Norah's First Family Picnic

I go to school with some stellar folks and while we were all very excited for the freedom of summer, there will be a little void in our lives without each other's company for the next four months.   So to start the summer off right we had a big ol' picnic.  Tegan did a great job organizing and the turn out was impressive.  Norah was the only one in uniform, with this gene pool we figure its never too early to introduce her to the health care system.  She looks like a natural!  

Nurse Norah

Norah's first Patient ;D

One-armed Mom

Like father like daughter

Adrian dishin' up

Brian,  baby Sophie (who was born over spring break!), Darcy, Angela and Allen (mom and dad)

One of Norah's many role models, Tanya

the rain waited until we were packing up, beautiful day!

  Brian and Darcy giving Norah nursing 001

Ed an Stephanie (I think hat's her name;) McNeil and Trisha, future babysitter extraordinaire!

Sierra and Alyssachillin with some boys...(I'll get their names at the next picnic!)

Check out the show that Ed put on!

Go Pitch a Tent!

The weekend that Norah hit five months we decided that she was big enough to handle a night in the woods... or rather, Greg and I had finally decided to test our parenting skills in the great outdoors!  We camped along the Umpqua River at Whistler's Bend in southern Oregon, which is also, conveniently, home to one of the more scenic and challenging disc golf courses in the state!  Sean and Kelsey, Scott, Ben, Levi and our little family all spent the night along the river. It was a scorching hot day followed by a crisp, clear night.   Norah loved listening to Levi strum the guitar and was completely captivated by the dancing flames of our humble fire.  We were under threat of thunder storms (bear in mind that an Oregon thunderstorm is defined by audible thunder and a few rustling leaves!), but were far south enough to just enjoy the sky scape.  To be fair the day after our camping adventure there was quite a thunderstorm, even by my Midwestern standards, complete with lightening bolts and proper claps of thunder.  I was loving it!  So while we were open to getting a little wet, the coals were still smoking and ready to make coffee in the morning.  We were also joined by the Grant's Pass crew who met us for a morning of disc golf, Dan and Robyn, Jared and their baby Stella, who is just three weeks younger than Norah (although it may not look like it!)   All were in agreement that this will have to happen again, soon and often!

Trail Times

Many of my trail pictures are self taken... it has just always been that way.  Norah and I did another lovely hike on the McKenzie River Trail the other week and these are the self-taken highlights!  She is a great hiking buddy, very alert in the beginning and then she'll doze off and nap through the second half.  The Ergo is an absolute must have!  My shoulders don't even realize how hard they're workin!  Thanks Auntie Becca!

Five Months!

Norah passed the five month mark the other week and we snapped a few classic photos to commemorate!

Our Babbling Babe

Here is a little picture of how Norah's not so little voice has developed over the past few months!  She just has more and more to say, pretty sure she's the smartest baby ever.... not that I'm biased!

Enjoy!

Norah at three and a half months

Norah at five months

Just Call Me Mom

Today marks the end of my first year in nursing school.  Half way.  As of right now I am hanging up my nurse's hat for the next four months.  Norah is the only one who I will be nursing for the rest of the summer!  It has been a great year!  I go to school with some pretty awesome peeps who have helped me juggle a crazy load over the past few months.  And while I will miss seeing them every week, I am so excited to just hang out and be Mom.  

Norah is at such a fun stage!  She is babbling like a little brook, grabbing everything in sight and flapping and squawking all of the time.  We have a camera full of fun new photos including her first camping trip and other great highlights that I will be posting in the next few days.  I go in for a bone graft surgery tomorrow (you may remember I had that crazy day when the care was broken into and I fell and sprained my ankle, which, as luck would have it was actually a fracture that I didn't discover until four months later...) so I will have lots of time to sit around and blog over the next few days!   

Happy Trails

It is no question that parenting requires certain sacrifices.  Priorities have a way of naturally shifting when you become a parent; your identity becomes closely linked with your child and your role as their parent. It's easy to see how you can lose track of who you were before parenthood set in.  Those moments when I don't have to be 'mom' or 'student' Sarah are sometimes disorienting and it's somehow easier to look around and find something to clean than it is for me to put a finger on what I would really like to do... for myself.  

Now I am not discrediting the sacrifices of fatherhood here, but I think I am safe in saying that men have an easier time maintaining their prior priorities than women do... something to do with golf (be it disc or ball) and the inability to lactate.   The one thing that I miss most since having Norah is hiking.  Somewhere in the midst of learning the ins and outs of drugs and diseases, paper writing, changing diapers, and nursing (both meanings apply here) I have had a hard time finding the time... and energy to hit the trails.  

Luckily I am in love with one of the greatest motivators when it comes getting off your arse and going outside.  So this week Greg motivated me to sacrifice a couple of naps to take a good hike with Norah while he schooled his new mountain bike on the local single track trails, just like old times.  It was fun for the whole family.  While Norah may not yet be able to appreciate the beauty of a thundering waterfall, the sound of the river calms her down and peaks her curiosity and the rhythm of walking is something she has always enjoyed.  As for me, it was positively rejuvenating to get out and do something that a Sarah likes to do... for herself!

The Alpine Trail

Trail Bunnies

One of the many forest beauties in bloom.

Magical.

Greg and his baby.

Hard. Core.

The Sahalie and Koosah Falls Loop

Koosah Falls

Have rattle-will hike.

Sahalie Falls

Hands down one of the most beautiful river trails ever!

Even Bishop was nervous crossing this bridge!