Memory Lane... Downtown

After Multnomah, we headed downtown to 23rd Street. When reminiscing about our days in Portland, this is the one place that came to mind first.

I snapped a quick picture of the familiar view from the freeway as we circled around the NE end of the city.

Java Vivace - the cafe that Kevin and I went to on our first time out alone. We went out to do homework and ended up falling for each other.They make excellent hazelnut lattes and play live jazz on Saturday nights. Love that place...

This is what we fondly refer to as "our Kinkos." On that night out Kevin and I took a walk down the street and just for fun we went into Kinkos to take copies of our hands. We still have those copies - one of which is framed.

Awesome cheesy quesadillas

Papa Hadyns - A few birthday wishes were made here as we enjoyed their dreamy desserts.

Ram's Head - the infamous spot where Krysten innocently got acquainted with the Long Island Iced Tea. Hee hee hee hee....

Ah, and Moonstruck Chocolates. This place is divine... a personal favorite for we girls, of course.

The Wedding

What a sweet and beautiful wedding... It was such a perfect and special day. The morning started out with a downpour, but it didn't dampen any spirits on this day. And after all the day ended bathed in sunlight (that's the Northwest for you!). Caleb and Anna were emanating love, and I really saw my "little" brother in a whole new light - as a husband. Caleb and Anna are perfect for each other, and we are so excited for their future together.

Beautiful Bride, Handsome Groom

It was really great to see Seth, Amy, Jordan & Hunter again - if only we had more time! Jordan was the junior bridesmaid while Hunter served as the ring bearer. They were in my wedding five years ago as the same roles, but they were much smaller! My how they've grown!

The rings were safe with Ring Security.

Kevin & Brian

Lynn & Noni

Isaac did really well, considering the wedding was exactly at his naptime. He looked on with approval at the ceremony taking place, and actually let out a little cheer when Caleb & Anna gave their vows. Too cute.

My little guy - so GQ in his shirt and tie. He had a vest to boot, but it was getting too warm to keep.

My handsome man and son.

They made their arrival at the reception and went straight to the dance floor for their first dance. Everything about them oozed romance that day!

Cuttin' a rug.... gettin' jiggy with it.... feeling groovy.... Okay, so we may not be dancers, but we had fun with it even though there were tables of party poopers watching our every move. It was time to CELEBRATE, people! I'll be a spectacle if it'll make Caleb & Anna happy on their special day.

Isaac enjoyed a rousing game of "Where's Isaac?" (a.k.a. peek-a-boo) with Grandma...

... and then opted for cuddle time with Grandpa before...

... totally zonking out.

After his catnap, Isaac decided he qualified as a single guy for the garder toss.... but he didn't catch it (phew! not quite ready for that yet! hahaha).

They left amid a halo of bubbles

And a romantic fairytale ending - a horse-drawn carriage ride... and off to Hawaii the next day!

A Little Morsel - Warm Beach

For those of you who have been bugging me for an update... :)


In a nutshell, it's been a busy, fun, relaxing week. My younger brother Caleb got married in Salem, OR on Saturday. It was a beautiful wedding and a really special time with my family. After the wedding, Kevin and I left Isaac with my parents for one night (our first overnight experience away from him, and I think I did pretty good), and met up with some friends in Portland. No responsibilities, no cares in the world, roaming the streets of Portland with college-era energy and bright eyes. It was heavenly. Sunday we walked down memory lane and visited Multnomah, 23rd street, and the Gorge before meeting up with my family for an amazing dinner on the waterfront at McCormick & Schmicks. Now we are in Washington visiting Kevin's family, and so far it's been a lot of fun and relaxing at the same time. I'd love to share my pictures with you, but right now they are all spread out between other people's cameras! So for now, here are some fun pictures from today... We went up to Stanwood to see Karen, Steve, and the girls. Warm Beach is just down the street from their house...

Isaac's first time in the sand... at first he looked at the sand on his hands with a bewildered expression. "What is this stuff??"

Then Daddy came over and showed him a thing or two...

Ooooooohhhhh, I like it!!!

Do you see this stuff, Mom? It's so cool!

And now we're in total examination mode - nothing can deter his attention when he is in this mode. He was so cute as he picked up fistfuls of sand and played with the texture. We only had to keep him from eating rocks and shells a couple of times... hahaha.

Cousin Sarah having a grand ol' time... Miss Too Busy and Mr. Too Absorbed to sit still for a picture.

This. Is. AWESOME!!!

Needless to say, Isaac was MAD when it was time to leave. He was having the time of his life out there. Hmmm.... perhaps a sandbox would be a great birthday present?

Cooking Up Some Fun

Mindy sent me this picturemail today (I love it when she does that). Isaac and Addie are having a ball "cooking" something up for her at Addie's little kitchenette. Too cute!! Mindy told me yesterday that now that Isaac is crawling, he is EVERYWHERE. And now when she goes around the corner, he no longer sits and cries. He figured out that he can follow her. The world is a happier place!

And... now that he is getting more interested in Addie's toys, Mindy is going to be playing referee a bit more. Addie has begun to enforce the word "MINE!" And let me tell ya, I saw first hand that Isaac doesn't really listen to her. Rather he just plows on ahead, simply pushing past poor Addie! Looks like a lesson in sharing will be in order since neither of these kiddos have siblings yet...

He's Obviously Growing Well Enough!

Thanks for all of your feedback. I suppose the general theme is - a little dirt never killed anybody (but is that really true??). I'll relax, I'm sure. I don't necessarily want to be equated to that mom in the commercial with her boy in a bubble while all the other kids are having fun at the park. Really, I'm not that bad. haha... In the house I'm mostly just concerned about the stuff that the cats are tracking around. But what can ya do besides chase them around with the vacuum. Picture that! LOL. Outside of the house is actually easier to manage, surprisingly.

On another note - Isaac had his nine month well visit appointment on Monday (even though he’ll be 10 months this weekend). We tried a new pediatrician, and we LOVE him. Isaac seemed to be really comfortable with Dr. Curran too, so that’s a plus. No stranger danger, rather Isaac was as social as ever with the doc. It was cute. As we already know, Isaac is a big boy! He’s still in the 95th percentile for his height, while his weight is exactly average. He’s 30 ½ inches!!!! That’s almost THREE FEET!

Just Hangin' Out

It's been a relaxing Saturday... even though my to-do list is nagging at me pointing out that the sink is full of dirty dishes and floors need to mopped. I'd rather play with Isaac. He's so much fun!


It seems like we're in the endless saga of the missing top tooth... Just a few short minutes later, it looked like Isaac had been at the gym working out - his chest was soaking wet with drool! Where, O where is that tooth?!


He didn't stay at the other end of the room for long after he spied the camera. He's comin' after me!!
That all-too-familiar look of determination in his eye, the way his jaw is set and his tongue is clinched... so endearing.

We tried some more finger food today: ba-ba-bananas! I had to show him that is was okay to eat the banana - he was far more interested in playing with the squishy fruit, ending in fits of giggles.

What a mess! He was covered in a thick layer of banana goo... but he loved it! Yummy yummy for the tummy...

So I need some advice, mommy friends. Now that Isaac is crawling around, I really don't want his hands in his mouth all the time. But he's sure fighting me on this - what a stubborn kid! (Where did he get that from? No one is pointing fingers, but somehow I feel the heat of them on his mother). Anyway, I don't want him to be confused when it comes to finger food... any advice? I suppose I could teach him about washing our hands before a meal and then it makes it okay. All other times it's not okay.... Have any of you had this battle? I could write a whole 'nother post on how intentionally obstinate this kid can be when I KNOW he understands what I'm telling him!

Little Swimmer

Our small group got together with the other one for a Memorial Day BBQ yesterday. It was fun to see everyone and meet some new people along the way. Our groups have grown so much! It was a fun time of water volleyball, wii, chowing and gabbing. My camera died, so I didn't get half as many pictures as I wanted to. However, we did catch a big moment for Isaac - his first time in the pool! He LOVED it!!

Watching the volleyball game and anticipating the water with curiosity

Little surf patrol

Isaac drove around the pool in his new ride, which has a working horn to boot! He had so much fun gliding across the pool as Kevin and I passed him back and forth. If yesterday was any indication, we have a little swimmer on our hands. So it's a good thing we have....

...Isaac's future swim teacher Auntie Autumn!