Day at the Lake

Tara, my college roommate, and her family have some lake property north of Spokane where we joined for an afternoon over the 4th of July holiday weekend. 

I went last year during the same time -- I was almost 9 months pregnant and had a bit of trouble getting myself out of the kayak. This year we got to take Rolin!

Rolly and I have been going to swim lessons at the YMCA so I think he was more excited about playing in the water at the lake. 

The other kiddos had some sand and water toys which Rolin really enjoyed using/eating. 

Puppy ears!

It was nice Justin was able to come along this year as it allowed me some time to lounge on a floatie with the other ladies and drink some brews. Yay for some me time!

We got this sunshade, but had no idea it was this big. It was a nice surprise! It was also a huge pain to put away, but with all of our powers combined we eventually made it happen. 

"Ohhh. This redheaded lady is quite lovely," said Rolin. 

Thanks for the fun time at the lake, guys!

Spoon trial

So I thought I'd see how Rolin would do with a spoon. His skill right off the bat was very impressive.

But quickly disintegrated. 

We took a quick spoon break then tried it again. The only difference in round two was the size of the mess:

Wedding Day

Curtis and Kate's wedding day was fun for everyone. Here are a few shots from the event:

I couldn't help myself...I found this bow tie at a consignment shop...it matched the wedding colors, but it was either this blue or yellow. I went with blue. 

Maid of honor's speech

Best man's speech.

Some of the wedding party.

This was Rolin's "smile" for about a week.

Justin and Curtis were so excited to be in a picture with Rolin they couldn't keep their eyes open!

(yes, eyes closed in a picture runs in the family)

Rolly with the groom.

Rolly got a spin on the dance floor with the groom :)

All of these, as you can tell, are iPhone pics. There are great shots of the day on the photographer's blog. Check it out! 

11 months

In less than one month, this little bug will be a 1-year old. My,  my.

He is quite the mover; he'll hardly sit still anymore. If he spots his red bouncy ball across the room, he'll take off at lightning speed to go get it, and will then bat it around the house while crawling after it. His crawl is so fun to watch -- I love how he doesn't really bend his arms, making him look like one of the characters on Super Mario Brothers when they climb the fences in the star/bonus worlds to win extra flower power or mushrooms. Got a visual on that? You're still with me, right?

Sometimes he'll put his head down, shake it back and forth and growl as he charges across the room, just like a bull in the arena.

Speaking of growling, I put a paper bag on the floor the other day to see what he'd do with it:

Ha! I'd like to say I'm not sure where he learned to growl, but then someone may point out that I growl on occasion, so I'm not going to say I'm not sure where he learned to growl.

He's eating more food, still a combo of finger foods and purees, and he has a special technique reserved for pea-eating:

Though some peas are too hard to smoosh:

So then we go back to basics:

We're still avoiding dairy and eggs, which really limits what he can and can't eat, but I'm going to try eggs out soon. His latest love is flavored coconut- or almond-milk yogurt, which I'm soooo glad to have found. What I'm not so glad about is the price of one itty bitty tub of coconut- or almond-milk yogurt. It's a good thing he takes small bites. I also make a banana bread, substituting almond/rice milk for buttermilk, a ground flax seed + water combo for eggs and sometimes applesauce for veggie oil (just because). He really likes to eat that, and I really like to sprinkle the cubes with the leftover formula he has recently decided he won't finish in a sitting.

He also likes how happy spaghetti makes him feel:

Don't you wish a noodle on your tongue made you this happy?

Other things he does:

• Clicks his tongue, smacks his lips
• Grinds his teeth -- this started within minutes of his top two teeth poking through
• Goes to library lap sit on Thursdays (so fun!)
• Loves to look out the front door window
• Opens and closes cupboards, doors, drawers
• Goes to swimming lessons on Saturdays with his friend Jack
• Pulls himself up on everything
• Sits down from standing very slowly and carefully (so cute!)
• Has started to understand "no"
• Shakes his head no
• Pulls books off the shelf to flip through or drag to a parent to read
• Kisses the animals or characters in his books
• Remembers where things are in the books we read (over and over and over), like where the spider is on the No. 7 page in his Ten Little Kisses book
• Points to things and make a "dat!" sound, as if he's asking what it is
• Says "dada" to just about everything, but says "dahhdahh" when his daddy walks in the room or is spotted in a picture
• Will still not nap regularly or in his bed lying flat, but he'll fall asleep in funny places, like his highchair, in his swing while holding the ever-lusted-over Xbox remote: 

• Or the jumper...

Week in Aberdeen

Our week in Aberdeen was relaxing, even though there was much to do. 

We arrived and settled in late Saturday afternoon. On Sunday we went to church and then drove out to Westport Winery for lunch. Rolin pooped through his outfit on the way there (always a lovely surprise), so luckily I had some extra clothes with us. The winery was packed this time around, but the food was just as delicious. They had live music, too, and the singer/pianist, Ericka Corban, was one of Lee's former students. She came over to talk to us for a while and gave us a CD. She's quite talented -- Norah Jones-like.

Rolin enjoying a banana at Westport Winery. 

We all went to Friendly Flowers in Elma on Monday to get flowers for the rehearsal dinner arrangements. Friendly Flowers is a lovely little nursery owned by some of Lee's relatives, Pat & Leland. In fact, Leland's grandpa is the source of Rolin's name! 

Me, Karen, Lee, Rolin, Leland and Pat at Friendly Flowers. 

Rolin's "smelling the flowers" face at Friendly Flowers.

Rolin and I went to Rochester on Tuesday to see Kelly and baby Jaxon. I failed, for the second time, to get a picture of the two kiddos together so you'll just have to take my word for it! Kelly and I went to WSU at the same time and got to know each other when we both lived in Community Hall. We had some good times together, for sure! The following pic has nothing to do with my visit to Rochester, but it's proof that I have, in the past, remembered to take a picture of a time when Kelly and I were in the same place!

Kelly and me, long before Jax & Rolin were twinkles in our eyes.

Justin's birthday was Wednesday, so the Team Thompson went to lunch at Savory Faire in Montesano, the venue where rehearsal dinner was to be held. We wanted to check out the restaurant and go to a place in the Harbor we've never been. We arrived during lunch rush, but Rolin held it together and Justin and I both liked what we ordered, even though I can't remember what I ate because I was constantly moving things out of Rolin's reach or taking away things he managed to grab!

After lunch we drove wwwaaaayyy out to Wynoochee Dam just to see what there was to see. It was a gorgeous drive through all the forest land in the county. I can see now why Justin has a chainsaw chain tattoo on his leg. Wait...what's that, you ask? Yes, it's true. But if you want to know more about his tattoo, you'll have to ask him yourself.

Turns out, there is just a dam to see. And the lake behind it. 

The lake behind the dam -- looks like it would be a hoppin' spot in the summer!

The road there is paved now, but back when Lee & Karen worked at Camp Grisdale, it was a terribly pot-hole infested and windy road. Camp Grisdale, as you'll read on the sign pic below, was a logging camp. Upon its closure in 1986, it was the last logging camp in the nation. Lee and Karen lived at the camp and taught school there for two years before they moved to Aberdeen. 

After our trip to Wynoochee, we picked Lee up at school and then darted up to Olympia so the boys could try on their tuxes. After we returned, it was time to dine on Justin's favorite dish of all...Frankfurter & Bean Supperdish. I don't like to admit that I actually like this dish, so I won't. 

Thursday we relaxed until birthday party time. (We waited until Thursday to have more of a "party" for Justin so Curtis, Kate & friend could join the festivities.) The evening was complete with grilled steaks and homemade rhubarb pie -- a recipe courtesy of Justin's Grandma Grace. 

Enjoying snack time with Grandma Karen.

Rolin loves with Grandpa Lee reads The Animals of Farmer Jones!

Getting in some playtime with Grandma before dinner.

Wrestling with Uncle Curtis!

Friday was a day of last minute to dos, a bike ride for the boys and rehearsal dinner prep. The weather was unexpectedly nice, so we all enjoyed some time outside before rehearsal. 

Rolin and I stayed home during the church part of the evening, but met up with the gang for dinner at Savory Faire. 

Me, Curtis, Karen, Lee & Rolin before they left for rehearsal at the church.

The Thompson Family!

Rolin did amazingly well at dinner, considering it started at his usual bedtime. All I can say is thank goodness for Baby Mum-Mums! We were served blackberry salmon or prime rib -- both were incredibly delicious! Dessert was a decadent amaretto bread pudding. Ohhh, my. It was rich, it was dense, it was flavorful. Trust me...I'll go back to Savory Faire for the bread pudding, if not for the salmon!

Team Thompson at rehearsal dinner. Photo courtesy of Chelsea R. 

Saturday was wedding day! I'll have to post about that later -- it deserves its own post! The sun was shining, the bride was gorgeous, the groom was all smiles and the event went off without a hitch!

Sunday we hit the road after breakfast at The Bee Hive in Montesano. We also stopped outside Elma to visit with the Ellingsens who were in town to celebrate their son, Ethan's, first birthday! It was great to see them and to meet Ethan. We're hoping Rolin's hair takes a hint from Ethan and comes in soon :)

Hope you had a fun birthday celebration, buddy!!

Ethan showed Rolly a few new tricks, like holding on to something and walking around it.

"See, Rolly? You just hold on with your hands and move your legs side to side...eventually you move to a new spot and then you can reach things your parents think they've moved far enough away from you!"

They also terrorized a poor, small dog. It didn't really stand a chance between two baby boys. The dog finally went and hid outside. 

No one likes the long drive home after a nice vacation, but we're thankful it was uneventful and we arrived home safely. It was a fun week with the family!

TP, it's what's for breakfast.

Rolin will probably be uber embarrassed by these in about 12 years, but it happens on a daily basis these days so I think it's only fair to photo-document this.

Rolin learned how to close the door when he makes his way into the bathroom (if he's not in there with me already). He quickly discovered the basket that holds TP and other, um, treasures. 

This is probably his favorite spot in the house.

He also quickly learned that TP is kind of like a Mum-Mum -- it "dissolves" in your mouth. 

Ugh. You can see the bite marks in the rolls...the pieces in my hand are what I was able to fish out of his mouth. 

Kids, man!

May in Review

May was quite the month for Team Thompson. It was full of visitors, road trips and learning just exactly how destructive a 10-month-old baby can be once he figures out how to crawl.

Cousin Maggie came to visit the first weekend of the month to meet Rolin. It was a quick weekend trip, but it replenished my Maggie tank. It's tough being a grownup and a parent...there's just not as much free time to go back and forth to Chicago as often as I please, so I certainly cherish the times I get to see one of my closest and dearest friends in person.

We just took it easy most of the weekend, but we did get to practice our mountain-lion scaring tactics again, you know, so we don't get rusty. Never know when you may cross paths with a cougar.

Mother's Day came the following weekend. My first one as a momma! I blogged previously about the day, so read my "Mother's Day" post if you need a refresher.

Rolin and I headed to Grandview the weekend of May 17 to celebrate my mom's retirement from the school district. It was a lovely evening spent at The Walter Clore Center in Prosser, right next to Desert Wind Winery. Rolin had a rough time in the crowd of new faces, but overall did OK, and we were able to stay for the whole party. He did, however, poop through his party pants, but that's no surprise. Put a cute outfit on a baby and it's only a matter of time before there's poo on it.

It was a beautiful night to be outside and enjoy a view of the river and Horse Heaven Hills. To me, there is nothing more beautiful than the Horse Heavens in the late evening light. What look like brown mounds during the day, the hills turn into a gorgeous mix of purple, yellow, blue and green at twilight. If I could build myself a dream home, it would be near the base of those hills, with a porch angled just so so part of it pointed directly at the hills, while the other would allow a view of the sunset.

I came home Sunday after the retirement party and we welcomed Linsley and Jeff to stay as guests later that night. Ohhh, how I miss my Linsley time! Lots of crying happens when we're together -- crying from laughing so hard, that is! If you need a refresher on Linsley, you can read more about her in my "Ain't no Party like a Motorhome Party" post or my "California Girls" post.

Lins and Jeff left Wednesday and my parents came Thursday. They stayed here on their way to Flathead Lake in Montana for their annual "Indy Weekend" get-together with the Bye family. Justin was gone that week so it was definitely nice to have some extra arms for a few hours Friday morning. Friday was also when Rolin turned 10 months old.

Justin got back Friday night and we all left early Saturday morning for Aberdeen. It was Curtis and Kate's wedding week, and we were fortunate enough to get a whole week off to spend with the family. Plus, we made it to Aberdeen without anyone getting peed on, and I didn't knock over a full bottle of formula on the drivers seat! I'll blog more about our time in Aberdeen soon.

One quick note about our stay in Aberdeen, though. While there, we celebrated Justin's 32nd birthday -- twice! Once on his actual birthday and then again the next day when more of the family could join us. Justin bought himself a bicycle for his birthday, and that's all I have to say about that...

Seriously, don't get me started on the bike.

Anyway, May came and went in a blink of an eye. I hope June goes by fast too because we're looking forward to July; it's the month we celebrate Independence Day, as well as several birthdays, including Rolly's first. We're also going to the beach as a family of three. I can't wait!