Birthday and Cubs Game

It is hard to believe that one year ago we were waiting (not so patiently) to find out who this little person inside me was. Who knew we would have had such a little character?! Aiden turned ONE and we celebrated with a surf party! We were so happy and touched that so many of our friends and family turned out to celebrate with us. He LOVED his cake and managed to polish off half of it before we were able to get it away from him! Like all little kids, he liked the paper better than the presents. It was an amazing day and we were so happy to share it with everyone. Photos are to the left.

In addition, Grandma Cindi came to visit and we all went to Aiden's first Cubs game. Sadly, they lost to the Dodgers...but Aiden loved seeing the game and pigging out on hot dogs and nachos!

First Haircut!

It is official; Aiden is a big boy! I took him to get his hair cut yesterday and he looks so much older now. He didn't seem too phased by the whole process...he was able to sit in a car with a steering wheel! The gal who cut his hair was really nice and was used to squirmy little boys who want to know what the clippers are all about. Now Aiden won't be called a girl by strangers anymore...

Before

During

After

Vacuum Update

For all those who have been following Aiden's love affair with the vacuum; here is the update. Every night we let Aiden run around without a diaper, just to air out. The other night while "airing out", he ran up to the vacuum and peed on it. I think he has claimed it as his own...

Aiden is in Hiding!

Every time Aiden follows a command it reminds us of what a little person he has become. It is easy to forget that he actually understands what we are saying.

Our First Family Roadtrip

Well, we have made it home safely from our first family roadtrip. Aiden did an amazing job in the car and really enjoyed living outdoors while camping. No matter where we were or what we were doing, Aiden adapted and had fun with it. Matthew and I got to be experts at setting up Aiden's living space and feeding him on the fly. Thank goodness for a portable highchair! We had many adventures and were quite sad when the vacation ended.

I have posted some photos and videos below, but to see all photos check out the link on the left.

Lake Cushman

Our first stop along our trip was to stay with the Norris family at their lake cabin for Nick's 30th birthday. It was a great couple of days at the lake! We all went in the water, on a boat, and ate lots of delicious food. It was the perfect way to start our journey. Thank you so much to the Norris family for sharing everything with us. We had an amazing time!

Riding the Ferry to Seattle

After leaving Lake Cushman, we headed North to Seattle. Aiden rode his first ferry when we took the Bremerton to get across to the city. We stayed with Matthew's friend Aaron and braved the hottest temperatures Seattle has ever seen. It was 96 degrees inside, and no one has air conditioning! Matthew was able to telecommute which extended our vacation by a couple of days. We ate some delicious sushi and drank some good coffee. Not a drop of rain for the third time we went to Seattle! Thanks to Aaron for the good time!

Hobos for a Night

After leaving Seattle we headed for Mt. Rainier National Park to begin the camping portion of our trip. This was the only location that we hadn't reserved sites at. Guess we should have, because the entire park was full. We decided to stay the night at one of the cute bed-and-breakfasts that border the park. As it was a Friday night, all were full! We traveled further from the park and found the Hobo Inn. I just thought it was an old train when we drove past, but then I noticed the sign about vacancy. I went inside to inquire about lodging and they informed me that we would be sleeping in a real train caboose. Who could say no to that. I finally fulfilled my dream of riding the rails and sleeping in a boxcar. Matthew and Aiden enjoyed it, too. What boy wouldn't love to sleep in a train?

Mt. Rainier National Park

We thought we would just travel down to Oregon to get a jump on our next site, but we checked campgrounds one last time and there was a site available. We were able to set up camp and enjoy Aiden's first night of tent camping under the shadow of Mt. Rainier. Our site was completely covered in fine black dust/dirt, which Aiden proceeded to roll around and bathe in just like a chinchilla. He was our little dust devil. After an improvised bath in some warmed water, we walked down the Cowlitz River for some old-fashioned rock gathering. Aiden seems to have inherited the Waltemade curse: one must bring home a sack of rocks from any adventure. I'm not sure our house has room for another rock hound!

Mt. Hood State Forest

Our next stop was the Mt. Hood State Forest in Oregon. The campground we stayed at was next to the smallest lake, Little Crater Lake. It was hardly a pond, but apparently it has gotten the name Lake. Maybe because it was super deep and super blue. I have never seen a lake quite like it. You could see all sorts of downed trees at the very bottom because it was so clear. Our campground had pasture near it and we were visited by the cows that occupied it. We were "ushered" out of one of the hiking trails by a bull that wasn't happy to see us. Aiden spent a good portion of the trip putting rocks on the running boards and in the hitch of our car. It was a nice site, even with the cowbells.

I got a fever! And the only prescription.. is more cowbell!

Humboldt Redwoods State Park

Our last camping nights were cut short because the site wasn't as good as the reviews said! We were waaaay to close to Highway 101 to enjoy the gigantic trees that towered overhead. We spent one night there and headed off to enjoy a hotel for the rest of our trip. On the way down to Tiburon, we stopped off for some McDonald's soft-serve and then we went to a winery for a tasting. Good times!

Tiburon, CA

We ended our journey in Tiburon, which is just across the bay from San Francisco. It is just a tiny little town. We had all sorts of plans to go into the city to see the sights, but in the end we all enjoyed NOT being in the car. We hung out and ate, slept, had cocktails, and relaxed. We stayed for three days and didn't get in the car once! It was the perfect end to our 2.5 week vacation!

Matthew's Birthday