Father's Day

Gary and Arlo started a tradition a couple of years ago of visiting the Audubon Society on Father's day.

This year the weather was nice and sunny but not too hot, perfect, really, for a short stroll in the woods and a look at some birds.

And for eating, of course.

Vrooooom

Aurora, Demitri and Sarah have been going to Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden a lot lately.

If you haven't been, it's a delightfully water-filled park with all sorts of water fowl, squirrels, big green lawns and, of course, rhododendrons.

And don't forget the crazy baby drivers!
I didn't know Aurora would be such a natural driver. Watch out, Portland roads!

Thanks to Sarah for the photo. :)

You Look Hungry

Aurora is such a good sharer nowadays!


Here she is, sharing her cheez-it with me as I dig into the tupperware for more chex-mix.

(That's healthy, right? Whole grain cereals with butter? Babies need fat in order to survive. So do adults, for that matter. Thank goodness we're so Healthy, eating plenty of fat and whole grains in the form of ice cream and crackers.)


Most of the time Aurora holds out her prize to someone, then pulls it back when they reach for it. She already knows how to trick us!

Dairy Queen 2

Here is another photo of Aurora enjoying her ice cream cone the other night.


Due to trying to hide my hoggish nature, I didn't mention that Aurora needed a little help with her cone.


Forgetting to model How to Eat an Ice Cream Cone, I stuck it up to her face and she gamely stuck her tongue out and planted her mouth on the ice cream. She didn't really get much, so I started spooning the ice cream into her mouth. She promptly spit out each bite, unused to the cold.



Even after showing her how to lick it with several licks, she didn't want to lick it (or maybe I just got going too fast and ate a bit too much. Ahem.) so I gave her the cone which was really only eaten down to the top of the cone. There was still plenty of ice cream, people!

She chewed on the cone and stuck her fingers into the ice cream, dribbling it all over her leg and down her wrists. She seemed to enjoy it until she decided she was done and dropped it on the floor, then cried when I threw it away.

Smacky, the New Dairy Queen

Aurora had a hard evening. She screamed unless Gary was holding her, and she didn't want him to sit down while he was holding her, either. She didn't want to eat, she didn't feel like talking, and she certainly didn't want to sit on the floor and play quietly while people were cooking dinner.

After dinner, which for her was two bites of carrots and 4 peas and a few squirms that almost landed her on the floor, she and I took a long walk to a surprise destination.

And voila! Here is Smack's first ice cream cone from the Dairy Queen on 60th and Duke. I got a three mile walk, Smacky got some exciting sights to look at and we both got some tasty ice cream.

I need to go wash the stickiness off myself now. . .

String Cheese Smack

Aurora tried some string cheese yesterday as I was packing her food for today.

She did take some chomps but I think she was more interested in the texture of it.

Strange- when she gets non-food items, she just wants to chew on them, but when she gets food, she'll examine it.

Maybe I just didn't let her chew on that rock long enough on Saturday to let her get to examining it...

A Fair Day

Here are Aurora and Arlo, waiting for the little train at Oaks Park, where the Multnomah County Fair was held.

Aurora got to see baby piggies, a mini donkey, bunnies, and everyone else consume delicious treats. She had some bbq beans and plenty of formula but we didn't get ice cream or elephant ears this time, and the cotton candy was just too sugary for her, in my opinion.

But she had fun being held by cousin Jen, and pointed her finger in greeting at cousins Elly and Lily, and saw Mommy riding the roller coaster.

Oh, and she wore Auntie Laurie's hat that she first wore to the state fair last year. Except for when she kept ripping it off.