The Valley

A couple of weekends ago we went to an Oktoberfest at party at Scott & Erin's in Ogden, UT (just north of Salt Lake City, in "the valley").  Ogden sits at the foothills of the mountains, lending to some dramatic views.  Perhaps I watched a few too many episodes of The Secret World of Alex Mac (set in the AZ desert)... or maybe that it's just such a different landscape than the Pacific Northwest... but i find it spectacular!

Potty, please

While Isaac was in the bath tonight, he signed for a diaper change, then he climbed out of the tub to do this:

He peed!

We are definitely not pushing potty training. But we've introduced it and it's fun(ny) to see him interested in it. (I realize that if my 22 year-old self read this I would be laughing hysterically).

Oh the adventures in parenting!

Winter already!? :: Shenanigans :: Potpourri

It was 70 degrees on Monday.  Then it snowed Tuesday.  WTF!? Oh well, that means snowboarding is right around the corner! Here's some photos of Park City with snow, a few of Isaac's latest shenanigans and just a little bit of this and that.

SNOW

A sprinkling of snow on Thursday (took this photo on my walk to work)

SHENANIGANS

Isaac's climbing on everything.  Awesome at the park; troublesome at home.

Look what he can climb up all on his own!

At least the dog is tolerant:

The "Rody" is tolerant too! (and a more parent-approved climbing device)

POTPOURRI 
And lastly, just a little of this and that:

I found him quietly reading to himself.  So sweet -- even if the book is upside down.

Exploring a new park with Dad

Mountain Biking: Views from the Top

In the summer months in Park City, mountain biking replaces snow sports as the number one recreational activity.  The ski hills turn into a mountain biking oasis, and there are hundreds of trails to explore ranging from beginner to expert.

Eric used to mountain bike regularly in Bellingham. So it was easy for him to pop back on a bike and enjoy a long, steep climb with his friends last week.  I on the other hand, am skilled on a road bike, but I had never been on a mountain bike ride. Until Saturday, that is.  Our friend Michelle took me on the Deer Valley Mid-Mountain trail, an intermediate climb.  I only had a few falls (mostly due to my clumsiness with the clip-in shoes/petals) but other than that, I had a blast!

And the views from the top are gorgeous:

Near the top of our ride.  Overlooking Deer Valley Ski Resort

Riding through the aspen trees

Another view from the top

 

Visit with "Gampa"

Isaac's grandpa, Don, visited for a few days last week.  Don was passing through on a cross-country motorcycle trip and he was our first official visitor.

Some highlights of the trip:

Gondola ride to lunch at the Canyons Resort

Story time at the library

Dining out in Park City

Taking the bus!

 Grandpa & Isaac reading (translated by Mom & Dad):

 And of course, the sweetest thing was that Grandpa and Isaac really bonded.  After Don left, Isaac was asking for "gampa" and doing his sign/noise for motorcycle "vroom vroom."  We're very excited for their next visit, and look forward to having "Gamma" here too!

(Oh, and there are a few more photos in our September picassa album too)

Our Neighborhood

"Hi! Welcome to our neighborhood.  Here are some views I see (almost) every morning on our run."

The leaves are changing.

Ski hills.... just waiting for the snow!

Lots of rolling hills

Playing around in our neighborhood

Our neighborhood park

Wide, open spaces

Historic main street (about 2/3 mile from our home)

Dirty Dash!

What do you get when you cross a 

10K running race with

boot-camp style obstacles, 

crazy costumes and 

a whole lot of mud? 

It's called the Dirty Dash!

I participated in this fun-mud-run yesterday and it was an absolute blast! 

By far the most fun 6-mile run I've ever done...

Our friend Michelle organized a team of friends, officially called team "Dipstix". 

We dressed as '80's sports fanatics. 

Here are the before and after pictures of our team:

"Before":  All Clean and ready to run!

"After": Happily muddy

I was a little nervous about the race, because I've only been running 2-4 miles regularly, and there's a bit of altitude here in Park City (almost 7,000 feet).  But, the obstacles broke up the trail running and really, it was more about having fun than getting a 'personal record' (did they even time us?  I'm not sure!). Not to say it wasn't a great workout... I'm definitely feeling it today! 

To give you an idea of the route, here is a map from the Dirty Dash website (http://www.thedirtydash.com/).  If you love running and/or having fun, you HAVE to try one of these!  

Seriously... do it! It's so much dirty fun.

The First Week in Park City

Greetings from Park City! Here are a few photos of Isaac's first week in Park City, UT:

 

Besides settling into our new home and unpacking ALL of those boxes, we've been having fun exploring the town.  Isaac's been to the park almost every day (and sometimes 2x a day). We've also enjoyed toddler story-time at the library, the farmers market and the dog park. I am still job searching, but in the meantime I'm truly enjoying the time with Isaac! And there are so many kid-friendly activities in town that we're keeping busy and I'm not going too stir-crazy, yet.

Overall, Isaac has done great with the move. The first few nights and nap-times were a little bit rough, but now he is sleeping great at night and has transitioned to just one power-nap during the day.

We'll share some photos of our new home once we're a little more organized (there's still a bit of unpacking and organizing to do).  But in the meantime, we've started a September album for your viewing pleasure.

Photos: the epic goodbye party!

Before we left for Park City, we had one last (rather epic) BBQ at our house.  Our good friend, and very talented photographer, Ryan Carlson, came with his camera and helped us capture the afternoon.  There was no way to capture everyone who attended, but the photos sure do capture the spirit of the day!

Here is a peek at the photos:

And the full photos can be viewed here (click to go to the Picasa Page).

Reunited in Park City

After a week of being apart, we are so happy to all be together again! Eric drove to Utah a week ahead of me and Isaac to start his job and take care of things in Utah. I stayed in Seattle to finish up my work, pack and move, and get the house ready for tenants. Here is a photo of Eric and Isaac at a park near our new home:

Before we left we also got to see Oma and capture four generations. We love you, Oma!