Rose City

A neighbor's rose.

This time of year it's easy to see why Portland is nicknamed Rose City.  They are everywhere! It seems like you can stand on any corner in the city and see at least one rose bush. My iphone camera is full of photos of roses, so I thought I'd share a few...

Peninsula Park

We have the good fortune of living walking distance from Peninsula Park, which happens to be Portland's oldest rose garden, and went for a family stroll the other day. Gorgeous!!!

Peninsula Park

Peninsula Park

Peninsula Park

Peninsula Park

Peninsula Park

Peninsula Park

Neighborhood rose tree

This year we planted three new rose bushes (one was a gift from my grandparents) and I can't wait to see them grow. All of my fingers are crossed that I don't kill them!

One of our new blooms.

Plus last year's garden surprise.

The Month in Photos: May 2014

Augusta is growing like a weed and learning new things everyday. It's pretty fun to watch how excited she gets over little things like a shoe box or sliced strawberries. She still isn't quite crawling, but is soooo close. I need to start thinking about baby proofing the house. Ian finished his first year at UP at the beginning of the month (yay!) and is already half way through his summer school session. We've continued to be busy working on our outdoor spaces (it's taken a lot longer than I anticipated, but we're almost done) and are looking forward to enjoying drinks on the patio and eating some of the veggies we've planted.  Can't believe summer is almost here.

Augusta is 8 Months Old!

It's amazing that the first months of her life are already becoming hazy and I can't quite remember just how it felt to hold her when she was a newborn. I know that as time goes by, even more memories will start to fade. So... I wanted to jot down some of the things she is doing/enjoying right now for posterity's sake!  (Reader beware: the things listed below are likely of no interest to anyone but myself and the number of photos of Augusta is gratuitous). Here they are in no particular order:

The Month in Photos: April 2014

April is over already?!?!?! We had a lovely visit from Ian's parents, took a quick trip down to Eugene, enjoyed some Easter festivities, and are attempting to get our outdoor spaces up to scratch. That's about it for the month! Sorry Lute and Ian, you guys got the short end of the stick again this month.

Our Dogwood Tree

One of my favorite things about our house is the beautiful dogwood tree in our front yard. It's especially gorgeous this time of year, decked out in bright pink blossoms. In the evenings, the setting sun filters through the tree emblazoning the blossoms and casting the warmest light into our living room. It's heaven.

My Favorite Part of the Day

So, Gussie is still not sleeping through the night (it's a good night if she only wakes up twice). Because of this, Ian takes her in the mornings so I can snag a couple more hours of sleep. Once I do wake up and come downstairs this is how Augusta reacts. It sure makes me feel special and loved! I never thought that I'd actually enjoy waking up. It's amazing what having a kid does to you ;).

Gussie's First Solids

Last week we introduced Gussie's first solids. We started with some rice cereal and have now added pureed sweet potato. So far the experience has been mixed, the first two feedings were awesome and she chowed down like nobody's business, but the last few have ended in hysterical meltdowns. 

In related news, I thought this post about real food for babies was really interesting. I think we'll be heading down that road soon.

If you want to see her in action, you can check out these two videos below. The first is of her very first bite of rice cereal and the next is of her trying sweet potato.

The Month in Photos: January

After the rush of the holidays, I thought January would seem slow, but with our trip to Mesa and a couple of house guests we've stayed busy and the month has flown by. Gussie is full of personality these days and it has been so fun to watch her learn, grow and explore.

Augusta is starting to look a bit more like me, but in this shot she's still a little Ian!

Staying cozy on a rainy day (not that we've had very many this year).

Gussie is endlessly entertained by her toes.

One of those days...lots of house work, a baby that wouldn't go to sleep, and no shower for mama.

I'm kinda obsessed with Gussie's little baby neck, it's so cute!

A GORGEOUS tree in downtown Portland

Sweedeedee's cherry pie.

Portrait with Cat.

Snuggles with mommy.

This picture makes me laugh. Gussie looks so intense and kind of mean!

My new favorite coffee shop in Portland, Woodlawn Coffee and Pastry.

The ennui of a house cat.

 Clementines and truffles, an easy and sort of healthy dessert. 

Broadway Bridge. 

 

Jack is sexy and he know's it. 

Our friend Brian came for a visit! 

I'm putting this lasagna on rotation.

And Grandma Amy came for a visit!

The Month in Photos

Happy New Year everyone! 2013 was a pretty incredible year for us with the cross-country move, Ian's new job, buying our first home and of course, the birth of Augusta. This coming year we're looking forward to a bit less excitement and settling in as a family of three. If 2014 brings us even a fraction of the joy of 2013, we'll be in for another great year.

 A lovely Oregon day.

 Parkman family hike.

 

Nap time. 

 Our Christmas tree!

A very awake baby, very late at night.

 Buddies.

 Jack and Lola love posing for the camera.

 A very snowy Eugene. 

 The Christmas tree in Pioneer Square.

I-5 clouds. 

 This photo makes my heart melt a little bit.

 My favorite thing under the tree.

 A touch of New Mexico in North Portland.