Plenty

Once a year, we rise early and drive to Dee, Oregon to pick our annual stash of blueberries.

I do grow some at home, but my two young bushes only give us a few handfuls and we like to get about 10 lbs to eat fresh and another 20 lbs for the freezer.

This was our first time bringing Jonah to the blueberry fields.

He loved it and kept saying "Ahhhg, BIG one."

He also discovered the wild strawberries growing underneath the canopy of berries.

Summer is a time of plenty.  It seems like there's never a spare moment to be had.  Our family does our best to eat fresh and local all year, which means that, come summer, we are picking fruits and vegetables to preserve and freeze.  So far, we have checked blueberries and cherries off the list....and next up are the peaches and blackberries.

This is my latest favorite picture of Jonah.  I call it Blueberry Eyes.

It's hard not to smile with so much goodness at your fingertips.

Happy Summer!

Wild Woman

I recently competed in the Wild Woman Marathon (relay) with some friends.  The 26.2 miles were split up into four sections of beautiful single track trail through the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.  This photo was taken afterwards and you can tell that we were delighted to have finished.

Later, we discovered that not only did we finish, but our team placed 14th among the 58 relay teams!

After a two year hiatus from running, it feels great to be getting back into it.

My favorite part of the day was seeing my two men there cheering me on....and ever since, Jonah continues to encourage me by singing out "Go Mommy Go!"

Yamhill County

A few weeks ago we headed to Carlton, Oregon to celebrate Uncle Dave's birthday and to spend some time with my Dad in the beautiful rolling hills of Yamhill County.  We spent the weekend wine tasting, riding bikes, and cooking marvelous group dinners.

These first two photos were taken at White Rose Estate which clearly highlights the beauty of the area.  We also had the pleasure of tasting wines from Ayoub, Lange, Anne Aime, and Stoller....

Wine tasting with a toddler is a bit of a challenge, but there were a few venues that were perfect for Jonah's rambunctious spirit.  We thoroughly loved our time at Stoller and enjoyed a picnic lunch outside followed by a round of disc golf at the grounds there....while sipping chilled Rosé.  Not bad.

Aunt Steph and Jonah.

Jonah has quite a knack for throwing frisbees.  Sometimes it does end up flung behind him....but that happens to anyone who's learning.  I am most impressed by his form and interest in playing along with us.

Tire swing!

How adorable can he be?

xoxo.

Lakeside Weekend

Jonah has four sets of grandparents, and we are very fortunate that all of them live in places we love to visit.  We drove, spur of the moment, to Flathead Lake for a long weekend after Jonah's Aunt Whitney decided to celebrate her birthday there.  We couldn't pass up the opportunity to spend the time with family and relax lakeside.  

Jonah's GrandDad and GrandMa have a lovely spot right on the shore, which facilitates all sorts of water activities like sailing, kayaking, swimming, throwing rocks, etc.  Little Mister was in heaven!

After we put Jonah to bed, there was still plenty of light for an evening sail around the lake.

Back at shore, we soaked up the last warm rays and prepared for a yummy grilled dinner.

The birthday celebration culminated with sparklers at dusk.

Birthday Ghosts

The rest of the days were a lovely mix of reading, resting, eating and playing.  It was wonderful!

Yes.  Definitely worth the drive.

xoxo