Look who's 2!

Jonah turned 2 last week!  Good heavens....where does the time go?

Our summer has been brimming with fun adventures.  I have a bunch of mini posts planed to catch you all up on our activities.  For now, enjoy a few snapshots of our little guy.

At his two year well-child check up today, Jonah weighed in at 26.2 lbs. and measures 34.5" tall.  Which means he's taller and skinnier than 50% of his American peers.  

Jonah likes: 

counting, riding bikes, doing things on his own, eating berries, reading books, walking Daisy, making pretend phone calls to his extended family, providing commentary on the landscape during car rides, kicking soccer balls, singing, playing in water, motorcycles, visiting his toddler buddies, his crutch 'ba-ba", driving through tunnels, waterfalls, dancing to music, shooting hoops, swinging in the hammock.  

 Jonah has very few dislikes.  Any resistance or bad attitude can be correlated to either hunger or a poorly executed transition (the next thing needs to distract him from the current thing).  This always keeps me on my toes and planning ahead!  If you ask him a yes or no question during this time his usual response is "no way"....which is kind of cute, except when you are trying to stuff a limp and flailing child into a car seat.

Yes, the Twos have their drawbacks, but the heart-melts are also more frequent.

Jonah is very affectionate, an earnest learner, and has an astonishing memory--it is a joy to watch him discover and interact with the world.  I cannot wait to see what this next year brings.  

xoxo

A Bouquet for Mommy

This is the first bouquet of flowers picked for me by sweet Jonah.

Last week, Jonah had been out walking with Nanna, and when they returned Jonah ran to me with this most special gift.  My heart melted.

In our family, the gift of flowers are reserved for "non-occasions."  Meaning, I never expect them on any of the traditional, commercial holidays, but rather, am often surprised by bouquets throughout the year randomly.  I love it and it is one of my favorite ways that Jesse shows appreciation.  I think that all of my most lovely memories are also those which were unanticipated.

I have received a lot of flowers over the years, but this bouquet might be my favorite yet.

So in honor of Mother's Day, I wanted to share a story about our family that I treasure.  

Happy Mother's Day!

xoxo

Secret Trail

The Columbia Gorge is packed full of marvelous places to discover.  A friend recently told me about a Secret Trail that winds up the back side of the Mosier plateaus.  It is truly a gem of a hike during wildflower season.  

I took Jonah and Daisy with me a few weeks ago on a scouting mission.  We found the unmarked trail and immediately were delighted by the colors of balsam root, lupine, and indian paintbrush.  

Jonah's outfit happened to be color coordinated with the scenery.

Being outside is super fun for Jonah.  He gets pretty excited about hikes.  

"Hike, hike, hike" is a daily request.

There were fields of wildflowers in every direction.  And the hum of bees gathering pollen was so loud that I kept pausing to be certain I wasn't leading us right on top of a hive.

  

Jonah walked as far as he wanted, but we ended up turning around before seeing the trail end.

This morning when we got the "hike, hike, hike" request, we decided to try it again with the whole family...and a backpack.

This time the oak trees had leafed out and the lupine was in full glory.

Jesse lead the way (checking the trail for rattlesnakes).  We only saw one snake and it was a Northwestern Garter Snake.

The flowers were ridiculous.

   

And even more ridiculous was that we didn't encounter a single person during our entire hike...on a beautiful, windless day, during the weekend no-less, and over some of the most beautiful terrain I've ever experienced. Awesome!  

Almost there....

The view was just okay [wink, wink].

My two loves.

This was the best family shot....or perhaps the one that made me laugh the most.

After a little water break, we headed back down the hill.

I stopped to photograph a few flowering beauties.

Indian Paintbrush

 Lupine

Chocolate Lily

Balsam Root

Have a great weekend!

An Angel

On Monday, my friend Judi passed away.  She crocheted this darling sweater and gave it to me when Jonah was born.  In February, when Judi went on hospice care, I dressed Jonah up in his spring hoodie (which fit him perfectly) and we went to visit Judi at home and say goodbye.

Both of Judi's parents were talented artists who I had the pleasure of knowing through my position at the Art Gallery.  When Judi moved to the area to care for them, I got to know her.  She was a very special person and became my volunteer coordinator which allowed us to share a lot together over the years.  I saw her gracefully care for her parents and helped her curate retrospective shows of their artwork after they passed away.  Although Judi was always busy, she was never too busy to help a friend.  When I was pregnant, Judi helped me reupholster a rocking chair for Jonah's nursery.

It was heartbreaking to see Judi face her own debilitating health issues at such a young age, but true to her faith, she became an even greater pillar of strength for those around her.  

I will miss her very much.

She was a daughter, a wife, a mother, a friend, a gifted fiber artist....and now an angel.

I am blessed by her mark on this world.