Collage

This summer I am taking a Beginning Photography class. I'm sure you're thrilled since you, the blog readers, will hopefully see some benefit in the way of cooler/better pictures! It is also a nice chance for me to do something for myself before baby #2 comes along and I fall in love and be attached again for another 2 years. (Jake and Mike go to swim class during my class time!)

The first class was last week, and we got our first homework assignment, which strangely enough, has nothing to do with the camera. Instead, we were asked to make a good, old-fashioned collage using paper and glue (one guy was told by the teacher that no, he could NOT make the collage using photoshop on the computer). This is something I haven't done since probably high school.

After some initial thought, I put together this collage. I think it's pretty cool. I used pictures from magazines and greeting cards (I knew I was saving those used greeting cards for something good!) It will be so interesting to go to class tonight and see the other's collages and hear the teacher's comments.

Ape Cave

The other day Mike went hiking with some friends up in Ape Cave, near Mt. Saint Helens in Washington. He loved it but said it was definitely not one for pregnant women and small children.
Gorgeous view.
The hike inside the cave was 1.5 miles long with a bit of boulder climbing involved, and flashlights were definitely needed. Pretty cool!

At the Playground

Jake - Then and Now II

5 Months and Strawberries!

5 months and all is well! Feeling lots of kicks everyday. Jake lifts my shirt up and kisses my belly at least 10 times a day. Very sweet.
This picture was taken sometime after 5 months when I was pregnant with Jake. Bigger? Smaller? The same?

Today was a perfect day for strawberry picking in the countryside outside of Portland!

Jake is eating strawberries. We had to work hard to pick them faster than he could eat them.
He's still eating...
We picked 26 pounds!!!
I spent 4 hours de-stemming all the strawberries, making 2 batches of freezer jam, freezing 2 cookie sheet's worth of berries, making 3 mini strawberry crisps for the freezer, and there are more to eat or freeze. And this was after giving some to my mom!

Happy Father's Day

My husband is a truly wonderful father. I am so grateful we are a family.

Jake helps Daddy open his present.
Two more Calvin and Hobbes books for the collection! They LOVE reading these together.
Jake was just as happy as Daddy :)
Happy Father's Day to everyone! (Especially to my Dad, too!)

He's THREE!!

Jake started his birthday with a smoothie.
(Luckily, we had a blender in time... our blender broke about a month ago due to a part on the motor wearing out. So then a friend of ours gave us his blender to borrow (he's never used it). However, when we pulled it out of the box, the glass pitcher dropped onto the floor and broke. Sigh. So I ordered a replacement, but in doing so, found out that the blade piece had been recalled and a replacement needed to be sent. We would never have known had we not broken the pitcher!! So Friday afternoon a replacement pitcher and blade finally arrived. So the three year old got something he'd been wanting for a month -- a smoothie.)
Time for some presents!
Happy face.
A recycling truck made from recycled plastic milk jugs. Hilarious, but he loves it. There are little cardboard cutouts of bottles, cans, and newspapers that go into the slots on the truck. Then the back opens to get everything out.

A Babar book.
Then pancakes!
More presents. He was thrilled with this tee-ball set.
We gave him this computer that someone sent a while ago. Thank you, and let us know who you are!
He got to watch Thomas the Train in the morning as a birthday treat. He didn't want to let go of his bat and ball while watching :)
In the afternoon was the party at Sellwood park. Luckily we had no rain until the party was over!



The friends couldn't wait to eat the cupcakes!


Singing Happy Birthday. Jake blew out the candles before we were finished singing, which made me laugh.

It was also Ruby's birthday, so we had a joint celebration. These 2 kids were born just 12 hours apart on the 20th!

Skylar and Jake.
Partygoers.



Before and after the cupcakes there was playing at the playground!

Jake's present from Gramma and Papa.