THE MANNHARD FAMILY

We had a fun day at the apple orchard last Saturday. Some friends of our invited us to join them for a pick and press. We picked apples and pressed them into apple cider. Yum. It was hard to tear the dads away from the press. They were having more fun than the kids.

Scott and couple other dads took the kids out for another hike. They went to a local wetland/wilderness area called Smith and Bybee Lakes. The kids have a lot of fun and come home really tired.

With all of the sitting, holding, bottle feeding, around the house Reed and I needed to get out on some open terrain. So I lead him and some of his friends (and their dads) out for the first of a series called Toddler Trails.  Much of time was spent coaxing them down the trail because they would frequently plop down to play in the gravel path.  But the prospect of blackberries, a bridge, and throwing rocks into the water kept them motivated.

Our destination was a bird blind sculpture designed by Maya Line (the one who designed the Vietnam Memorial in Washington DC).  It’s one of several to commemorate the confluence of different people  and species at the Columbia River.  Laser cut into the wood are the names of species identified by Lewis and Clark.  The wood itself is Black Locust which is an invasive species up here so it’s use appropriately removes it from growing the in wild.  And its a particularly suitable wood for untreated outdoor exposure.

The bird watching was not so good, a group of 4 toddlers aren’t about to sneak up on anything.  But Reed did like to play with the binoculars.

Look for more blog entries from the wild lands in Portland’s backyard.

From left: Anouk, Reed, Nate, and Dean

bridge to bird blind

Reed up the ramp

Nate up the ramp

The louvers are laser-cut with species identified by Lewis & Clark, then their modern name as we know them, and then their status: endangered, thriving, extinct, etc

The girls are becoming more interactive everyday. They stay awake for longer periods of time and have really taken an interest in rattles and bright colored objects. We even get some smiles lately!

A smile! - 08/27/09

Reed and Brooke - 08/29/09

Playing with Dad - 08/29/09

Playing with Mom - 08/31/09

We were lucky to have my grandmother visit for a week. She was a big help with the girls and with entertaining Reed. She brought Reed a couple new books, which quickly became his favorites. He had Mamau read them to him over and over.

Mamau and Reed enjoying a book - 08/15/09

The girls loved to nap on Mamau's shoulder - 08/20/09

We had a great time with Tracy and Rene during their recent visit. With the help of the extra hands, we were able to get out and do some things and have many great dinners together.  On one of the hot days we all went out to Horsetail falls to play in the water and cool off. On another day Scott and Cedar got to get out for a hike in the Gorge with Tracy and Rene.  Finally, Scott and Tracy rode the Bridge Pedal crossing eleven or so Portland bridges with thousands of other cyclists. We wrapped up the visit with a small celebration of Scott’s birthday. In between all the activities they both got lots of quality aunt and uncle time in. The babies loved to curl up with them and Reed loved to have Aunt Tracy read bedtime stories (for those of you who have been here at bedtime, you know how special that is that he would choose Aunt Tracy read his stories).

Reed and Eve - 08/01/09

Yummy Summer Dinners on the Porch - 08/01/09

Scott and Reed at Horsetail Falls - 08/02/09

Rene and Jenn enjoy the falls with the girls - 08/02/09

Getting ready for a ride - 08/04/09

A hike in the Gorge - 08/05/09

Bedtime stories with Aunt Tracy - 08/06/09

Bridge Pedal 2009 - 08/09/09

Taking in the view of downtown from the freeway bridge - 08/09/09

Resting on the St. John's Bridge - 08/09/09

Aunt Tracy and Eve

Uncle Rene and Brooke

It’s been a while since our last blog post - the past month has really flown by. It’s been a great couple of weeks though. We enjoyed having Scott’s mom here for about three weeks. Reed loved hanging out with his Grammie and we loved having the extra hand. We’ve been doing pretty well - just tired. The girls continue to grow and grow. Scott and I have worked out a bit of  a system for the nighttime feedings that allows us each to get some sleep. We’re also fortunate to have such great neighbors that help us out quite a bit. Their daughter, Lola, and Reed love to play together, so they’ve been spending the hot days playing in the pool and running around in minimal (if any) clothing.  There are some cute pictures of them on the 4th of July on Lola’s blog (there’s a link to it on the right). Now that we’re caught up, I’ll try to keep up with the photos and blog posts a little better. 

07/10/09

07/08/09 - Bright Eyes

07/04/09 - Happy 4th of July

07/04/09 - Holding each other's pacifiers

07/02/09 - Reed playing with friend Fiona

07/02/09 - Yummy watermelon

07/01/09 - They love being next to each other

06/30/09 - The girls love their baths

06/30/09 - Eve snuggling with Mom

06/30/09 - Brooke snuggling with Grammie

06/21/09 - Hanging out together

06/21/09 - Reed checks on his sisters for us

06/19/09 - Grammie helps Reed hold his sister

The girls checked out okay at their first pediatric appointment. The doctor said they looked good and had gained weight since leaving the NICU.

Eve

 

Brooke