Labor Day Camping

We continued our tradition of camping over Labor Day weekend, we went with my cousins again but this time in Eastern Oregon at Union Creek Campground near the old mining town, Sumpter. They are known for their holiday weekend flea markets, so we spent the day walking around to see what it was all about. It was a cute town with some great antiques in the market and best of all.. fair food. I might have had a hand-dipped corn dog and some curly fries... BUT I did share them with Blake. My favorite thing was the Sumpter Museum and Library. It was the coolest old building with the front half left rustic for the museum and the back half modern for the library and it was cool how they blended together.

In the tent, ready to take on Sumpter!

In front of an old building

Inside the museum

We were a little disappointed by the lake. We were looking forward to swimming and the campground was advertised as having a little beach and a good swimming area. Apparently because it was such a dry year, the lake was extra low because it was a reservoir for irrigation.

This picture pretty much says it all. Boat launch, buoys.. no water. 

Trying to enjoy the lake with some skipping of rocks.. and Joie tried to
swim but mostly got stuck in the mud trying to get to the water.

We walked part of the 'Shoreline Trail'.. apparently sometimes the shoreline is up this high.

That evening there was a great sunset, so we raced off to find a good spot to take pictures. My cousin Macey is a photographer and my cousin Danielle got a new DSLR recently (same one as mine actually) and is learning how to use it :)

Photog girls

Then it was time to sit and enjoy the campfire (until it rained and we moved our card game inside their trailer)! At least we got to enjoy a s'more first! ;)

In support of the first Cougar football game :)

Enjoying the fire with daddy

And later with mommy

My cousin's flaming mallow, or as Joie calls it, "smarshmallow" :)

It was a fun weekend. Emerson did great, I'm not sure she even noticed that she wasn't at home. Car camping just makes me itch to go backpacking ... there's something about loading up your car with all the comforts of home and setting up camp three trees away from some strangers that just takes the rugged outdoorsiness feel out of camping for me. I like to be more of a minimalist and to sleep in the woods where the only way in was on your two feet. Glamping or not, we had a great time with family!

Family Wedding

My older brother got married on August 17th. Ironically, they also got married at my parents' house and they had also known each other for many, many years. I can remember finding out that his new wife liked him way back when he was in high school! Here are some pictures from that weekend... it might be true that Emerson kind of stole a little of the spotlight from time to time ;).

Rehearsal and dinner:

Proud grandparents :)

Wedding Day

My mom and my brother headed up the isle

EJ during the ceremony

This is how Theresa and her dad made their entrance - in her dad's mudding Jeep!
The crowd loved it, it was very fitting for them :)

My dad saying a prayer

Vows

My parents

:)

She loves her Grandpa

Cutting the cake

Their cake was so awesome. Also very fitting. The horses look like their horses,
the dress is very close, they have a red barn (love the little hay bales) and my brother
always wears a black hat and carries a gun. It even tasted good!

Toasts (my younger brother giving his best man speech)

First dance

Father daughter dance 

At our wedding the DJ played the wrong song for our first dance,
so my brother had their DJ play our song for us and gave us the floor.
(He also played the wrong song for a few seconds - but as a joke)

EJ joined us

Group hug :)

The bride (my new sister-in-law!) was gorgeous, the ceremony wasn't too long, the food was super delicious and everyone had a great time! And best of all, my how happy they are!

Two Months

In some ways it seems like Emerson has been a part of our lives forever, and I feel like she should be older than just two months... but then I look at pictures of her only a few weeks ago and see how much she's grown and changed and I think it's going so fast.

This month has been fun. We're getting smile after smile and lots of those sweet 'coos' and 'goos' that mommy, daddy and grandparent's can't get enough of. She's just such a sweet baby. She has a few really long (an hour or so) and alert awake times a day but still sleeps a lot. She is generally pretty happy when she's awake but will fuss just a bit as she gets tired or hungry. People that are around her for the first time usually comment that she's so quiet. She does cry on occasion, although not on a daily basis. She also pouts some when she is getting worked up into a fuss and it's probably the cutest thing you've ever seen.

At her 2 month appointment she weighed 13 pounds, 1 ounce and is 23 3/4 inches long! Greater than the 90th percentile for both! She is wearing 0-3 months, 3 months and even some 3-6 month clothes and we graduated to the next snap on her diaper shortly after her one month post. It seems like any day now we'll be on the last snap of her newborn diapers.

Emerson still takes her sweet time waking up and is sleeping 5 or more hours per night. She's also started really looking at things around her and tracking sounds very well. She sure seems to know my voice and face over others and I think she saves her biggest smiles for me. She LOVES her fists, especially the right one and the jury is still out if she'll start sucking on her thumb or fingers, but so far she doesn't like it when that happens. She's also getting really good at aiming her fist at her mouth, but she does miss on occasion and hits herself in the head ;). She already has a little attitude and makes a huffy noise when she's displeased - like when she bonks herself. She grabs at things around her, but doesn't try to bring them to her mouth, however, if they're in her hand and she wants her fist, they might come along.

We call her Emerson or Pumpkin for the most part, but sometimes EJ and the variations of Pumpkin - Pumpkin Pie, Sweet P, Pumpernickel are a few - and of course the usual sweet girl, sweetheart, lovey-dove etc.

They say that the six week mark is a milestone for breastfeeding and general routine etc., and that has been true for us. It was right about then that she started seeming less breakable and more predictable. Part of it is that she was just a little more stout and much less dainty from that point on, and also we have learned her a little better. We feel pretty blessed by our sweet and happy Emerson Jane!

And now be prepared for a million pictures of her! On a photographic note.. I'm frustrated by these photos.. there's something about the lighting in our room that makes funny pictures. These need some editing, but I'd better just get this posted for now!

I can grab my dresses

and they come along when I find my fists

Although it isn't her favorite.. she's getting pretty good at being on her tummy.

And she's good at trying to eat what is below her too.

She loves to lay and kick and tell you stories

"Man I love this fist"

Chubby hands

I realized I'd better get a picture of her in her
'born at home' onesie (a gift from our midwife) before she outgrows it!