October catch up, mark 2

Hallo!

Like Mike, I have a backlog of photos from the past couple months that are past due for publication! There's also a massive bunch of photos just posted on Flickr, so go check that out for jollies if you so desire.

We had Doug and Helen visiting in late August. We got Grandpa Doug to relive his childhood at the park:


and we had a great visit to an unusually warm Oregon beach where Evelyn strode around in fine style:


We enjoyed just about every minute of our visit to this summer's Oregon State Fair, but especially the winning of Fair Penguin:



The usually-irrepressible Sassy paused for a moment in the V of a tree in our backyard:


And I'm pleased to report that her recent bout with illness seems to have passed -- she probably had an acute attack of pancreatitis following some outdoor trauma -- as she is back to her usual energetic self.

The whole family took a trip to Lake Tahoe in early September to celebrate our friends' wedding and we got a nice shot of us in front of the shore:


as well as a rare shot of myself with Evelyn (since I'm usually the one behind our main camera):


And our deck maintenance and porch improvement projects wrapped up with nice results. We added two zones of patio furniture, planted some pots with flowers and greenery, and spruced up the deck and sun room colors:




Evelyn's 2nd birthday was a week-long celebration here at McBacon central. She enjoys playing in the tent we erected in the playroom (as does Mike!):


and was thrilled to have a visit from Babcia and Jojo:


while the birthday party evening was a roaring success:


that involved many hours of mayhem and fun:


Finally, I just love these two pictures...Evelyn looking contemplative as she hugs this wooden figure head outside our local park, and looking so sweet as she reads a book with her Daddy:



I realize that we rely heavily on pictures to tell the story of our family, so let me consider in words where we stand these days. I'd say that Mike and I continue to grow up and are probably becoming better people during the course of this adventure we call parenting. I feel that I'm developing some more patience and improving how I communicate with others. And it turns out that I like little kids! Who would've thought? Mike is an exemplary father (and husband) in my eyes, ever examining his actions and giving Evelyn the benefit of his marvelous attention. Evelyn is getting in touch with more and more complex feelings, and as she turns the corner on her second year she's working valiantly at overcoming occasional negativity and fearfulness in order to enjoy what the world offers. Her imagination is blossoming in every direction, startling and amusing us in equal measure.

We wish you & yours well, as always. A bientot!

--Liz

Happy Birthday, Bean!

The Bean is officially two years old, as of 10/7. We're remiss in making it all official-like here on the blog.

We marked the day with a few gifts -- including our biggie, the train set -- and a cake generously baked by Nataliia.

The official party was on Friday, with a small group of Evelyn's friends (...oh, and their parents! :) It was a whirlwind of fun. Just the right amount of toddler chaos! Not too much and definitely way not too little.

Babcia and Jojo (a.k.a. Ewa and John) were in attendance too, making the occasion extra-special. Babcia even dervished up a delicious birthday feast.



Evelyn requested chocolate cupcakes for the party, and they were quite a hit with the under-20 crowd. Evelyn took a voracious interest in the frosting and got her first experience of Chocolate Overload. Here's Kid Of A Thousand Words rendered utterly speechless! I was talking to her, waving my hands in front of her face...she just stared into the camera.





Friends K. and M. were similarly engrossed. The primal love kids have for sugar is truly awesome to behold.




Once we were all done with Cupcake: The Gorging the grown-ups gathered around the table for tea and conversation while the kiddos amused themselves playing with trains and tear-assing back and forth between the play room and the living room in what appeared to be a never-ending game of Late For My Plane. Evelyn was toting 3 or 4 shopping bags and M. was dragging a suitcase. It was hysterical, and heartwarming.



I'm going to miss Baby Bean, but Kid Evelyn is more than a fair trade!

Cheers,
-- Mike

Summer wrap-up

Summer's come and gone here in the Pacific Northwest and the chilly weather is back. Let's get caught up on the haps in McBaconland.

Grandpa Doug and Helen came for a visit in late August. We had a lovely time which included another trip to the shore. Once again we timed the drive to coincide with Evelyn's nap. I never seem to tire of these pix, do I?


Evelyn had fun digging in the sand and playing with seaweed while the rest of us took the chance to kick back and enjoy the scenery.







The next day we did some shopping in the Pearl where we found a funky Pan-Asian import emporium that was chock-a-block with fascinating knick-knacks. Evelyn especially enjoyed the Buddhas. Here she is offering a Lotus blossom to the Red Buddha.





Through the remainder of the warm weather Evelyn continued to enjoy her fire engine on the back deck.


This begs the question: how do you improve upon the perfect toy? Why, with a matching hat of course...








It was around this time that we saw the first beginnings of Evelyn's blossoming imagination. Here she is performing a rescue operation on the wagon:




We went to the fair twice this summer. Evelyn loves the Merry-go-Round and wishes she were tall enough to go on the big kid rides. Maybe next summer! Meanwhile, she was able to take her first boat ride on the Kiddie Canoe:


Early September found us in Lake Tahoe for the wedding of our good friends Ali and Ilan. The ceremony was in a lovely riverside location and we were overjoyed to reconnect with so many of our old friends.

Evelyn was very well-behaved throughout. She enjoyed the novelty of our hotel room in the Village at Squaw Valley and was fascinated by the outdoor fire-pit at the restaurant on the courtyard below. Here she is sleeping in our rental car (last cute sleeping-with-kitty picture for this post, I promise):



And here she's enjoying books on the balcony with mom and by herself.




At both fairs, we were tantalized by all the balloon-hats being worn by other kids...but we never could find the Balloon Hat Man. Imagine our satisfaction then to discover him plying his wares at the local Beaverton parade! The parade was a lot of fun, and Evelyn finally got to experience the wonder that is the Balloon Hat.






And thus ended Summer 2008 for the McBacons. Good times. Cheers everybody!

-- Mike