HARPER RODE 4 MILES ON HER BIKE TODAY

See those capital letters up there. That is me and Laramie squealing with pride and amazement at the fact that our little girl rode 4 miles today. No training wheels. No trail-a-bike. No physical contact with an adult whatsoever.

We met up with some new friends at the Portland Sunday Parkways without really knowing what to expect. It was a closed 7.5 mile loop around North Portland. We started at Peninsula Park and we rode all the way to Kenton Park. Me on my bike, Laramie on her bike with Windham and Harper on her teeny, tiny bike with 12" wheels. We figured we would ride a bit until she got tired and would turn around or one of us would go get the car. But the kid just kept riding.

The amazing thing was how incredibly well she managed with the many other bikers passing her (and passing bikers that were moving too slow for her) and the congestion of the streets. She moved right when we told her to and kept her line like an old pro. She rode better than some of the adults on the route.

We are both so proud of her. It was an amazing day for our new little cyclist.

Naptime Smarts

Aubree: Harper, go back to your room. It's nap time.
Harper: (screaming and crying) Windham is too loud.
Windham: (silent)
Aubree: I don't hear him making a sound.
Harper: (returns to her room) Windham, Can you make a lot of noise?
Windham: (silent)
Harper: Can you jump in your crib?
Windham: (starts jumping)
Harper: (comes back to the living room, screaching) Windham is being too loud. Tell him to stop.
Aubree and Laramie: (laughing hysterically)

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I Wouldn't Call It A Garden But...

It has been sad leaving behind our amazing yard/garden in Seattle. Our green thumbs are aching to sow, plant, weed and tend.

With roughly 32 sq ft of space right outside our apartment door, we have planted several planters with kale, salad greens, parsley, basil, chives, oregano, thyme and a tomato. It will be fun to eat our plants knowing we grew them on the sidewalk in such a tiny space.

I have a feeling, come August, we will be missing the berries...

Family Photos

Before we skipped town, we had an amazingly talented photographer shoot our brood. She is neighbor, photographer extraordinaire and all-around awesome lady, Des Haigh. Website and Blog.

She shot engagement photos for our friends Dylan and Grace. I immediately fell in love with her point of view and style. I had wanted family photos for a long time and now it seemed everything aligned to actually do it.

So on a sunny Saturday morning, we wrangled the children into mostly presentable clothes and bribed them to smile and look cute.

Here is the first set I put together. There will be more to follow, to be sure.

A Visit From Luke and Naima

This past weekend Luke and Naima came to visit. Harper has been feeling sad and missing her Seattle buddies. We are making every effort to get both Harper and Windham playdates and into classes to meet new friends. But there is nothing like your old pal to make you feel better.

They arrived Friday afternoon and spent a glorious Saturday and rainy Sunday playing and eating and walking and well, whining. They are 2 and 3 year old's don't forget.

It sure was nice to see our friends. We didn't let the torrential downpour on Sunday morning stop us from having fun.





Thanks for visiting. Our door is always open…