Outdoor Adventures
What a weekend! I think this year's Memorial Day weekend was one of the best in recent memory! It was an all around, sporty weekend. Maybe it's because Morgan's getting older or maybe it's just that summer is around the corner, but it was so fun to be active and do things that I feel like I haven't done since Morgan was born.
Once again, Ron & Amy (Sam's aunt and uncle) opened up their lovely home to us for a few days of relaxation and outdoor adventures. We took walks and rode bikes along the paths, and Morgan had a blast at Fort Rock park. She had her own posse around her the whole time. If Morgan was older, she would have been embarrassed by being the only kid at the park with 5 adults circling, photographing, and playing around her the entire time. But since she is one and a half, all that attention was the best thing ever! Morgan got to swing and slide and have a grand old time. She especially loved the tall spiral slide and the tunnel. The girl has no fear - I know this because her adorable nose crinkle made several appearances as she plummeted down the slides. Morgan may also have a future as a geologist, as she loved playing with handfuls of "wocks" covering the playground. 
The great thing about traveling with family members is that Sam and I can still go out and do fun things (with each other or other people) even while Morgan naps or plays. I got to take a long bike ride with Ron, Amy, and Kim, while Sam (who had sprained his ankle in soccer) hung out with Morgan. But Sam and I got to take a sunset cruise around Sunriver in Ron's convertible MG, and I felt like I was in an old movie. I got to drive because of Sam's ankle, and I have to say it was pretty sweet. (Maybe my father-in-law is finally rubbing off on me and I am becoming a bit of a gear head?) We also got to swim laps and play with Morgan in the water at the athletic club pool in Sunriver. Morgan gleefully mastered the water slide that left her ker-splatting into the baby pool, and left her parents' hearts pounding a bit. 
But including all of us and Morgan in an outdoor adventure was the challenge. Yet somehow we figured out a way to take a 6-mile mountain bike trail to Benham Falls and bring Morgan along. Fortunately, we had iron man to the rescue! Uncle Ron (whom Morgan now realizes is different than "PapaRon") is training for a full Iron Man triathlon this summer, so for a little of his training, he ran Morgan along the trail while we all biked. Now, this isn't just a wooded path through the forest. It is a single-track, rocky, narrow trail that Ron somehow managed to maneuver Morgan's jogging stroller through! 
Being the sleep-deprived, adventure-loving trooper that she was, Morgan tok it all in stride and seemed to have a great time. She watched her parents biking ahead ("Mommy fast!"), the forest go past ("pinecone!" "bump!"), and clouds of dust blow by. She never cried or fussed, and we were probably gone for about two and a half hours in all. The ride was fun, beautiful, and something I hadn't done in a very long time. It inspired me to get back into hiking and biking in the beautiful Northwest.
And to make the weekend even more fun, we were able to go watch my nephew, Noah (or as Morgan says "No-No"), play baseball. He happened to have a tournament in Bend, so we joined my family in cheering him on. It was so fun to see him out there, so cute yet so focused and talented. I'm so proud of him! (And so is Morgan - she has been saying "No-No base-bawl" for days now!) Here are a few great shots of the game. 
Noah on deck with snowy mountains in the background - pretty rough day.
Scoring a run at home base with a slide, after hitting a triple!
Cousins Avery and Morgan keep themselves occupied during the game. Best buddies!
What a weekend! I think this year's Memorial Day weekend was one of the best in recent memory! It was an all around, sporty weekend. Maybe it's because Morgan's getting older or maybe it's just that summer is around the corner, but it was so fun to be active and do things that I feel like I haven't done since Morgan was born.
Once again, Ron & Amy (Sam's aunt and uncle) opened up their lovely home to us for a few days of relaxation and outdoor adventures. We took walks and rode bikes along the paths, and Morgan had a blast at Fort Rock park. She had her own posse around her the whole time. If Morgan was older, she would have been embarrassed by being the only kid at the park with 5 adults circling, photographing, and playing around her the entire time. But since she is one and a half, all that attention was the best thing ever! Morgan got to swing and slide and have a grand old time. She especially loved the tall spiral slide and the tunnel. The girl has no fear - I know this because her adorable nose crinkle made several appearances as she plummeted down the slides. Morgan may also have a future as a geologist, as she loved playing with handfuls of "wocks" covering the playground. 
The great thing about traveling with family members is that Sam and I can still go out and do fun things (with each other or other people) even while Morgan naps or plays. I got to take a long bike ride with Ron, Amy, and Kim, while Sam (who had sprained his ankle in soccer) hung out with Morgan. But Sam and I got to take a sunset cruise around Sunriver in Ron's convertible MG, and I felt like I was in an old movie. I got to drive because of Sam's ankle, and I have to say it was pretty sweet. (Maybe my father-in-law is finally rubbing off on me and I am becoming a bit of a gear head?) We also got to swim laps and play with Morgan in the water at the athletic club pool in Sunriver. Morgan gleefully mastered the water slide that left her ker-splatting into the baby pool, and left her parents' hearts pounding a bit. 
But including all of us and Morgan in an outdoor adventure was the challenge. Yet somehow we figured out a way to take a 6-mile mountain bike trail to Benham Falls and bring Morgan along. Fortunately, we had iron man to the rescue! Uncle Ron (whom Morgan now realizes is different than "PapaRon") is training for a full Iron Man triathlon this summer, so for a little of his training, he ran Morgan along the trail while we all biked. Now, this isn't just a wooded path through the forest. It is a single-track, rocky, narrow trail that Ron somehow managed to maneuver Morgan's jogging stroller through! 
Being the sleep-deprived, adventure-loving trooper that she was, Morgan tok it all in stride and seemed to have a great time. She watched her parents biking ahead ("Mommy fast!"), the forest go past ("pinecone!" "bump!"), and clouds of dust blow by. She never cried or fussed, and we were probably gone for about two and a half hours in all. The ride was fun, beautiful, and something I hadn't done in a very long time. It inspired me to get back into hiking and biking in the beautiful Northwest.
And to make the weekend even more fun, we were able to go watch my nephew, Noah (or as Morgan says "No-No"), play baseball. He happened to have a tournament in Bend, so we joined my family in cheering him on. It was so fun to see him out there, so cute yet so focused and talented. I'm so proud of him! (And so is Morgan - she has been saying "No-No base-bawl" for days now!) Here are a few great shots of the game. 
Noah on deck with snowy mountains in the background - pretty rough day.
Scoring a run at home base with a slide, after hitting a triple!
Cousins Avery and Morgan keep themselves occupied during the game. Best buddies!
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