Climbing High - New Couch

I heard a mother's worst nightmare...silence. I looked to find my baby climbing up the water storage bottles and onto the washing machine. I took these shots as proof that I wasn't just seeing things! He made it all the way up on TOP of the machine...then stood up! A HUGE grin crossed his face until Mama came and took him down. Then the hissy-fit ensued!

Kodi got a new couch at a garage sale a couple weeks back. I was worried he wouldn't like it or use it. Those fears were dashed when as soon as I set it down I captured these shots...

That's one happy boy!

WALDO LAKE - Mesquito Paradise!

We had a great time at Waldo Lake! The mesquitoes were the size of aircraft carriers and after we used 4 cans of bug spray, we decided it was time to go SCUBA DIVING! After viewing the second clearest lake in the US we decided that it left something to be desired when one weighed the mesquito factor and the "desert effect" under the water. Not even ONE MINNOW!

Cerena and Kodi!

Give us your "happy face" Cameron! Our only solice from the mesquitos was the screened in pavillion that we borrowed! We did ALL of our activities in it.

Another tent shot of Kodi and Phil. We were all playing cards and betting candies!

Ronnie was glad to be home! Can you see his enthusiasm?

Family Photos For June

June was the month for family photos. Ronnie has been out on his Mini-Mission with our church for about 8 weeks now. He is coming home at the end of June. We decided to take some photos of the whole family. Give him something to look forward to.

We drove to the top of Mount Sexton for FHE and stood at the top of the lookout over the entire Grants Pass/Merlin valley. It was absolutely beautiful! You can see the long straight line of I-5 just to the left of Phil's elbow. Impressive sight!

Kodi became Phil's new play-buddy and after snapping this candid shot of the two of them, this photo became Grandma's new favorite!

A little of Kodi in action... he looks like the angelic child with the sun setting behind his head. Wave "bye-bye"!

Chili Cookoff!

We had chili tonight for dinner and Kodiak wanted to get in on the action. At first I just let him nibble the meat and then he kept squealing for more. I gave him a few beans and then the feast was on. Kodi kept eating mouthfull after mouthful until he was entirely covered in chili.

Shortly after taking these photos Kodi began crying (probably because of a burning mouth and lips) I had to literally strip him of his clothes and wipe him down with a warm rag. Then it was water and bananas to help cut the spices. All was well 5 minutes later and hopefully this doesn't become the "wrath of chili" tonight after he goes to sleep.

WALKING!

See the attached video to see for yourself the walking wonder: KODIAK! (He's 10 months)

FIRST OPEN WATER DIVE!

Saturday, January 17th Cameron and I decided to take a trip to Brookings, OR for my first open water dive. We arrived all excited and ready to go. The ocean was absolutely gorgeous - the weather was 65 degrees and beautiful. The only drawback was the size of the beautiful 6 foot waves. Cameron opted for safety and we decided to go to the Smith River instead.

Upon arriving at the Smith River I knew I was in for a "treat". We got all dressed up in our SCUBA gear (literally inching toward the water due to the weight of the gear) and slowly became buoyant in the water. It wasn't long before I realized that even with all of that protective wetsuit gear, it was FREEZING!

Cameron encouraged me to float face down with my regulator in my mouth for awhile to get used to the temperature. My lips immediately turned blue. It was so cold that my head began to ache from a "reverse ice cream headache".

While the rest of my body was relatively warm, my mouth and forehead were suffering. Fishing boats kept going by looking at us as if we were nuts.

After a prolonged 20 minutes (and 500 psi of air later) I was sitting on the bank defrosting. Cameron came back about 5 minutes later and we decided that getting lunch sounded like a much better idea. We headed to our favorite hole in the wall seafood restaurant and enjoyed a warm chowder bowl (yummy). It was great to spend some time together with Cameron and while our dive was shorter than expected we had a great time.

Kodiak's First Steps

Tuesday, January 20th marked the first time that Kodiak took his first step! Cameron, Cerena, Phil, Ronnie and I were all present waiting for an appointment with the Stake President when Kodi "walked" from a small table to the couch where we were sitting. It was a very special moment for us all. All eyes were on Kodi as he made the trek across the vast distance of 2 feet. As he landed in my arms all the family members cheered in approval! Kodi had a huge smile on his face as he realized his accomplishment and the overwhelming support from his family. As Cameron's physical therapist Kelly put it, "Congratulations and Condolences!"

We have been thrilled this past week with Kodi's walking progress and as his uncle Phil leaves to spend a month in Utah, we all know that by the time Phil gets back Kodi will be literally "up and running".