Indianola Days : 2011

When I was growing up, I'd spent weeks visiting my cousins Matt and Mike, my aunt, my uncle and my grandparents at their homes in Indianola (10 minute drive from the Kingston ferry on Puget Sound). We'd play at the beach, have bonfires, go on long bike rides, jump off the dock, go crabbing and on boat rides...for me it was the perfect summer camp. Each summer, the people of Indianola celebrate their little community with "Indianola Days." I hadn't participated in Indianola Days for about 15 years so it was fun for me to get back this weekend, but even more exciting to share this memory of mine with Steve and Raleigh. I can't wait until next summer when Raleigh can run around with the older kids and swim in the Sound.

We randomly ran into Steve's good college buddy, PJ and his wife and kids who were attending a family reunion at the house next to where we were hanging out on the beach.

Cousin Mike and Raleigh

Paul, Olivia, Lauren, Raleigh and Henry

Cousin Matt bought his wife Lisa a golf cart for her birthday - best.gift.ever!  Steve and I went for a little spin up to check out the country store and the salmon bake.

The infamous Indianola Dock

Somtimes you just need a little assitance going to the bathroom when you've got wet swimtrunks on.

2011...The Year of the Boy

Honestly, there are so many boys that have been born or are going to be born in 2011 that I'm wondering if the graduating class of 2029 or 2030 will have any girls for the them to ask to prom. Let's see...here are the boys born this year to my friends...Nadine had Wyatt, Megan had Brady, Karli had Liam, Steph had Riley, Max had Wyatt and Smith, Rauh had Jack, Lynne will have baby Pete soon (fake name) and Stacie will have baby boys 2.0 by the end of the year.

Today, Raleigh spent a few hours 'hanging out' with sweet baby Jack. Not sure how much Jack wanted to hang out with Raleigh, but I think Raleigh enjoyed his time.

I can't wait to see what the future has in store for each of our boys. From knowing their mama's, I'm sure they'll each grow up to be pretty amazing guys that hopefully have a chance with some of the adorable girls out there...Parker, Charlotte, Emma, Avery, Addi, Addy, Eden, Maddy, Hayden, Taylor, Sloane, Delaney, Allie and Ava (if she's in to much younger men) just to name a few.

3 Months

This month-birthday is bittersweet for me as it marks the end of my maternity leave and my return to work. At three months old my sweet boy is happy and healthy, but come August 1 I'm going to be one sad mama when I head back into the office. For the past three months, I've spent just about every waking moment with Raleigh and have honestly cherished each of those moments (even the tears) together. I will miss him tremendously throughout the days while I'm at work, but will race home at night to snuggle him and kiss his sweet cheeks.

Since his 2 month birthday, we've successfully driven 11 consecutive hours to Montana and have flown to LA, I'd say this boy of ours is well-traveled and we definitely plan to keep it that way. I also left him for the longest period of time this past weekend while we shot a wedding - 12 hours away from my boy. Thankfully, I was completely distracted by the bride and groom so I didn't have much time to miss him, but once we got home, I woke him up just so we could catch up a bit and I could kiss him goodnight.

Here are a few of the things that I love about Raleigh, at this very moment...

• I love that he doesn't mind tummy time and rolls from his stomach to his back - going both directions.
• I love that he doesn't mind the camera in his face and actually looks at me when I take his photo and sometimes even smiles. I really hope he doesn't grow out of this phase, but I have a feeling, at some point he's going to be annoyed by me constantly taking his picture so I'll enjoy it while I can.
• I love his nightly bath ritual. He smiles the second he gets in the tub and loves kicking his legs and splashing his arms.
• I love his laugh...my heart melts when I hear a little chuckle out of him.
• I love the way he smiles his slightly crooked smile (thanks to his Dadddy) when I talk to him and call him by name.
• I love that he's ready for bed at 8:30 on the dot...I don't love that he doesn't sleep through the night...we're working (very tirelessly) on this one.
• Most of all, I love the joy that he has brought to my life. Along with Steve, we love our boy more than anything in the world. We truly had no idea the affect Raleigh's little life would have on us at just 3 months old, but the love we feel is truly one of a kind. A couple of times this past month, I've cried just looking at him and thinking about how special he is and how perfectly he fits into our family. I 100% feel that he was meant for us and we were meant for him.

Here's just part of a conversation we had this morning.

Happy 95th Birthday

Today, my wonderful Grandpa Ralph turns 95 years old and still feels and looks great. A month ago, we had dinner with him and introdued him, for the first time, to Raleigh. My Grandpa is my only living grandparent so introducing him to my son and his fourth great-grandchild was extra special for me.  I couldn't help but imagine how different my Grandpa's life was 95 years ago when he was a newborn compared to how Raleigh's life is now...times have sure changed ☺

Happy Birthday Grandpa!  We're looking forward to celebrating with you and the rest of the family tonight.  We love you!

4 Generations

Annual Trip to Bozeman

This year marks my third annual, summer trip out to Bozeman, MT to visit the Johnsons and the Weedins.  The difference between this year and years past is that Steve joined me for the first time and rather than flying, we drove...11 hours straight through with a 3 month old.  I was a bit nervous subjecting Raleigh to this 650 mile ride, but Jenny assured me that everything would be fine and right she was...he did great.  She's made this same drive many times with her girls so I knew we could do it.  Besides for all of our wonderful friends that live in Bozeman, there's just something extra special about this beautiful place.  I love the small-town feel, the surrounding mountains, the rivers, the people, the 360 degree unbelievable view, the restaurants, the beers, the die-hard MSU Bobcat fans - you get the idea.  This trip was planned last summer when Dusty & Gina hired Steve and I to shoot their wedding...I shot their engagement in Bozeman last summer.  I used to say that Maui was the most beautiful place to tie the knot since that is where I was married, but after witnessing my first Bozeman wedding my mind may have been changed.  Here is a photo recap of our trip and a shot from the wedding.

Sunrise view of the Bridgers from the Johnsons guest bedroom at 5am when we got into town on Thursday morning

Palisades Falls hike at Hyalite

Music on Main

Jenny, me and Ali at The Cannery aka the first real bar that Raleigh ever hung out in...babies are allowed in the bars in MT.

Raleigh, Greta, Maddy, Brekken and Taylor

Jenny and Nick's guest bedrom had the perfect natural lighting for a little photoshoot of our little man.

Sunset from Cle Elum on our drive home

The lovely Mr. & Mrs. Daws

I'm already looking forward to Bozeman 2012 and hopefully a side-trip through Yellowstone.  A huge Thank You to Jenny, Nick, Maddy and Taylor for letting us stay with you - we had such a great time! 

Beautiful Little Girl

This past week, there was a tragic accident on I-90 at the 405 interchange involving somewhere around 14 vehicles.  My immediate thought when I heard the news was that I hoped everyone would survive and that I didn't know anyone in the accident being that it occurred during a common commute route for some and near my office.  Turns out, that the one person that passed away from injuries caused from this horrible accident is the daughter of a friend of mine from jr high and the daughter of a co-worker of mine.  As with many people in the Seattle/Bellevue area that have heard this story, they can't get this beautiful little girl, Rachel Beckwith, out of their mind.  In her short nine years, she has subsequently changed the lives of thousands of children in Africa all because she requested no gifts for her birthday last month and instead requested that her friends make a donation to a charity that provides safe drinking water in developing counties.  When Rachel was taken off life support on Saturday, she had officially reached her goal of $300.  Since Saturday, the total that Rachel has raised (as of a few minutes ago) is at an astonishing $125,000!  In honor of Rachel's memory, I've made my donation.  If you're interested in making a donation as well, you may do so here.

I unfortunately never met Rachel, but those that did should feel very lucky.  I have kept her parents Sam and Jacob, family and friends in my thoughts and prayers over the past few days as the loss they have experienced absolutely breaks my heart.  Please be sure to take a moment and hug your family and friends just a bit tighter because I can only imagine that Rachel's family and friends would give just about anything, at this moment, to give her one last hug. 

The latest article on CNN reagarding Rachel and lives she has changed may be read here.   

Wedding Weekend Getaway

This past weekend our friends Diggy and Ryan tied the knot at the beautiful Alderbrook Resort at Hood Canal. Despite the wet weather, their nautical themed wedding was beautiful. From the sailing rope lining the aisle to the guys sailing knot boutineers, every detail was perfection for this sailing loving couple. The afternoon and evening were a blast. Lots of wine, lots of dancing and lots of laughs. We even had someone to watch all of the kiddos for the evening so we could let loose. However, from the photos, you might think differently as Raleigh spent quite a bit of time in the arms of friends.

Steve and I stayed about a mile up the road from the resort at an adorable cabin in the woods that our family friends so graciously let us borrow for the weekend.

Congratulations Diggs and Ryan! Hope you two have a wonderful time on your honeymoon.