we did it!

well, after one night of implementing plan 'b' (ian's parents' house) we made our first camping trip with oren really happen. Friday night we drove out to camp along the nestucca river, but unfortunately all the campsites were full...well, all except for one next to some pretty rowdy country-music blasting guys...not our first choice for tent neighbors. and we didn't think they would appreciate an early oren wake-up the next morning anyway. so plan 'b' was put into effect for the first night.

after a little bit of research and a good recommendation from peggy, we got up the next morning, ate a yummy breakfast, and drove off in search of plan 'c'. lucky us! we arrived at Spruce Run campground just as a group of campers was leaving...and it was for a fantastic walk-in site to boot! we are already planning our next trip (and shopping for our very own car-camping tent!)

here are a few photos:

this one is so darn cute i had to post, but couldn't rotate it...sorry.

our lovely campsite was down this path in the trees...

you can see the vastness of the tent illustrated here - it doesn't quite fit on the tent pad! (thanks again s and t!!)

friendly reminder: always check your gear BEFORE you leave

cute boys, fuzzy photo

nothin' like napin' in the great outdoors!

lucy had fun too, although she would have really liked to go swimming.

daddy needed a nap too.

and i think my arms have outgrown my sleeves!!

gelbrich bbq

We enjoyed a fun family bbq last weekend at Ian's parents house. Jerry and Deborah brought the newest Duck in the family up from california for his freshman orientation. GO DUCKS! We hope to see a lot more of them now that Taylor is (somewhat) in the neighborhood. As always - yummy food, wine and company made for a super weekend!

and stay tuned...this weekend we will attempt our first camping trip with both Oren and Lucy. wish us luck!! I'm feeling optimistic.

oren enjoying someone's joke...

travis & sharon looking fabulous...

oren sleeping so sweetly...

nannie setting up the tent for her night in the great outdoors with nathan & aidan...

uncle jerry getting some oren time...

thirsty!

bed head!

happy birthday ian!

a day or so late...but a girl can't be on the computer all the time!

we love you!

the beach!

we are just home from a fantastic trip to Rockaway Beach with friends. With 8 adults, three babies and one on the way, chaos was sure to ensue (graces -- we missed you!!!). The house had plenty of room for all of us, and with the exception of a little tire trouble and one rock-chipped windshield, the weekend was relatively relaxing and certainly a ton of fun!! The meals were amazing and the time spent with close friends even better. We are already planning for next year....

a little family photo op.

oren eating his first sand pie

rock star annik!

shem & noelle found a live jellyfish!

baby elijah sleeping soundly on the warm sand

annik looking smashing as usual. :-) and her daddy too!

heather, christopher, and baby O!

can't tell by oren in this photo - but the water was a little on the cold side..but the days were really beautiful. i love the oregon coast!!

video - annik and oren playing together

visit from sam

aunt sam stopped by for a visit last night. we are so happy to be in a city she often needs to travel to for work. yay for us!!

and on another note...the last few days have been H-O-T! but i'm not complaining! after the spring we had, the sunshine is welcome! (i'll let oren do the complaining)

we thought perhaps a semi-cool bath would feel good to him...i guess we were wrong. sorry for the sideways video. i don't know how to rotate it...

4th of July with the Gelbrichs

Ian, Oren, Lucy and I packed up the car and got out of town (and away from the noisy fireworks, for Lucy's sake). We drove out to Yamhill to visit Ian's parents for the weekend. It's always so nice to spend time with them, and their home is in such a peaceful setting. Lucy loves playing with Reggie, and Josie tries to boss them both around. Stormy actually made a brief appearance on Friday night, and even let Ian hold him for a little bit. All in all it was a relaxing weekend of yummy meals, a friendly game of scrabble, and even a little campsite scouting for a future camping trip.

Playdate!

Last week Amy and Annik invited us over for a playdate, along with Tica and Dylan. It was super fun to watch the kiddos together, and just spend a little quality time with the ladies as well. Here are a couple photos of the three cuties. Thanks for the pics Tica!

Breakfast!

Oren has been much more stable sitting in his chair the past few days.

little late

I meant to post this photo awhile ago. Ian had a Friday off work and we decided to act like tourists. We walked around the waterfront, enjoying the sunshine and our fantastic city. It was Rose Festival week, as you can see in the background.

Happy Father's Day

We would like to send father's day greetings to our dads and grandpas that we can't be with today. We love you and miss you!!!

Oren's Nannie and Papa stopped by for a brief visit today, so I snapped a couple photos.

handsome boys...

so happy playing with Nannie!

Stats

We had our appt. with Dr. Chrissie today and the official stats are in:

6 months + 1 day

19lbs - 2 oz weight

27" long

So while these numbers are good, Oren has dropped from the 90th percentile to the 75th in both categories (he only grew 1/2" in length - unless her measuring was off last time). So I'm not sure what to think of that...our doctor wasn't at all worried, so I suppose I shouldn't be either. Perhaps I should be happy he's closer to the average now. But we have the green light for supplementing with more solid food, a half-cup per day, and more if he wants it. He has yet to tell me he is full, so we'll see if we hit his limit.

Also, here is a little video I took just before he fell asleep tonight. He is such a happy boy...how did ian and i get so lucky?!!

6 months old!

Oren turned 6 months old today. I cannot believe it! I thought I'd post a few photos as he's grown so much in such a short time. He is practicing sitting up and has rolled over once. and of course I missed it as I had turned around to get Lucy a treat. I heard a small thump and spun around and Oren was on his back! shoot! so now we are waiting for it to happen again.

at the hospital - 12.16.09

home from the hospital (you can see the blue tape on our wall from the contractors being there the day we went to the hospital!) nothing like a little pressure to get a project "completed".

super cute christmas pjs from nici!

4 months old and what a belly!

and finally our happy boy hanging out with a big grin. nothing makes my day more than this smile.

Luckily I'm finally recovering from a nasty cold. I still have a cough and some congestion, but overall it seems to have moved on. and thankfully Ian didn't seem to get to much of it, so he could play with Oren and let me rest a bit.

Oren has been practicing sitting, and this photo proves it! We like to say "he doesn't care for bending in the middle, his belly gets in the way"...but he's getting better at it. :-)

We also had a great visit from Aunt Sam and a few of her friends. Unfortunately I wasn't feeling great, and it didn't occur to me to take any photos. bummer... but it was certainly nice to hang out for a bit with them.

Oren is getting to be more fun every day! He is smiling and laughing most of the time, and we are enjoying every moment. Ian is taking some vacation time this week, so we have a little 4-day weekend ahead of us. Even more reason to celebrate!