Two Months Old

I can hardly believe how busy we have been during Nate's second month of life. As each week passes, we become more comfortable as a family, pursuing more adventures and enjoying the summer weather that has finally arrived! Nate continues to grow beyond our belief (and nearly beyond his diapers). We decided to celebrate Independence Day at home this year, and were lucky to have many of our Portland friends come cook out and visit with us. Ever enthusiastic about hosting, Jeff bought thematic decor from the Dollar Store and created a patriotic themed soundtrack for the day. We had a last minute brainstorm to create a sample citizenship test for our guests (we are both social studies teachers after all). Unfortunately, most guests didn't make a passing grade (yikes!); but we had a good laugh and appreciate our friends putting up with us. Thanks to the collective contributions, there was a ton of good food and I probably ate three or four plates worth!

Nap time with Grandpa Murray

The three of us made our first road trip up to Maple Valley to visit Grandpa Murray. Nathan, per usual, slept the entire way. We spent several days introducing our little man to dear friends and my family. It's always nice to spend a few summer days along the river, although I would have liked to get in. My dad graciously put up with Nathan's crying during the night (and day sometimes). Nathan's Great-Aunt Sherry generously sent us home with a huge collection of books which we have since enjoyed reading with Nathan. It was so nice to catch up with some of our dearest friends, Jon & Jamaica, Andrew (who is expecting his first child this winter!), Sarah & Dan (self-proclaimed professional baby holders), Karrie and Ashley. Thanks to each of you for making the time to see us (and to some of you for making delicious breakfasts).

The following weekend, Jeff and I decided it was time to celebrate our sixth wedding anniversary...without Nathan. His Auntie Jenny was kind enough to watch him while we saw the latest and last Harry Potter movie with friends. It was a little strange to leave Nathan for the first time, not because I would miss him (which I did), but because for the night, I felt like the me that was before I was a mom. We LOVED the movie, loved spending some time again with our friends, loved Jennifer for watching Nathan and LOVED returning home to him again.

Our home away from home

Lunch at the rest stop

Fortunately, Dad and Nate managed to stay out of trouble in Jacksonville.

I suppose our confidence as parents was growing because we decided the next item on our summer to-do list was a camping trip. So we booked a cabin near Crater Lake and spent three days exploring the beautiful lake and Southern Oregon. Following the advice of our trusty Frommer's Oregon, we first headed to the coolest small town in Southern Oregon: Jacksonville. The entire mining town is registered as a National Landmark, which means there is some cool architecture. Plus, there is a summer music festival right in the heart of town that we intend to check out next summer! We arrived in the evening, however, and found that due to the evening's concert (k.d. lang), most of the businesses were closing. We walked through town and met some very friendly shop keepers along the way. Nathan had slept the entire drive down, which consequently led him to be awake more during the first night, than usual. On the second night, however, he slept nearly through, only waking twice. That day we had spent at Crater Lake. To say it's beautiful is an understatement. We opted to take the Trolley Tour around the lake which provided us equal opportunity to take in the view as well as learn a lot about the history, geography, and geology of Crater Lake and the surrounding Cascade volcanoes. Nathan slept through the whole thing. Oh well. We enjoyed our first family camping trip and are already brainstorming next summer's destinations (we would love company if anyone wants to join us).

This last week we had the pleasure of Nathan's Uncle Jesse, Auntie Jessica and Cousin JD coming to visit for a few days. Together we went to see the Keizer Volcanoes, our local single A baseball team, rode the light rail and streetcar to downtown Portland to play in a fountain and spent a day on the beach north of Lincoln City. It was a beautiful day for the beach and best of all, Grandma & Grandpa Davolt were there too! We admired the sand castles and played in the chilly fringe of the Pacific Ocean. Yet again, Nathan slept through most of it. And unfortunately, I left my camera in the car so I don't have any pictures.

Coming Up:

• Tomorrow is Nathan's two month Well Child Checkup with Dr. Chrissie. We are looking forward to the visit, even though it does mean some shots for Nathan. I'm curious to see the doctor's face when she sees how much Nate has grown since his two week appointment! I will post his "official" numbers after our visit.
• Thursday, August 8th: we are braving our first airplane ride to visit with the King family (my mother's side) in Arizona.