001-07:00

This past Sunday while Todd was at work Meadow and I went on a little hike by the Salmon river. It was so nice to be in the shade and it was a lot cooler than in our neighborhood. I was so happy I got Meadow to stand for a posed picture. Meadow found this neat little cave in the tree.

On Monday Todd had taken the afternoon/evening off. It was about 100 degrees at our house so we headed up to Trillium Lake to find some cooler temperatures and relax and do a little sea kayaking.

This was definitely a highlight for me. I haven't been able to lay on my belly in months, so it was nice to borrow this intertube from a nice family and float around for a bit. The water temperature was just perfect and I think the baby enjoyed floating. Meadow had fun playing with some other kids that were there and she was immediately named the little pirate for her pirate ship. It was pretty hilarious.

Trying to catch a lilly pad

I wish Todd had every afternoon off. It was so nice to be able to break up the work week with this little excursion up to the mountain. I know I shouldn't be thinking about this already, but I am really going to miss summer once it is over. But, I definitely have an exciting new adventure coming this fall. Baby #2!!!!!! I am so curious to see what he is going to look like and what his temperament will be. I am definitely getting prepared for the lack of sleep. I am just having the hardest time sleeping between 3 and 6am. Hence, my blogging at 5:43am. Well, I will sign off this post for now. This weekend will be busy with wedding festivities for our friends Liz and JD.

Frog Lake Adventures

2009-07-20T09:28:00.001-07:00

This past Friday we headed up to Frog Lake by Mt. Hood for a Little Bear Hiking club adventure and to spend some time up by Mt. Hood enjoying the cooler 80 degree weather. It was in the mid 90's in Portland that day. My good friend and neighbor runs a program for kids 2-7 focusing on bringing families out hiking and exposing kids to nature. Since the program fits right with our lifestyle, we try to participate as much as we can. This hike focused on finding tadpoles and checking out what insects we found on the trail. There were beautiful dragon flies and butterflies flying all over and we did get to see several tadpoles and small fish in their early stages of growth.

Meadow checking out the trail
Getting a little bit of assistance stepping over a log. She often wants to do everything herself these days, so it is nice when she asks for help or lets you help her. Our little girl is growing up.

Checking out the tadpoles

Learning about the nature activity

Todd thinks this is such a great hippie pose. I love the wooden name tag she got for participating. She also gets a sticker to put on the necklace for every hike she does with the program.

Saying the cheer at the end.

Meadow is really starting to develop several little friendships. This is her new friend Teagen. She is even sharing mommy's sunglasses with her. Meadow is such a social butterfly and always requests for her friends when we go to the park. We go to Wildwood park every Tuesday so now she expects to see certain friends on that day. too cute.

My new friend Mia, Teagen's mom. Always fun to meet other cool moms who like the outdoors.

Teagen and Meadow getting a ride in the sea kayak.

Sea Kayaking just shy of 30 weeks. This is such a nice relaxing activity to do while pregnant. I can get into the boat pretty easily, I just need a little help getting out.

Meadow has really been enjoying our recent little sea kayak excursions. She likes to put her hand in the water and relax next to dad, she even helped paddle this time.

Just had to share one of our recent fun days on the mountain. We will be heading up to Timberline this coming weekend for a wedding, so it will be fun to be on the mountain and see how it has changed since the winter.

Trip to California

2009-07-14T09:40:00.001-07:00

Almost a month ago now, Meadow and I headed to California to see two of my good friends from college at SUNY Cortland. Lesley now lives in Salinas, CA and my friend Tricia lives in Raliegh, NC. We try to get together as much as we can despite living so far away. We had gotten together in December for my friend Jen's wedding but unfortunately we didn't get a chance to see our kids. Tricia and her husband and son had planned a trip out to see San Fransisco and to see Lesley, so I decided to make the short flight down to see them. Lesley has a four bedroom house which is nice and spacious to accomodate us all. We packed a lot in our five day trip. We went on a nice local hike, went to the neighborhood playground, headed to Monterey for a couple of the days and hung out on the boardwalk, went to Dennis the Menace park, and visited the aquarium. One of the days we went to Santa Cruz and went on a nice train ride to the redwoods and hung out on the beach. It was a fun trip and was also nice to be able to see Hunter who is three and a half. I hadn't seen him since he was about six months old.

At the harbor in Monterey. Meadow is sporting her harness/ teddy bear packpack which I have to put on her sometimes. She is just a very fast little toddler, so it is much safer to have her wear this, especially when I am pregnant and am not quite as agile. She actually loves wearing it because she gets to wear a backpack just like the bigger kids and her parents.

Going down the bumpy slide with Les and Joe. This park was really fun. I highly recommend it for anyone visiting Monterey with kids.

On the train ride from Santa Cruz

Seeing the big redwood trees.

All geared up for the beach. One of the times Meadow actually rode in the pack.

Loving the water

Enjoying ice cream and playing in the sand with Hunter

The Cortland Girls

July 4th Weekend

2009-07-14T09:12:00.000-07:00

I have a little catching up to do with blogging. So, this post is a little outdated now. On July 4th we headed over to our friend Jen and Tony's for a bbq and to celebrate Maddie's 2nd birthday. Meadow was very excited to go to Maddie's house for her party and is still requesting we go back to Maddie's birthday party. Too cute.

Our friends Liz and JD got both the girls a Winnie the Pooh stuffed animal. Meadow really liked both of them and here she is holding on tight to Pooh. I also had to document the shoes that she had to leave the house in. She did finally request to put her sandals on bc her feet were so hot.

Maddie got a new tricycle for her birthday. The girls had a great time taking turns pushing each other. I love how they are really starting to play together now instead of just doing parallel play. Of course they still both have their agendas, but sometimes their agendas go together.

Sitting together in the muck bucket.

These pictures don't really do the fireworks justice. But, the neighbors down the road from Jen and Tony put off a big fireworks display. Well, big for legal Oregon fireworks. The girls were pretty tired, but they seemed to really enjoy the display.

Jen with the girls.

The next day we headed over to Steve and Rita's (Ghanny and Bampom's) to go swimming and met up with the Wubbenas. Hope even took a few steps, so that was really fun to see.

Xavier and Meadow just have a grand time together. Here they are giggling up a storm.

Summer Days

2009-07-14T08:52:00.001-07:00

The summers in Oregon are so beautiful and generally not too cold or hot. So, we have been enjoying our time outdoors and having fun. On Tuesdays Meadow and I go to Wildwood park and meet up with other moms and kids and have a picnic lunch before heading over to the library program. Today we will be going to see reptiles, but they have had storytellers and musicians the past few weeks. We have also been enjoying swimming at the neighborhood pool and at Ghanny and Bampoms house as well as playing in the sand down by the river. We even have set up an outdoor water park in our side yard. Meadow loves to play in her little pool and with her water table. We recently set up a canopy so we can have shade on the hot days.

Here are some pictures of the little water park, including Todd cooling off. Meadow decided she wanted to sit in the water table the other day.

Practicing her back stroke

We set up her slide next to the pool. A very fun addition

Cream cheese mouth with a great smile. Meadow is so fast, it is hard to catch the good expressions these days.

The beautifully stained deck. Todd worked hard for a couple days this past weekend getting this done.

Our new neighbors. We think that people in our neighborhood have been feeding them because they came around right at dinner. I have to admit the babies are so cute.

Our cat was not too fond of their presence. The other day the mom had been peeking over our picket fence and Meadow saw it very briefly and had been asking to see it ever since. She was very excited that it came back to visit with her babies.

This past Sunday it was kind of a drizzly misty day, so we decided to do what we would normally do on a spring weekend day and head to one of our favorite hikes. It was so great to be outside and enjoy the beautiful scenery along the Salmon river. I was also very excited that my back was feeling better. We did between 3-4 miles. Meadow walked probably about half of it and rode in the backpack for the rest. It was so much fun seeing her observe all the little things a long the hike. She pointed out fun plants and little holes that we would have never seen. She also learned what a clover is.

Liz's Bridal Shower

2009-07-13T19:19:00.000-07:00

I helped to organize my friend Liz's bridal shower this past Friday night. She has been such a great friend the past few years. She is getting married on July 25th at Timberline lodge. We love to do outdoor activities together, so it is fitting she is getting married at the same place where Todd and I got married. The bridal shower was held at Mcmenimins Edgefield so the food was good and for those who could drink, I am sure the drinks were good.

The mountain women. Liz is in the center and Jen is on the right.
Opening gifts. She got a lot of great useful things, including a little risque gift from Jen. I had put together a recipe binder for her and her soon to be husband and asked everyone to bring recipes to add to it. It turned out great and it was so nice to see everyone's creative ideas.

Jen, posing with her products for the price is right game. Jen did a great job of facilitating some fun games.

Bridesmaids and Friends

Coworkers plus Jen.

Speed Racer

2009-07-13T19:11:00.000-07:00

We were getting ready for our camping trip a few weeks back and the neighbor boys were out riding their bikes. Meadow had to join in on their fun.

Catching Up

2009-06-30T08:35:00.000-07:00

We have been very busy the past few weeks. We celebrated father's day with Todd a little early and had a fun day riding our bikes locally and going to the park and then going out to dinner at the Skyway for amazing pulled pork and ribs. The next day I left for California for the weekend and had a wonderful time visiting with my former college housemates, Tricia and Lesley and their families. We packed in a lot in a few days and had a great time exploring Monterey and Santa Cruz. Meadow and I got back on Tuesday and had kind of a chill day on Wednesday to recuperate before starting to pack up for our camping trip on Thursday. We got all packed up and left for Crowe Butte around five. It is just under a three hour drive. We headed over Mt. Hood and drove a few hours in the gorge. We had a wonderful time with Todd's sister and family and a few other friends. I love camping with other families, because the kids love to play together. We had a fun time biking, sea kayaking, and relaxing. More on that trip later. Just a quick pregnancy update. I am now 27 weeks pregnant, almost done with the second trimester. The baby weighs about two pounds now and is the size of a cauliflower. I have a lot of pictures I hope to post soon. The summer has definitely started with a bang.

Enjoying The Outdoors

2009-06-17T07:58:00.001-07:00

The past few days Meadow and I have been enjoying being outside. It has really been great weather. In the 70's and partly cloudy. On Monday, we met up with my friend Heidi and her son Jonah at Imagination Station in Troutdale. I had heard great things about this playground, so it was great to see it in person. Meadow and Jonah had a blast crawling and climbing all over the place. It was a bit more work for Heidi and I, and it included Heidi at 7 months pregnant sliding down a firemen's pole just to keep an eye on the kids when I had to go to the bathroom. I was so sorry I missed seeing that feat. There were just a lot of nooks and crannies that can make a parent of toddlers really nervous.

Jonah had this awesome surf outfit with a matching hat on. What cuties with sunhats on.
Taking a break

Acting like monkeys

Yesterday we went on a little hike with our neighbors to little zig zag falls. This hike is only about ten minutes from our house and is perfect for toddlers. It is not quite a mile long round trip and there is a cute bench to sit on to look at the falls. My neighbor and I love the outdoors and enjoy getting the kids out in their natural environment. They had a blast climbing on rocks, playing with sticks and generally just having a good time. Janelle and I were discussing how playgrounds are really fun, but kids can learn so much more when they are playing out in nature. I just feel so blessed to have nature right out my back door. Sorry there are no pictures of this trip, left the camera at home.

Camping along the Klickitat River

2009-06-17T07:34:00.000-07:00

Under threat of thunderstorms and hail, the family, myself and our friend Berny headed out to the Klickitat river. Todd and Berny were meeting up with our friends Sara and Randy and some of their rafting friends to paddle the Klickitat. As we crossed over Mt. Hood the overcast skies parted and the sun came out. I can see the benefits of living in Hood River. They definitely get a lot more sun over the mountain. It was a beautiful drive out to the river. I always love seeing parts of the country I have never seen before. I have been out to the White Salmon river several times, but have never drove north east from there. There are beautiful high elevation meadows by Mt. Adams and you drive by a deep narrow canyon to get to the take out for this river and our campsite.

This is a picture of a cumulonimbus cloud we saw above Mt. Adams. We have been seeing a lot of these clouds lately and have had a few thunderstorms by our house. We usually don't get thunderstorms in our area, so it is kind of a weather treat.

After the drive, Meadow and I got to relax by the river while the rest of the crew went rafting and kayaking. I admit, I was a little jealous of their adventures, but being able to read and do yoga while Meadow played with shovels, buckets, water and rocks was a real treat for a pregnant lady. Here is a view of the river
Meadow in her outdoor glory. I had brought several outfits, so that she could just get dirty and wet. I made several trips down to the river with this yellow bucket so she could play with the water. I am sure it was refreshing for her because it was 80 degrees and sunny.

This is another one of Meadow's favorite activities. She could literally spend hours throwing rocks into the river. I found a little shady spot, so we could wait to see the rafters and kayakers come down the river.

Here they come.

I wish I had taken a better picture of the campsite. It was actually a really nice site because there were few people and a lot of room to hang out by the campfire. The only drawback to this campsite, was the bugs and the lack of trails. Poor Meadow got 11 bug bites on her back and that was even after putting on longsleeves and spraying her with bugspray. It is possible that the natural bugspray is not effective, or it was too old to make a difference. We had a nice dinner and I broke out the strawberries and angel food cake for dessert. There is just something about eating good food and camping. We are still loving our camper and we all slept really great.

We were going to do a little hiking on the way home, but Meadow was tired from the weekend that she fell asleep quickly into the drive. We all kind of wanted to get home anyway so it was a good excuse to just keep driving. We also got a look at the hiking along the klickitat and decided we got just as good of a view from the truck. It was really neat to see the small towns on our way back to the gorge. I always am curious what people do for a living and if they enjoy living so far out. For the people who think we live far out in the country, these people live faaarrrrrrrrr out. The towns we drove through on the way home include Klickitat, and Lyle. I am sure the people there really enjoy the fishing and living on a river just like we do. oh and I forgot to add, it never rained or thunderstormed. I heard a couple booms way off in the distance, but it was pretty much sunny the entire time.

Hope's 1st Year Birthday

2009-06-12T08:15:00.000-07:00

This past Wednesday, Meadow and I had a full day. I headed over to Clackamas for my 24 week appointment and then we had Hope's 1st year party to go to in Vancouver. It is always a nice treat for us when we have doctor's appointments because we can go visit Todd at his work. My appointment went really well. I am measuring right where I should be and gaining some more weight. The baby's heart beat sounded great. This pregnancy keeps just going by fast. I am sure the summer is going to fly by.

Here is a picture in Todd's office. At least he gets a nice view of the parking lot across the street. Hope's big gift from Todd's parents and Tonia and Tyler. She was having a blast in this, as well as Meadow and the boys.

Bampom giving Meadow a push. Xavier was so proud of his graduation cap. He graduated from preschool earlier in the day. I can't believe he is starting kindergarten this fall.

They were able to share this for a little while. Hope liked to push and Meadow would ride and push with her feet. Too cute.

Parker is such an attentive nephew and brother. He is making sure they don't hurt themselves.

The cake presentation

Tonia gave her a smaller cake to actually play with and eat. She wasn't really into the process and actually did not like it one bit. I actually joked and said she might have more refined dessert tastes and only like creme bru lee as she gets older.

Now Meadow on the other hand, loves her cake.

Play Date with Jonah

2009-06-11T09:42:00.000-07:00

This past Tuesday we had my good friend Heidi and her son Jonah over to play and have lunch. The kids had a blast while we chatted about life and how our pregnancies are going. Heidi is due a month before me. We brought the kids down to our backyard beach. They loved playing in the sand and a little water pool that had formed because the water has receded. Heidi brought her camera down to the beach and got some great pictures. Check them out on Jonah's blog. After hosing them off, we went inside for a nice lunch and more playtime. I am so glad we installed a faucet off the garage that has warm water. The kids got to have a mini shower outside. Here are a few pictures of them playing in a box we got from buying our new glider and ottoman for the nursery.

Liz's Bachelorette Weekend

2009-06-08T08:40:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I was able to go to Gearhart, OR which is about twenty minutes north of Cannon Beach on the coast. Liz's sister had organized the weekend and had rented a beautiful house for the nine of us to stay in. All of Liz's bridesmaids were able to make the weekend, including her sister from Maryland and her good friend Sam from Michigan. I felt honored to be asked to attend the weekend, because technically I am not one of the bridesmaids. We had a great time just hanging out in this wonderful house, which even had a yoga room. We made great food and went on walks to the beach and the local french bakery. This bakery was sooooo good. We tested out several of the pastries and were amazed by every one. I think my favorite was the pear tart.

On Saturday we headed to Cannon Beach and had a nice lunch together and then some of us parted ways to go shopping and the rest of us went to Ecola State Park to see some beautiful views of the coastline and go for a little hike. It was such a wonderful time. We did have your typical Oregon beach weather, which was pretty windy and cold. But, that did not stop us from enjoying every minute. Of the nine women there, five of us were mothers. So, there was a lot of chatting about labor, babies and toddlers. But, there was also a lot of other great discussions as well. I just really appreciated being able to spend that time with a great group of women. We were so thankful to all the dad's that stayed home with our babies and kids. Todd had a great time with Meadow and they played hard all weekend. He took her to the local park and went out dinner afterwards. They don't get a lot of alone time, mainly because we like to spend so much time together as a family, so I think Todd really appreciated his time with her this weekend.

Here is a view of the living room in the house.
View of the houses from the beach

Seeing the beach on Friday night

Taunya, Jen, Liz, Myself and Gretchen

Walking into the wind

The whole crew out to lunch. Sam, Liz, Julie, Myself, Gretchen, Jen, Kate, Luann, and Taunya.

Even though we did not hire a stripper for the bachelorette party, we did get some nice views of a few young men taking off their wetsuits after surfing. We all agreed that our husbands were way better looking. We had a few silly giggles as we started our hike.

This was such a fun weekend. Can't wait for the wedding on July 25th. Todd and I will be staying up at Timberline lodge while his parents watch Meadow for the night for us. It will be nice to celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary and reminisce about our own wedding there. It will also be a good practice overnight for Meadow for when the baby arrives.

Wedding Videos

2009-06-04T07:06:00.000-07:00

Meadow Turns 2

2009-06-04T06:23:00.000-07:00

We had a great turn out and perfect weather for Meadow's second birthday. She had such a wonderful time and it was so great to see the excitement in her face when she opened up her presents and had cupcakes. She literally screamed with excitement to have a cupcake. She had been waiting all day and had kept asking to have one. So, I admit I did let her have one after breakfast. You just gotta let loose on your birthday.

Eating lunch. She sat by all her little friends.
Playing in her new house. She refers to this house as Meadow's house or little house.

A good view of the Visors I made for all the kids.

The bubbles were a huge hit.

From left to right, Cooper and Wyatt-neighbors, Jonah-my former co-worker's son, Hope, Stockton and Xavier-cousins, Myla-cousin and Maddie-Meadow's gal pal.

Opening up presents. The kids were so excited to see what Meadow got and to watch her open up the presents they gave her.

Tissue paper is so fun to rip open.

New tricycle from Ghanny and Bampom.

mmmmmmmm cupcakes, my favorite thing.

Hope checking out the new trike. Hope is turning one next week.

Playing down by the river

It is hard to believe this event has already passed. Meadow had so much fun, it is almost sad we have to wait a whole year for her next one. It is a good thing we have a few nephews and a niece's party coming up.

NY Adventures

2009-06-04T05:40:00.000-07:00

After my brother's wedding we had a few days to explore the adirondacks. It was fun to be able to do a few things that I had never done as a kid when we would come up to visit. We were a little dissapointed Enchanted Forest wasn't open, but it really wasn't warm enough to enjoy the water rides anyway. I tried to just pick out a few pictures to highlight our trip, but it is tough when Meadow is constantly doing something cute. Todd and I didn't get a chance to canoe or kayak this time around. So, the next time we come back we are definitely planning on exploring some of the lakes and rivers.

On Sunday we headed up to the Adirondack Museaum. We wished we had left ourselves just a little more time because we ended up not seeing every exhibit. But, it was a really nice excursion for the whole family. It was very accessible for my grandma and Meadow loved the kid oriented exhibits.
This is the biggest Adirondack chair I have ever seen. There was no shortage of adirondack chairs at the museum.
Playground by the one room school house. This was a really neat exhibit to see what it might have been like attending a school like this in the early 19th century.

Trying out another chair

mmmmmm ice cream. This is Meadow's official first time eating ice cream out of a cone.

This picture looks so patriotic. Fitting that it was Memorial day weekend.

Play stucture in Inlet, NY.

View of 4th Lake at the North Woods Inn from the balcony.

On Monday, we met up with Rachel and Nate after their mini moon and took a ride on the Adirondack railroad. This is a view of the Moose River from the train.

There was an open air car on the train so you could have great views. We spent some of our time in this car during the ride. It was a little over an hour ride, which was perfect for a toddler. She had a chance to explore the whole train during the ride.

The newlyweds

Spending some quality time with great grandma back at my parent's house.

Grandpa giving Meadow a tractor ride. She wasn't too sure of this idea, so it didn't last long. But, it was a cute photo opp.

Out to lunch in Utica

On one of the days in NY we were had planned on checking out Ft. Ricky's petting zoo in Rome. We were sorely dissapointed when we drove there and it was closed due to weather. I guess us rugged Oregonians didn't think a little cold and sprinkles should close a whole place down. The tough part was that we had talked about our little excursion all morning and then to arrive and have it closed was very crushing to Meadow. I think we were all almost in tears to see her so dissapointed. The nice thing was that after a good lunch we got some tips from a local mom, and headed over to a place called Rough and Tumble in New Hartford. This place saved the day. You will see why in the following pictures.

Having dinner at Nate and Rachel's house

Taking a walk around Bradley Brook

We had a birthday party for Meadow the night before we left to come back to Oregon. We were able to meet my cousin Amy's little boy, Wyatt.

Blowing out 2 candles

She loves this chair from my aunt Dyann.

I still can't believe Meadow is 2. She is turning into such a kid, like she likes to say. Anytime we see a kid or baby she likes to point them out. I think she is ready to have a playmate.

Nate and Rachel's Wedding Part II

2009-06-01T21:39:00.001-07:00

The morning of the wedding all the bridesmaids met in the restaurant at the inn to have breakfast before setting out to get our hair done for the big day. It was so nice to have this time hanging out with Rachel's good friends and family. Rachel's mom, my mom and my grandmother also came along to get their hair done. It was a really relaxed morning. Rachel is definitely laid back and seemed to really take everything in stride.

Getting ready. Her dress was so gorgeous.

Admiring the bride

The family. I wish I had gotten another one in better light.

The super cute mini bridal party.

I thought this was so cute how they were both looking at Lex.

Todd won top dad honors on the wedding day. He did a great job of entertaining Meadow while I had a lot of wedding duties.

My parents with the bride and groom

Meadow ended up using her flower girl basket as a goldfish cracker holder.

The bridal party plus mini bridal party all eating goldfish crackers.

I love this photo of the two of us.

Attempting to get a four generation picture. Not sure who my mom and grandma are smiling at. But, they look cute regardless. I thought my mom and grandma looked so beautiful.

The whole family

First Dance

Mother/Son Dance. They danced to Your Song, by Elton John like I danced with my dad at my wedding. It was my parents wedding song.

The flower girls dancing with Rachel's mom

Somone had put shades on the moose by the end of the night.

The wedding was so much fun and the food and cheesecake was amazing. It was definitely interesting being pregnant and being a bridesmaid. I was so happy with how my seamstress altered the dress. I still can't believe the event is already over. I am just so happy for my brother and Rachel. I know that they are going to have a wonderful life together.

Nate and Rachel's Wedding Part I

2009-06-01T17:39:00.001-07:00

We have had a very busy past week and a half. We got back late this past Friday night from our trip to NY, and went to one of Meadow's friends birthday parties on Saturday, and then had Meadow's birthday party on Sunday. pheeeeewwww. Now, I have some time to sit down and reflect on all the fun things we were able to do this past week. My brother's wedding was amazing and it was so good to see so many family members that I haven't seen in ages. Meadow was such a trooper and did so well while we were traveling. She was still suffering from a stomach bug when we got to NY, so she had a little bit less energy at first, but it didn't keep her down for long. She did an amazing job as a flower girl, which I am sure will be remembered for many years to come. These set of pictures highlight our first day up in the adirondacks and the wedding rehearsal. We stayed at the North Woods Inn, which is past Old Forge and before Inlet. It was such a beautiful setting for the wedding and the weather turned out great.

This was our room, which looked out on 4th Lake.
The balcony with all the adirondack chairs.

Before the rehearsal we went on a hike with most of the bridal party and their families.

Rachel and her sister Rebecca. They refer to each other as "wombmates" because they shared the womb for nine months. They are such a riot together.

The group

Posing for a picture with my soon to be sister in law before the rehearsal

The Bridesmaids and two of the mini bridal party.

Meadow with the ringbearer Lex. They were so unbelievably cute as you can tell from the next few pictures.

Practicing walking down the aisle.

They probably did this walk through at least ten times. This was probably why they did such an excellent job the next day. The other little flower girl joined them the day of the wedding. I think it also helped they were all 2. Well, Meadow technically was going to be 2 in a week, but they were all pretty close in age.

Meadow with her grandma and great grandma

The bridal party

The beautiful couple

Meadow's Big Birthday Surprise

2009-05-17T16:54:00.001-07:00

Meadow is turning 2 in just a few short weeks. We will be heading to NY this coming Thursday for a week and coming back on her actual birthday. We got her an awesome playhouse for her birthday and wanted to put it together this weekend so that she would be able to enjoy it before we left on our trip. We also knew we wouldn't have any time to put it together when we got back so that it could be a surprise and already put together instead of in a box. Todd got the lucky job of putting it together while I took Meadow to the zoo for the day. We had a great day and Meadow walked for four hours and probably around 2 miles all by herself. I brought a backpack just in case she got tired and she didn't want to get in it once. She did eat a great lunch and sat in her high chair for a good half hour. I guess we just need to get a couple hours of walking in before we go out to eat. Todd also had a good day and got the house put together in four hours so he could go kayaking for a little while before the big birthday reveal.

Here are the amazing sea lions, which all the kids loved. They are so beautiful swimming in the water.
A picture of us in front of the elephants, which you can't really see in the picture. Do you like how Meadow is perched on my belly. I keep wondering what the baby thinks when Meadow likes to sit on him.

Look at how mini Meadow looks in this photo.

The big birthday reveal. She was so excited when she saw it. Way to go Todd for putting this together. Rita and Steve met up with us because this was a big part of their birthday gift to her as well. We had a wonderful dinner at the Rendevous afterwards.

The house has a doorbell, a sink with faucets, bbq, puppet theatre and a basketball hoop on the outside. She has been having a blast the past few days playing.

Practicing to be a Flower Girl

2009-05-13T15:57:00.001-07:00

I was so happy we were able to get Meadow to try on her flower girl dress. She fought the idea at first, but once she got it on she loved it. She did twirls in it and loved running around the house in her poofy dress. I was on such a roll that I even got her to try on her birthday dress and she loved that one too.

Getting pretty shoes on. I also have some cute bows to match, but figured I better not get too carried away for the practice round.

It was hard to get her to sit still long enough to get the bow on nicely. But, I am sure the day of the wedding we will be able to make a nice bow. I think you get the idea though. I love the blue sash.

This is Meadow saying "cheese"

Mother's Day

2009-05-13T15:51:00.001-07:00

On Sunday I got together with my good friend Amy, her husband, and baby at Laurelhurst Park. It was a fun afternoon and nice to introduce Meadow to yet another playground. Here is Amy with Quinn in the sling. Isn't Amy a gorgeous mama! He looks so cozy in there.

This is my new bike. I hope I get a chance to ride it this weekend. It is supposed to be warm and sunny again. Todd got this for me, so I would have a more comfortable ride while pregnant. It will also be great for all the cruising we are going to do as the kids get older.

20 Weeks!

2009-05-11T15:18:00.000-07:00

Just a quick upate. I have made it to the halfway mark and for those who are curious the baby is around 6 and a half inches long and weighs around 10 ounces. This website I get email updates from compares this weeks size to a banana. So, cute to think about. I am sure the rest of this pregnancy is going to fly by. We are heading to NY in a few weeks for my brother's weddings and have a few camping trips planned for the summer. So, with the business of summer I am sure September 28th will be here before I know it. I am sure almost everyone reading this already knows the big news. But, we found out we are having a boy this past week. Todd and I are both excited and glad we can experience raising both a boy and a girl. Meadow was able to be at the ultrasound and appeared to really enjoy being able to see the baby. It also helped that Todd's mom had some early birthday gifts for her. She had a great time looking at her new book in the waiting room.

Some other updates, I have been feeling the baby move for the past few weeks and the movements seem to be getting stronger. He was a real mover and a shaker for the ultrasound. At one point he did a full body extension and I was surprised I couldn't feel his foot. I think feeling the baby move is probably the best part of pregnancy. Hopefully, he will like to be active during the day, so he will let his mom sleep at night. We had a nice Mother's day weekend. Todd got me a new bike, which was a very pleasant surprise. We had planned on going for a bike ride on Friday and he presented it to me when I came out to get in the truck to leave. It is a cruiser bike, so I don't have to bend over as much like on my mt. bike and it has a more comfy seat. I am looking forward to many rides to come this summer. Don't worry I won't do anything too strenious, just the mainly flat paved trails. On Friday, we went to the Springwater trail outside of Gresham and road to the Gresham city park and had a nice picnic there. We have discovered that it is always fun to have a playground as a destination. That way, Meadow gets to have her fun as well and doesn't mind riding in the bike seat as much.

We had a bbq on Friday night and then on Saturday I got a massage later in the day and we went out to El Burro Loco. Meadow even behaved wonderfully and ate a great dinner. She has been a wildcard at restaurants these days, like most two year olds. I guess we are also discovering which locations she can handle better. It is just so hard to sit still for long. On Sunday, I got some more planting done and Meadow and I headed into Portland to meet up with friends at Laurelhurst park. Todd had to work so he couldn't join us. It was really fun to check out a new park. Meadow loves playgrounds and whenever she sees one, she says "yheaaaaaaaa" really enthusiastically. I love to see her growing her personality. Well, since wee one is not going down for her nap, I will sign off for now.

Hawaii Revisited

2009-05-07T05:34:00.001-07:00

So, I have been up since 3am ad it is now almost 6 and I have been thinking about ideas for the baby's nursery. I was thinking this idea was a good positive one to think about, so that maybe I could fall back asleep. But, of course it has done the opposite. Well, at least I have a really fun theme picked out. I have been reminiscing about our trip to the island of Kauaii and really liked the idea of a beach/Hawaii theme. It was exactly a year ago we were on that trip. Okay, now that I have that nailed down I was thinking, I should really print some of our pictures from last year's trip and maybe frame a few for the room, especially before the baby arrives. Well, I still haven't started the printing process, but had to share some fun pictures with all of you for fun. I never posted any on the blog last year so now I catching up.

Look at this geared up dad heading to the beach. This lovely lawn was part of the resort we stayed at. It was so great for crawling knees. Meadow was 11 months old and crawling as fast as she could anywhere that she could go.

Beach in front of the resort

Napali coast line

The almost 8 mile hike we took to a waterfall. Meadow was such a trooper that day. She definitely enjoyed the snack and breastfeeding breaks.

She loved hanging out in the backpack.... How things change in a year. Now, she is hiking right along with us most of the time.

Beach Babes!

Coast Trip Videos

2009-05-05T17:25:00.000-07:00