The Farm

This summer instead of trying to manage a garden,, two young children, and a husband on the road, I decided to sign us up for a farm share from Gathering Together Farm, a local farm located in Philomath. On Sunday they had the end of the season farm tour and pumpkin. The farm truck was not working so instead of a hayride tour we took a walking tour. Calla had a blast and listened to every word Farmer Joe said. The kids even got to pick carrots at the end. What a wonderful treat to meet the farmer and see the place where our summer veggies were grown. We will be back for more fresh veggies next summer!

There was a green house of tomatoes on the farm and since it was the end of the season the kids got to walk through the greenhouse like a maze, it was fun to watch!

Hannah enjoyed exploring the flowers.

Calla was very intent on finding the perfect pumpkins for her and Hannah.

Keep Looking!

Just Right!

Hannah is Walking

It has taken 16 1/2 months but Hannah is finally up on two feet. She is quick, so we have very few pictures, but I did capture a few quick ones today.

Making a break for Calla's bike. We might have to buy another bike soon!

This time with the helmet.

Heading for the grass, Hannah is still getting used to walking on uneven ground.

I am not sure what Aspen thinks of Hannah walking around on two feet, but Hannah likes chasing Aspen.

Hannah checking out her shoes, she seems to really like her new shoes.

Backyard

The other day when Scott was out of town we had a blast playing on the wonderful play structure he built and we also took some pictures. Both girls were in a great mood and seemed to want to pose for the camera. Time passes so quickly I sometimes feel that I never get enough pictures of them both together. Enjoy these great ones from our own backyard!

Waldo Lake

This summer has been filled with adventure. Scott and I decided at the beginning of the summer to focus on camping and hiking with the kids and not worry too much about the yard. Well we succeeded! There are lots and lots of weeds growing in our yard and we took the kids on three camping trips and lots of hiking. Mission Accomplished! Our friends Joy, Jay, Airlie, and their two dogs joined us for a very full campsite and a lot of fun! Hannah decided she wanted to do lots of practice walking in the water and Calla made lots of friends with the other little kids at the campground. It was a beautiful weekend and there were lots of families enjoying the beautiful water. Here are some pictures from our WONDERFUL trip to Waldo Lake. We forgot the buckets and shovels so we made a quick trip to a grocery store and bought a plastic pitcher and a spoon, they worked great!

Hannah practicing walking with daddy!

Calla getting a float in with a borrowed raft, next year we need to bring our own!

Hannah enjoyed playing in the water with Airlie.

Hannah taking over Calla's camping chair, we will need to buy another before next summer.

Calla being her creative self, she was making food for everyone and enjoying every minute of the trip. She loves camping!

Camping along the North Umpqua River

We spent a great weekend camping down along the North Umpqua River with our friends Liam, Brigetta, Rowan, and Fiona. We lucked out and got two great camping spots next to each other right along the river with a great place for the kids to play in the river. We mostly just hung out at the camp playing in the river and the kids digging in the dirt. We went on a short hike to a great waterfall and generally had a great time. The Moms slept with the little ones in their own tents and the Dads and the big ones slept in the BIG tent. So Calla and Rowan got to share the tent and had a great time after we put them to bed. Every 20 - 30 minutes we had to tell them it was bed/quite time, but as soon as we walked away one of them would start talking and the flashlight would come back on. It was pretty funny and they had a great time together.

Here are some photos of our adventure!

Hannah enjoying the waterfall in her deluxe hiking backpack. Calla is kinda jealous now that she is a big girl and has to hike.

The two camping families!

Calla and Rowan with their hiking sticks.


Hiking up the big hills to the waterfall.

Calla and Rowan doing their best Karate Kid impression.

We had a few adult beverages by the campfire!

Fiona playing at camp and having a great time!

Hannah being silly while they were playing in the tent.

Calla doing something? We were not sure what but Rowan thought it was hilarious!

Hannah talking a much deserved nap in the tent!

Hiking Pamelia Lake

A couple of weekends ago we went hiking to Pamelia Lake with our good friends Joy, Jay, and baby Airlie. We used to hike and camp with them lots, then we had kids and now they live in Portland. So it was great to spend the day together catching up. Joy and I used to drive to work everyday together. I sure do miss you now!

The hike to Pamelia Lake is 2.5 miles each way, so we knew we would be pushing it trying to get Calla to hike the entire trail, but she did great! She pretty much hiked the entire way to the lake with a few reward stops (half a shortbread cookie) and a few short rides on dad's shoulders. She was a trooper. She loved swimming in the lake, I guess she is from our blood because Scott and I love swimming in mountain lakes! There are no pictures of Scott carrying Call on the way down because he beelined it to the car with the extra weight on his back!

Hannah enjoying the ride with dad. Hannah loves the back pack because she can see everything. She rode in the ergo on the way down so Calla could hitch a ride with dad.

Calla's imagination was running wild on the trail. We were running from bears, alligators, and she was wearing a magic stick necklace. She made us all laugh!

SUPER CALLA!!

A hug for mom!

Swimming in the lake. Hannah did NOT like the water, but loved watching Calla swim and splash!

Hannah had a great time "sharing" food with baby Airlie. Joy had brought some watermelon and Hannah having just perfected the food sign along with saying "foo, foo" was very insistent that she get some too. So Airlie was kind enough to share.

The Family!

The GIRLS!