Pumpkin Patch

Between rain squalls, we made our way around the Sauvie Island pumpkin patch this morning. Sadly, we were not rugged enough to withstand the mud and wind and rain to continue our annual adventure in the corn maze this year. :(

The obligatory silly family photo kicked off our day at the pumpkin patch.



TJ meets his first pumpkin.
Neither he nor the pumpkin seemed especially impressed.

TJ inspecting the finalists.



Pumpkins as far as the eye can see.

No pumpkin chucker was available at this site, but we have a mobile TJ launching system available at all times.

TJ did not enjoy the wind but appreciated the rain as an opportunity to lick water off his face.

Baby Shaking and Giggles

We have a bit of a backlog of little vids that Ra has taken recently, so the next few blog updates will be shortie clips. Enjoy!

TJ Evolution (8 Months)

Every week, we've been taking a short video of TJ on our living room couch. Here is the collected goodness of those efforts: eight months of development in under two minutes.

Enjoy,
Jeff, Ra and TJ

River Tripping

The Flotilla of Folly is a big group rafting trip that some friends of ours have been running on the Descutes River for a few years. We were happy to be invited, and after some encouragement from veterans with kids, we decided to bring along the little guy for a serious adventure. Despite nearly constant rain and a bit of a fever for TJ, we had a blast and are excited to take him again next year when he's more aware of what's happening (and has grown into his life jacket a bit more).


TJ and JT preparing to hit the river.


TJ and Auntie Sara.


TJ performing a safety check on the assorted PFDs during our Sunday lunch break.


TJ checking out JT's rescue vest.


TJ napped through his first class III, Buckskin Mary.


Responsible rafting starts with riding the oar raft, freeing babysitting aunts to relax and enjoy the ride.


Tree, TJ and JT.


Family photo op during a scouting break at the biggest rapid on the river.



...and a few bonus pix from around the house:


Our kitchen could use a touch of babyproofing.
Until then, he explores under close supervision.


TJ sporting a hat knitted by a friend.

Mt St Helens and Adventures in Eating

TJ kicks back in his tube while hanging at the Sandy River.




TJ is well into his phase of pulling himself into a standing position on tables. He's just starting to try free standing, but mostly he is getting good at sitting quickly when a fall is inevitable.



The highlight of August has been the visit from TJ's G-Ma and Aunts from Denver, Carrie and Amanda. On the Monday of their extended weekend vacation, we drove up to Mt St Helens for some sightseeing and a light hike.


Family photo permutation #1


Our nuclear family


Bro and Sis


JT hauls a napper


Shiv demonstrates a scaled-down version of the power of the volcano's blast.


TJ sits on the porch between photo ops.


TJ, Carrie and Amanda commemorate their meet-and-greet weekend.


TJ and G-Ma


The Fam.


Generational transition initiated.


The other big development is that TJ is regularly eating non-milk foods.


Tabletop teething at BK & Tree's.


Banana in a bag


TJ and Ra share some big smiles before an eating episode.


TJ vs Rice Cereal




...and now that Shiv has started playing Starcraft2, TJ has to come to terms with being a member of a single parent household.


Also worth mentioning is that we built a preview of TJ's 8 month couch video. It's pretty wonderful. We will share it when we officially cross over the 8 month milestone and add the last few clips in three weeks. :)

Summertime Rolls

Lots of good stories from the summer, so consider this set of pictures worth more than my best 10,000 words...


At the beach ulti tournament, we camped in the back yard of Daisy's rental house. This was TJ's first outdoor overnight adventure, and he did great. Don't you wish you could sleep in a bear suit? (WITH EARS!!!)




TJ went to visit his new friend, Vivian (not pictured), who was born in June. The age gap of a few months is a bit much now, but they'll be good playmates soon enough.


TJ and JT engage in some yell practice.


TJ already has more sports teams allegiances than he can count. (Sure, he can't count yet, but there are still quite a few. Go Blazers!)




TJ and Sara enjoy a backyard BBQ.


Ra said it was time for TJ's first foods, so he enjoyed some avocado. The response was largely neutral with a hint of confusion and a blink of positive.




TJ's second food experience, lime, received a more emphatic response. (Although to his credit, he didn't cry or complain or push it away. He just made faces.)




Ra's phone was dented by some dog teeth, but we thankfully pulled this foot-grabbing gem off of it before the phoneslaughter occurred.




Cuddles.




The chariot bike trailer has made us a fully man-powered traveling troupe. The only challenge has been when we purchased too many groceries, and TJ had to hug a loaf of bread during the ride home.


...and this helmet has made us a mushroom-headed safety squad.



Aunt Carrie and Aunt Amanda are currently out for their first visit to TJ. G-ma is crashing the party too because she can't get enough of this little dude. Pix to come!

Gearhead

You've seen the pool, but it was just the final installment of what shaped up to be a month full of new baby gear...

The exersaucer is great when we're cooking or cleaning up around the kitchen. TJ gets to hang out with us, has lots of toys he can't throw away and generally is able to distract himself when he starts to fuss.


...and of course, it wouldn't work without the approving smile of this guy.



For Ra's BDay, Carrie and Amanda sent this hammock. Ra and I have both spent a lot of time swinging with TJ in the shaded corner of our yard. He loves reaching for leaves and watching the pups run around.


...and sometimes TJ just wants some quiet chill time.
Being a baby ain't all fun and games.



For my first Father's Day, Vince and Migo were kind enough to send a copy of Arkham Horror, a cooperative strategy board game that I've been eyeing for a while. As a bonus, it comes with about a hundred choking hazards!



...and of course, what armada of baby gear would be complete without a baby jail?
Not ours!


Olive and Oz put in some time toward their certifications as guards while Ra worked on weeding the front yard.



Last and certainly not least, we now have a kid who wants nothing more than to pull himself into a standing position and grab everything within reach. We are getting closer and closer to needing full toddler-proofing of this house. Oh joy.