Grande Ronde

In Northeastern Oregon, one will find the Wallowa mountains, Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, and the Grande Ronde River among other worthy places of interest. With just a few days notice, the Grande Ronde became our destination of choice for Memorial Day Weekend. The trip spans a 40 mile stretch of river, which doesn't require a permit like many of the popular multi-day trip options in the area. The girls aced several rafting and canoeing adventures last summer, so being in the boat wasn't new to them. And they've been camping many times. However, this was their first multi-day river trip.

The river was pumping at a sporty 7600 cfs. It was big and fast. The ranger checked in with our group before we launched and warned of us Minam Roller, Red Rock, Blind Falls, and Sheep Creek rapids. John and I blinked. Rapids? The river is almost all Class II, which might certainly have rapids but not necessarily ones that a ranger would care to warn you of. Well at 7600 cfs, little rapids become big(-ish) rapids. Mostly big wave trains, actually, which would have been wicked fun in our itty bitty raft if we weren't aiming to keep the girls dry. John kept us mostly dry anyway and the girls just yelled "RIVER WAVES!!!!" for the bulk of that first day. It was a 26 mile day so they got to yell "RIVER WAVES!!" a lot.

Cate, gearing up.

 

 

They were so ready to launch!

 

 

I think I mentioned that we have an itty bitty boat. It was perfect for JR and I, but with extra bodies in the raft it can be tough to carve out a nice spot to sit.

 

Or nap.



 

The camp hammock was quite popular. They played in it together for hours, and then tandem napped in it the following day. Lela's was the longest nap I've ever seen her take. She begged to sleep in it that night too, until I talked to her about mosquitos. 

 





 

The bald eagle that called our little camp stretch of river home was likely missing a feather. 

 

Cate's a helper!





Easter in the Hood

We've been lucky in that many of our dearest Boise friends have also been growing their families in recent years. Our gatherings certainly look a bit different now than they did five years ago. Easter brunch was the perfect opportunity to capture this. Armed with camera, we joined some of our favorite Boise peeps for an Easter brunch and egg hunt at the yellow park.

 

(I've noticed that Robison family shots are often missing from my collection. Note to self to add remote camera button to wish list.)

 

Easter also happened at our house... no story about the easter bunny sneaking in to leave baskets, no candy. Bah Humbug! The girls were thrilled with baskets filled with books, chalk, and balloons.

 

 

And then a lovely dinner with Wendy, Greg, Chris, and Larry to wrap up one of the best Boise days in recent memory.

 



Cate's Bed

The tidy version of what you'll find in Cate's bed on a daily basis. At least I didn't find a mini halloween pumpkin this time like I did at Christmas.

Beaches and MickiBob

Lela had been asking to go to the beach since Christmas Eve, so for spring break we headed to the Oregon coast for some fun in the sand. As an added bonus, we picked up two of our favorite people while passing through Portland.

I'd love to show you pictures of the trip in some logical order, but blogger makes it really difficult to shift them around and I'm too tired to deal. So here is our trip (not in this particular order). The take home message is that good friends, sand, sunshine, kites, and stylish boots make for a happy week. Oh, and nudibranchs. Can't forget the nudibranch!

 



 

 

 

 

Three! 3! Tres! Trois!

What's that they say? "The days are long, but the years are short"? Definitely felt that way as we approached a very-big-deal 3rd birthday.

Don't remember why folks weren't up at the nordic lodge, but just a small gathering at home this year. 

Cate was unsure of what to do with those candles. Sad eyes may translate to "just give me the damn cupcake, Daddy!"

 





Lela knew just what to do.

 



 

Cate did get a second chance after this enthusiastic high five showing from Lela and Daddy. Poor thing, didn't want her to be scarred forever. This is indeed the stage that earliest memories often come from and I'm working hard to tip the scales towards positive ones. Possibly a futile effort, but worth it if we save a few bucks on therapy.

 



AND, their annual cupcake. Oh wait. Bi-annual. They ask for cupcakes for Christmas, too.

This last shot is worthy of the very rare Hatched blog hashtag.... #needbiggerhouse #needmorechairs #happyourfriendsdontmind

Going on an Owl Hunt

Well this is easy. Evidently I took one photo in the month of January (with my real camera).

Cate.

Suited up to go on a neighborhood owl hunt with Daddy.

She's not afraid.

Christmas in May?

Not really Christmas in May, but I'll use the harsh winter and your emotional well-being as my reason for not posting these pics earlier. I'm hoping y'all are finally feeling like summer really is a  possibility and won't be harmed by the snow and ice you'll find below.

JR's family joined us for a white Christmas in McCall. While Boise was completely socked in under a nasty inversion (think one giant exhaust cloud hanging low over the entire valley) (think LA smog), we drove 2 hours north for a beautiful, snowy, lakeside holiday.

From our condo it was a short walk to the lake, a coffee shop, outdoor gear shop, women's boutique, and the perfect toddler-sized sledding hill. Add a few minutes more, and you were in the heart of town. Ideal.

Some went skiing, some went shopping, some sat in large cushy recliners with a cup of cocoa. And John, Renee, Val, and Sai ventured into the wintry forest to cut a Christmas tree. Not all photos have been collected and John may have just lost all of his with a hard drive crash today (super bummer), so right now it just looks like we were sledding the whole time...

 

 

 

 

And hangin' with Auntie Nay Nay...

And checking out McCall trash...

And sliding down crunchy ice in a skirt and tights. Multiple times. Before realizing that such an activity might be cold enough to make us cry all the way home.