The LP Reader

Hawaii Vacation

2008-02-17T20:31:00.002-07:00

We had a blast in Hawaii last week. Stayed at a resort on the Big Island, it was a conference/family vacation. The boys loved the beach (so did I) and the weather was perfect. The morning walks along the ocean were the best.

Pumpkins photo

2007-10-08T11:46:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin Patch #2

2007-10-08T11:36:00.000-07:00

We visited Lee Farms in Tualatin on Saturday. While there we saw another couple that lives in our neighborhood and their two boys. Adam took his first pony ride which he enjoyed. He did it again later and the pony had an itch and almost knocked Adam over trying to get at it. Needless to say it scared Adam quite a bit. We asked him if he'd like to ride on a different pony and he said "yes". He was still a little upset at first, but he stayed on the pony and felt better toward the end of the ride. I was glad he did it because I was worried that he'd have a fear of horses after that.

Pumpkin Patch #1

2007-10-02T21:28:00.000-07:00

We checked out the one that drops the large pumpkin on the car. It was a weekday so there were no "activities" and the place was empty except for us and some folks at the farm store. It was very chilly, too. No trees to block the wind! But, we had a fun time and picked out a few little pumpkins for the boys + stopped at the farm store to buy some apples and salad fixin's (they still had lettuce and tomatoes, yay!)

Adam's 4th Birthday

2007-10-01T21:26:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos from Adam's 4th birthday party. He requested a whale cake so that is what I made. I thought it turned out well.

Tomorrow the boys and I are headed out to an orchard south of hear for apple picking. Since last Friday or so the weather has turned cold and rainy so we'll bring our jackets and umbrellas. Also, the local mom's club sent out a list of seven pumpkin patches in the area! I actually have to decide which ones to visit. Two have a train, one has a sternwheeler paddle boat (whatever that is), another has pony rides, and at one they drop a ginormous pumpkin on a car. here's the link: http://www.firpointfarms.com/ - watch the video!

Beach photos

2007-09-23T21:01:00.000-07:00

Here are some recent beach photos from last week. We visited Ft. Stevens and Cannon Beach. Both were great, though Cannon beach was especially gorgeous. We'd never been before and found a parking space on a side street around 4:45, parked the car, looked back and both boys were sound asleep. Patrick and I looked at each other trying to decide what to do and then realized we were parked right in front of a pizza/italian restaurant with outdoor seating. So, we ordered two entrees and a glass of vino and sat 6 feet away from our car and had a great dinner in peace.

The photos I've added include: Whiski (she got to come on the trip, too!) hanging out at a small cabin we stayed at, Adam next to a hundred year old shipwreck at Ft. Stevens, the observation deck at the mouth of the Columbia River (with some good information about jetties and how they work), and the boys on Cannon Beach.

2007-09-02T20:39:00.000-07:00

Here's Wesley frolicking on the beach in Seaside and some other beach north of there. We visited on an unusually cloudy day for the summer, though we didn't mind (being from Phoenix, you know.) As long as it wasn't raining we were happy. We're heading back to the coast later this month so stay tuned for more beach photos.

Berry picking at Sauvie Island

2007-09-02T20:35:00.000-07:00

photos

2007-09-02T20:32:00.001-07:00

Here's my dad and Adam blowing bubbles on the back deck!

Recent photos, more to come

2007-09-02T20:26:00.001-07:00

Here are some photos from July. Still haven't downloaded the ones from August and the new ones from September. Keep an eye out for those soon.

September

2007-09-01T20:33:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I updated my blog so I figured I'd better get something up now that it's September.

We've had quite a bit of family visit in the last two weeks. My mother, Patrick's mother, Patrick's brother John and his granddaughter Alyssa all stayed with us, though not all at the same time. Alyssa (who is 5) and Adam got along great. They were best buddies the whole time they were together. I'll throw some photos up onto the blog once we download them all from the camera. Maybe if I transfer some video I may throw that on too (if I can figure out how to do it.)

More 4th of July photos of Adam at the bike parade!

2007-07-05T14:29:00.000-07:00

Photos of "Day Out With Thomas" and 4th of July

2007-07-05T14:09:00.000-07:00

Camping

2007-06-24T13:28:00.000-07:00

We went on our first camping trip with the boys this weekend and it turned out great! It was really cold in the morning (36 degrees, brrrrrrrr!) so other than having really cold hands everything went well.

Afterwards we drove up to Timberline Lodge at Mt. Hood and took lots of great pictures.

Tulips!!!!

2007-04-07T21:56:00.000-07:00

We went to the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm festival today and had lots of good photo oportunities. It was a little windy which made it a bit on the cool side, but we all had a great time.

More photos

2007-03-19T16:00:00.000-07:00

Was a beautiful weekend here so we spent a lot of time outside. These photos were taken at Millenium Park in Lake Oswego.

More Portland Updates

2007-02-25T23:56:00.000-07:00

Another weekend done with. Watched most of the Academy Awards and made a promise that I WILL start seeing more movies. There is a movie theater in town that HAS BABYSITTING AND SELLS PIZZA AND MICROBREWED BEER! It would probably be a good idea to check out a flik there, don't you think??

Today we checked out Multnomah Village which is a little retail and dining area (locally-owned) in the middle of the Portland 'burbs. There are lots of these little shopping streets all over Portland, but this is the closest one to us. Well, the second closest, but the closest one that we like. We ate at our first Mexican restaurant there and it was actually better than we expected. The salsa did leave a bit to be desired but the green chile was very good and I had a veggie burrito which was tasty. We also ate at a cool, family-friendly restaurant on the East side which had many vegetarian and vegan options. The photo is of Wesley in the playroom of this restaurant. This town is so family friendly I am just loving it!

So, we had lots of rain this weekend and just watched the weather and no dry days in the 7-day outlook. So far it hasn't bothered me, but it definitely gets to Patrick.

In store for us this week: grocery shopping and a trip to Costco. Signed the boys up for Gymboree last week which seems like it was a good idea especially after watching the weather report!

Moving In

2007-02-10T22:47:00.000-07:00

It would take all day to write about all the "adventures" we've had during this move. Instead I'll just say we are here and we love it! Don't miss Phoenix at all, but I really miss the good friends and loved ones that are still there :( sigh....

Here are some photos from the last few days. We did see Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens again while driving around which is still exciting.

Saying goodbye

2007-01-27T20:49:00.000-07:00

Had to say goodbye to my nieces today which was very, very sad. I don't know when the next time we'll see them again will be, hopefully sometime this year. We did have a really fun day at Indian School Park running up the "mountains." Kortney named one of them "Snowy Mountain" :)

2007-01-16T21:24:00.000-07:00

View of Portland from Council Crest. Mt. St. Helens is on the left.

2007-01-16T21:23:00.000-07:00

On the Encanto Train with cousins, Grandma Jo, and Grandma Jaress. It was a chilly morning in Phoenix!

Moving Update

2007-01-16T21:13:00.000-07:00

I wanted to post some photos of the new paint job on the exterior of the house but the digital camera ran out of juice and the charger has been packed away in one of our many boxes currently residing in the pool house. So, instead I'll add one that we took last weekend when we were in Portland looking for a place to live. We were there on a rare sunny, but very cold day so we drove up to Council Crest and were able to see Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens! The photo actually shows St. Helens. Anyway, we ended up choosing to rent a house for six months while we wait for our house here in Phoenix to sell. We had a fun, but busy, trip there. The first night we actually got out for a night on the town. Had tapas and outstanding drinks at a Peruvian restaurant in the Pearl district. Also, I've never seen so many Thai restaurants. Our last hour in Portland before we had to drive to the airport I gave in and we had some yummy soup and curry at a local Thai eatery.

Our official move-in date will be February 7th! Wish us luck on the move!!!

2007-01-02T13:03:00.000-07:00

Wesley and Grandma.

2006-12-23T13:19:00.000-07:00

Had an awesome morning at the Phoenix zoo with Alyson. We arrived around 10 and there was lots of fog and no people! We took our time around the Children's zoo and discovered some really cool animal sculptures.

2006-12-23T13:16:00.000-07:00

Adam rediscovered the toy cell phone recently and now he loves talking on it.

2006-12-23T13:15:00.000-07:00

I like to flush!! Wesley looking cute in his orange vest.

2006-12-23T13:13:00.000-07:00

Wesley is too interested in cousins Summer and Jessalyn to pose for this photo.

2006-12-23T13:10:00.000-07:00

Adam really enjoyed trimming the tree this year.

2006-11-25T19:57:00.000-07:00

Patrick showing Wesley's new firetruck/book to Kortney and Adam.

2006-11-25T19:55:00.000-07:00

Wesley inspecting his 1st birthday balloon.

2006-11-25T19:54:00.000-07:00

Hope you all had a joyful Thanksgiving. It has been a very eventful week in the Rowe household. We started the week with Wesley throwing up on Tues/Wed. He started feeling better just in time for turkey day, but he was only able to eat bland foods like cheerios and applesauce. We made thanksgiving dinner at our house this year. I made the turkey, stuffing, gravy, green bean casserole, and rolls. My mom brought mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie. It was all delicious. Patrick started a new tradition of making cheese balls. One was cheddar, green olives, and green onions then rolled in walnuts. The other was southwestern with pepper jack cheese, jalapenos, and cilantro. Both were also very delicious.

On Friday morning and early afternoon I went into the office, then around 3:30 we went to a city of Phoenix holiday festival where Adam and Wesley got to sit on Santa's lap. Unfortunatly, we forgot our camera, though the city provided one free polaroid of the moment thank goodness. Then Adam got to see one of his favorite cartoon characters perform. Caillou. It was our first experience at a kids concert. All I can say is what a crazy way to make a living!

Today is Wesley's first birthday so Kortney and Camilla came over and them and Adam picked (and ate) tons of tangerines from our tree. Later we opened birthday presents and ate pizza. But, before Adam could eat any pizza he started throwing up. So, after cleaning up a huge tangerine puke mess, Adam could only eat crackers which he then threw up all over the lawn. Now he had to watch us all eat cake, though he was pretty beat so once the girls left he hung out in his room and fell asleep by 6:30. Wesley went down at 6:300, too so we have an extra hour of freedom tonight.

Now that it's Christmas season the days only get busier! We wrote out our Christmas card list and it's long. I did start my Christmas gift list and it's not too crazy.

So, this may be the last written posting for a while depending on how busy things get. I'll definitely keep photos up since those are quick!

Almost one!

2006-11-22T12:56:00.000-07:00

On Saturday Wesley will be one year old! Today, though, he's a little sick. He threw up last night so I'm feeding him pedialyte (baby gatorade!)

I don't have any really new photos so I'm throwing on couple of Wesley we took early this month .

2006-11-12T14:02:00.000-07:00

cookies & hot chocolate on the Polar Express, Yum!!!!

2006-11-12T13:59:00.000-07:00

Flagstaff

2006-10-30T20:08:00.000-07:00

Here's Adam with a scary mask. This isn't his costume, though. He's going as Thomas the Tank Engine.

2006-10-30T20:07:00.000-07:00

Here are the pumpins we carved this weekend. I took one photo with the flash on and one with it off. This one was far more dramatic and in the spirit of the holiday.

Halloween is almost here!

2006-10-30T19:53:00.000-07:00

Hi all! I'm inspired to post because I notice everyone's putting up Halloween photos and telling great stories of pumpkin carving and costume parties. We carved four pumpkins yesterday, with the help of Grandma, and they turned out great. Adam still wouldn't put his hand in the pumpkin but he would scrape out "the guts" with the big spoon.

The other news is Patrick and I finally bought iPods. I can see why they are so popular, they so easy to use and fun. Now we are very hip. This Saturday we are going clothes shopping (w/out the kids, yay) so we can find some fashionable outfits to go with our iPod.

2006-10-15T20:35:00.000-07:00

Chilly morning in the pumpkin patch. Just how it should be.

2006-10-15T20:32:00.000-07:00

The obligatory photo of the child in front of pumpkins.

2006-09-24T19:43:00.000-07:00

Usha and Wesley

2006-09-24T19:42:00.000-07:00

Tim and Bai's wedding

2006-09-24T19:41:00.001-07:00

Playing with birthday gifts

2006-09-24T19:41:00.000-07:00

Birthday at the gym

2006-09-24T19:40:00.000-07:00

Hey there!

2006-09-24T19:39:00.000-07:00

Birthday cake II

2006-09-24T19:38:00.001-07:00

Birthday cake I

2006-09-24T19:38:00.000-07:00

Beautiful waterfall

2006-09-24T19:37:00.000-07:00

Multnoma Falls

2006-09-07T15:12:00.000-07:00

Wesley standing

2006-08-30T19:51:00.000-07:00

Munchin' on chicken nuggets in the Mountains.

2006-08-30T19:49:00.000-07:00

Deer chewing on Patrick's flannel shirt.

2006-08-10T20:55:00.000-07:00

The boys with their cousins.

2006-07-31T21:53:00.000-07:00

Cake 3, from the side. So far the prettiest cake I've made. Still working on keeping the crumbs out of the frosting, though.

2006-07-31T21:52:00.000-07:00

Cake 3, from top.

2006-07-31T21:51:00.000-07:00

Cake 2: Cute. A good second try.

2006-07-31T21:49:00.000-07:00

Cake 1 unfinished, but delicious!

2006-07-06T14:30:00.000-07:00

Attack of the Hugging Jenny

2006-07-06T14:29:00.000-07:00

More fun in Milwaukee

2006-07-06T14:28:00.000-07:00

Outdoors with Wesley

2006-06-27T15:20:00.000-07:00

Adam and Wesley

June

2006-06-02T18:14:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's June. May flew by and now it's 109 degrees outside. We had a fabulous trip to San Diego. The weather was great, our accommodations were outstanding, and Adam had a blast. Highlights for him included the beach, the Birch Aquarium, and skateboarders on the boardwalk.

Now we're back and Wesley has an ear infection. When I took him in for his 6mo appt the doctor asked "how is he sleeping." "Terrible" I said. Then he gave me the news on the ear infection. I felt bad, but I had no idea. Poor guy.

Anyway, I'm exhausted. I have dishes to wash and laundry to fold. Two children to bathe, and then take a shower myself. Patrick's home, though, so I have some help.

Oh, I downloaded Taylor's and Elliott's songs from the American Idol record on Itunes. Both are awesome!!!

2006-05-30T08:02:00.000-07:00

Adam on the beach

2006-05-30T08:01:00.000-07:00

Adam anb Dani playing ball at the park

2006-05-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

Pacific Beach

2006-05-30T07:59:00.000-07:00

Wesley meets Summer and Jessalyn

2006-05-19T23:07:00.000-07:00

Hi! My name is Wesley.

2006-05-14T19:36:00.000-07:00

Say's Phoebe nest w/baby birds.

2006-05-14T19:34:00.000-07:00

Porchin' it at the cabin.

Sycamore Canyon Cabin

2006-05-13T20:51:00.000-07:00

This weekend we stayed at a Forest Service cabin near Dugas (a VERY small town about 8 miles E of I-17) and right along Sycamore Creek. The accommodations were better than I expected and we had electricity and running water. We hung out on the front porch until we noticed the Say's Phoebe nest right above our heads, so we moved out under a shady tree so the mother bird could feed her babies. I did some birding and saw some sort of red Tanager, a Black Phoebe, and a gorgeous Hooded Oriole. Our friends Jeff and Andi and their daughter Katie stayed with us and cooked us up a great meal.

Brokeback Mountain - WOW!!!

2006-05-02T09:01:00.000-07:00

Finally saw Brokeback Mountain. It is truly one of the most incredible movies I've ever seen. Ang Lee is a MASTER filmmaker. There is wonderful scene after wonderful scene in this movie. I was so moved after watching this film. It is so much more than just "the gay cowboy" movie. The actors were all excellent. Heath Ledger's and Jake Gyllenhaal's performances just broke my heart. Absolutely amazing performances. See this movie!

Adam wants to play on the computer now....

My Boys!

2006-04-25T21:05:00.000-07:00

Thirty one months ago today I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy named Adam. Five months ago today I gave birth to another beautiful baby boy named Wesley. They give me much joy every day. They are my shining stars and I'm so grateful to have them in my life.

Happy 5 and 31 months guys!!!

2006-04-25T21:02:00.000-07:00

Adam in his favorite green towel.

Eight pounds to go...

2006-04-25T20:51:00.000-07:00

I have eight pounds to go until I'm at my pre-pregnancy weight. Very cool! The doctor said it usually takes a whole year to lose it all. I'm pushing for it to be gone before swimsuit season. I've been hitting the gym twice a week and I'm going to try to add on a third as often as I can. I'm finally getting the hang of the step class and it's a fantastic workout and fun. The other day one of the instructors had a George Michael medley, awesome!! Will keep the blog up to date on my progress.

Today I put together Adam's Thomas the Tank Engine set and he loved it. I was going to wait until summer when it's too hot to play outside, but he saw it in the closet. It even made the "peep peep" little noise that the train makes on the TV show.

Patrick just bought me a sudoku puzzle book from Target. How sweet!

Well, we taped American Idol and now we're going to watch it. I hope Elliot does not get bumped off this week. It would be a shame if he left and Kellie stayed!!! I can't stand her!

TTFN

2006-04-16T20:54:00.000-07:00

Wesley and his Papa

2006-04-16T20:53:00.000-07:00

Coloring Easter Eggs

Family update

2006-04-16T20:34:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been a long time since I've put up a new post that is not a photo! It's been pretty busy around here. Both boys go to bed around 7:30 - 8pm so we only have a couple hours a day to get things done or relax. Usually I sit my butt in front of the TV and veg out, or do a crossword or sudoku puzzle.

The last few weeks we've all been sick (except Patrick, of course.) Adam had the worst of it: a cold and then a stomach virus with puking and pooping. Bummer! I had the puke bug. Wesley just had a cold. Now we're all healthy, let's hope we can stay that way for a while.

Today (Easter) was very enjoyable. Adam loved searching for Easter eggs and was thrilled at the candy he found in each egg. Also, he got TWO Easter baskets, one from us and one from Grandma. For dinner we had steak and a HUGE King Crab leg. Soooooooooooo delicious!

That's all that I have the energy to write tonight. I still have to take a shower and wash bottles. I've already fixed lunches for myself, Patrick, and Adam since we're all back to work and daycare tomorrow.

Ciao!

2006-04-02T17:25:00.000-07:00

Another yellow chair!

2006-04-02T17:23:00.000-07:00

Wesley on our new yellow chair

2006-03-20T10:39:00.000-07:00

First family photo with both boys.

2006-03-20T10:38:00.000-07:00

Bob the Builder!!

2006-03-19T22:20:00.000-07:00

Wesley in Grandpa's Baptismal Gown

2006-03-14T21:18:00.000-07:00

Bunny ears :)

Oscars

2006-03-06T09:12:00.000-07:00

Watched the Oscars last night. No big suprises other than "Crash" as Best Picture. I was happy that Clooney and Witherspoon won. Was disappointed that Terrance Howard didn't win Best Actor, though I haven't seen the other performances. I highly, highly recommend the movie "Hustle and Flow", it's my favorite movie of last year. Enjoyed it more than Crash and Walk the Line. Will probably see "Brokeback Mountain" this week and the other Best Picture nominees as they come out on video.

My coffee is ready. Time to start my day :)

2006-02-27T08:12:00.000-07:00

Huge bubble fun

2006-02-27T08:10:00.000-07:00

Bubbles of joy!

Busy Weekend

2006-02-20T14:25:00.000-07:00

The whole family drove out to the Renaissance Fair this weekend. Adam only had one meltdown when he didn't want to leave the ball throwing area. But, he recovered and was very impressed with the horses in the jousting tournament. No photos unfortunately because I forgot to charge up the camera!

Today is Presidents day and I have both boys at home, so I'm going to keep this posting short.

2006-02-16T21:39:00.000-07:00

Adam and his cousins

A good night's sleep!

2006-02-16T21:19:00.000-07:00

Last night Wesley made it from 10:30pm to 5:30am without a feeding! He did wake up at 2:30, but all I did was snug up his swaddling blanket and let him cry it out and that lasted for about 20 minutes. Then, all of a sudden he was silent. I checked on him and he was fast asleep. I thought he would only sleep for about an hour, but he kept going until 5;30. That was definitely progress. Hooray!

Now I'm watching the men's figure skating finals. I love Olympic figure skating. It combines great athletic ability with an artistic component. Very enjoyable to watch. I'm tired but will stay up until the end. Right now is Snowboard Cross which is also exciting.

The Blog is Back!!

2006-02-13T17:23:00.000-07:00

Hello there! Just wanted to let everyone know that I'm going to make it a point to regularly update my blog again. I've been very neglectful of it, but I have a very good excuse: I had a baby! Wesley Gerard Rowe was born at 12:38pm on Nov 25, 2005, 8 lbs 2 oz. Very easy delivery, thank goodness. The past 11 weeks have been great, but quite tough adjusting to caring for two children who both want your attention RIGHT NOW!!!!

This week I'm going to start working from home so I won't have enough time to write detailed e-mails to everyone about what is going on with us. That's what the blog is for, anyway. But to all friends and family, please keep in touch and let me know what is going on with you, too!

I've posted two new photos of the boys for now.

Cheers!

P.S. Everyone should check out the link for "The Colbert Report" which is now my second favorite show on TV! There are lots of great things to watch, but definitely catch the video called "Truthiness Continued" which is on the second page of the "video" link. I was laughing so hard I was crying!! It discusses the whole James Frey/Oprah deal. Funny!!!!!!

2006-02-13T17:20:00.000-07:00

Adorable!!

2006-02-13T17:17:00.000-07:00

Ready for the Pool

38 Weeks

2005-11-18T13:13:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I posted on the blog. I've just been sending out e-mails letting everyone know that there's still no news. This morning I was feeling some mild crampiness, but it went away. Will try to keep the blog updated more frequently.

2005-11-09T19:45:00.000-07:00

Adam wouldn't smile for this photo.

2005-11-09T19:44:00.000-07:00

Adam on the train at Desert Breeze Park in Chandler.

Still no baby

2005-11-09T12:21:00.000-07:00

Made it through the week and stll no baby. Had a drs appt this morning and I'm 3-4 cm dilated and 90% effaced. We'll see if I can make it to the weekend.

I've been very busy (now with my new freedom) so I haven't been posting as much, but will try to keep up. Going to take a nap now.

No baby yet

2005-11-03T07:58:00.000-07:00

I made it 24 hours without going into labor. Yesterday I picked Adam up at daycare and made us some salmon and broccolli w/teriyaki sauce for dinner. This morning I woke up, fixed breakfast for the family, got Adam ready for daycare, took him in and talked to the ladies who work there in the morning. Miss Kathy mentioned how good Adam has done considering the circumstances. She also said how glad she was to see that we never sent him with Lunchables for lunch!

Now, I have the WHOLE day in front of me. I'm not going to stray too far from home just in case. First I'll take a trip over to Target, then maybe Fry's to buy some fruit and Coca-Cola and maybe some onion dip.

I hope I get a couple more days, I could get used to this!

November Links

2005-11-01T09:18:00.000-07:00

It's now November and I've added a new link to my list. The Colbert Report on Comedy Central is HILARIOUS!!! You must check it out. My favorite video is called "Against the Pundocracy", but they are all good.

Today's my last day of bedrest and I need to pack a bag for the hospital just in case!

2005-10-31T20:54:00.000-07:00

Mmmmmm.....

2005-10-31T20:52:00.000-07:00

Super Boy!!!

Halloween

2005-10-31T20:45:00.000-07:00

Adam went to two houses to trick-or-treat, though was too shy to actually say "trick-or-treat." :) Once at home he discovered what was inside those colorful small wrappers in the two large bowls by the door! Luckily, he did eat some dinner after eating a tootsie pop and some chocolate.

Tomorrow is my last day on bedrest. I'd better make it a good one!