To Grandmother's House We Go

It is pretty special that we can take a trip to see both Zoë's grandma and my grandma together in one place, though because my grandparent's lived in The Dalles long before my mom moved there, any trip to The Dalles will always be going to Grandma and Grandpa's house for me.

Here are some fun pictures from our visit last weekend:

Oma playing with Zoë in the same yard where she 

used to play with me as a wee one.

Zoë and Lola exploring Sorosis Park together

Peek-a-boo!

Zoë's current favorite part of the playground - she just wanted to walk back and forth, 

but so did all the other kids and they were much bigger than her...and when they ran by, the trampoline-like bridge almost bounced Zoë right off! 

Sorosis Park is the best playground EVER. It was super fun when I was a kid, it is fun for my one-year-old toddler, and it is just as fun for me now! Zac and I had fun showing off our "big kid" skills on the monkey bars and crawling through the mazes. 

"Look at me! I'm such a big girl! I got up here and sat down all by myself!" :)

Got the giggles

Four generations of lovely women

We love you, Oma and Lola!

Goodbye Grandpa

Our little family was blessed to have Grandpa come and stay with us for July and part of August during his summer trip to the states. The last time Grandpa was in the states was visiting us over a year ago to see his newborn granddaughter, so we were all very excited to have him around!

It was a treat for Zac and I to watch my dad be "Grandpa" - and what a perfect Grandpa he is! Playing tickle monster, flipping Zoë around in the air, taking her on walks to collect rocks and sticks, going to the park, playing songs on the guitar for her, carrying Zoë on his shoulders, going to storytime at the library, getting a cookie at the grocery store, sharing his ice cream and milkshakes with her, going to the park some more, collecting more rocks, chasing Ginger the cat, and having special Grandpa-Zoë time while mommy and daddy went on a couple dates. :) 

Father's Day- Grandpa's first weekend with Zoë

So much has happened this summer with Grandpa around - Zoë started walking when he arrived (and now is almost running), Zoë could barely reach the table and now climbs on chairs to get whatever she wants off the table, Zoë was stuck inside with mommy unpacking and now wants to go outside from the moment she wakes up and go to the park 3 times a day (thanks, Dad), and she now can say "da-pa" for Grandpa.  Here are some wonderful pictures of our summer fun and all the great adventures Zoë and Grandpa had together:

Corby and Mary's Wedding

Walking on logs at Glacier

Lake McDonald, Glacier

Learning to throw rocks at Glacier

(I think this may have been when her love of rocks began...)

Hiking to Hidden Lake, Glacier

Hiking Mt. Hood

Shark tunnel at the Oregon Coast Aquarium

Pool party

Swinging at the park...so much time was spent there!

Playing with bubbles

Bow Wow Bash!

Alligators at the Zoo (a little scary for Zoë...that is why she is facing away from them :)

The Monkey Grandpa bought her from the Zoo

She loves him.

"Sunset at the Zoo" - fun children's music

Eating Bloomin' onion. She ate the bloomin' part - not the onion. :P

Portland Children's Museum - such a cool place!

Smelling the roses at the Rose Garden

Goodbye Grandpa! We miss you dearly already, and Zoë especially misses you taking her outside and spoiling her with all that sugar. :) In honor of you, I took her to the park today and gave her a couple sips of my Starbucks frappacino (she pulled herself up on the chair and sat there expectantly. Haha!)

Thanks for treating Zozo like a princess and loving her like your own. 

Until next time, we'll see you on skype!

Camping on the Coast: Last Trip of Summer

We took advantage of the last weekend with my Dad to go camping once more on the coast. This time is was more of the traditional Oregon Coast camping - very windy, and very cold. But still beautiful. :)

Thanks to Grandpa, we have some pictures to document our adventure...since I accidently left my camera at home. Agh! I'm still kicking myself for that. :P

We began our trip on Friday with a picnic lunch at Cannon beach, then headed a little south to Nehalem Bay State Park to camp within 1/4 mile of Nehalem Beach. After a lovely pancake breakfast and a quick walk to the beach, we packed up and took a 2.5 mile hike leading to Cape Falcon.

Cannon Beach - Haystack Seastack

Zoë after unfortunately getting a mouthful of sand. Bleh!

 
Picnic at the beach with Uncle Judah

My favorite part was watching the waves crash against these rocks.

Oh, and there are starfish hiding just above water level!

Our little beach explorer - braving the wind

"Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!"

"He's got the whole su-un, in his hand..." :)

Favorite picture

Zoë grew fond of the grill flipper and was trying to dig in the ground with it...

then she got up and started walking down the road, waving the flipper around!

"Grrrrrr! I'm a bear!"

"Bear?! Who said bear? I'm an angel."

Grandpa on our hike to Cape Falcon

We finally made it to the destination and were glad we did - it was gorgeous!

 (pictures don't even do it justice)

 

And, of course, lunch at Mo's. Zoë chowed down on my Clam Chowder, 

and I thoroughly enjoyed her kid's order of butterfly shrimp. 

Ah, the benefits of being a mom! :)

Goodbye coast, for now!

15 Months: A Rose Among Roses

Portland is known for its roses. After all, it is "The City of Roses"and has one incredible Rose Garden to prove it. Yesterday we took a little stroll through the garden and took a few pictures of our 15 month old rose among the roses. :)

Our little girl went from baby to toddler so quickly! Walking like a pro, testing out her independence every chance she gets, practicing a *little* defiance, showing a *little* pickiness, communicating with signs and sounds, enthralled with the world around her,  and surprising us daily with her creative endeavors. 

Zoë's new favorites: 

• Climbing on chairs and standing on them, much to the frustration of mommy and daddy who are constantly saying "Zoë, please sit down. Zoë, we do not stand on chairs, we sit down. No, Zoë, PLEASE sit down. No, Zoë, NO! SIT DOWN!!"

• Putting on a fashions shows. One day, Zoë walked out into the living room with a long blue  exercise rubber band looped around her neck like a scarf and Zac and I nearly burst out laughing!  The next day, she came out of her room with her pink rain coat around her back like a shawl, and on another occasion, her butterfly fleece hoodie on her face. She has started wearing her pink beaded necklace around the house as well. This girl has potential! :)

• Book de-shelving. Zoë loves to take books off the shelf. We start to worry when there is a moment of silence because it usually means she is doing something she is not supposed to be doing :). Lately, when the house gets quiet, we have found her happily entertained with ALL of her books pulled out on the ground, nearly covering the floor of her room! She looks at one, throws it down, looks at another, and continues the process. Up to this point, we have kept her from doing too much damage to the "grown-up" books, but she is definitely intrigued by them. I just hope we can hold her off until her page-tearing days are over!

• Playing steam-roller with mommy. It is so much fun to hear her uncontrollable giggles as I roll back and forth across the floor with her rolling next to me. She tries to get away at first, but she really just wants me to "crush" her :) And then comes the tickle fest!

• Noises everywhere! Zoë is constantly alert to sounds and immediately lets us know that she heard something, whether it be a bird chirping, dog barking, an ambulance siren, a plane flying overhead, or the hum of a fan. She also loves to dance to music and begins swaying those hips the moment she hears a song. One of these days we'll get a video of it. :)

We are so grateful for 15 months of life with our sweet Zoë! Though you may drive us crazy at times, Zozo, you bring us overwhelming joy. We love you always.