Maine: Week Two

Our second week in Maine was filled with more swimming, sunning and playing. We made it out to Peak's Island for a bike ride - where Eliana promptly passed out in the bike seat. One rainy day - I have no idea which day because well, I'm on vacation - we went in to Portland to play at an indoor play park.

Other than that, the most exciting thing that happened was that Dad-o arrived on Friday and I became infinitely less cool. Then, on Saturday, Greg's brother Dan and his family made it from Wisconsin. Eliana's new favorite person is her cousin Lily. She follows her everywhere and yells for "Cousin Lily". Cute stuff.

Ferry Landing at Peaks Island
Checking out the view of Casco Bay
On our bike ride around the island
Heading out to hike Rattlesnake Mountain with Popsicle
Taking a break on the hikeCalling for birdsOn the float with Dad-o
No, she's not out there alone. I promise, Greg is right there.
Dad-o, Eliana and Cousin Lily
Another great day in Maine!
Headed out to grill on the party boat
Pirate Booty!
Cousin Lily and Aunt Michelle
Headed home

Maine: Week One

Eliana and I arrived in Boston on July 21st. I can't believe how well Eli did on the plane. We played and read books for the first two hours, then she fell asleep while I was reading to her. She slept for a solid hour. That was awesome. When she woke-up, we watched Go, Diego, Go for about 45 minutes, took a couple of walks up and down the airplane, read some more and then we landed. It was amazing! I was prepared for the worst and it was better than my best case scenario!

Pops came down to get us and we had a pretty good drive home. By the time we turned onto Deep Cove Road, however, Eliana was ready to be OUT of the car. As soon as she saw the lake she said, "Water everywhere, Mommy!" We all went down and took a quick plunge in the lake. After such a long day and very little sleep, Eliana announced, "I go sleep now, Mommy," and we did.

This first week has been very hot - temperatures up to 100! We are so happy to have the water right there. Today cooled down and was a perfect day with very little humidity and temps in the 80s. Perfect for happy hour on the deck. The other night we went out on the party barge for happy hour and Eli got to drive the boat.

I've been getting up early enough to get out and do my workouts, but the heat is definitely slowing me down. Tomorrow is a rest day for me and we're going to adventure out to Peak's Island to rent bikes and take a leisurely ride. I hope to take a few more day trips with Eli to check things out around here before Greg arrives on Friday.

Cheers!
Driving the boat with Pops

Living the good life
Eliana with Owen Bartlett - he is Greg's childhood friend's son. The picture is blurry, but you get the idea. They had a blast!
¡Una rana!
Swimming in the cove
All hail the Queen of Deep Cove
Riding in the boat with Boots
A few of the toys that were waiting for her in Maine
Taking it all in

How'd it get to be July?

We've been busy. School got out in mid-June, but I've been taking a writing class for the last four weeks and haven't had time to do any writing except what was due in class. Free time has been spent with family, friends and my bike. Eliana and I are counting down the days until Maine. There are 6 little days standing between me and a dip in Lake Sebago, if you were wondering.

I also need to find time to post about Eli's 2nd birthday. But, for now, here are some recent pics.

Eliana and her buddy Hazel washing the car in their pajamas while we were camping at Maryhill State Park.

Running through the sprinklers during Sunday Parkways.
Me finishing the criterium at High Desert Omnium. Wish I could say that there is nobody around me because I'm so far in front. That was not the case.

Hazel and Eliana at Craig and Katie's in Powell Butte - only a little dirty.

To the Zoo!

Last week, Greg's parents and my mom came to spend Eliana's 2nd birthday here with her in Portland. Greg took Friday off and they all headed to the zoo. They rode the train out to the zoo which was possibly Eli's favorite part of the whole day! She was also super excited about the goats, elephants and lions.

Checking out the elephants with Daddo
Climbing, climbing and more climbing
Hitching a ride on a hippo
Goats!
Goat hugs

A couple of random shots...

She is almost 2. I'm having a tough time wrapping my head around this unavoidable fact. However, as much as I miss the cuddly, agreeable baby, there's no denying that having a mini-kid is an amazing adventure.

My mom took all of the pictures in this post over the last few weeks. Thanks, Mom!

Making pancakes.

A walk in the park with Dad-O.
STICK!
Bubbles yesterday on the porch.

As I was browsing through my mom's photos, this one caught my eye. I don't know what it is. The placement of her foot, maybe, that makes her look more like a kid than a toddler. Charging off, looking for adventure and not checking behind her to see if anyone is watching.

Whistler = Amazing

I'll spare you the minor details and give you the big ideas. Great snow. Blue sky. Family. Friends. Our week in Whistler was amazing. We rode 4 days and had childcare each of those days. Getting to ride together was even better than I remember it being pre-Eliana. Team Stiles played hard, slept hard and just enjoyed being a family. Blessed. That's all. Totally blessed.

Headed home after a visit to the playground

Eli's first ride in the Gondola. I think here she's saying, "Oh, man!"
Hooray for blue sky and snow!
Happy kid! First day on the snow.
Uh-mazing!

St. Patrick's Day

Thanks to Nana in Maine, Eliana had everything an Irish girl could need.

Amigos!

Our friends, the Youngbloods, joined us for pancakes (reoccurring theme) on Sunday morning. Eliana waited on the back of the couch looking out the window, anxiously waiting for them to arrive. When they pulled up to the house, she freaked out and commenced squealing, "Amigos! Amigos! AAMMIIGGGOOOOOOS!" It was fantastic. She was so happy for them to be here. Later, she and Parker, her almost birthday twin, posed for a quick shot. Aren't they lovely?

Pancakes

Eliana loves to make pancakes. She knows the names of the ingredients and pretends to read the recipe by pointing to the words on the canister and saying, "Eggs. Milk. Mix." This morning, I threw in some chocolate chips. I think she liked them.

Utah

The rainy weather in Oregon doesn't normally get me down. I've always been able to appreciate the rain by thinking that as long as it's raining down in the city, we're getting snow in the mountains. Sadly, that has NOT been the case this year. It's often raining at the mountain as well. Depressing.

Greg recently had a trip planned to Salt Lake City for work and we took advantage. Nana came from Maine to watch Eliana for the weekend so that we could have a getaway just for us. It was fantastic.

We rode Snowbird on Saturday and the weather was pretty bad with lots of fog and snow. The tram was closed due to high winds. We didn't care too much. At least it was soft, fluffy Utah snow and not heavy, wet Oregon snain. I'd like to go back to Snowbird on a powder day. There's no doubt that the steep bowls would be fantastic, but with the fog and our lack of familiarity with the mountain, it was too sketchy. Going off a cliff would have been a bad thing.

Dinner on Saturday night was in the "hip" (quotes intentional) section of SLC at a restaurant called Pago. It was so good. We sat at the chef's counter, which is our favorite place to sit at fancy restaurants because you can strike up a conversation with the chefs and they generally pass extra little treats for you to try. This was no exception. Greg lucked out with a special sample of pork cheeks that were so tender you needed to eat them with a spoon.

Brighton on Sunday was one of my top three snowboarding experiences EVER. Powder, sun, and riding with my favorite snowboarding buddy. We hiked into bowls, rode in the trees, searched out little powder stashes and dreamt about going out of bounds to some of the prettiest terrain I've ever seen. Someday we will get split boards and really go earn our turns.

It was an amazing weekend and I'm already looking forward to a return trip.