Living...Listen to live music in the park.

This summer has been filled with so many wonderful adventures.  I have been blessed to share Ella's first summer with so many people who love her, and as her first birthday approaches, I feel both excitement and apprehension.  She is not my petite enfant any longer.  My little bundle has turned into a social butterfly.  My parents, my Uncle, Joe, Ella, and I attended the Bite of Salem this year and where other years it has been disappointing, this year was a blast. 

There was food:

Shopping:

Some really beautiful Peruvian bags and sweaters, I loved the colors and the fabrics.

And of course, live music.  They were a couple of jazz bands that were pretty awesome, not to mention a couple of drunk people who were really getting down.

I took a picture of this girl because I thought her outfit was beautiful and unique.  An interesting specimen.

My dad danced with Ella

Joe and I danced.
And my mom socialized.

It was good fun.  We'll see about next year.

Ella's new friend Miley couldn't stop kissing her, it was too cute. 

Show Ella the ocean.

This past Thursday, the family stayed at the beach, where Ella experienced the ocean (which is on my live list), the sand, and her first over-night trip. 

Cosmo joined us and just happened to find a seal carcass to rub all over himself.  That was fun to clean up.

We had him run in and out of the ocean to wash off, then I sanitized him, then Joe gave him a bath.  He stunk, it was glorious.

Ella loves when to chase Cosmo, already.
I found some wild strawberries and thought my spirit fit seamlessly in with them.

We stayed at the cutest little place, The Historic Anchor Inn, in Lincoln City.

We plan on staying there, whenever we go to coast, from now on.

It's owned by a husband and wife, who also run it.  It only has about 10 cabins, making it a quiet and quaint environment. 

In the morning, they serve a free breakfast: not a buffet, but a sit down and you are served.  We were shocked with the quality of the place in comparison with the price.

It's a simple place, filled with antiques, and rustic charm. 
Ella slept the best she has in months: waking up once and sleeping a whole six hours in a row, without waking to be fed.  Joe and I were thrilled to sleep in until 9am. 

Maybe it was her new jammies. 

(She's eating a fortune cookie.)

We went through three one-sies and two pairs of pants in one day.  We went out to eat and she had a massive blowout.  She not only pooped all over herself and through her pants, she pooped all over daddy as well.  So, we had to improvise as we only had one outfit left.  Voila, a small t-shirt. 

I would have to say, that for an unplanned, first overnight trip with a baby, Joe and I did pretty good.  I'm proud of us.  We both needed a night away from home.  But in the end, we were both glad to get home as..."there's no place like home."

Mission Mill Museum

It's not on my live list, but perhaps it should have been.  I love history and have been completely inspired by a book I'm reading "The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher:" it is a true story about one of the first widely publicized murder cases in Victorian England.  Anyway, I wanted to seek out a fragment of that era, put myself back in that time, so Joe, Ella, and I went to the historic Mission Mill Museum.  We had a great tour guide named Bill.  Tour Guide Bill of Mission Mill. 

I love the old houses.  I would buy one and live in it forever.  The wood floors creak, the doorways are narrow, but they have such a charming quality (and I happen to love the creaky wood floors.) I love the antique furniture, the formal dining rooms, and the parlors.

It's like straight out of my imagination or perhaps it fuels it.
Every place has so much history, even little old Salem, is rich with a past full of tragedy and triumph.
The mill is a story of both sadness and happiness.  It brought a lot of jobs and helped settle the Salem area but with the creation of synthetic fibers, wool quickly fell out of demand and it had to close down in the 1950's.
The machines are really ornate and incredible.

The whole place smelled like old books, I loved it.

I really liked this little corridor and
I fell in love with the antique organs that adorned the parlors of the parish houses.

I especially loved this one, truly a product of the romantic era.
I wish we were able to touch the furniture but everything was roped off with sensors, but I couldn't help myself.

It was a really fun, educational, and rainy day; but I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else.

I love this picture of Ella, she is totally cross-eyed.

Yeah for rainy days and historic places!

Cheers our first MAJOR outing with Ella: The Oregon Zoo

Today was a wonderful day.  Joe, Ella, and I visited the Oregon Zoo, Ella took her first ride on a school bus, and Ella even fell asleep in her stroller amongst the myriads of screaming children. 

Not only was it Ella's first trip to the zoo, but it was also her six-month birthday!!!  And she wanted to celebrate.

She cooed at every little kid she saw, I think she thought they would respond like her cousins, some did, some didn't know what to think of such a social little baby.  The adults just loved her: a couple of other mothers cooed right back at her.

My favorite animal at the zoo is always the big cats.  They have a new predators of Africa exhibit; they now have African Wild dogs, cheetahs, and my favorite: the lion.

Also in Africa, Ella got cozy with a snake.

(not a real one, but you guessed that, didn't you)

Joe was most fond of the polar bears, and we both agreed they were the most active.

There were actually a lot of bears at the zoo.

The Malayan Sun Bear

 The polar bear (see above) and 

 a bear that I can't seem to remember its name

oh! the Brieanna Bear, very scary.

We saw a lot of other animals: zebras, cougars, a rhino, hippopotamus'(i), penguins, a meerkat, and my other favorite animal, the wolf.

I couldn't help noting the similarity between this wolf and Cosmo

By the end of the day, Joe and I were pooped, my feet were covered with dirt, and Ella smelled like pickles(note to self, never give pickles to a baby). But we were all very happy.

Joe and I learned some things today also:

1. Bring more than one sweater in case baby gets pickle juice all over herself.

2. Bring more than one blanket and a burp rag.

3. Get a smaller stroller.

4. Taking a baby anywhere requires lots of equipment.

5. Have a sense of humor about everything.

We had to get on a shuttle with Ella's stroller, car seat, diaper bag, and Ella; it required a lot of maneuvering, and definitely a sense of humor.

I am so glad that we went to the Zoo today, we all really needed to get out of the house, and do something different. I loved walking around, hand in hand with Joe, while Ella slept soundly in her stroller, it was such a wonderful, strengthening experience for our little family.

I love my husband! My little Ella Ainsley! And my life!!!

A few more pictures that I liked:

Thank goodness for sunny days and a beautiful family.