Baby Bernal #2 is only 2 months away

Family Day Trip To The Coat

Sunny Winter Day

Aiden and I took full advantage of the sun today and visited the Rose Garden. We wandered, explored and puddle jumped.

Baby Bernal #2

Our second little boy is 20 weeks -- half way there!

Chicago: Brookfield Zoo

These are my two favorite animal shots from the day:





And here we are having fun with animals!

 

Chicago Trip

We took a trip to Chicago last month to visit Nana and go on many exciting adventures. Pictures from all our adventures to follow!

Pumpkin Patch

Aiden and I took a trip out to our favorite farm on Sauvie Island recently. Aiden ran, climbed, jumped and crawled his way through the day and helped me pick out some great pumpkins. 

First and foremost we had to take a hayride. In fact, we took the hayride twice. Aiden loved the tractor pulling two trailers full of hay and had a smile on his face the entire time.  

After the hayride, Aiden was ready to conquer the hay stack.

Once he made it to the top, he was excited to be up so high but decided to head back down fairly quickly.

He took the hay maze very seriously and pondered each turn before he made a move.

At the end of the maze were huge tractor tires!

And what better way to end the day but driving the big tractor. Farmer Aiden hard at work!

Old friends and new friends

Aiden and I took a road trip a few weeks ago to visit Tiffany and Christian. We spent the days hiking and soaking up sun by the lake just like we used to. There is nothing like quality spending time with my dearest, oldest friend and watching our boys become friends. It was a weekend that fed my soul.

Labor Day 2012

We had an amazing Labor Day weekend on the coast this year.

Aiden spent his days chasing sunsets....

Wading through tide pools full of fish...

 

Cruising the beach with his buddy Boone...

 

Playing with his shadow...

Putting miles on the old timey car...

Discovering his reflection in the water...

Running free and yelling 'weee'!

21 months

He loves anything with wheels, push-up pops, saying 'No', seeing dump trucks, reading books about dump trucks and riding his scooter.

Peninsula Park

20 months

Took my first photos with my new camera today! I am so in love...

19 months

Always trying to figure out how the world works...

Flying High

Aiden has been loving birds lately. If he sees one, he squeals with delight and runs towards it. Naturally, the birds always fly away. So today we took a trip to the Audubon Society to see lots of birds flying and a few birds that stay close by. Aiden has a fabulous time. Right off the bat Aiden met a huge, black Raven that lived in a big birdcage and didn't fly away. There was lots of sqealing. We hiked around a pond and spent time at many bird-watching perches along the trails. Aiden would hold on to the railings and lean back as far as he could to try and catch a glimpse of the birds high in the trees.

On our way out, Aiden was lucky enough to meet a horned owl who was out of his cage and very tame. As thrilling as the raven in the cage was, this owl was a different story. Aiden's eyes were open as wide as they get and he did not take them off the owl. After a few minutes he cracked a smile and decided it was pretty cool. Overall, a very successful day at the bird park!

Feels like home

I discovered a nature park not far from our house yesterday that transported me right back to my childhood. Much like our back yard growing up, there is a slough, ponds, trails, wood ducks, blue heron, huge trees, logs and creeks. There is a big deck and a high bridge which both give excellent exploration opportunities. Stairs off the trail lead to secret tree forts and low hanging branches create natural tents under trees. Canoeing was a big part of our daily routine growing up, so it's thrilling to know you can canoe on this slough as well.

Aiden was immediately drawn to the big tree he could climb into. I enjoy knowing the bigger he gets the higher he will be able to climb it.

Aiden found the ducks and herons in the slough awe-inspiring.  He was fascinated to find 'birds' at eye-level floating in water instead of hiding high up in trees.

The boy loves dirt and there was no shortage of that.

Truly enjoying the adventure.

I've always had reservations about raising Aiden in 'the city' when my experience with being a kid was in the country. I felt he would be missing out without 'nature' in his backyard--something going to the playground couldn't fulfill. I can rest a little easier knowing the nature park is just a short drive away and that Aiden can have frequent access to the things I remember so fondly from my childhood. The park is sure to be a big part of our life. I can't wait to go back and create more memories! 

Gardening is...

...removing those handy plant markers.

...playing with tomato stakes.

...taking out the yucky weed trash.

...eating dirt.