Ahhh – it’s amazing how refreshing a shower can be after hanging out in the woods for a couple of days. Sheryl and I returned from camping up at Lost Lake for the weekend; it was Kennedy’s first camping trip. We had a blast and can’t wait to go again sometime soon. Kennedy was a trooper and spent some time in the Pak-n-play while Sheryl set up camp.
I got Kennedy a bouncy ball before we left; she thought it was pretty cool. The netting is to keep out the bugs.
I had to work on Friday so I joined the crew in the evening. Sheryl serenaded us by the campfire.
We camped with a slew of friends and my parents met us out there too. Here is Kennedy checking out Toby - one of their dogs.
Lucky is their other dog - he loves the lake while Toby would rather chase squirrels.
Lucky is good at chasing the frisbee out into the lake.
On Saturday we hiked around the lake - just over three miles. The views of Mt. Hood are spectacular.
Friends Tamara and Megan hugging on Kennedy.
Kennedy and Sheryl before we broke down camp this morning.
Just a brief update tonight as Sheryl and I are both beat.
Today Kennedy had her 9 month appointment where we found out she's 15 pounds 5 ounces and 27 inches long. This puts her in the 4% for weight - our little petite pumpkin. Doc says all is well and she's progressing just great. She did encourage us to introduce more textured foods to Kennedy (see, my instinct on feeding her cottage cheese this week was right!) and to be patient as she starts to get used to that. The organic O's (like Cheerios) tonight were a big hit in the novelty department; many more on the floor than in Kennedy's tummy, but that's OK.
We may be slow on the posts this weekend - lots to do.
We loaded up the car and went to the zoo concert today even though it was 97 degrees. We hung out in the shade for a little while. Here's Kennedy on a marble camel.
She had her first ice today. We got her a snow cone without the flavoring. It was quite the hit with her.
Susan had a grape snow cone.
Then Kennedy and I hung out in the grass for a while waiting for the concert. Good outdoor fun.
Kennedy is pulling herself up on the toy bin and pulling out her toys now. Hard to believe she's gotten so mobile!
OK, so in the last update I left off with our Saturday morning activities. After a good nap Kennedy, Sheryl and I headed over to good friends Becky and Tim for a BBQ with friends. There were two other babies there to play with and two expecting moms, so we all had a great time comparing notes.
After the BBQ we headed home, handed off Kennedy to Grandma and Grandpa Anderson while Sheryl and I had a date. We went to see the final concert of the
Portland Flamenco Festival downtown at the Newmark Theatre. It was awesome. I’ve had a love for Flamenco music and dance since seeing a performance here in Portland several years ago; it was great to see this genre receiving so much attention via the festival.
Yesterday Sheryl and I got our hair cut and then headed to a going-away / new-beginnings party for good friend April who is starting a new job soon. It was in Tualatin at the
Island Greens golf center. We had a putting contest in which I took second place. Sheryl didn’t finish the course because she knew I had her beat. I harassed her about it all afternoon and here I go again! Heh, heh – I’m sure she’ll be tempted to edit this out.
The afternoon was perfect for hanging out in the deck at the golf center – we had cake and ice cream and generally hung out visiting. Here’s Sheryl and Kennedy.
Wow – what a busy weekend this has been. Sheryl and I are going to need a couple of days off just to recover, ha ha. Our weekend started with a neighborhood parade on Saturday.
We waited on our corner for a while; Kennedy was busy playing with her drums and watching all of the people walking by.
The parade finally came by – here’s Kennedy waiting patiently.
This is an annual parade that goes down Division Street in Portland every July. We especially liked this drum corp. even though it was a little loud for Kennedy. She banged her own drum to try and keep up.
There are many odd sites to see in the parade – and some more traditional as well. We thought this group of painted boys was particularly surreal.
The fair and parade span over 30 some odd blocks so they had a horse-drawn carriage.
Not one to miss out on the fun, Kennedy had her face painted by a local artisan. We went with something sweet and simple; a small heart. The heart had glitter on it – note for future reference; glitter on the face near the eyes – not so good for sleepy babies that rub their eyes.
OK- Sheryl’s calling it a night – more on our busy weekend tomorrow, we promise.
Susan here, dropping in with a quick update. There’s just something about complete messiness that is endearing. Kennedy can’t eat plums without making a total mess – which is why we save them for dinner (right before her bath). Smart mommies.
In this picture we pulled out the camera and immediately Kennedy flashed us her big smile – perhaps a modeling gig is in her future?
More frustration in the Oregon legislature – you can read about it over at
Basic Rights; basically the Speaker of the House gutted the bill yesterday and sent it to committee to wither on the vine. I want to call her all sorts of bad names but I’m sure it would get me into trouble.
So here's the deal... the Oregon Senate passed a bill several weeks ago that would establish civil unions in the state. Now the bill would naturally move on to the House before crossing the Governor's desk. However, the Speaker of the House, Karen Minnis, has other ideas. She doesn't agree with civil unions so she's vowed to never allow the bill to be brought to the floor...
If you're an Oregon resident we urge you to call your representatives now and urge them to support SB 1000 and demand that Speaker Minnis bring it to the House floor immediately. One person should not stand in the way of a discrimination-free Oregon.
Call your lawmaker now!This afternoon we went to a rally on the Capitol steps to show support. The Governor and other dignitaries - such as Sam Adams - spoke in favor of moving SB1000 to the House. Here's our man Sam Adams addressing the group.
Kennedy spent some time in the backpack, taking it all in. She was most fascinated with the dogs that were hanging out in the grass behind us.
Despite all of the activity going on Kennedy still took time to gobble up some carrots!
Drop by our house these days and you might hear the following...
"No, no, Kennedy - don't eat the kitty's tail."
"Open up - peas are yummy!"
"Oh Kennedy, that was a good raspberry - now I need a tissue to dry my face off."
"Goodnight living room; goodnight kitchen; goodnight office..."
"Bouncy, bouncy, bouncy..."
"I got me a sack o' potatoes" (Said while hoisting Kennedy over our shoulders.)
"No, no, Kennedy - the TiVo is not a toy..."
Kennedy got this Fisher Price walker from a coworker. She's still trying to work it but likes the beep beep and other sounds it makes.
One of her favorite things to do is find tags. She is a tag hound. Here she is trying to pull the one out from underneath our foot stool.
When she was 6 months and younger we bounced her a lot on the exercise ball to put her to sleep or just calm her. Now she's pushing the ball around the room. What a difference a few months makes.
We did some walking practice tonight as Kennedy walked back and forth between the two moms.
It’s a scorcher today – at least by Portland standards. The thermometer at 6pm is reading at 84 degrees in the shade. Sheryl and I are debating taking Kennedy for a walk along the river soon but I suspect the heat will keep us away.
To beat the heat, we all stayed indoors and partook of various activities. We finally broke down and installed the window air conditioner in our bedroom. Kennedy and I played music together with her instruments before her afternoon nap.
When I came downstairs after putting Kennedy down for her nap I found Elle and Sheryl both sleeping as well. Elle is too cute with her paw over her face.
Kennedy's hat is getting a lot of use now. It finally feels like summer with a lot of sunshine.
Hello.
That's my Great Grandmother's quilt behind Kennedy. And Susan's teddy bear from when she was a baby. It's fun having old family stuff.
We met Grandpa and Grandma Anderson at the zoo tonight for a blues concert. Tami and Kirkland and Katrina also joined us.
The music volume was much louder than last week's concert. If you look closely you can see one of Kennedy's ersatz earplugs. We made them from a paper napkin.
Aunt Shelly got this Audubon Stuffed Painted Bunting for Kennedy when she was a mere few months old. It's returned to her toy rotation. Playing with the bunting is part of her bedtime routine.
Plums. The newest food tasting.
These particular plums are pretty darned tart. C.K. took this picture today after feeding, or trying to feed, Kennedy.
Oh, the things that bring excitement to our family these days… Sheryl and I made a trip to Costco today after lunch with the fam… We got new silverware and new glasses. Our old silverware had funky crooked handles which were pretty uncomfortable. The new ones feature clean lines.
Our glass collection was dwindling down to just a few after most of them have broken. The new ones are much sturdier and look super-cool.
Another busy Saturday is behind us; Kennedy is up sleeping in bed and we have a few quiet moments to catch up on reading, blogging and email.
The morning was a serious one for me; I’ve been studying to take an exam in August to receive my Project Management Professional (PMP) credential. (Sheryl received hers a year and a half ago.) It is one of the hardest exams I’ve ever prepared for – the questions are often vague and there is a *ton* of memorization needed to get the questions right.
Anyhow, I’ve been part of a study group that meets every Tuesday and an occasional Saturday. This morning we took a 2 hour practice exam (the actual test is 4 hours). Without nearly as much studying as I should have done, I passed with a 75% (passing score is about 68%). I have a long road ahead as we continue to prepare – ugh.
This afternoon Sheryl and I went for a neighborhood walk – Kennedy had a big nap – and then we went to have our portraits taken. Well – OK, most were of Kennedy; she let us join her in a few poses. We really liked our photographer – she was amazing with Kennedy and her work speaks for itself. Her name is Christy Klep – check her
website out to see what I mean.
When we got home we took Kennedy out for her first bike ride – the helmet was a bit bulky but isn’t she cute?!?
It’s funny – when we were planning on having Kennedy I remember thinking about all those changes that are inevitable in our lives – strollers, spit up, diapers, that kind of thing. Last night I had to chuckle to myself as Kennedy was busy drooling all over my shirt with peas still in her mouth; I was completely unfazed by the emerging green stain on my white shirt. This morning, stepping over scattered toys I thought to myself – man, this is the life.
We couldn’t be happier with our Kennedy – of course as parents we think she is the best baby in the world – and you know, it’s actually true. She is usually so happy and fun to be around – I wouldn’t change a thing.
Yesterday Sheryl got Kennedy a new toy – her first dump truck. That’s right folks – not just dollies for this little girl. Already she has figured out how to take toys out of the back end and how to dump out all the contents – what fun!
Last night at the zoo was a blast, as Sheryl mentioned yesterday. The site where the concerts are held is quite beautiful with all of the forest in the background.
Today we picked up the bike from the bike shop; it now has a cool little
Topeak infant carrier attached to the back end of the seat. Kennedy can’t wait to get on and give it a try.
Look at this big girl sitting up in this camp chair!
Susan and Kennedy and I went to see Ladysmith Black Mambazo tonight at the Portland Zoo's concert series opener. Kennedy's been listening to one of their cds since she was one week old. The concert yard was packed! Ohmygosh was it fun though. Kennedy had a blast.
We found out (on the zoo website) that the
Portland zoo, in 1979, was the first zoo in the nation to start a summer concert series.
On Monday we pulled out my bicycle from storage where its been since I got it. (I got it at the end of the season 2 years ago right before the rain set in. Last year while the weather was nice I was 7 months pregnant and biking wasn’t an option.) So anyhow, confession time... I haven’t been on a bike for something like 16 years – pretty pathetic, eh? That’s all about to change – the bike is out, baby. Sheryl took our other bike to the bike shop to have it tuned up and a new infant seat installed; Kennedy’s biking excursion is right around the corner.
Always the family archivist, Sheryl was Johnny on the Spot with the camera to capture my wobbly bike riding for posterity sake. I like this picture because of the background; our neighborhood is totally bike-friendly.
After tooling around on the bike we made a stop at our local park for a swing.
Kennedy – being the independent tyke she is – enjoys swinging on her own.
We love this long weekend! Today we went to watch our good friend Holden play in the
Cascade Cup softball tournament. Holden lives in Seattle and we haven’t seen him since last July when he came for last year’s tournament. This was the first time Holden got to meet Kennedy in person!
Like any food sports fan, Kennedy donned her ball cap. Despite all the excitement, Kennedy managed to nap during Holden’s game (which they won!) – then we hung out in the sun for a bit before heading home.
Last night we hosted a small informal BBQ to kickoff the holiday weekend. We dressed Kennedy up for the event – it’s been sunny and warm in Portland but cooler in the evenings so she made her debut in a navy dress and sun hat.
Tonight Sheryl and I watched (for the 70th odd time) a snippit out of the movie called ‘If These Walls Could Talk 2’. It’s the third vignette and it features Ellen DeGeneres and Sharon Stone as a couple trying to get pregnant. It makes us both cry because it is so poignant – and we’ve been there before. Then we manage to get all sappy about how lucky we are.
Finally, an update on the home project front; yesterday I slaved away with the yard. Sheryl and Kennedy picked up a bunch of flowers on Friday so I planted them throughout the yard and our planter boxes and pots on the porch. It’s amazing what a difference it has made.
The plumber came back and set the tub and yeehaw is it fun! Kennedy loves it and it's helping us set a bedtime routine for her.
Yesterday Kennedy and I went to Seven Dees Nursery (Susan was working) and we had a great time walking amongst all the plants. Kennedy sat in her stationary entertainer while I took all of the plants out of the trunk. She was so happy out there; she loves being outside.
