Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Nick's Birthday Weekend

Okay, so daddy’s going to pinch-hit for mommy on this post.

This past weekend, most of the family met up in Kennedy Meadows to celebrate Uncle Nick’s birthday. I say most, because mommy stayed home to care for the heir to daddy’s throne and Papa A had to care for great grandma. Their respective diaper changing skills and fly fishing wisdom were both sorely missed… as well as their cheerful presence, of course.

Initially, we were all concerned with reports of 15 degree weather and large crowds due to the opening of fishing season. Thankfully, both worries were met with crisp, sunny days and a sparsely stocked campground. Unfortunately, the river was also sparsely stocked with fish, so we spent most of the time soaking up the sun and practicing our casting techniques. Amelia put up with the freezing nighttime air, a minor burn on her pinky, and the lack of mommy quite admirably. All the attention from aunts and uncles surely helps. Daddy responded to the cold temperatures by admirably burning a blanket on the space heater in his tent. “I love the smell of burnt toast in the morning.”

Speaking of food, we thoroughly enjoyed campfire grilled steaks and baked beans for the birthday dinner. I’m not sure why, but when camping under the stars, your steak could be burnt to the consistency of a parched rock on the floor of Death Valley, and it would still taste better than one of them buttery filet mignons from Ruth’s Chris.

At any rate, our triumphant return home was greeted by mommy’s open arms and her own tales of a mysterious thing called ‘girl’s day out’. Something about shopping, eating, more shopping… blah, blah, blah. Heh heh. All in all, everyone enjoyed their weekend – but it was ultimately great to be back together.


Amelia explores the campsite, keeping a wary eye out for the ‘Big Bad Wolf.’

She stakes her claim to the best spot at the campfire.

She’s riding tall as we head down to the river for some fishin’.

Aunt CC and Gene.

Without Papa around, Uncle Nick became the resident fly fishing expert.

High altitude and clear skies meant a good chance of sunburn, so we had to protect that noggin’.

Mohegan enjoys the comforts of the wilderness.

Succulent watermelon treat.

YaYa explains what’s on tap for dinner to an eager little tummy.

Breakfast was a mirthful time of bliss.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

out and about

can you tell where she gets her smile? : )

Baby H trying to take a nap in the commotion...

a loved (and fought over) toy

much glee from the new bubble makers!

Yesterday we got to go down to the Miller 5's and hang out with four of them. It was so much fun getting together with other mom's and their kiddo's, and with the other two ladies that came even though they aren't mom's! ; ) It also happened to be Julie's birthday, so we helped her celebrate a little. The new automatic bubble blowing devices from Megan for Molly and Amelia's birthdays were a huge hit. We'll get lots of use out of that. Thanks for the fun day ladies!

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Friday, April 10, 2009

first haircut

(before) with another interesting car parked in front of our house... a Stutz. What will it be next week?

sitting still!

(after)

jumping for joy!

After much bidding from Daddy, we got Amelia's shaggy hair cut this past week. Now its just shorter shaggy hair, but we think its cute! We've got colds here, so I haven't felt much like getting dressed or doing something like doing her hair. Maybe future pictures will depict the new 'do better. Happy Friday.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

cabin time

Rayn catching bubbles mid-air

our little bum in training

We went to the cabin this past weekend and got in on the last bit of cold weather. Friday it was sooooo cold (for us, 38 degrees at noon!) when Kim and I got there with the girls, and you can tell by Amelia's facial expression in the first picture she wasn't too fond of it. It did warm up by Sunday and it was quite lovely. As the girls napped on Friday afternoon, Kim and I set in to make the food for the weekend. One of the first things that nurse Kim does is slice the tip of her thumb and nail with a very sharp knife. Now it was my turn to keep from passing out and try to put a band aid on her. We made it through though! Then, the smoke alarm/intruder alarm went off (NOT from our cooking, there was minimal smoke!). So the alarm company called and walked us through how to turn that off. Ahh. Peace, quiet and relaxation until 4:15 Sunday morning when the alarms went off again. Then again at 8:30 am. Thankfully, they were false alarms and the Lord kept us all safe. The cabin owners will be looking into having their new alarm system fixed!