Noah's First Sleepover

Eva Hutchings came to stay in early September. She & Noah had a great time pushing each other in the truck & Eva showed us her 'Dukes of Hazzard' move!

My Obama Man

(August 27) Thanks for the t-shirt, Auntie Ali & Uncle Austin!

Farm Life

(August 20)

Books with Buppa

(August 13) I love that it's hard to tell who's reading to whom. Noah loves his Buppa!

Mama's Little Helper

(August 8) So it took me 3x as long to make rolls that day. But he was SO cute!

Little Nakeds, Part V

(July 31)

Reinvented

(July 31) It amazes me how kids can find a million uses for toys that have nothing to do with their original function. Why use this as an art easel when it makes such an excellent tunnel?

The Cake

I posted a recap of Noah's 2nd birthday long ago, but I promised myself I would eventually include a special section dedicated to the cake. And to the INSANE amount of hours I labored on that thing.

(Probably to remind myself to BUY one next year.)

I forget how many hours I spent on it - but it took up a large portion of 2 days. Why? I'm an amateur, an overachiever & a perfectionist. Yikes.

My plan: stacked double-layered 12" and 8" rounds, with raspberry filling & Thomas decor. (Easy, right!?) We (meaning my Mom & I - she's only in 2 of the pictures, but there would have been NO cake without her) baked twice the amount normally planned due to measuring issues (mine). We had to piece part of a layer back together because I got a bit zealous with the fishing line (don't ask). But all in all, it turned out perfectly - even better than I'd hoped.

And given my mother-of-a-toddler-short-term memory, you'll likely find me next year, planning another ginormous project. At least I enjoyed myself (most of the time)!


Thanks for all of your help, Mom. It was fun!

On the Farm

For his bday weekend, Noah enjoyed some down time on the farm: "working" with Papa Chet & Scott Bybee & playing bubbles with cousin Olivia!

A Boy, His Dog & the Zoo

(July 14 & 15)

Man, we really miss Mars. He was a good sport!

Noah loves the 'safari' part of the zoo!

The Great Escape

For Dave's birthday/Father's Day/our anniversary, I planned a surprise weekend in Bend. I actually kept the secret until July 10 when we were in the car & I handed him a map from our house to the hotel. He was shocked! We had an amazing weekend, just the two of us.
(MANY thanks to my Mom & sister for making it possible!)

A few memories...

On the way there, drinking fresh water tapped from the mountain (eat your heart out, Dasani)

Living on the wild side (for me, anyway!), trying on dresses in an open-air market (& reprimanding my husband for taking pictures)
Taking a break & enjoying the gorgeous day along the river

Feasting on crepes (wearing our new hats)
Stopping to marvel at the shoe tree (seriously, a tree bearing hundreds of shoes, in the middle of nowhere by the side of the highway!)

Hangin' in the covered wagon; a large rocking chair; enjoying our new hats from the Hatter Dashery; draping strings of jerkey across the car visors; stuffed from lunch at the Sno Cap Drive-In; marveling in God's creation on a beautiful drive home; the perfect corner dinner spot in downtown Bend; pie at the Austin House

Where to next year, Love?!

Let's Back Waaaaay Up...

Since this serves as my digital scrapbook (as measly as it is), I have a lot of catching up to do from the summer. I already know that I'm going to get bored & wander off before I'm done, so bear with me...we'll get caught up eventually.

(June 16) Noah at the park. I love how he does this sweet little thing with his hand when he wants you to tickle him under his chin...

Mama's beautiful boy (taking a drink from a germ-ridden park water fountain)

The only decent pic I have of me & my sweet little ring bearer at Jessica & Ezra's wedding on June 27

Mr. Nudee Butt, running around at my folks' house on July 4th weekend

Just back from a great jeep ride in the desert on July 4 (Dave's dad, me, my niece Emily & nephew Ben)

We Miss You, Mars

I wish I could tell you a joyous tale of Marley's speedy recovery and homecoming, but life doesn't always end the way we'd like. After hours of seizures, every possible medical intervention, and much prayer, Dave & I finally had to resign ourselves to saying good-bye to Marley at 8:45 p.m. last Sunday.

This has been a long week of grief, memories, and of realizing just how much Marley was a part of our lives. He was the world's coolest dog! I know the numb feeling will eventually subside & we'll likely even get another pet - but his spot in our hearts will remain. He entered our lives at a pivotal point, he made us a family, and he was Noah's first companion. We miss you so much, Mars!

Thanks to all of you for your thoughts, kind words, and prayers, and for loving him almost as much as we did...