September Recap

Since it's been awhile since our last update, prepare yourself for the whirlwind tour of our latest adventures.

Hiking Dry Creek, which wasn't dry but was hot as hell...

Our (almost) annual trip to the Idaho Bird Observatory included more twin watching than bird watching but we still had a great time...

The girls and I joined our friends Sarah and Elsa (and thousands of other beautiful women) for the St.Luke's Women's Celebration 5k downtown...

Around the house we've been snuggling with the Kaidog...

reading...

and hanging out in the yard.

I hate to drop all of that on you at once, but there it is. Check back for a follow up post of miscellaneous twin shots.

Publish Post

Beach Day

Banks Beach, that is.

We drove up to Banks today, passing cars and trucks loaded with kayaks, rafts, and stand up paddle boards along the way. We saw many a river rat friend on the drive or gearing up in the lot at Banks. We even had John's kayak tucked next to the rocket box on top of our car. Only today we weren't there to kayak, raft, or canoe the Main Payette or the North Fork or Staircase. As much as we'd love to put Cate and Lela in a boat, even John doesn't think they're ready. Maybe next week.

Today our goal was to shimmy down the hill from the road on river right to the small unpopulated beach (and large eddy) just below the put in. And shimmy we did. With two girls, one dog, a kayak, and a $10 Rite-Aid beach umbrella. A lovely time was had by all.

Cate and Lela spent the afternoon taste testing everything within their reach. They seemed to enjoy toys, croakies, peas, and sand equally. But they only reached for the sippy cup after the sand.

Lela checked the water temperature for us. Too cold, she said.

Kai romped and splashed more than she has in all the days of the last year combined... and got good and tuckered out.

And John and I took the kayak for a spin around the eddy. John practiced cartwheels and other tricks; my trick was paddling to the top of the eddy, peeling out into the slow current, and racing back into the eddy without flipping. I was feeling very brave.

Just another day at the beach. Idaho style.

Double Bounce

Two babies, two missed naps, one wedding ceremony, and one hopeful mama attempting the double bounce.

It didn't work.

Date Night on the Boise

Allow to Dry

Poor Lela has been struck with a sudden and most awful case of diaper rash. So bad that I had to venture far into a nearby apple and pear orchard yesterday to change her diaper in order to avoid disrupting a friend's wedding ceremony with her screaming.

After digging out our hidden diaper cream stash (it's bad news for cloth diapers) and reading the instructions, ...

Boudreaux's Butt Paste
Directions for Use

• Change wet and soiled diaper immediately
• Cleanse the diaper area and allow to dry
• Apply ointment liberally

I see this.

"Allow to dry" is evidently not the passive activity that I envisioned.

Speed Bump Lela

The girls are in that fun stage where they roll until they run into something, then reverse roll until they run into something else. If you've been in our living room, you know that it doesn't take long before they hit an obstacle, especially with the addition of two bouncy seats, a pack n play, a 3-legged dog...

and a sibling.

Tonight, Lela was more than happy to be Cate's speed bump.

Gesundheit!

Does August even count as a month anymore? It has essentially vanished before my eyes. Although I do remember looking at the calendar a few weeks back and suspecting something like this might happen.

August started with parental shock but very little fanfare around Cate and Lela's six month birthday.

Soon thereafter we were joined by dear St.Louis friends for a weekend in Ketchum. A smart choice given the 20 degree temperature differences between Ketchum and Boise that weekend. Aware of their sympathetic audience, the girls decided it was a good time to express their teething displeasure. Aside from that, we had a lovely weekend fishing, taking a scenic ride to the top of Baldy via the tram and lifts, and enjoying delicious food and beverage (and maybe a little ice cream).

(Space for fishing photo here - hint, hint)

Not to brag or anything, but I think I landed the only fish of the weekend in my ten minutes of fishing (the guys were out for 8 hours). Unfortunately, I didn't get the opportunity to pose with fish because I had the camera. When I tell you the story of catching this sixteen inch rainbow trout, it might be best if you forget that you saw this picture.

In an odd bit of planning, we followed our friends back to St.Louis for a visit only two days after they left Boise. Cate and Lela won over our fellow Delta passengers with their most stellar in-flight performance. John and I declared victory and accepted that we may never again have such luck.

Once in St.Louis, any thoughts of a relaxing week taking advantage of the countless extra sets of hands we were sure to encounter quickly dashed as our schedule filled with various baby showings, sending baby schedules into a tizzy. Not that there weren't lots of hands. Grandma, Grandpa, (great) aunts, (great) uncles, cousins, and adoptive family hands were plenty. We were thrilled to see everyone and to fill those arms with precious baby bundles, but we were exhausted by the end of the week.

And a bit challenged with how to navigate security on our way home.

Perhaps due to all the passing around, or the lying in security tubs, or the time spent on the terminal floor while mom changed diapers or adjusted baby carriers, our trip souvenirs are of the sniffling, sneezing, coughing variety. Thanks, but no thanks. Sorry St.Louis, but next time we're leaving the germs behind.