Labor Day Weekend 2012 at BBR

We got to spend a long weekend -- Thursday to Tuesday, at Black Butte Ranch. It was a fantastic end-of-summer getaway.

First morning. Happy boys reading in their pajamas.

Working on a puzzle book with Gramma.

There was the necessary watermelon eating outside for two watermelon-loving boys. A good snack in-between bike rides.

During this time at BBR, I taught Jake "the loop" -- how to take a bike ride close to home around a loop where he just has to stay to the left at every fork he comes to, and it brings him all the way around back to the house. The first time, I lead the way. The second time, Jake lead the way with me riding behind to ensure he knew the route. The third time he did it on his own! It's probably near a mile long. That was pretty exciting. 

Morning playtime.

The boys love playing with these beautiful blocks.

The 4 of us took some long bike rides. With Ryan in the bike trailer and Jake on his own bike, we rode all the way over to the Rec Center to the sand playground. We love this playground -- the boys enjoy the play structure combined with the sand, while the adults love the sunny spot with beautiful views to relax and read while the kids play. 

Story behind Jake's shirt -- the morning after we arrived at BBR, I discovered that I had forgotten to pack any shirts for Jake! He only had the t-shirt that he had arrived in plus 1 long-sleeved pajama shirt. Luckily, Mike and G (who came over to BBR with us in order to get on the PCT at McKenzie Pass) were going into Sisters, so they stopped at the thrift store and picked out several shirts for Jake to wear.

Happy kids, happy mama.

Beautiful.

Walking over to the Lakeside Bistro for a snack of ice cream -- what a treat!

We got 2 flavors -- mint chocolate chip and strawberry and we all shared.

On Sunday we went to the annual Labor Day concert. Such an amazing setting! The opening band was fabulous but the main band was eh. Still, we were happy to be there.

Goodnight story with Papa.

Jake found a recipe for deviled eggs in his Highlights magazine and wanted to make them. So Gramma helped.

Beautiful deviled eggs!

Monday it was finally sunny and hot enough for an afternoon at the pool. The four of us really played in the water together and had a great time.

Walking home from the pool with Papa.

More bike riding -- definitely a favorite activity here.

Tuesday morning -- one last bike ride to Aspen lake to look for frogs (which Jake had seen a few days earlier). Unfortunately, it was either too early in the morning or too cold, or both, and the frogs were not out.

It was a fun walk around the lake, though!

Playground Pictures

Random playground pictures

Ryan -- 23 Months

Dear Ryan, 

Wow, just ONE month before you turn TWO. You are growing before our eyes and showing more and more of your personality. 

One day you put soggy cornflakes in your ear, just to see what would happen.

You have the funniest hair sometimes. Every once in a while I take some scissors and clean up your hair a little, best I can. Especially because it gets so tangled in the back, no matter what I do.

I love this artwork you made while at OMSI with your nanny, Abby.

This month you showed some fabulous development on the balance bike. It's really neat to see you gliding along on it when we're at Black Butte. When we're home in Portland, you practice pedaling on your tricycle while Daddy or Mommy pushes you around in the back yard, one of your favorite things to do outside.
Also this month showed the full emergence of your canine teeth, the last of your first year teeth to come through. I'm so glad you now have a full set of teeth! Makes eating a bit easier. Speaking of which, you like to eat all sorts of things. While you've always been somewhat of a picky eater, the variety that you're willing to eat is great right now, although you are partial to fruit, as you always have been.
Another thing you love is band-aids. Oh, how you LOVE band-aids, especially the box of Sesame Street character band-aids that we got. You want a new one on your finger or other body part every day, even though there is no owie. It makes me laugh to randomly find discarded Sesame Street band-aids around the house.
But the coolest new development this month is seeing you self-identify. All of a sudden you've been able to express "me," "Ryan," "mine" while pointing to yourself.
Sweet Ryan, while your increasing need for independence hasn't been easy for any of us, we're cheering you on and loving you and so glad that you're growing the way you should. Your happy moods most of the time make you fun to be around (you save your bad moods for bedtime), and your smile lights up our days.