Sunny September 2012

Cool Lucy

Lucy at the Salmon Street Fountain

Aunt Dianne and Jake

LucyKat!

Windy Day

Rose and Sean

Lucy and Marc flying a kite

Jakey-Boy's first beach trip!

He liked getting his toes in the sand

Sean and Jake

Little Guy

For Tasha!

Just some of the bounty

Lucy 

Watch out!

This has been a very nice, warm, sunny September. Usually I feel like there is more back-and-forth action with the weather is September, but this year it has only been gorgeous.  I have a feeling Fall is going to come in with a bang soon. We have enjoyed things like going downtown to meet Marc at lunch and play in the Salmon Street Fountain, and taking a long afternoon walk at the zoo.  We got to head out to Garibaldi on the Oregon Coast for a weekend with friends which was so much fun. Jake visited the ocean for the first time and it was so special for me. I dipped his little toes in the water in honor of my GrandPaddy, who died in 2001.  I would have loved to have had her dip his little toes in the water for the first time! He loved it and he also liked putting them in the sand. Lucy got to fly a kite for the first time which was exciting. The guys went crabbing and we feasted! Mmmm, crab...

Jake is becoming so much more interactive, grabbing at things and sticking things on his mouth. He is working on rolling over but is not quite there yet.  He is laughing, which is oh, so sweet. He loves to watch Lucy and is starting to look around for her. Lucy started Preschool a couple of weeks ago and she is really enjoying it. Today she didn't even want me to hug her goodbye in front of the other kids! Already! I was glad though, when I picked her up and she shouted "Mommy!" and ran over and hugged me. I love spending time with her and getting to know her. She is becoming more and more sophisticated in her tastes, both with food and other things, and will tell me she likes things "sort of" or "not really" or "this is my favorite!" The other day she said that something was a "butt in the pain." (She got that one from her Dad!) She always is asking me to have friends come over, she just loves to play with other kids. It will be so nice for her as Jake grows and they can play together!

I went back to work earlier this month, and though my schedule is very light it was sad to say goodbye to maternity leave. It has been such a special time hanging out, taking care of Jake and Lucy, and enjoying summer. Even with all of the hard work it can be caring for young kids, I really have loved it.  I hope to continue to enjoy my family in the moment, cultivating love, happiness, and positive energy.

Labor Day Weekend at the Farm

Jake was excited to be in the tent!

The Twigg Sisters! Joby and Polly.

Tiffany

Marc and Jake, Rick in the background.

Gracie is tuckered out!

Sean is so cute! He is a happy boy!

Evan with a crawdad. He is just like his Dad Robin.

Lucy, exploring at the river.

Wow, Lucy Bel is strong!

Rose!

The Clackamas River

Sean and Jake

Aram with the snake he caught!

Little Buddy Jake

Lucy and Jake having a tea party!

We were blessed with nice weather over Labor Day Weekend, and we able to enjoy the outdoors at Rose and Robin's house. Camping, BBQ, and friends and family. It was so much fun getting to hang out and enjoy the sunshine, the campfire, the river and the company. I feel so grateful to be surrounded by so many wonderful people. Lucy has so much fun playing with her friends, laughing and learning.  I love seeing all of our friends children growing up.  It really is special.  Now Jake and Sean are here and it is going to be fun watching them alongside each other.

The kids had fun down at the river the day after the BBQ, exploring all around, and finding all kinds of interesting things. It is so nice to go down to the river spot at the farm, seeing it year after year and noticing the way it has changed and the way it has stayed the same. It feels good being there.

A Summer to Remember

Jake's first bottle. 

Jake's first time in a pool! It was 102 degrees!

So Sweet!

For my sister

Enjoying our backyard

What a cutie!

Jake loves camping!

Lucy loves her little brother

Our friend Nicolas, so cute

Jakey-Boy

Cousin Mason and Jake

Cabo is a good dog!

Matt and Marc, brothers

Auntie Stephanie and Jake

We love you Jake!

This summer has been such a special summer, one in which we welcomed the newest member of our family. Jake is such a happy, sweet baby boy. Everyday he is growing and showing us more of his personality.  He just loves to snuggle, and he lets you know what he needs. He can be very serious at times, checking things out. He is a great sleeper, and generally wakes up once per night now. He is starting to coo and to "play" with his toys. He is 16 1/2 lbs at 10 weeks old, in the 95th percentile! A little butterball of love!

Lucy has had a great summer learning the ropes of being a big sister. She loves her Baby Jake, and really is helpful at times. She plays with him, and has figured out that sometimes she can get him to stop crying by singing to him. She loves helping with diapers, especially poopy diapers :). She squeezes his little cheeks and tells him how cute he is and how much she loves him.  She is still adjusting some, and today said that sometimes having a brother was hard, because he needs a lot of my attention. Oh, Lucy. Besides playing with her brother, these last few weeks she has really enjoyed watercolor painting, building with Legos (she has even started trying to follow directions for building), and going on walks to the park. She loves to play with friends, and she will start preschool next week. 

We have been lucky to do so many fun things this summer, even with all of the work that comes with caring for a newborn baby. (Two children is tricky at times!)  Last week we went camping with several friends and it was great, with all of the kids running around, and the adults enjoying each other's company. Lucy loves camping, and Jake really seems to like it too! On a really hot day we were able to go to Jim and Polly's pool, which was such a nice way to beat the heat. Last weekend Marc's Brother Matt and his family came down from Spokane for a quick trip. We had a fun, relaxing day together, and it was so nice to introduce them to Jake. We are so glad to have so  many wonderful people in our lives.

Northwest String Summit 2012

Glad to be camping at eight weeks old!

Lucy is a festival girl!

Mermaid body art

Butterfly Lucy

Jake and Daddy

Max and Zoe, art at camp

Lucy loves her Brother!

Snow White at the kids parade!

Marc, Polly and Zoe at the kids parade

Sleepy boy!

Checking out the music up close

The Leisenring Family

Lucy won a hula hoop at the kids area!

Special Guys!

My handsome boy

Yonder Mountain String Band takes the stage at night

Auntie Tiffany with Jake

"Doggy" Lucy with her puppy

Jake had his first camping and festival experience rolled into one! What a guy...he really seemed to love it. Camping was a breeze with him, and he just took all of the festival sights and sounds in stride. He even seems to sleep better while camping!  Lucy is a camping and festival girl as well, so we are stoked! Lucy knew just what to expect, and had a great time dancing and playing with her friends.  Most of the usual suspects were there and it is always such a fun time to reconnect, dance and enjoy each other's company.  Lucy took full advantage of the Kid's area this year, getting her face painted twice, doing many, many art projects, and even winning a hula hoop in a raffle.  It was such a nice activity for her!  This year, since the Northwest String Summit fell on the 17th anniversary of Jerry Garcia's death, the whole weekend was dedicated to his memory. It was fun, as lots of Grateful Dead and JGB songs were played throughout the weekend. This was our 11th year...boy time passes quickly. We had a great time as a family and look forward to this festival for many years to come!