Lake Wallowa

Momma Post: We returned home yesterday from a mini-vacation to Lake Wallowa in Eastern Oregon. The pictures above show the gondola ride up Mt. Howard. The last picture in which Willa is sleeping is at Terminal Gravity Brewpub in Enterprise, Oregon. These photos were taken on the only day we remembered to use the camera.

The remainder of the time involved us as parents attempting to relax while vacationing with the kids. All four of us did spend time on the Maitland and Schauermann's boat, where Ruby (with parents) went inter tubing for the first time and did amazingly well (although was a little apprehensive about going over the wake). Matt was able to wake board. I had several tries at water skiing and then moved on to knee boarding. I really enjoyed being in the water and would love to try wake boarding, too.

The drive back was survivable. Willa screamed from Enterprise to Pendleton, where, after many stops, we finally figured at that her carseat straps were cutting into her neck. A few adjustments and both she and Ruby slept from Biggs to our home sweet home. If our kids survive our mistakes, then that will be one measure of success.

Jumping into July

Momma Post: Ruby's been taking swim lessons at the Matt Dishman Community Center the past several weeks. Each week another skill is introduced, such as, blowing bubbles, jumping off the side of the pool into a parents arms, and floating with support. It's great seeing her so excited about being in the water. Ruby is constantly retrieving her swimsuit and urging us to take her swimming. She says "swimming, hair wet, kick my legs...".

"Owies" are a major topic of interest with Ruby. It seems that Ruby is eager to show off her latest "boo-boo" and share the story behind it, "fall down" or "Bryan pushed me". Matt and I are taking this opportunity to discuss injuries, how they happen and how they get better. Ruby has gone through several band-aides for real and imaginary injuries, although sometimes a simple kiss to the hurt area will do the trick. We are trying our best to let Ruby know that we all get "owies" and, with time, they heal and go away.

Willa's got rhythm! At first, what she did was shake everything with a whole arm motion. Apparently, as an experiment to see what would happen. Now we're seeing just hands moving back and forth--and then just with toys that are meant for shaking. So from a simple "let's see what happens," Willa's moving toward intentional use of different kinds of objects.

Willa is also becoming more assertive, which is a necessity in the Stockton household. She gets MAD when objects are taken away from her. She expresses this by either flapping her arms and wailing or, in a sitting position, lowering her head and more angry screeching. Thankfully she has a pretty quick recovery.

Our Dependents Day Weekend!!!

Daddy Post: Happy Birthday U.S.A. and Happy Anniversary to us! A pretty traditional day beginning with a pancake feed in Lake Oswego. Ruby and Willa wore the colors well. The night ended early with Ruby's only real exposure to fireworks being those of the sparkler variety. This "fun" lasted until she inadvertently burned her hand causing it to blister a little. Parents of the year!! Well, it was fun while it lasted. Willa simply soaked it all in and is diligently taking notes on her big sister and what she can get away with as she grows older. Hope everyone had a great weekend.

Planes, Trains, & Automobiles

Momma Post: Ruby is into all forms of transportation at the moment. She is often pointing out airplanes, helicopters, buses (an ongoing favorite), trucks, and bikes. Saturday, she became really excited upon seeing the Portland Street Car. Unfortunately, it wasn't in the cards for a ride, so we'll have to plan on one soon. During a recent trip to the zoo with my parents, Ruby received the All-Star treatment by Grandpa who pulled her wagon throughout the morning. We indulged the girls with a ride on the Zoo Train (Willa slept). Ruby also showed off her steering ability on the John Deer tractor in the farm area.

Another big hit with the girls, are the "automobile" shopping carts at New Seasons and Fred Meyers. If we're lucky, we score one of those and it makes for easier shopping. Although, a co-worker of mine, who has young children, said people are nuts who try to grocery shop with kids. This is occasionally the truth, but we like to tempt fate on a regular basis.