Thanksgiving

Lake taking a Thanksgiving snooze

Before Christmas arrives, I better tell you about our lovely Thanksgiving with Linda and Gerry Bowers at the coast. The Bowers drove us out and Lakie was a dream in the car -dreaming both on the way out and the way back. :-) We all enjoyed a lovely feast and a breath-taking view of the ocean. We are thankful for our little girl and our dear friends who have become our Oregon family.

Halloween Cuteness

From Grandma Ortloff Comes to visit

Amidst would be gobblins, witches and ghosts, a little Halloween cuteness made it's first festive debute. Tigger and Eeyor revilled in the paparazzi spotlight as Christopher Robin was too ill to make an appearance.

A Visit from Glamma Ortloff

Here we are in red. :-)

We all had a ball with Glamma O! Glamma is a special lady who is really good at cuddling and rocking. She was so nice to help Mommy and Daddy get better from their colds. She brought me a Halloween costume from cousin Andie. (I'll show you that later.) We also got to celebrate my birthday and Christmas a leeettle early. Merry Christmas all!! Come again Glamma!!

Swing, Swing, Swing!

Lake's favorite past time is swinging! We make a daily trip to the neighborhood park for some high-flying swingin'! :-) She just giggles away as she flies back and forth.

Silver Falls Fun on Saturdays

Today and two weeks ago Lake toured Silver Falls State Park, that fabulous rain forest with waterfalls galore! Lake rides in style on Daddy's back in the cadillac carrier. Here's a few pictures of our fun times.

Lake Takes a Stand (and a Sit) for Health Care Reform

Lake attended her first political rally advocating for much needed health care reform. You can see from the picture that she lost interest after the main points were stated. She found great interest in the dirt and woodchips at the edge of the gathering. As the gathering broke up, a woman came up to me and informed me that lots of dogs do their business in that area. Yucky!! But, taking political action is tough work and a little dog poo won't stop us from insiting that all children -and big people too- should have access to basic needed health care!

Uncle Larry's Cabin

Lake met Mommy's relatives at Uncle Larry's Cabin on Clitheral Lake in northern Minnesota.

Lake visits the lake ... well in this case in a kiddie pool next to the lake. Click the image for a short video clip on youtube.

Lake's Wanak/Weyhe Debut

Lake took a whirlwind mid-western tour stopping in Madison, WI, Chicago, IL, and Valparaiso, IN meeting Daddy's relatives and charming them all. In Madison, Lake met her cousin Daniel and Aunt LaShawn and Uncle Jon Wanak. Jon and LaShawn took us to the zoo --check out the bears!

In Chicago, Lake met Auntie Becca and Uncle James and lots of Daddy's extended family.

In Valparaiso, Lake met Daddy's Weyhe relatives. Here she is with Daddy's cousins who were so sweet to her.

Lake also toured Valparaiso University, the place where Mommy and Daddy met and fell in love. Mommy and Daddy explored the changes at VU while pondering the changes in their family life.

Fun with Cousin Andie

While visiting in Minnesota, I've had some great playtime with my cousin Andie. She is nearly two-years-old and always busy. Wise to the ways of the world, I am sure to learn much from my big cuz.

We are wearing the same shorts :-)

Andie and her mommy, Aunt Kellie, took us to their neighborhood pool. Splish, splash!

Visiting Glamma & Doc in Minnesota

I took my first plane ride ever --two in fact-- so that I could get to Glamma and Doc's home. They live in Rochester, Minnesota. Their town has a big special hospital where sick people can go to get help to get better. I'm staying healthy, though, so that I can plan with Glamma and Doc everyday.

I flew with Mommy from Portland, OR to Denver, CO. Then Mommy and I played at the airport for a long time until our next plane was ready. Finally, we flew from Denver to Minneapolis, MN where we met Grandpa Doc. He had a big smile and hug for us! We drove to Doc's home where we found Glamma bursting with joy and serving up a yummy meal. (I'm still sticking with Mommy's milk mostly.)

Glamma and Doc have been showing us the sights of Rochester and the comforts of their home. Doc carries me all over the yard showing me everything he and Glamma have planted. They even have a little garden bench sitting between two faries for me and my cousin Andie. On warm afternoons, I sit in the little pool and splash to my heart's content! (Bath times are fun too. More about that later!)

My first dip in the pool

Here is me with Mommy and my good friend Noah Buchanan. Noah and his mommy took me to the pool. Noah is a good swimmer. I sat on the edge with Mommy and splashed my feet. Oooo, wet and cool! So fun on a hot day.

Berry Picking

Here's me and Daddy sittin' in Olson's strawberry patch. Those red berries sure look yummy! Maybe next year I can sneak one into my tummy.

VBS

Mommy, Daddy, and I helped out at Vacation Bible School this week at our church. We helped the kids experience stories from the Bible. Kids got to be sheep climbing up a mountain, discover a burning bush that talks, help to send plagues on Pharaoh, paint with pretend lamb's blood, and even cross through the Red Sea. Here's me snoozing on Pharaoh's throne. It was a tiring, but great week!

Daddy's Day

Here's me with the bestest Daddy ever! We celebrated his day by going for a picnic and a nice walk around a lake. (I snoozed in a pack on Daddy's back.) I gave Daddy a card about a ladybug getting lots of hugs and kisses. It reminded me of Daddy. I think he liked it. :-) I love my Daddy!

Visit from Grandma & Grandpa Wanak

Grandma and Grandpa Wanak came to visit me for a week. This was our first chance to play together. We had so much fun! I especially enjoyed tickling Grandpa's beard. Heehee!!

Daddy's Homestyle Joy

Yeah, this is what I get to come home to every day!

FOOD please!

I've been eyeing--and trying to grab--that big people food for a few weeks now. It looks so interesting. And like everything else, I want to test it out in my mouth. Then I can really grasp its meaning. Well, Mommy and Daddy are catching on. Now that I am five months old they gave me a big treat: rice cereal! First I licked it from Daddy's finger and then from Mommy's. Very interesting.

It's especially fun when it glides all over my face. Later, I ate it from a spoon. Today, I told Mommy that I can handle the spoon myself, thank you. I really am getting to be a big girl!

Master Doctor Mommy

Mommy graduated on Sunday, May 17th. Now Daddy calls her "Master Doctor Wifey" so I'm calling her "Master Doctor Mommy." Heehee. I'm getting very vocal these days. It's so fun to practice my sounds! But on Sunday I had to practice being quiet during TWO graduation ceremonies. Mommy received her MBA from Willamette University's Atkinson Graduate School of Management and her Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from WU's College of Law. The ceremonies were colorful, musical-and even a bit inspirational. The best part is that Mommy is all done studying--mostly. She will still need to make a giant study effort to pass the bar exam. But she is all done with school and classes! Yippee!!! Time to play, enjoy friendships, work in our garden, and volunteer in the community. Mommy is going to save the world from the evil human traffickers and slave traders. I'm excited to see how she does it!!

A Visit from Glama and Doc

This week the sun has been shining as Glama (the glamorous grandma) and Grandpa Doc came to stay with us. We all had so much fun playing together. We took a trip to Seaside, OR where we picnicked on the coast, played on the sand, toured the aquarium, ate seafood, and enjoyed the sunny weather. It has been fun to get to know these special people. They are extra great cuddlers, bouncers, and stroller-pushers. :-) What a happy time!

Happy Mother's Day!

Mommy and I are spending a lovely day enjoying the spring flowers, the sunshine, and mother-daughter cuddles. :-) Daddy helped to make it a swell day by making a great breakfast AND even doing the dishes. What a guy!

Daddy's Birthday Surprise

It's Daddy's 30th birthday! Wowee!! Look what I got him- a soccer ball so he can teach me how to kick and play. :-) Daddy is a good teacher. Look what I'm learning already:

Mommy and I gave him a surprise party with friends and a giant chocolate chip cookie "cake." Yum yum! I don't think Daddy was completely surprised, but the cookie was still yum yum. :-)

Cherry Blossoms at the Capital

Lake and I toured the capital today to enjoy the cherry blossoms at the height of their beauty.

Lake Meets her Cousin

Uncle Chris, Auntie Kellie, and Cousin Andie are visiting for the week. This is Lake's first opportunity to meet Mommy's brother and his family. It's been fun to see the two little girls get together. As they are both very young, the two have eyed each other and now Andie is getting braver and offering toys with which Lake might enjoy playing. Very cute.

So far, we've taken the girls to A.C. Gilbert's Discovery Museum (Lake slept the whole time while Andie had to be pried away from the bubble room), the Coast (Lake slept through her first walk on the beach while the rest of us got caught off gaurd by a sneeker wave and walked the day in wet feet), and Silver Falls (again Lake slept through the roar of the falling water while the adults learned the limits of off-roading with a stroller). Next on the agenda: The Tulip Festival in Woodburn.

It has been a special gift for family to come out and visit us during our week of spring break!