Goodbyes

Madelyn and Lilly hug goodbye

The whole family, ready to head home after a really fun weekend!

We'll miss you, Wiyaka and Lilly!

Stay tuned for the second annual camping trip summer '08! Hopefully DJ (W's hubby) can join us next year!

Splashing

Lilly teaches Madelyn how to splash in the tub!

Fun at the Campsite

Bubbles!!

Happy girl!

A little watermelon snackPreparing the essential foil dinners

In the Tent

The second night, Madelyn slept SO much better! I believe it was in large part due to my clever sock mittens keeping her cozy.

Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed in the morning

Lilly came to play in our tent too!

Unwelcome Neighbors

Upon returning from our day out and about, we were a bit disappointed to find we had new neighbors. Despite the campground being almost completely empty (maybe 10 out of 70 sites were occupied), these folks decided to set up camp right next to us. Grr. They were already listening to their stereo--not entirely unacceptable since they listened to decent music and it was early in the evening. We noticed that we could hear every word from their campsite, while the three of us managed to communicate just fine at a much lower volume. Shortly after we laid Madelyn down for bed, a loud pounding noise arose from just behind the tent where she was sleeping. This was at about 8:00 pm, so it wasn't quiet time yet, but Gary felt he would be justified in letting them know we had a sleeping baby, and kindly asking them if they could hold off on clobbering trees with their sledgehammer (which is, in fact, what the kid was doing). To our disbelief, these people seemed appalled that we would ask such a thing. Continuing in his loudest voice, the father-figure and young man kept yelling profanities and questioning why anyone would take a baby camping on a Saturday night. Hmm. I realize that camping means different things to different people...but for me, it's hard to comprehend this lack of respect for fellow human beings. Thankfully they eventually quieted down (except for when they had another campfire at 3:00am) and left the next morning. We noticed that they left all of their tent poles behind too...In the words of Nelson Muntz, "HAW ha!"

Rogue River

After seeing Crater Lake, Wiyaka took us to her friends' cabin on the Rogue River nearby. We all got to enjoy a hot shower out behind the shed! Here's Wiyaka doing double baby duty:

Cooling off in the COLD river water!

Such a beautiful day...

But one can only handle so much of being toted around in a backpack.

Now she's happier with Mama~

But she was a little upset by the very cold water on her toesies!

Don't you love me, Lilly?Back at the cabin--a tree chair

Lilly chauferring Madelyn in her sweet ride

Crater Lake

On Saturday, we drove about 45 minutes to Crater Lake.

All of us after a picnic lunch:

If you have never been to Crater Lake Oregon, then it is difficult to grasp the awe-inspiring scene from these inadequate photos. We enjoyed the beautiful vistas on a short walk.

Mamas and daughters:

Lilly and Madelyn, ready for the next adventure!

First Camping Trip

Wiyaka is a good friend of mine. She worked for us at Curves for quite a while, then moved to California more than 2 years ago. Last spring she called to chat and told me she was married and pregnant, to which my reply was "ditto!" We thought it would be fun to rendezvous in Southern Oregon for a camping trip, and have been planning this since then. We met at Diamond Lake, which is near Crater Lake. Unfortunately (we thought), all of the campgrounds were full, except a really ugly one. So we drove to nearby Lemolo Lake, where we found Poole Creek Campground. It was a nice place, and practically empty, just the way we like it for a peaceful retreat. Much better than the other crowded place with speedboats. The lake was beautiful from afar, but we were disappointed to discover it was full of nasty, smelly algae. No swimming for us!

Here is Gary giving Madelyn some yams for dinner our first night.

Loki and Kezia are in the background--it was probably torture for them to be on a leash with all of the delicious chipmunks scurrying about.

Madelyn had a rough time sleeping the first night (and by default, so did the rest of us). She is not used to sleeping next to us, so she may have had a hard time assosiating that it was time for sleep. Also, I think she may have been cold, so I remedied that the next night--resulting in MUCH better rest for all!

Madelyn and Lilly had their own little play area. Lilly is about two months older than Madelyn, so it was really neat for Gary and me to see the developmental leaps that are just ahead for Madelyn! The girls are all bundled up in the crisp, cold forest morning. I just love those! Build a fire and have hot cocoa while waking up, then it's sunny and beautiful the rest of the day!

Kisses from Daddy!

Breakfast with Grandma

On our way out of town for our camping trip, we met Grandma Bonnie and Grandpa Dale for breakfast. Grandma needed her baby fix, since she hadn't seen Madelyn in over a week, and there weren't even any new blog-worthy pictures to see lately!

Fun Grandpa

Madelyn is lucky to have such a fun grandpa. He knows how to get down and play with the kids and babies. Thanks grandpa!

Anniversary

To celebrate our second wedding anniversary, we drove out to Hood River to show Madelyn where it all happened!

We had lunch at a restaurant in Hood River we like: The Trillium Cafe. I know you've seen a picture just like this before, but it still makes me laugh!

The owners of the Mt. Hood Bed and Breakfast were so kind, and they remembered us and our "Winter in July" wedding! Unbelievable, since they've surely met many hundreds of brides and grooms. They graciously welcomed our unexpected arrival and allowed us to wander around, relive the memories of our beautiful wedding day, and take some pictures.

Love that view of Mt. Hood!

The bridge...then and now

A perfect Madelyn-sized chairOur family by the fountain 7/15/05Our family on the other side of the same fountain 7/15/07

(Loki and Kezia weren't along on this trip)We saw many beautiful butterflies fluttering about. Mike and Jackie confirmed our suspiscion that they were the offspring of OUR wedding butterflies! Thankfully, they seemed to be enjoying them, not cursing us for the infestation!

I guess you could say we left our mark.After visiting the BnB, we stopped in at the Lavender Daze Festival down the road. We happened upon this festival the morning after the wedding as well.

Happy 2nd Anniversary!

In the Closet

If she is happy enough to sit and play, Madelyn hangs out here in the closet while I take a shower. She's not far away, and I can see her through the glass shower door. Wave hello!

She is playing with one of her favorite toys: the camera case. Madelyn is easily bored with actual toys. But give this girl a water bottle or plastic bag--she's in heaven!

Reflections

I believe I have mentioned before that Madelyn loves her reflection in the mirror. But perhaps I wasn't clear as to the extent.

Mary Catherine Gallagher would be proud (Superstar!)

Floor Time with Jack

Check out Madelyn's vogue move here:

...and then whoops! Got a little too confident. And Jack, quit looking up your cousin's skirt--that's not right.

This is a rare sight--Madelyn smiling, but not Jack . He is ALWAYS smiling! Such a cutie. He's also just starting to crawl!

Hail Camp WinFair

The whole clan at the flag-raising ceremony. Sadly, we missed the creation of said flag, so don't bother looking for Madelyn's handprints. Of course we could add them, but [sigh] it would be such a mess.