New Year - New Life

We had no idea that 2011 would bring so many amazing changes for our little family. Our love for nature and yearning for a more simple life led us to Central Oregon. We made arrangements with our employers in the middle of February, the house went on the market in March and sold in the first week, by the end of April we were in our new home in Powell Butte, OR. Now that we have been here for just over 2 months we have completely settled into country life. Harrison and Miles are enjoying the room to run, wild life, and boundless opportunities for exploration. Mark and I are enjoying the sunshine, privacy, our beautiful home, being close to family, and the amazing landscape surrounding us. We have had the opportunity to do a lot more fishing, hiking, gardening, and being outside in the sunshine since we moved. We are truly blessed.

Here are a few of our favorite pictures since the move:

New Year's Eve urban bonfire

The boys - Christmas morning

Letting the good times roll

It has been a while since we last updated our blog. Since our last update we have had a lot of adventures...Harrison turned 4 years old, we took an amazing week long camping trip to Central Oregon, marched in the Monster March on Halloween, spent Thanksgiving with the Edwards', rode the Polar Express Train in Hood River with the Hickmans', saw zoo lights and drove the van so we could tail-gate with hot chocolate and Christmas cookies, and spent a magical Christmas with the James'. It truly is astonishing how fast time flies by. Many times over this past year I have wished a pause button for life existed. Being very conscious of the fact that time was escaping us we made a conscious decision to slow down and enjoy one another. Cheers to a happy and healthy 2011!

Here are the pictures from our October camping adventure: We camped at the Crooked River in Prineville, OR, The Fish House Inn in Dayville, OR, and Cold Springs Campground in Sisters, OR.

September - where did you go?

In September we welcomed the newest addition to our family. The camper van! Since the end of August we have had a blast breaking this thing in on weekend day trips and quick camping trips. Harrison also had his first day of school and is enjoying meeting new friends.

Camping with Momma

Harrison and I set out on our first camping trip without Mark. Luckily Harrison jumped right in to lend a hand popping up with trailer. He LOVES camping and is even brought to tears when it is time to pop it down. We stayed at Cold Springs campground just outside of Sisters, OR. It was a beautiful campground and quiet. Harrison especially loved the small creek running through our campsite. He sat in his lawn chair and pretended to fish for over an hour! We visited the Wizard Falls fish hatchery and Harrison loved feeding the fish - especially the sturgeon and rainbow trout. We saw a trout jump about 2 feet out of the water! It was wild. We also saw two bald eagles. The host at the falls told us that an eagle family including a Mom, Dad, and a baby live at the fish hatchery - smart birds! We also saw a coyote on the way up to the falls. You can spot him in one of the pictures posted. Harrison also had a great time playing with Grandma & Grandpa. We spent a fun afternoon painting with Grandma - sorry I didn't get a picture of that. He also went on a hike with Grandpa. What a great adventure!

Look who caught his first fish... and he is hooked!