Where Did February Go?

I am in awe of the fact that today is February 27th. Time is going by too fast and I wish that things would slow down - just a little. Baby Stiles will make its debut in about two months; I only have seven weeks left with students. I'm glad about that, but it's also bittersweet. My 8th grade dual-language students are so amazing. Yesterday they had me cracking up about a million different things. They are so clever, mature, and creative. One of my students got really serious yesterday and said, "Mrs. Stiles, you are still going to come to our graduation aren't you?" Of course! How could I miss it? I'm so proud of them all and hope that they find great success in life. They all face so many obstacles everyday. Most come from very low-income families, many are not legal residents, their parents work extremely hard and are often not around. However, these students persevere. They ask questions, they motivate each other, they push me to be prepared and ready to challenge them. It is an extraordinary class and I will miss them terribly; I've been lucky to have been their teacher for the last two years.

In other news, Greg turns 35 in a few days. He's going to celebrate by going to state finals with the high school snowboarding team he coaches. He'll be up at the mountain next week from Thursday to Sunday staying in a condo with a couple of the other coaches. I'll join him on Saturday. No snowboarding for me, but it will be fun to be in the snow and hang out in Government Camp.

March promises to be a great month. More snow for Greg, time with friends at their cabin over Spring Break, taking in the show Wicked with my niece Megan, dinners with friends, and hopefully a bit more sunshine. I've been bad at taking photos this month to share with you all. Hopefully I do better next month!

Belly Pics

Okay.  I have to say that I am not super stoked to share these belly pics, but many of you who are far away have been asking for them.  So here they are.  Baby Stiles is growing - a lot.  My midwife told me at the last appointment that the baby is "measuring large". Oh brother...

December 30, 2008

22 Weeks

January 11, 2009

24 Weeks

It just seemed to pop-out over a two week period and continues to grow at what feels like an alarming rate.  It's getting hard to tie my shoes and I've lost visual contact with the lower half of my body.  I am now in the middle of my 26th week which means we have less than 100 days until B-day.  Hooray!

and then...it snowed AGAIN

Greg and I cruised down to Cathedral Park on Monday to check out the snowboarding possibilities. As we approached the park it became pretty evident that Greg wasn't going to want to stay for the originally planned 30 to 45 minutes. It was a snow park! There were little kickers all over the place and the stairs were so covered they made a fun little ramp. I was pretty jealous standing there watching him play. Blah. Oh well...maybe this will happen again...

Greg's backside 180 over a picnic table

Another picnic table 180

Greg and me under the bridge

This last week has definitely been exciting here in the Portland Metro area. I can honestly say that I'm ready for the snow to melt! Even a little rain would be a welcome sight! There is no doubt we'll have a white Christmas this year.

More Snow!

We watched it come down all day yesterday and I can't believe how much snow we have! Greg, Howard, Pema and I took a walk through St. Johns and down to Cathedral Park so that Greg could snowboard the hill. Greg was able to ride the sidewalk from the top of the hill all the way down into the park.

Here's he and Pema cruising down the baby hill in the park.

Me on the St. Johns' Bridge

Greg snowboarding down Seneca in front of our house


Our backyard


Our back porch

Our front porch

It is definitely feeling like Christmas around here! We spent the afternoon making bread and cookies for the neighbors and then I made a yummy rack of lamb for dinner. What a great way to spend a cold, snowy day.

Baby Stiles' Internet Debut

Here are a couple of photos for the fans. Baby Stiles is coming along nicely. Doctor says that the little ninja weighs about 11 ounces and is "measuring long" which makes me wonder if they were looking at the right ultrasound! Top photo is a head profile and the bottom one is a foot. Grow, Baby Stiles, grow!

Yeah Snow! No School!

We received a bit of snow here in Portland on Sunday and yippee it was enough to close school for a day.

Here is the house: Now we have lights all around the porch (that Greg put up in the FREEZING wind last night) and our tree in the front window. It looks very festive.


Greg did a neighborhood walk on Sunday night and took some photos of downtown St. Johns.

The park:

The cinema:


The clock in the town square:


The best thing to happen was our neighbor Gaille and her goats...yep...goats going to the store! She lives across the street and the goats like to go on walks with her and her dog, Lola. Silly stuff!


It is really pretty and I hope that we get the snow they are promising on Wednesday. Maybe I I won't have to go to school on Thursday or Friday, either. THINK SNOW!

Sunday Brunch

Last Sunday we had our friends, the Youngbloods and the Moersfelders, over for brunch and a walk to Kelly Point Park. A couple of years ago the tradition of a supper club started and we try to get together every month for a meal. Life doesn't always cooperate and it had been too long since we were all together. Greg made a strata and roasted asparagus. My contribution was pan dulce from the Mexican panaderia in St. Johns. We had a fantastic time and lots of laughs. Taylor, Mark and Kendall's daughter, had fun petting the kitty and jumping into Pema's bed. She is so fun to be around! Unfortunately, there are no photos of her to post because she slept for the entire walk at Kelly Point Park.

After breakfast the walk was perfect; the sun was shining and we took the dogs with us. The Youngblood's dog, Kihei, had a blast racing around after her rubber chicken and swimming in the river. Poor Pema had to stay on her leash because she is not good at staying with us. Mark, Greg, Stephanie and Spencer found a board and a log to make a teeter-totter with and that provided at least 30 minutes of entertainment.

We had such a nice time and look forward to getting together again with everyone soon!