Baby in the Redwoods!

Lil's friend, Robin, would always sing it out when we saw her: "Baby in the Redwoods!"  It still makes me smile.

The pre-wedding days at Pamplin Grove.  Fun times with great people in an incredible place.

Pre-wedding goodness

 Before Justin and Lilita tied the knot beneath the towering trees, we stayed at their place in Chico for three nights and helped out with final wedding preparations.  The shot above is of Mt. Shasta behind an S2F, which is one of the planes that Eric's dad flew while in the Navy.

Because fall had already made its appearance in Oregon, it was especially wonderful to drink coffee on the front porch glider, enjoying the warmth and marveling at the clear sky before the day go too hot.  Mid-90s in late September seems crazy hot!

Some shots of our days together, finalizing ceremony plans, visiting antique stores to find the perfect last details for our wedding outfits, packing the UHaul... not to mention late nights talking on the couch, pick-up basketball games and dinner by candlelight.  Just perfect. 

 

 

 

 

Quarter year

 Our sweet chunky Buddy Cakes is 3 months old, and he celebrated by driving with us to California that day (more than a week ago now) to see his Gramsy, Juncle and Aunt Lil for the wedding of the year (more later on that for sure).

While camping in the Redwoods, Auggie led out his first long, lovely laugh, and I've been trying ever since to get a repeat performance.  The smiles are tiding me over for now. 

Now that his little neck can hold his head up most of the time, he is digging the jumper that hangs in the doorway, though so far he just spins around slowly and bobs up and down occasionally.

He is also a bit more into tummy time these days and has even managed something resembling a roll-over a few times. 

 Oh, and he is not shy about showing a little crack.

 The perfect lunch for this cold, rainy fall day: grilled cheese with tomatoes, plus tomato basil soup.

Sweet Cheeks

Roadtrippin'

We were unsure how much Augustine would like to travel, so we set out on the long drive to Spokane before sun-up in hopes that he would, at the very least, sleep the morning away, as he often does at home. So far, he seems to be the perfect traveler! He slept nearly the entire time he was in the car, and with regular breaks to eat and burp and change and get some fresh air, we only added 2 hours to our normal 8-hour trip! In my limited parenting experience, I already know that this, like any of his rhythms, could change at any time, but for now, I'll take it!

Our first stop was Multnomah Falls! We considered a quick hike to the top of the falls, but Auggie had forgotten his hiking boots, so we decided to get back on the road instead.

It was a wonderful, relaxed week of hanging out and enjoying the perfect summer weather! Brothers with each other's babies:

Pops and Auggie at an afternoon pool party:

Unckage and Emerson on a "walk." Emmy wanted to run the entire time.

The view of Chewelah from the end of the runway near Nannie and Pops' place:

Niece Emerson, up close and personal:

One lovely morning, Eric and Brody played a round of golf and Mike, Emerson, Ann, Auggie and I headed to town to check out the farmer's market. Chewelah is a small town, but has a wonderful market in a shady park with a shallow, clear creek rushing through it.

Enjoying zucchini arugula quesadillas and cold zucchini soup "backstage" -- behind a family band with kiddos of all ages in suspenders and long dresses playing stringed instruments and singing tight harmonies.

We were lucky enough to be there for the third annual zucchini boat races, in which folks carved out zucchinis and squashes of all shapes and sizes, decorated them, and released them in the creek in heats to see whose would survive the "rapids" and reach the banner of flags first, while a blond teenage boy raced along them, commentating dramatically with a cordless mic. Very quaint. And pretty hilarious to watch.

Auggie was super into it.

Sharing some juicy plums. Mike looks like he has no lower jaw here.

Emmy was most interested in the play area, as any 3-yr-old would be.

Saturday morning cartoons with Nannie:

I think Nannie liked having them around alright.

Toward the end of the week, we drove across the WA-ID border, along with Mike and Em, out to the family cabin on one of the Twin Lakes (is it Upper or Lower? I can never remember). The cabin has been in Eric's family since it was built in 1909, so it is the home of much family history, and it is a site for constant projects and upgrades. Since we were there last, the bathroom had been redone and the new ceiling in the main room was finished. And some "new" green leather furniture (a la Craigslist) was in place. So great!

Again, it was a perfect summer afternoon! Not a cloud in the sky. Hot in the sun, cool in the shade. So great.

Trying to catch bubbles:

After our cabin visit, we headed south, past Spokane, to see Mike and Tanya's new house for the first time since they moved in! Their house is on a gorgeous piece of farmland that has been in Tanya's family for some time, a mile outside of a teeny rural town, and it is awesome! It was fun to be the first to stay in their guest room!

The view out their front door:

And out the back:

Kisses for Baby Auggie, as Em calls him:

Dinner out to celebrate the birthdays of Brody and Tanya's dad, Denny.

While Tanya worked, we took a field trip to Riverside Park in downtown Spokane and where we enjoyed a tasty picnic lunch with shaved ice for dessert!

And where Emmy showed off her dancing skills on the stage of an amphitheater we happened upon. A born performer, for sure.

After one final lazy morning, we waved goodbye and headed toward home.

Some 8 hours later, we came around a bend to see this familiar face and knew we were getting close: