Randoms

These are just random cute pics taken recently.

We had a playdate with her friend Maddie the other day.

Wubbs Visit Brightwood

This week is Washington's spring break so Tonia, the boys, and Hope thought it would be cool to come visit us up in Brightwood. Meadow and I felt very special that they requested to include us on their spring break plans. When the boys come to visit they love to do certain things at Todd and Jocelyn's house. One is going in the hot tub and the other is playing Todd's drums. We were able to get all those things accomplished. We didn't get a chance to have a campfire, which we were reminiscing about in the hot tub. But, we hope we can do one this summer. Tonia had told me that Xavier wanted to bring his pajamas because he thought they were going to sleep here for spring break. Too cute!

A big part of our day was going over to Wildwood Park. The kids had a great time hiking around and we did get to see some ducks in the marshland.

Here they are hiking a long. Meadow was actually the leader of the pack sometimes. What a big girl she is.
Checking out the wildlife.

She is so fast it is hard to catch a good picture of her.

Or maybe the photographer needs a little work. Where is my personal photographer when I need her. Beth, please come visit soon!

Trecking over the bridge

At the playground

They had a lot of fun swinging together

Hope looking cute and playing with Meadow's toys.

Thanks Aunt Tonia for coming to visit!

Videos from Multnomah Falls Hike

On our way down from the top, Meadow really wanted to walk so we got her out of the pack so she could have some exercise too. She wasn't a big fan of holding our hands because she wanted to run, so Todd mastered the technique of holding her jacket. There were some steep parts, which luckily didn't lead to a major face rash. So, Todd needed to have a good hold on her to keep her brakes on and keep her safe.

Sledding video

Trip to the mountain

Before the storm arrived we went up to the mountain on Friday so that Meadow could get another day in skiing. She was very excited and kept saying "ski, ski." She had a good time, but after about three trips down the bunny hill she was ready to just play in the snow. Her skis are not very stable because they are just strapped on to her boots so she looks ready to upgrade to real skis for next season. Todd and I took turns and did one run a piece, which was plenty for us because the snow had gotten really sticky and soft. It was nice for me because it made me not go very fast.

Todd getting a good back workout.

This was her favorite part of the day. She slid down this hill probably 20 times.

Ghanny got Meadow some new duck gear. She is borrowing my visor to complete the outfit.

Trip to Multnomah Falls

Todd, Meadow and I were able to cure some of our cabin fever yesterday by heading out to the gorge and seeing some beautiful waterfalls and experiencing some sunshine. It wasn't quite as warm as we had hoped, but once we got hiking up to Multnomah falls we didn't even need our jackets on. The hike is pretty steep with many, many switchbacks. It was fun to watch Meadow's reaction to seeing the waterfalls. After awhile, Meadow really wanted to walk and kept saying, "walk, walk, walk." So, once it was a little less steep we got her out of the pack so she could do her own hiking or running. After both of us trying to hold her hands along the trail we figured out she wanted her hands free, so Todd was able to keep a good hold on her jacket while she walked along. I just can't believe how quickly she is growing up. After the rigerous hike, we all enjoyed some ice cream while looking at views of the waterfall. It was a really fun day and made me look forward to all the fun activities we will do as a family as Meadow and her younger brother or sister get older.

Here I am at almost 14 weeks pregnant. I definitely could feel the extra blood volume on this hike.
The family with the view of the Columbia Gorge in the background.

Enjoying the view

Multnomah Falls- You can't see the top of it. It is the second highest waterfall in the country. It is amazing to see how many people do the hike up to the top. It is definitely a little eary looking down from the top.

Meadow loves to talk about going to the pool. She wanted to practice getting her lifejacket on. I amm really looking forward to spending a lot of time in pools this summer. I have a feeling I am going to need it being 7 and 8 months pregnant over the summer. We have a pool in our neighborhood, an outdoor pool at the gym I go to, and Todd's parents have a pool. So, we will have many different options as well as her kiddie pool to play in this summer.

Round 2 Recap

We had another great day watching basketball on Saturday. The teams did not dissapoint us with lack of enthusiasm. Both Todd and I were not really rooting for any of the teams, just happy to be watching good basketball. The first game, Washington against Purdue was definitely heavy on the defense and their seemed to be a lot of fouls called on both sides of the court. Washington rallied in the second half, but just didn't have enough time to get the win. It was interesting watching the next two teams play and how different their styles of play were. I have to say, I really enjoyed watching Gonzaga and Western Kentucky play. They both were great shooting teams and seemed to play cleaner basketball. It was amazing to see this game live. It was probably one of the most exciting games I have ever seen. With .9 seconds left Gonzaga made the winning basket. You can't get more close than that. I did really feel for that Western Kentucky team. They put everything into that game. You do wonder if they had been able to make a few more foul shots, if they would have won that game.

Sunday, I wasn't feeling very well and the weather was very cold and rainy so we decided to watch more basketball. Syracuse did an amazing job against Arizona State. It will be fun to watch the next round coming up. Both, Todd and I agreed that no matter what, this coming weekend we need to get outside and get a nice hike in and do some other activities. I think I did find that I do have a limit of how much basketball I can watch in one weekend. And hopefully, I will be feeling better soon and have more energy. I am in the second trimester now, so I am crossing my fingers that I will feel like a million bucks soon. Or at least a half mill.

2009 March Madness

Todd and I had the opportunity to attend the first and second rounds of the Men's NCAA basketball tournament being held in Portland this year. We actually bought the tickets almost a year ago. We have had the tickets in our posession for a few months, just waiting for March 19th to arrive. I had a small hope that Syracuse might actually be placed in the West Division. But, they actually were seeded pretty high which was good for them and are playing in Miami. Go Cuse!!! They won today and will be playing again on Sunday. Despite, my favorite team not being in Portland it was a really fun day. There were a few close games and the last one was probably the most exciting. It was pretty entertaining watching the mascots as well. The Western Kentucky hilltoppers had the most entertaining mascot. He did head spins and several other silly antics.The hilltopper kind of looked like a red blob. I felt so bad for the Mississippi State mascot. The bulldog looked so sad at the end, like he had run out of gas, just like his team. I wish I had gotten a picture.

It was a very long day watching four games. I normally watch a lot of March Madness, but it is a lot different when you are at home and can relax on the couch and do other things while you watch the games. Despite my back and neck being a little sore, it was a fun experience and I am really looking forward to the second round on Saturday. Meadow had a great time hanging out with her friend Jonah and my good friend Heidi for the day and will get to spend some quality time with Todd's mom tomorrow. We were pretty high up, but you could actually still see pretty well

Spaghetti Heaven

The other day I made some simple spaghetti with sausage and broccoli. Meadow really enjoyed this meal. She was cracking me up because she couldn't get the food in her mouth fast enough. It is always fun watching when Meadow gets really into eating because most of the time she is a little bird eater. But, she must be going through a growth spurt because she has been eating like a champ this week. Isn't this picture hilarious!

Future Duck!

Meadow loves to try on hats right now and enjoys wearing her sunglasses around the house. She is such a silly little girl. She definitely keeps Todd and I entertained.

Here is a couple pictures of Meadow in her new Oregon Duck track jacket. I found this at a consignment store with matching pants. Unfortunately, she is already too big for the pants but I am sure baby number two will get lots of use out of this outfit.

We actually got to see the 2008 University of Oregon's men's cross country championship team and 2009 indoor championship track team at the NCAA men's basketball tournament in Portland. During the half times the NCAA showcased local NCAA champions. It was a nice tribute and I am sure they had never been honored in front of so many people.

World's Smallest Home Office

Todd and I have already started downsizing our office/guest room to make room for a nursery. We are hoping to get a lot done in the spring months so that we can spend lots of time outside over the summer instead of working on projects indoors. To convert this room we have had to use a lot of creativity and utilize all the space in our house. We have a small storage closet that we have converted into our mini office where it will store my craft stuff and the computer and printer. We plan to move our futon out to the jam room and have already made room for it out there. It is going to be an awesome guest quarters. We also plan to find some lower scale bookshelves to put out there to house most of the books we own that are now in a tall non kid friendly bookcase. I feel kind of boring while writing this post. But, there is something liberating about being able to organize your space and get rid of clutter that is just not needed. We also spent some time cleaning this weekend and it made me feel so good to wake up Monday morning to an organized clean space, even if for only a day.

Here is a photo of Meadow slumbering last evening. After several failed attempts to wake her up after our drive home yesterday, I just let her slumber away.
Our new mini office

We will definitely have to stay organized and file things efficiently. Not a lot of room for stacking needless things.

Family Drum Circle

This past weekend it was pretty cold and rainy/sleety/and snowy. So, we were not very motivated to go outside. We got a lot of organizing done and a few house projects started we have been wanting to do. One of the highlights of the weekend was jamming out in the jam room with Meadow and Todd. Meadow loves to play all the drums and makes a purpose to play each one for a little bit. She has also learned how to move the stepstool herself so that she can reach them all. It was also nice to get out my flute and play a little bit.


Being a little "ham" for the photo shoot

Hilarious Shoes

The place where I ordered Meadow's flower girl dress (Lil Britches) has really fun shoes that are really comfy and great for kids. After trying these on Meadow, I couldn't resist. They squeak! What is also nice about them is that you can take the squeaker out very easily. It was such riot seeing her run around the store in these.

It's Official! Due September 28th

I just wanted to share one of the earliest pictures of our baby. He or she is measuring right at the due date we suspected. It was fun to watch this little one be very active on the monitor. It looks like there is a lot of room for the baby to grow in. No wonder my belly is sticking out so far already.

Mommy's girl

Meadow is definitely in the imitating stage and loves to do whatever Mom and Dad are doing. The other day, I was actually feeling well enough to do some prenatal yoga so I thought I would try and have Meadow do some of it with me. She has always loved downward facing dog. Here she is in in the full pose. She also did a pretty good warrior one.

Last night, I had Meadow help with making the salads for dinner. She ripped up all the lettuce and ate a few of the veggies going into the salad. I had looked into these learning tower things that you can put in your kitchen to help raise your toddler up to the counter. I figured I would just save $185 and use a chair. Worked like a charm.

My new ride

Todd and I have been busy car shopping lately (groan, groan). Thankfully, the process didn't take too long. My forester's engine was on the way out and it was only a matter of time before it died. So, instead of putting a lot of money into the forester to get a new engine we decided it might be more worth our while to get something new. We were planning on upgrading sometime next year for a little bit bigger vehicle due to the addition of the baby coming this September. It was interesting test driving different vehicles to see what would fit me and be comfortable for Todd. There were a few models where I had difficulty even seeing over the steering wheel, so those were crossed off the list pretty quickly.

We found that the toyota highlander fit me the best. I can move the driver's seat up and forward so far and it works for Todd too. So, we had narrowed down the type of car and test drove both the hybrid and the gas model. They both really handled well and the only main difference was that the hybrid had a little more pick up and go up the hills and of course had much better gas mileage. I think the slow car market was on our side, because we ended up getting a great deal on the Toyota Highlander Hybrid and got a decent price on my forester. We also got a nice warranty so we feel pretty good about the purchase at least for the next seven years. Hopefully, the hybrid computer technology will become more mainstream and cheaper to fix, just in case we have any problems down the road. I am definitely excited about owning a new car, but also very nervous about hurting it. So, if you see me on the road or in the parking lot, make sure to give me plenty of clearance.

A view of the back seat and optional third row seat. The back seat's console can also be switched out with a seat that can make it seat three across. With the armrests up you can actually squeeze someone in there. We really liked how roomy the back seats are and how you can make a little separation if need be with the console and cup holders. I am sure many snacks and toys will be stored in there in the years to come.
View of the third row seat folded down

It looks so shiny!

Picture Todd took of Meadow with some lichen in her hair that had fallen off a tree. Here she is looking at moss on a rock. She loves to take the moss off when we are outside playing.

Look at all the room back here. I also ordered a rubber cover to go over the fabric in the back so we can throw all of our outdoor gear back there and not have to worry about getting it dirty. I had one in my Subaru and it was definitely key with taking the dirty jogging stroller in and out.

We are excited to be able to carpool with some other families to the zoo or various places around Portland and to be able to pick up my parents or other friends from the airport. Hint hint.. We haven't had visitors for awhile.