Near Mount St. Helens

Our Minneapolis friends Bill and Brad were in Seattle for a wedding this weekend. On Saturday, we met halfway between Seattle and Portland. We had great greasy hashbrowns and eggs for breakfast, then toured the Mount St. Helens visitor center.

A lot can happen in just 60 seconds

Neighbors on Friday Night

Soren is walking! And he loves his chair!

Just days after we moved to Portland, Soren discovered how to walk. We went to Pottery Barn and got him his own chair (Thanks, Bob & Elsa!!). Soren thinks he's pretty special when he sits in his chair.

Our new house in Portland

We moved to Portland, Oregon a few weeks ago and have been very busy getting settled into the new house. Here are a few quick photos. As you can see, our house sits up on a hill.

Sunday at the Beach

We brought Soren to one of the beaches at Wilder Ranch State Park in Santa Cruz on Sunday. We had the whole beach to ourselves with lots of room to play. Not sure who played harder, Mike or Soren. Anyways, it was our last full weekend in California together and we were very glad to not have to say 'good-bye' to the ocean. Portland is about 1 1/2 hours away from the Pacific. We leave for Portland on the 21st!

Soren likes to walk the dog

Playing Hide and Seek

Cindy's Trip to San Jose

While Steven was in New York for an IBM conference, Cindy came to stay for a week and a fun week it was! We made homemade pasta, lounged in the Rose Garden during sunny afternoons, drove to Santa Cruz and had fun on the beach, traveled to Sonoma for wine tasting, AND watched lots of "Law and Order." The day after Cindy left, Soren couldn't figure out where she went and kept on crawling back to her room to see if she was there. It was good bonding time and we miss our Dindie.

Rancho San Antonio

We went back to the farm at Rancho San Antonio this afternoon. Soren loves all the animals.

Almost Walking

Soren loves/insists on walking everywhere now with his walker. Soon he won't need the assistance.

4th of July Weekend

Over the 4th of July holiday weekend, Mike and Steven were in New Hampshire for Cindy and Loring's wedding. Mike was the officiant for the wedding ceremony and did an amazing job!



While we were at the wedding, Soren's Grandma, Aunt Cindy, Aunt Pam and Cousin Hallie stayed with him in San Jose. As you can see, Soren was the center of attention, even at breakfast.

Memorial Day Weekend

The first photo is of Grandpa, Soren and cousin Logan. The second photo is of Soren and Mike at the wedding. The final photo is of Grandpa, Grandma and Soren's cousins on Mike's side of the family.

Happy 1st Birthday Soren!

Because Chris (Mike's brother) and Lori's wedding was in St. Cloud over Memorial Day Weekend, we were in Minneapolis for Soren's first birthday. Our friends, Kate and Mike, hosted a fantastic outdoor party for him. Soren loves cupcakes!!

Good-bye Yosemite!!

It turned out the be a spectacular week for Yosemite. Too cold for bugs, spring flowers were blooming, and the running water got stronger each day. Our last hike, through the lower Yosemite valley, was all Soren could take! The last picture is of us a bit in front of our lodge. This was definitely a "do again" trip.

Big Hike!

In addition to the morning hikes, I wanted something a bit more challenging. So, one afternoon I decided to take a quick stroll up to the top of the Upper Yosemite Falls. Par usual, I should have done a bit more research. It is the tallest waterfall in North America - 5th in the world (I think the elevation is about 2400 ft - don't hold me to this, though). The total hike was a bit over 5 hours - which was making pretty good time if I don't say so myself. It was exhausting and really, really thrilling. The totally cool thing was that I had cell phone coverage the entire way up! Here is a picture of the falls from about 1/2 way up the hike (it shows the upper falls only, not the lower), the towering granite walls you hikes beside, the view of the valley where we were staying and then me at the top of the falls. Not sure if I'd do it again, but it was something I'll always remember. And thank goodness Soren wasn't in the back pack!

Yosemite!!

We went on a vacation to Yosemite during the last week of April - and had a blast. It was a about a 5 hour drive to get there. Soren was great the entire drive. We stayed at the Yosemite lodge and took the park's shuttle to a different hiking destination each morning. Here are photos from the 'Happy Isle at Vernon Falls' hike. The last pictures is taken along the Merced River near the lodge. Soren slept very little each day and was constantly engaged with the park - the biggies were seeing mule deer, rivers, birds, playing with his new teddy named 'Yosemite' and waving (new skill!) at everyone at the lodge.