Wave pool fun on a Saturday afternoon.

Julie & Macey had a "great" idea to go to the WAVE POOL yesterday. The thought of a swimsuit in winter rubbed me the wrong way at first. However, the thought of three kids getting all their energy out and having a blast outweighed the chore of shimmying into a bathing suit!

Here are some pictures of our afternoon spent splashing around the pool and shooting down the slide. This is one instance I am grateful to be the one behind the lens!!! :)

Henley's face says it all. (It mirrored his CAREFUL daddy's face.)

Richie was brave and went all by himself (EIGHT times by his count at the end of the afternoon).

Hazel, the smart one in the group, waited to see if her brother and Richie made it down in one piece. THEN she decided she wanted to give the slide a spin...or maybe a SWOOOSH!

Her face quickly went from concern to...

...JOY when she knew daddy's feet were secure on the pool floor.

Again Daddy!!!

And they did...two more times.

Welcome JACK, my nephew!

I became and Aunt for the first time yesterday. My big brother, Patrick, and his beautiful wife, Bonnie, welcomed baby Jack into the world. It was a rather eventful entrance, so we already are expecting GREAT things from this little boy. What a precious bundle! Hazel had thought she was going to have a baby girl cousin, maybe was a teensy bit disappointed to hear she in fact had a baby BOY cousin, but upon meeting JACK...she fell in love! We all did. What a handsome little boy. We look so forward to watching our kids grow with their cousin. Henley perfected his "baby" just in time. The smell of a new baby will always be one of my favorite things.

Welcome to our loving, and at time raucous, family...JACK!!!

We drove to Bend yesterday morning and arrived a few hours after Jack was born. I washed my hands and was "given" him to hold. I had been waiting for that moment. My nephew! Love you buddy.

I always knew my brother would be a phenomenal father. He loves his SON, and his SON is one blessed little boy to have Patrick for his daddy.

Bonnie was amazing in bringing little Jack into the world. Two doting parents with their birthday BOY.

Father and son. Jack has my brother's chin. It took him having a baby for me to notice what his chin looked like!

We all adore Bonnie in our family. She has been the perfect addition and loving wife for my brother. It is beautiful to now see her as a mother.

Soaking in all that is her son.

Beautiful.

We headed out for a few hours to let the new family of three rest. When we came back to the hospital, Jack was wide awake. I held him for 45 minutes and he gazed back at me the whole time. We have a connection, and can't wait to watch it grow.

I love being an Aunt!

Patrick as always the doting Uncle. While I cuddled his BOY he fed my BOY.

Hazel's day was MADE when she was able to hold her baby cousin Jack. She was so excited. She asked me, "Mommy, when does Jack come to live at our house?" I then explained that we don't actually get to "keep" Jack, but that we will visit him often. He needs to be with his mommy and daddy, just like she lives with her mommy and daddy. Watch out Bonnie and Pat, if Jack goes missing check Hazel's backpack!

He looked at her with his wide eyes. Oh, the plans Hazel has for you buddy.

Beau shared a moment with his nephew.

Hazel peeked at Jack's tiny little feet and tiny little toes.

What a handsome boy. Perfect in every way.

He even has perfect little cries. What a nice set of lungs you have Jack.

Bonnie's sister, Jack's Aunt Crystal, shared time with her newest nephew.

Hazel shares a laugh with her Uncle Patrick. Patrick is always great for a laugh, even after not getting much sleep for THREE days.

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Congratulations Patrick and Bonnie. Well done! Thank you for inviting us to share in Jack's Birthday.

What a little boy you are!

It is incredible to Beau and I how fast Henley has been changing. He is quite mobile (running when he really wants to get around) and a little TOO capable of getting the things he wants! Henley is also beginning to discover that WORDS can be helpful. The other day, as I was watching a football game the team scored and I shouted "touchdown!" Henley immediately threw up his arms, smiled and said his own version of "touchdown." (It was close enough that Beau and I both looked at each other with one of those, I can't believe he said that, looks.)

"TOUCHDOWN"

The eyes that don't miss a thing. The minute mommy or daddy sit down with a snack, Henley scurries on over for a bite. Good luck resisting the charm that is our Henley.

Yes, he speaks some words we know. Then there are the others that we have yet to understand. He babbles away, his voice fluctuating to show his enthusiasm for the story he is telling. Sure can't wait until we can all speak Henley!

Sister Hazel taught Henley to make this "silly face." We love it and all the silliness that lies within our children.


In the past month, Henley has discovered the phone. He says "hi" to whomever may be calling, and then quickly starts eating the phone. Not the most talkative guy on the phone. Much like his father.

Then for the EXCITING news. This little sleepyhead you see above just woke from a fabulous 3.5 hour nap in his crib. Ever since we FINALLY figured out a way to allow Henley to get a solid night's sleep, he now takes much more restful LONG naps.

He may not seem too pleased, but truly he is a HAPPIER boy to now be getting good sleep!! Mommy and Daddy too. What changed? Well, after our holiday travels, Beau and I moved Hazel into our room. She has been camping out on her inflatable toddler bed since. (Two weeks.) That move enabled us to allow Henley to settle into a good bedtime routine, with TEARS (sigh). The "cry it out" ended up not taking long at all. A few days and he barely fussed at bedtime. Hallelujah. I am left thinking, WHAT TOOK US SO LONG? Well, I suppose my answer is, BETTER LATE THAN NEVER! Hazel is scheduled to move back in with Henley tonight. She is excited. Even though she has enjoyed camping out with us, she LOVES her big girl bed. She also is looking forward to looking after her brother again.

Henley has been practicing "BABY" as we all anxiously await to birth of Patrick & Bonnie's BABY! He also LOVES a wipe, a washcloth, or anything else he can take around with him as he cleans the house. Can't wait until he can operate the vacuum and do dishes!

More cleaning...

"Hi" continues to be Henley's word of choice. He has just recently begun saying "bye bye."

A quiet Monday morning.

On Friday, Hazel collected a bunch of "acorns" (oak balls) scattered in the OAK leaves below an OAK tree at Jasper. Her pockets began to bulge as her eyes kept spotting them everywhere. I told her that grandpa likes oak balls too. She asked, "What about acorns?" Well, I guess he probably does.

We carefully brought them home and today the fragile little balls received a makeover. Hazel got out some pink, purple and green paints and went to work. They certainly don't look like acorns now (nor oak balls)!

Hazel thinks they look lovely, I agree...

After painting the "acorns" Hazel moved on to the paper. Then, the paintbrush was ditched...

...for HANDS!

She enjoyed the experience. I am hopeful there will be more masterpieces in her future.

Putting away Christmas...

...is never much fun. We now have to wait 11 more months to get out the ornaments, snowmen, tree mugs, snow globes, stockings, angels...and tree skirt.

Hazel decided to give the tree skirt one final moment of glory this holiday season. Did I say tree skirt, I meant tree CAPE!!!

Put a star on her head and we have her Halloween costume 10 months early!

A Christmas Day Tradition

A few weeks late...

Here are some pictures I snapped on the annual hike up the hill Beau and I take on Christmas day. There are logging roads up in the hills behind my parent's home. Over the years we have seen...brand new clear cuts, abnormally HUGE drifts of snow, anew road where a small trail snaked the year before, and many puddles of mud. This year, there was a new clear cut with a smoldering massive burn pile. The clear cut provided a new view. At the top of the mountain, where a beautiful view was 5 years ago, now grow 10 ft trees. It is amazing to see the regrowth in process, and Beau and I don't mind seeing the evolution of a mountain used for it's trees. We had a nice hike, the dogs thrilled with their best Christmas gift of all, and returned to napping kids and a roaring fire. Not a bad afternoon spent with the one I love most. Merry CHRISTMAS to me.

Do you spy our doggie who can blend in with the best chameleon.

The new clear cut provided a view of a farm with lush GREEN grass and RED barn.

Click this one and you can see Mt. Hood. This picture was taken between a few of the trees at the top of the mountain (hill).

The hikers on Christmas Day 2010.

The smoldering burn in the forefront, Etters Road turn off (my parent's road) in the background.