Mountain Getaway

My Mom decided that it had been way toooo long since she had seen her granddaughter so she flew over to Boise last weekend. Since it was going to be really hot in Boise we decided to escape the heat and visit Aunt Anna in Sun Valley. We didn't get there until really late on Friday night (after the worst drive of my life - Isla cried for about 45 minutes straight and nothing -NOTHING- could console her. She had both my Mom and I in tears). Thank goodness everyone was happy when we woke up the next morning! We had a great time hiking, eating out, and shopping. The weather was gorgeous - I forget how much I love it up there in the summer time!

Our happy girl at Java on Saturday morning:

My Mom was kind enough to watch Isla both Saturday and Sunday mornings so Aunt Anna and I could go on hikes. On Saturday morning we didn't have much time so we climbed up Ruud Mountain. Ruud was where the original ski hill was in Sun Valley before they moved it over to Baldy. The hike is straight up and short.

Anna and Hank at the bottom of Rudd:

Halfway to the top:

Hank and I at the top with Mt. Baldy in the background:

On Sunday morning Anna, Connie, and I hiked up Proctor Mountain which holds a special place in my heart as it is where Ryan proposed to me and it is where my Uncle Phil's memorial is. The weather was perfect that morning and we were able to catch the last of the wildflowers.

Anna, Connie and I on the way up the Mountain:

The beautiful view from the top:

Miss Isla was so lucky to visit with both of her Grandmas and her Aunt Anna last weekend. There is no shortage of love for this little girl:

At dinner on Saturday night Isla decided that she wanted to eat a lemon wedge that came with my salad. She must have like it because she wouldn't put it down. It was too funny - people from other dinner tables were watching and laughing at her expressions. Here are a couple of photos of the event:

She also got very tired during dinner so we had to entertain her by playing peek-a-boo with the napkin:

We look forward to going back up to Sun Valley hopefully sometime soon with Ryan (he was in Bend for a boys weekend and couldn't come with us). I hear Big Head Todd is going to be there on Labor Day weekend!

Past Few Weeks

Sorry I haven't posted anything in awhile - we have had a busy last couple weeks visiting with friends and family. Last weekend Aunt Anna came down to spend some time with Isla and I while Ryan went to Montana to fish. Anna hadn't seen Isla in a month so she was very anxious to see her niece. Unfortunately, Isla had to come down with another ear infection while Anna was here, but I think they both still managed to have a good time (Isla's ear infection cleared up in a couple days with the help of some ear drops - nice to know that the tubes are working). While Anna was here we visited with our good friends the Bordners whom we haven't seen in awhile. They had Anna, Isla and I over for dinner while Ryan was out of town. It was fun to visit with them and catch up on what we all have been up to this summer. Thanks Bordners! I also want to thank Aunt Anna for coming down and helping me with Isla while Ryan was gone - you were a life saver!

Anna with her niece:

Isla and Payton playing together at the Bordner's:

This weekend Aunt Anna came down to Boise again to pick up our old couch (we finally got a new one!). On Friday night Anna and Robert watched Isla while Ryan and I went to dinner and a movie. We saw the new Harry Potter movie (we are the biggest Harry Potter nerds!) and I liked it, but Ryan is still on the fence. He made the mistake of reading the book right before seeing the movie, which will end up disappointing you as the movie is never as good as the book. It was nice to have a date night with my hubby though (thanks Anna and Robert)!

In other news, Isla is becoming more mobile by the second. It is getting to point where I will turn my back for two seconds and she has moved to the other side of the room (granted it is a small room, but I'm not used to her moving around so quickly). She rolls and scoots all around the room now and it's fun to watch her discover new things. I took a few pictures of her today rolling around the living room:

She started out by the TV playing with the hardware on the cabinets:

Then decided to roll over to her toys:

Thought about crawling:

But decided against it:
Next weekend will be just Isla and I as Ryan is headed off to Bend to hang out with his buddies.

9 Months!

I can't believe my baby is 9 months old! We had her doctor appointment last week and she weighed in at 23 lbs (still 90th percentile) and is 27.5 inches long (50th percentile). I forget the size of her head, but it was in the 90th percentile as well (she is a big baby girl!). She has changed so much in the last month and I think the tubes had a lot to do with that. She is talking a lot more, laughing a lot more, and beginning to imitate the sounds that we make. She said "uh-oh" this weekend and is threatening us with crawling. She only gets up on to her knees and hands, looks at us, and then puts her tummy back on the floor. I think Ryan and I are in denial that this crawling thing will happen soon as we have not baby proofed anything in our house.

This weekend we celebrated the 4th of July by going to a Reckless Kelly concert and then rafting down the Payette with friends (thanks Hamiltons!). Connie and Randy were so nice to come down and watch Isla while Ryan and I did these things. They had a great time with Isla and we can thank them for her saying "uh-oh" now! Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of the concert or the rafting, but I do have some updated ones of Isla:

Enjoying her pool this weekend:



Thinking about crawling:
Our sweet baby girl (her hair can almost fit into a barrette!):

Long Lake

While Isla and I were in Bellingham, Ryan, his uncle Johnny, and Hank went backpacking to Long Lake. The hike in was a bit longer than they would have liked, but the weekend was absolutely gorgeous and Ryan said he didn't see one cloud the whole weekend. Here are some pictures from his trip:

A beautiful shot of the lake:

Hank enjoying the snow pack that was still up there:

Ryan and Hank getting ready to fish:Hank and Ryan relaxing after a tough day of fishing:

The large otter that lived on the lake. The thing was huge:

Bellingham Visit

Last weekend while Ryan went backpacking with his uncle Johnny, Isla and I went to see Grandpa and GrandmaGiGi in Bellingham. GrandmaGiGi has a broken foot so it was easier for Isla and I to go and see her. We had such a great time just hanging out with the grandparents. The weather was great and Isla go to go in the pool for a second time. She still isn't that excited about it, but I am determined for her to like the water. Here are some pictures from our visit:

Isla had fun playing with her Grandparents:

Swinging with Grandpa at the park:

Watching the dogs swim at the park:

Getting ready to go swimming:

Eating some dinner:

Hanging out with Grandpa and GrandmaGiGi: