Bath Mat

I'm slowly able to complete occasional projects (which is better than not completing any at all!), including this bath mat. We needed a mat to fit in the narrow space between the bath and the toilet. It also needed to be quite long in order to catch as many of the splashes and drips that Rhys produces when he's in the tub. This was the solution. It's a towel folded lengthwise in half with squares from my scrap basket appliqued on. I think it works quite well, and it's washable to boot.

Scenes from Camp

We had a lovely weekend! We finally managed to go camping, and we had a blast. In fact, we're all fired up to go camping again as soon as possible, but due to other social duties, we won't be able to until the end of the month. We had such a good time!

We stayed at Jack's Creek campground north of Pecos. The Pecos Widerness is all around, which is a beautiful mountain area of the Sangre de Cristos. We stayed close to camp on Friday, and on Saturday after packing up, we went fishing/hiking in along the Pecos river. We went with some good friends of ours, so we had even more fun than if we'd gone by ourselves!

Alanna puts on a silly face as we unpack everything around her.

Rusty waits patiently as we unload (he was such a good camp dog!)

Rhys and Daddy get the tent ready.

Krista cooks dinner: flank steak, calabacitas, and corn on the cob. Yum!

Alanna sleeps in on Saturday.

The guys take the dog for a morning walk.

Ryan and Emma back from the walk.

Alanna decides she likes camping after all.

Rhys finally stops moving long enough for me to take a picture.

Krista and Emma hiking by the stream

Rhys wasn't so sure what camping was (he went 3 times the summer he turned one but not since then), but took to it like... well, like a boy in the woods. As we were loading up to head for home, he got upset and told me, "No! Camping in the mountains! No going home!" (He was a very tired little guy.)

We'll definitely go again soon.

Discovering Toes

This photo isn't so great, but Alanna is discovering her toes– and what they can do. Specifically, they can be pulled up to her chest and released like a spring to make the mobile animals fly wildly about, and with the same motion, they make a delightful whacking sound on the bed. Aaron calls it "kicking the foot drum" whenever she's in the co-sleeper because the sound is loud due to the hollowness underneath the sleeping pad. We wake up every morning not to the sound of an alarm, but to the sound of "thump.......whack.......thud" while Alanna lets her spring-loaded feet go.

We hiked a new trail this weekend (and forgot the camera!) in the Sangre de Cristos that went to Little Tesuque Creek. The August weather has been just lovely, and today it's cool and a little rainy. Rhys started three mornings a week of preschool, and while he loves it and is thriving, three days tired him out last week! We're taking it easy today because we also had a busy weekend.

Big Rolls

While I could be referring to large baked items or even my tummy fat, I'm actually referring to Alanna's big accomplishment! She has been rolling from her back to her side (in both directions) for about 3 days. This morning, all on her own, she went all the way over to her stomach! She then played on her tummy quite happily for a while, but I think she gets tired more quickly in that position, so I rolled her back onto her back. She is getting to be such a big girl!

Recent Images

Busy August Days:

Brother and Sister playing together

Napping with the Dog

Garden Harvest– Blackberries, Green Beans, and Tomatoes

Hiking in the Sangre de Cristos (one of our favorite activities!)

Birthday Bash!

The birthday cake. It had a Rhys-sized hand print in it before
we were 10 minutes into the party.

Rhys and Sophie.

I was a tad slow taking this picture, but it was a
train line with Rhys as the engine,
followed by Grampy and friends Sawyer and Malachai.

The birthday boy gets a hug from his Mommy.

We had a big birthday bash for Rhys a couple of weekends ago. It was a big barbeque at a local park, and I think everyone had a lot of fun- especially the birthday boy! We had a joint party with a friend who was turning 2, so there were lots of friends to hang out with. Rhys was over-tired and over-stimulated by the end, but that's a pretty good measure of the fun that was had by all.


And here is the birthday boy on his actual birthday (the 30th). What a great 3 year old he is!

Grandma's and Grandpa's House

Rhys and Aaron spent the week in Idaho while Alanna and I were in Colorado. Rhys had a blast, as can be seen in the photos. He celebrated his birthday with his cousin Kylah and Aunt Amy (all July birthdays), spent time with lots of great-aunts and -uncles since there was a family reunion over the weekend, and hung out with all sorts of other family members. Of course, he also spent lots of great time with Grandma and Grandpa!