bend is the best

my bro got a civil engineering job.  in bend.  sad for us, stoked for him.  he is a mountain biker and snow boarder - bend is perfect for him.  i am excited to have a reason to get over there more. 

this job thing happened fast.  two weeks before his 30th.  instead of having a big party in pdx.  we deciding to surprise him in bend, with the entire fam sans david .  dan was very surprised.  the weather was perfect.  despite my dad breaking his arm (yes - he broke his arm taking the dog on a walk 5 min after we arrived) it was the BEST weekend.  we laughed a lot.   most of the time at jax because he was crying, or at my mom because she is cray, or my dad - because he really tripped on nothing.

the prep

look dan - they are in matching bumbas

my poor dad. before we realized his arm was actually broken

i think walker took like 6 naps.  first time he relaxed in a LONG time.

toots.

the er didn't cast his arm, just put in a sling and gave him some meds.  he was a trooper.

teaching dan how to sit like a baby

stars and stripes

70 and sunny in October.

this is my favorite pix of jax.  SO CUTE.  em looks a little creepy.

 

a house divided...

i totes know how folks back in the civil war felt about having family members both in the north and south.... walker is a duck and i am a husky.  it's like the exact same thing.

this year we were all set to go up to the game.  i was stoked. it was game day.  first game of the season, first time seeing the new stadium, first time boone got to see where mom went to school.  we had tickets.  we had a hotel. we had those baby ear phones. we had the perfect cold weather outfit for boone. we also had a dad who over committed on a second house deadline.  LAME.  so we stayed home and had some friends over instead.

parties sure are different with babies.  less booze.  less actually watching of the game. more talk of napping, feeding, sleep training...

trash talking still the same.  it actually gets pretty heated. #stillhaveabetterrecordagainsttheducks #wewillbebetteragain. and because i write this blog. go dawgs.

boone thomas and lilah june 2030.

solids.

boone tried his first solid - sweet potato.  wasn't as impressed as i thought he would be....  more interested in the camera. 

 

c'mon, that face.

TAHOE

back in September we went to Tahoe for a good friends wedding.  thanks to lizard's parents, Tahoe has been somewhat of a summer tradition since college.  we didn't make it last year, so we made up for it this year.

my folks have heard stories about "club antelope" for years.  this year they got to experience the magic themselves.  they tagged along to watch the baby for the wedding.  i gotta say, we all had a great time.  my folks are a dream to travel with, not only are they a good time, they are extremely helpful.  we are lucky.  and boone killed it all weekend.  he was just cute and fun and chubby.  didn't make a peep on the plane ride.  he just nailed Tahoe left and right. oh and we got to witness one of my best friends get engaged.  so special.

tired boy

 

the only group shot - the waiter was like, i think it's a little blurry....

view from hotel

chilax

jakey and zac

first time having multiple cocktails in over a year... hits you faster.

boone's first pool dunk

 he is a natural. did a swan dive after this photo.

 

love him

love them

 

until next year Tahoe...

second house...

dare i say it? the second house is done???  the timing of walker's contribution (the woodwork and finishes and basically the entire house) was awesome with boone's arrival.  and because things don't translate well into print, imagine me saying "awesome" super sarcastic and actually pretty angry.

this house has been a huge learning process for walker and i.  what did we learn?  oh that it was more expensive and took way longer than anticipated. wait.  that is how every.single.project has been.  the deal was when i agreed to this little project was that it wouldn't cut into family time and we would stick to budget....ha! to be fair, it was hard on walker not being around.  he was up early and home late for three months strait.  sometimes he would go three to four days without even seeing boone.  it was really awesome when i went back to work (again sarcasm and print) and because i am a supportive wife, i would say things like, "boone is going to remember this"... hey - what can i say,  i have been a single mom,  i can say whatever i want.  and the cool part was, he felt so guilty about breaking the deal that most of the time he would just take it or do what he does best when i cry - he cries too.  and then i just feel bad because he is a grown man. i think he does it on purpose.  genius.

back to the house.  despite the above, the finished product is amazing. wt's attention to detail is beyond. from the tall ceilings, to the tall doors hand made from reclaimed wood, to the carefully sourced materials through out the house. It really is amazing how keeping it simple is what makes this house unique. whoa, deep thoughts from Libba.  super modern, super clean, super impressive.  my brother helped out with the landscaping...

this....

 to this....

more here:

www.twentyfirstcenturymodern.com