Rugged Mountain Baby

...Or something along those lines.

She didn't get bit by bugs. She didn't eat much dirt. She slept. She wasn't too wiggly or wanting to be down all the time.

We camped and it was a success!

About a month ago, I think I was maybe feeling like I was missing out on summer fun, the sun, camping, swimming and all that goes with summer. Don't get me wrong, of course I am having so much fun with the babe, but it's definitely a different type of summer than we are used to. So on a whim, I declared to Ben that I wanted to go camping. Of course he was on board right away because a.) he is always up for an outing or doing things that are outside my comfort zone because he thinks he knows what is best for me...and b.) because he loooves camping. So do I. So, why not, right?!

Loves of my life!

We found a spot about 20 minutes from our house and put the invite out to our group of friends that have babies and that we go on our vacations with. The two couples with babies responded with yes so it was planned.

Yes, we still have a dog and she even got to come! 

About every other day I was skeptical. I tried to back out a couple of times and Ben was not happy about it. I was worried about E not sleeping, eating dirt, getting bit and getting West Nile or something. You know, crazy-first-time-mom-stuff.

Two Fridays ago, we began yet another new sleeping technique. We did the normal bath, cuddle, jammies, lotions, etc. routine, I nursed her for about thirty minutes and we put her in her crib. She cried. We let her cry for five minutes, went in, soothed her, patted, sung, etc. and repeat. I can't remember all the days and nights and how they went down but after a few nights of doing this at bedtime and a couple nights of not running right into her room when she fussed in the middle of the night, she was sleeping 8-10 hour stretches. Whatintheworld? Whoisthisbaby? We had in in our minds that if we went right in, got her before she was all the way awake that she would always go back down easier. Well, turns out, as of now, if we give her some time, she may put herself back to sleep. Go ahead and think it all you moms out there...well, duh, I could have told you this! I guess we had to learn it on our own and be ready to let her cry/fuss a bit.

The reason I mention all this is because she did it while we were camping too! We didn't quite let her cry too much as to not disturb the rest of the campground--which was great because it was full of families with kids and babies--or the other babies at our campsite, but I think all the fresh air, playing, new scenery just wore her our. The second night she slept 10 hours...her her pack and play...in a tent! 

So awesome.

Anyway, we had a great time, it was nice being close to home in case we thought we needed to rush home, it was great to be able to head out after Ben got off work on Friday, and it was beautiful weather. We arrived Friday night, made dinner, put the babies down, got to sit by the fire for a bit, hiked Saturday morning, had lunch went down to the river, dinner and fire Saturday night and packed up and headed home Sunday morning.

I am so happy and thankful--I think Ben was even more so than me--that it all worked out. I am by no means a negative person, but since becoming a mom, I think I can get myself worked up about all the negative or difficult situations we could encounter on such excursions and that can lead me to just not want to do them all together.

Very glad I busted out of that and we survived Eleanor's first camping trip, survived it well and are eager to do it again!

Where Are All The Fish?

This past weekend Hub and I went fishing with my parents. They have been going on this fishing trip for about the last five years and our schedules finally worked out where we could go too. We were supposed to go last weekend but due to some bad predicted weather and poor fish reports, we decided against it. The location is on the Columbia river about three hours from our house.

Hub took Friday off so we left at the ungodly really early hour of 3 a.m. {I guess you could look at that as really late depending on who you are.} Mom and Dad picked us up and somehow, Dad managed to stay awake the whole way down as the rest of us slept on and off. We arrived at our destination and got the boat ready to head out.

We spent all day on the water and the weather wasn't to bad. It wasn't too cold, no rain and not too much wind. I guess I can't do much commenting on the weather because Mom and I stay pretty cozy in the cabin with the blanket and the snacks. Dad and Hub go out and check the poles and the bait and the water visibility and so on and so on.

We came in Friday night and went to the bar in town for dinner. There were some characters here. This is a pretty small town and "the locals" gave us a little entertainment. There was an older man with white hair and a white beard wearing a grass-green leisure suit with no socks and Birkenstocks drinking a martini and eating his prime rib. There was a group of ladies that appeared to be in their 60s visiting and having some drinks who were then approached by some men of the same age who proceeded to throw out pick-up lines including questions about grandchildren. Needless to day, some of these prowlers left with some ladies.

We finished our dinner and a show and headed to our place of rest. A Bed and Breakfast. My parents usually stay in one of the small cabins at the marina where we launch the boat, however the were all full since we changed weekends. Mom found a B & B run by a little old lady that wasn't too far away. Hub and I had never stayed in a B & B. It was interesting. Just her house with a couple of rooms upstairs for us to sleep in. Each room had its own bathroom and it was clean. I guess it's just hard to know what the protocol with a B & B is. We got in late Friday night and had told her that we would probably be gone Saturday morning before she got up. She packed us a brown bag breakfast which was a blueberry crisp and some fruit.

We were out on the boat for most of the day Saturday except we encountered a little bit harsher weather this day. It was windy, really choppy on the water and there was rain and hail. We came in a little bit earlier so there was more time for the B & B host to want to chat with us. We showered, changed and headed out for dinner and by the time we got back, we were really full, really tired and the hostess was in bed.

We got up early for the last day of fishing and wanted to be on the water for first light. Winnie, the hostess, had other plans. She said in a stern voice, "I'm making you breakfast." We looked over at the table and saw it fully set for us. We couldn't say no so we stayed for omlettes, bacon and spiced apples. Mind you, this was all at about 5:30 a.m. She had told us the first night that she usually rises between 6:30 and 7:00 a.m. It was just kind of a funny feeling like she just liked having the company and people to cook for and talk to.

We fished for the half the day on Sunday and then went to pick up some beef a couple hours further south because we went in on buying a cow with my parents. We are pretty excited to have some good beef from a rancher that my dad knows.

The weekend was really fun and relaxing and nice to get away for a couple of nights. We came home fishless which was pretty disappointing but it was okay. This hasn't been this best fishing year in that area so it made us feel a little better that we weren't the only ones not catching.

Here are some pictures of us having fun on the river:

Hey, Hub! Look over here!

Relaxing

Dad, tending to the gear

Any recent weekend getaways for you lately? Have you had any experiences with Bed and Breakfasts?

Anniversary Celebration

**Due to some family issues this week, I wasn't able to get blog, but things are looking up.**

I wanted to post some pictures of our anniversary weekend. Even though I had to work all weekend, we managed to fit in some fun time together! We first began on Friday with a hike. We were almost to one of the passes on this beautiful hike.

We got to spend a beautiful day in nature, with each other and Holly. It was wonderful!

I was really craving some spicy food on the drive back from the hike so Ben suggested we get some Indian food at a place that he frequents for lunch. It was DELICIOUS and just what we both wanted! We stuff ourselves silly when we got home and went lights out pretty early due to the fact of being tired from the hike and full from the good food!

Sunday night after work on our actual anniversary day, we went to a Brazilian grill called Ipanema in the city. They have 17 different kinds of meat that they bring to your table on skewers and then shave pieces off onto your plate.
This cooking method roasts the meat of charcoals and wood and seals in the juice and flavor, and let me tell ya, FULL of flavor! They also had a huge cold bar with salads and antipastos and some cold seafood...yum, yum and yum!
Bottom line, Ben and I love to eat and we had some great food and great wine and were together, so basically, it was heaven. We were also surprised by a gift certificate from his parents to help with our dinner. So generous!
The happy couple, one year later:

And the icing on the cake (hehe), when we got home, we opened up our cake from the wedding that my parents had so tightly wrapped and preserved so well for us and it was actually good! We were so surprised and enjoyed some yummy cake!

Sunset over Elliot Bay:

All in All, such a wonderful weekend with my love and I can't wait for many more celebrations for many years to come!