September camping

Ahhh...September camping in the Pacific Northwest. Hot days and cool nights mean morning hikes, afternoon swims, and evening s'mores around the campfire.

We went to a place called Owhi on Cooper Lake, near Cle Ellum, Washington, with Erin, Eric, Ruby, and babyLuca. There's nothing like drinking your first cup of coffee while watching fog rise from the lake.

I took my wetsuit this year and treated myself to a little open-water swimming each afternoon. The water was refreshing after an initial full-body ice cream headache. Other highlights: quiet moments in the little yellow kayak, skinny dipping during afternoon nap, bourbon after the kids were down...

Some pix below. And you can view a slideshow on our Picasa channel.

Potty-trained!

The week after Grandma's visit, Tristen finally pooped in the potty -- the last hurdle before declaring victory, donning real underwear, and getting the coveted Elmo doll.

And it happened amidst mayhem. Gep had stopped over with Elana and Liam, and the three of them were tearing about the house when Tristen made a pit stop.

He was beside himself with glee, and I have to admit, Chris and I slapped a few high-fives ourselves.

At the dinner table that night, he talked about poop a lot -- often his favorite topic -- but also about how he felt. He said he felt "good inside my body." And when I told him he was officially a big boy, he said, "Thank you. I know it's true."

I also overheard him telling Elana, "Yeah, and I'm really proud of my mommy. She poops in the potty all the time!" :)

We've had Tristen in underwear ever since. Took the potty camping to avoid having to show him the scary outhouse.

Grandma!

Thank goodness for grandmas. Mom came for a week this summer -- was joined by Roger, went on a cruise, and came back to share a weekend -- and it was such a gift. She lavished love and attention on our house guests, Bug and then Gus, and on Tristen, of course -- and Chris and me, too. She helped remind Tristen to visit the potty regularly and made a big deal over buying him underwear, which has provoked news I'll post under separate cover. :) Her presence made it possible for Chris and I to squabble to the point of crescendo -- and then turn things around . Mom and I made an Ikea trip. We went to the spa. Fremont Market, dinners with friends, an evening with Abigail, fresh ice cream from the Farmer's Market...all good stuff. We hated to send Grandma back home to Bo!

Gus!

We had the complete pleasure of watching Aunt Cat's fabulous little, mild-mannered Gus for a week recently.

In the evenings, when we'd walk Gus, Tristen expected the neighbors to welcome Gus to the 'hood with great enthusiasm. He would announce to anyone within earshot -- even passersby on the other side of the street -- "This is Gus! He's a doggie. A NICE doggie!" And if they didn't respond? "HEYYY!!! This is Gus!" Too fun.

Second sowing

We planted a second round of garden mid-July: lettuce, spinach, parsley, carrots, onions, and -- my favorite -- sugar snap peas. We also just harvested our first cucumbers and delicata squash. And stop by if you're in the 'hood -- fresh, vine-ripened-tomato sandwiches (a staple of our diet, thanks to Becca's starts and Eric and Fred's reminding us of how good they are).

Twin Falls Hike

The book said the trail to Twin Falls was toddler friendly. It was! Tristen made it almost the whole way (2.5 miles round trip) without whining or being carried, but it took us a very long time. We gave him his first trail name on this trip: chomper. He'll use that until he picks his own. Nice day, if a little rainy.

Go, Eric!

Go Eric, go Eric, go go, go Eric. And go Fred, too! It isn't easy to finish a master's program. Can be just as hard to support someone through it.

But they're out the other side. We celebrated with a Friday night "Congratulations, Eric and Fred, and happy birthday, Amy!" dinner, with a Coleman Pool swim, and with a night in Tangle Town.

Not sure how Tristen got convinced the Eiffel Tower lives in Portland with Uncle Eric and Uncle Fred, but all he can talk about now is taking the train to see them all.