Oregon Symphony - Waterfront

It is becoming a new family tradition, enjoying the Oregon Symphony at the Portland Waterfront.  This year was just a lovely as all of the rest.  We listened to beautiful music, we enjoyed lovely weather, we chatted with good friends, and to top it off, Lucia was a complete gem until 10pm!  Looking forward to next year :)

Cape Lookout Camping

So the fam and I packed up the truck and headed out west for some coastal camping.  Hopes were high.  The first day was so wonderful, the weather was perfect, we played on the beach, we grilled, sat by the fire. All the lovely sides to camping.  And then it was time for Lucia to go to bed.  What. A. Nightmare.  We had a parent fail because we did not bring her a crib, only expected to her to sleep in a foreign tent, without her crib, on an air mattress that was completely new to her.  What on earth was I thinking?  She was crying off and on the entire night, literally.  She wouldn't let me put her down to sleep, so she had to sleep on top of me. And when she wanted to stretch out, she would cry.  Ugh.  We got about zero sleep that night.  We woke up the next morning and decided to pretend we weren't completely exhausted, and went for a three hour hike that she ended up doing so great on and that Rafa and I managed to keep up with.  I was shocked for all of us.  But then, as if we just moved to Oregon last week, we weren't prepared for the torrential downfall of rain that hit us later that afternoon.  It was so bad that rain was coming into to the tent.  As much as I wanted to try to stick it out, there was no way we were going to sleep wet with a one year old that was completely miserable at night.  So we packed up, in the rain, and headed home.  We certainly had some good moments, but it was not one of our best trips.  I sometimes forget three things.  1.  Lucia is still a baby and needs to be treated as such.  2.  I am a parent, I am human, and I will make bad choices.  3. There are lovely moments in life, even if they don't pan out as best as you had hoped.  So here are the photos, of the lovely moments :)

Personal fave, she is walking like a dinosaur :)

Boating and The Beach!

We decided to meet the Deziels out on the Columbia yesterday afternoon. It was perfect weather and a relaxing afternoon. Lucia is still getting comfortable with sand and waves, but she is getting more used to it. We are thinking about camping in this spot over Labor Day. That might give her just enough time to really start having fun!

Not a Fan of the Sand!

So let's face it.  The Oregon coast is far from us, its cold, and its nothing like growing up in San Diego where it was warm and always within reach.  So Lucia is not quite used to sand and waves.  Yesterday, I took her to the Oregon Coast since it was exceptionally warm in Portland.  Needless to say, she wasn't a fan.  She would barely stand in the sand, with shoes, and when a little crumble got on her hands, she instructed me to wipe her clean. And the waves?  She refused to look at them, for she was scared. By the end of the day, in the last two shots, she was feeling a bit more comfy.  I am confident though, if she just had more exposure and time, she would learn to love it.  How could she not?   After all she is Carioca!!

 

Best Friends

16 Months Photos

Rafa's company had a picnic in the park on Saturday, so I decided to dress Lucia up and take her 16 month photos.  She is the most beautiful thing we have ever seen....

Extended Fence

So we have been in our "new" home for almost 4 years, and there has been much to accomplish on the outside.  One thing we have been wanting to do for awhile is extend the fence from the beginning of our driveway.  For some reason, the builder of the house decided to only build a fence in the middle of the driveway.  Once we realized the cost of putting up a fence, we now know why he cut the cost!  So it's a minor improvement, but helps the overall look.