Oregon...Hood to Coast

Hello everyone! We recently returned from a trip to Oregon, so I thought I would share some pictures with you! It was a fun trip, but we quickly learned how difficult it is to travel with 2 kids 2 and under. We made the most of it and really enjoyed time together as a family. I flew out a few days early to attend a Sustainable Forestry Conference in Corvallis. I really learned a lot and definitely appreciate wood products a lot more now (Buy SFI certified wood!!!!) Joe flew out with the girls later and we met in Portland to begin our adventure around northern Oregon.

PORTLAND

Children's Museum

Playing in the water area...loved the aprons so she didn't get soaked...she loves water!

Our little lefty

Maya is all about taking things out and putting things away and stacking things! Her fine motor skills are really good! Now if she would just walk more.....;-)


The mini-grocery store was Gabi's ultimate favorite. She filled up her basket, ran everything over the scanner, and put the items in her bag.

World Forestry Center
Trying our turn at Smokejumping!


Downtown Portland We also took a hike around Forest Park and walked around the downtown area, stopping for ice cream at Ben & Jerry's! The girls enjoyed riding the lightrail around town.


OREGON COAST
Oregon Coast Aquarium

Watching the sharks in the walk-thru aquarium

Touching a starfish and sea anemone

This puffin was crazy and did get this close (no zoom here). It was prime mating season or something because they were doing all kinds of water dances and feather fluffing!

Beach!
This was probably our favorite part...just playing on the beach!!! Yes, the water was cold, but that didn't stop us from getting wet!

Sand Dunes
Sea Lion Caves

COLUMBIA GORGE/MT. HOOD/HOOD RIVER
Lost Lake Hike

Gabi hiked almost the entire 3 mile loop around the lake...Maya got a ride thanks to daddy!

Multnomah Falls

Horsetail Falls/Ponytail Falls
We got to walk behind this waterfall....pretty cool!

Thanks for checking in on us!

Love, Joe, Tara, Gabi & Maya

New Camera = Lots of Pictures!

Hello!
In celebration of our birthdays and anniversary this month, Joe & I decided to invest in a new camera -- a Canon EOS Rebel T1i. I have had a great time trying to figure it all out the past few days and I thought I would share some of the pictures I took! I am not by any means a great photographer, but this camera makes it easier and is motivating me to read up, practice more, and get better! Guess what -- that means more pictures for you all to see! ;-) We are very excited to use it on our upcoming family vacation to Oregon!

Hope this finds you doing well!

Love, Joe, Tara, Gabi, & Maya

Maya's 1st Steps & The 4th of July!

We hope that you all had a Happy 4th of July! We ventured to Urbandale, Iowa for a vacation with my family. Urbandale always is a fun place to be on the 4th of July -- huge parade, fireworks, and lots of other festivities. Gabi had lots of fun with Grammy Mary and Papa Gary. Papa and her did sparklers on the night of the 4th -- she loved them!


Here are a few pictures from the parade! Gabi took home a ton of candy!

We spent a lot of time just playing around the house. Some of my parents neighbors let Gabi borrow this car and a little scooter that she enjoyed driving around.


My parents were able to watch Maya take her first meaningful steps! She was sooooo proud of herself! Here are a couple of videos of her walking between Joe & I.

On the way to Iowa, we stopped and stayed with my Grandma Dorothy. Aunt Virginia, Uncle Gary, Allie, & Brad were able to come over to visit. They threw a birthday party for all of us! It was so fun to see them and be lavished with gifts, cake, ice cream and party favors! Thanks you guys!!
The girls did great in the car! Gabi never got tired of Joe saying, "Look at the corn!" Trust me, he said it a lot! It was nice just to relax and spend time with my family! I miss them so much!

We put our house on the market last Friday. The sign went up while we were gone, so it was quite a shock to see the "For Sale" sign in our yard. I still don't know what to think. I love this house, but I'm excited for our future as well! Cross your fingers that it sells fast!!!

I forgot to mention in my last post that the Big Horn Wild & Scenic Trail Race 50K (32.4 miles) that Joe & I did while in Wyoming went well! Joe won and I was 31st (10th female). It was a beautiful race and we're happy that we were able to run this year!

Lots of love,

Joe, Tara, Gabi & Maya

Sweet Summertime

I can't believe it is the last day of June already! This summer has flown by! We've been busy swimming, playing at the park, visiting friends & neighbors, and getting our house ready to put on the market (coming Friday)! We even took a trip to Buffalo a couple of weeks ago and had a great time. Here are some pictures from that:

Papa Don & Maya

Gabi & Gio had lots of fun playing together!

Auntie Amanda & Maya

Amanda & Greer threw a Birthday Party for Maya and Marco. Lots of family came and we had a great time. Amanda made Maya a little lady bug birthday cake. Marco's cake was a cow -- so cute!

Birthday party attendees

Shortly after my last post, our house was hit by a hail storm. We didn't have much damage to the house -- we only had to replace a few pieces of siding. However, our maple tree and gardens in the backyard were totalled. Gabi was so proud of her garden we had grown from seed, so it was a bummer. Some plants are making a comeback, so we'll see how it looks in a few weeks!

Hope everyone else's summer is going well! Happy 4th of July!!

Love, Joe, Tara, Gabi, & Maya

If You're Happy & You Know It...

We have a lot to be happy about around here! I'm finally done with school and have REALLY enjoyed being home with my girls! The weather has been great and we have enjoyed being outside and on the move!

Having a tea party on the deck

This is my tummy!

Maya had her 1 year old check-up this week and is doing great! She weighed in at 21 lbs 8 oz (59%ile), was 30 inches long (80%ile), and had a 19 inch head (99%ile). So, she is stretching just a bit. She loves to cruise around furniture and is sooooo silly! She adores her sister.

Joe ran the Bolder Boulder over Memorial Day weekend and did well. His team did get 1st again in their division, so his absence last year has been forgiven! I took the girls up to Boulder to meet him and partake in the Memorial Day festivities. Gabi loved the parachuters, Air Force flyover, and the free popsicles!

HEADED "HOME"

Our biggest news is that we will be moving to Buffalo, Wyoming in December. Joe received a unanimous and enthusiastic approval from the KL&A Board of Directors to open a branch office in Buffalo. He has worked very hard for almost 3 years preparing for this opportunity. It will continue to be a lot of work for him, but we are excited about raising our family in Wyoming. I am definitely not looking forward to selling our house, the moving process, and leaving all of our close friends in Colorado.

We hope you are all enjoying the beginning of summer!

Love to you all! Joe, Tara, Gabi, & Maya