And we are off!

We left the house this morning at 8:05...not bad for loading 2 dogs and a baby! However, we made it a car length out of the driveway before stopping to fix the bikes. We then made it to the stop sign at the end of the cul de sac when we realized we forgot the GPS. We turned around, grabbed it and headed out of the neighborhood! Then we found a garage sale...and stopped to buy an armful of games and a baby beach recliner chair with frogs on it, all for 2.75! The games were totally meant for Casey, in fact, his name is already written on them! I took that as a sign. So, we had to go home again, to drop everything. Then Ryan had to go to the bathroom. At 8:30 we hit the road for real.

Our first destination was Multnomah Falls, to do some hiking. We hiked up to the bridge at the falls, but it was crowded, and so many kids and dogs, we decided to drive down a few miles to find some better falls and hiking trails. We hiked about 2 hours, with Ryan carrying Casey in his backpack, and we had the dogs. It takes a lot to tire out McKenzie, but we did!

Next we headed to the Portland outlet malls.....Carters, Gymboree, Baby Gap...I did some shopping! Casey is fast outgrowing his 12 month clothes, and most of what he has is summery, so I got some cold weather outfits. I could shop forever for clothes for Casey...but I have a hard time buying anything that is not seriously on sale or clearance.

We found our hotel and headed to Billygans for dinner...you can throw your peanut shells on the ground...so they didn't seem to notice the large mess Casey made with watermelon, peas and a biter biscuit. We gave him some bites of the rolls, they were very sweet tasting and I think Casey got some sugar....he starting doing his "HA-HA" laugh at all the ladies. As we left in the stroller, he Ha-ha'd at every single table, so loud, he got a lot of laughs, which really only made him laugh harder. He is such a ham and such a flirt!!! Later, he played in the stroller, squealing and laughing and playing with his balloon. He played "How big is Casey....Soooo big!!" putting his arms over his head. We are ready for bed, and ready for the dog show tomorrow!

9 months

Casey is 9 months! So crazy...time goes by so fast. While we haven't done our 9 month well child check up, Casey went to the Doctor last week for a cough, and weighed 20.1 pounds! While we hasn't gained much in 3 months, I think when he gets measured next week, he will have grown a ton! He is such a long baby. Casey is getting more and more independent. He is crawling like a mad man. When he first figured out how to take 1, then 2, then 3 crawl steps....it was over. He is a zooming machine. He also pulls himself up. He likes to stand at the baby gate and shake it! He looks like a prisoner....especially when his hair is all over the place and he is chattering....so funny! He is really liking finger foods and feeding himself. He is eating watermelon, cantaloupe, avacados, eggs, and puffs and biscuits by hand. He gets lots of veggies that are pureed. He tried chicken for the first time too, and liked it. But, lets be honest, Casey loves to eat everything!

Casey is go-go-go until he crashes and naps. He plays hard, and is never sitting still. If he is sitting in one location, or is in a highchair or his bike trailer, he is constantly kicking his feet, over and over. When he starts getting sleepy, he is very cuddly:) There is nothing better than cuddling with Casey....and his Daddy, better include him too!

4th of July Family Photos

I bought the yearly Old Navy $5 shirts for all of us. Funny story: I bought the light blue shirt for me, and navy blue t-shirt for Ryan. I tossed it at him and told him he must wear it for photos. I went downstairs and after awhile I hear "Uh Megs?" in a very sheepish tone. I turn and look, Ryan is bright red and giggling, and I burst out laughing. "I think this is a womans shirt....we need to trade". The navy blue shirt, sure enough, was a womans cut and looked absolutely ridiculous on him! Hilarious. So we traded. I should have gotten a picture of him in it, dang it! Blackmail! Anyways, we should probably get some sort of prize from Old Navy, or get to be their new models, we are a pretty good looking family!

We took some family photos with our handy tripod. As you can see, there is actually no way possible to get Casey and 2 australian shepherds to look in the same direction, at the same time. Simply cannot be done. Although I am told the picture with us and the dogs should be framed and hung over the mantel, because it is simply priceless!

For the 4th, we went with my friend Tiphanie and her little guy, Noah, to the River of Fire event at the Columbia Park. Turns out, there was not much to do unless your kids are about 4, so we decided to take the boat out for awhile. We didn't stay out too long, because it got really windy. So we headed back to our house, where Tiph, Ryan (her Ryan...we each have one!) and Noah came back over for some ladderball, basketball and to watch the fireworks. And for some reason, the Ryan's were practicing defensive tactics. Then we played some wii. Good times!

Casey's sprinkle mat

Casey is definitely a little water baby. I attribute this to doing prenatal water aerobics from 10 weeks til the day my water broke. And lots of swimming while pregnant. Casey loves the pool, the bath, the faucet, the lake beach and the sprinkle mat. Until Ryan turned it on to high, and the sprinkles went over his head....that was too much sprinkle for Casey. Because Casey has Ryan's ghost white skin, we have many swim shirts, hats and sunscreen. I bought swim shirts in every size when they were clearanced last summer...I figured I would have a red headed baby, although he is actually blonder than blond, like I was as a baby. He still got Ryan's fair skin though, I tan really well, poor Ryan goes from white to red to white. On the plus side...Ryan is excellent with sunscreen and never forgets to lather up Casey and himself!!

Boating!

This summer we have playing on the boat a lot. Casey is a good little boater! The life jacket is a little like a straight jacket, but Casey is suprisingly a good sport about it. We did just finally switch life jackets, the one we were using, the zipper hit his little chin....so we discovered one we got at a liquidation sale last year fits perfect! I love a deal. No more zippers in the face.

This year, Ryan and I had to get our boaters licenses...I just want to reiterate that I passed mine the first time, with a higher score, than Ryan....who took it a few times. Yes, apparently I am the safer driver. Ryan is enjoying tubing, wakeboarding, waterskiing and attempting to slalom. I do a little tubing, and a lot of tanning and swimming and floating. Casey is enjoying napping on the boat, and playing on the shore, eating sand and splashing. We have taken Ryan, Tiphanie and baby Noah out with us a few times, and Nicole and Jared. Good times! We have had a few days we weren't able to go out....due to thunder, lightning and a rogue dust storm. Hopefully we will make it out a few more times this summer....how is it already August 20???

Our CSA

This year, Ryan and I joined a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). Basically, we paid for a share of a farm, and we get weekly fresh produce. We pick up our box every week near our house. We get whatever is in season. Our season runs from May to November. This has been great! Especially because we got a choice option, so we can rebuild our box and skip things we don't eat. Like beets and turnips, and lettuce bombs...aka kohlrabi. Although we have gotten more adventurous and are trying new things. In May we got asparagus every week, lots of it! Yum! And lots of lettuce and greens. Now we are starting to get corn, melon, peppers and lots of cucumbers. This week I made a cucumber black bean salad, with corn, pepper, onions, cucumbers, black beans, and a little olive oil, lime juice, oregano and pepper. I get lots of squash, which usually gets made into baby food. I also get some veggies at work, from a freind with a big garden.

Ryan and I made a pact to stop eating out so much....since we both work full time, its really hard to get dinner on the table every night, but we have broken the habit! Now, when chicken goes on sale for $1.78/pound, we buy 10-15 pounds, and freeze individual dinners: Seasoned chicken, chicken fajita strips, cut up chicken or whole breasts...so its really easy to pull something out and bake it. When extra lean ground beef goes on sale...we buy lots for the freezer. When I make spaghetti, I make 3 sauces and freeze 2. When pot roast goes on sale 1.99/pound, we get a bunch for the freezer. So we always have meals, and they are always super cheap:) We cut up all our fruit and veggies so they are ready in the fridge for the next meal.

I just made baked spaghetti from left over beef, threw it in the fridge, and will bake it so its ready when Ryan gets off work. All while Casey is napping. No eating out!!

So behind....

So I realized I hadn't updated in awhile....that is because Casey keeps me BUSY!!! As do the dogs, my job (super crazy these days), the new house, and trying to be more active (lots of riding bikes, swimming, walking etc).

I have been scrapbooking like crazy lately. I set up the office- which is half Ryan's, for his computer and stuff- and half mine:) Mine has my awesome scrap table and all my many scrap bins. I have pictures, I will have to put them up. I also have a bookshelf for all my albums....and a whole lot of baby toys. I realized that my blog is how I journal my scrapbooks. I print off my blog, and add it to my pages....so I better start blogging again!

Ryan and I's new craze is biking. The bikes are all tuned up, all ready to go, we bought a bike trailer from Craigslist ( a double- someday we will have 2 to put in there!) But Casey does not seem to like the bike trailer...and he is supposed to be 1 before using it. Well, the kid is bigger than most 1 year olds at his 8.5 months...so we were thinking he would be all right. We tried at 6 months before realizing he needed to be older. But even now, he just doesn't quite like it. He does LOVE the stroller and jogging stroller. While Ryan was working graves, Casey and I walked every night before his bedtime, but after it had slightly cooled off(some nights, it just doesn't!). Ryan got out his rollerblades, and has been pushing Casey in the jogging stroller, while i ride my bike, and an occasional dog jogs beside. Casey loves this! We look like a circus, and get a lot of odd looks, but we have been enjoying it. We are working up our endurance to be able to ride much further. I need a new bike seat, ouch! I asked a friend who bikes a lot, about how to make my seat cozier and was informed there are padded pants you can wear. Oh right, because all I need is extra padding on my butt! Worst idea ever!

Well, have to run, lets see if I can do better on blogging!