Camping in the Uintas (Northeast corner of Utah)

We arrived to our campsite just in time to put up the tent, watch the sun set, and have precious tummy time.

"I love it out here!" or " I am so happy to be out of that car seat!"

Hiking in the Utah elements is not a good idea with a small child. Instead of checking out the scenery, we focused on protecting our daughter from the harsh sun and mosquito population.
I barely recall seeing this lake near the top of Lake Pass trail.

However, I do remember this switchback (not the last one before we crested the pass).

Back on the Road

So thrilled to be in the car again, Trevor dons his pearly whites.....only 2000+ miles before we get home!

Once again, Taco John's comes through with the best outdoor changing tables.

Our first stop heading West was to hang out with Cecilia's Great Great Aunt Jane in Denver.

Congrats Jeanette & Krishna!

I hope the honeymoon in our house was all you had hoped it would be.
(you really could have taken a few hours and weeded the clover that ran rampant in the backyard while we were away)

A Few Days with Oma & Opa

Oma Lynda and Little C playing some tunes.

Cecilia and Opa Drew spent a lot of time bonding in the backyard.

Another Party!

Great auntie Marcia givin' C some lovin'

More great people: Aunt Cindy, Uncle Wally and Gma Deloris

Grandma Eileen gives her important advice

and Grandma Mary is always the one who you can count on for fun!

Krishna & Jeanette get married

But first a little party time @ the Ziegenfuss cabin.
The boyz and the baby

Sunset Cruise on Half Moon Lake

A few beers were consumed, a few fish caught, a few crazy ladies jumped into the water, and one Cecilia pet the pup and then nursed until she passed out. Good times.

A quick post- volleyball dip in the mild water.

"Not bad Mom, but I like my 97 degree bath water better. Not that I have much of a say concerning any activities you guys decide to involve me in. Thanks"

Next Stop: Wisconsin

Family Time!
Thanks to the Haug bunch who traveled to Menomonie to meet Cecilia.

..and a great big shout goes out to the Elfstrom ladies for making the trek to meet C
Cecilia got to meet 2 great aunts and 1 great-great aunt all in one day.

Hanging out with the family and some of the Dog Town crew.

After cleaning up (thanks to the motel owner for rummaging through her kitchen to find this tub to bathe Cecilia) and driving across the baron land of Eastern Montana and North Dakota, we arrived in Northern Minnesota.
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Papa & Nannie have waited longingly for Cecilia to visit Long Lake.

So many good pictures with Uncle Dustin, it was tough to choose just one.

Because of Uncle Nate's reluctance to hold Cecilia, we only have this one pic of them together.
(Thankfully it is a good one)
Cecilia is perplexed by her uncle's double arm cross-over holding technique.

Ahh, The Wonders of Nature

Amused by Fire

Avalanche Lake

Our first hike in Glacier was to Avalanche Lake. Now that we have a little one to tote around, we limit our hikes to less than 6 miles round trip.

Cecilia is always pretty happy when she is outdoors.

She is adapting well to her parents' lifestyle, and she almost seems to be liking it.

Road Trip Continued... Driving to Glacier National Park

The road home is chock full of Taco John's, so we never had to go without a good meal:)
-so sorry you could not join us Emily and E

Lots of roadside stops- It seems disposable diapers equal more blowouts. A road trip is not a fun time to learn that disposables just do not seem to hold everything in like their cloth counterparts.

Finally, we made it to Glacier National Park.

Our new family size tent.

and a child's size Thermarest (which we placed between us at night).
She slept 12 hours each of the three nights!

Trevor introduces Cecilia to her first llama.

Cherries and goats galore.

Cecilia chills on the bed while the girls cook in Renae's cabin.

We should have brought this sign along with us for our future family gatherings.

more on those to come.....

Road Trip 2009

We decided it would be a great idea to bring our new daughter on an American road trip. Trevor secured a month off from work, we bought a new car & a family tent, and headed out early Saturday morning towards the Midwest.
Our new set of wheels: A Honda Civic Hybrid-- with 45-50 miles to the gallon and about 500 miles on each tank you would think we would make less stops. Not the case with a babe who likes to eat every 3 hours.


Our first over night stop was in Chelan, Washington to drop Mira off at the farm.


Yes, we dropped Mira off at a real farm. My sister is an organic farmer for a CSA and a small open air market in a beautiful lake town in Central Washington. She kindly accepted to take Mira while we tripped about.

Renae poses in front of her harvested crop.

Another shot of Renae, this time with sleeping Cecilia, in front of one of her two greenhouses. The greenhouse behind her is full of thousands of ripening tomatoes. We left her place with satiated bellies:)