So, Ethan has been dying for a scooter for some time. It does amaze me that at 1 1/2 he already has his mind set on things he would like to have for his own. When we visited Utah in May every time we went on walks he kept stealing scooters from the yards in my mom's neighborhood. Here, whenever we go outside if he see someone on a scooter he looses interest in whatever he is doing and runs over to try and wrestle his way onto the scooter. So, I finally broke down and bought him a scooter last week. I assembled it while he was napping and when he came down stairs he was so excited that he forgot all about wanting a snack. He just jumped right on and kept saying, "Outside! Outside!" It was fun to see him so happy with his scooter. To my surprise, he's actually quite a coordinated rider. The unfortunate part to the scooter story is that we have been dragging that thing around with us for days! I have to load it in the car just to get him out the door without a total meltdown. Hopefully that part of his scooter excitement will soon fade. :)

Spring into Summer

As we enjoyed the first full day of summer I got to thinking ... what happened to spring. It flew by. So, a quick update for those who are far and for my general record keeping.

Since March we've kept ourselves busy with …

1. Hosting my parents and aunts at our home for a couple of weeks.
2. Taking Ethan on his first backyard Easter egg hunt.
3. Dressing Ethan in his cool Easter threads. He was styln’!
4. Taking Ethan on his first Father and Son’s camp out at Cascade Park in Granite Falls.
5. A visit to Utah to help my mom, let Ethan play with his cousin, and enjoy the sun!
6. Visits to the park, hiking to twin falls and camping at Lake Easton to enjoy the dry weather here while it lasted.
7. Naps whenever we can sneak them in …. Zzzzz.

Snowshoeing Heather Lake

This past weekend we decided to get outdoors for the day and make use of our snow shoes which have been gathering dust in the garage. We headed for Mountain Loop Hwy which offers several great trails to choose from. We decided on hiking to Heather Lake at the base of Mount Pilchuck in the North Cascades.

All dressed up in our winter wear, including a new pair of hiking boots for me (yeah! Gotta love REI), we threw Ethan in the back pack and took off with Maddie leading the way. She was overjoyed to be out running through the icy streams and snow … she’s a true lab! We were able to hike most of the way without snow shoes, but sure appreciated them for the last ½ mile when the snow became soft and deep. Ethan loves heading out in the back pack and found it so relaxing he slept for about an hour on the way up. At the top we stopped for lunch alongside the frozen lake and enjoyed the serene views of the glaciers of Mount Pilchuck.

On the way down the mountain, just a few hundred feet from the parking area, we got a bit careless with the protruding tree branches and Ethan took one to the face! We didn’t think it really did much because he just made a little squawk and that was it. However, a few hours later he had a black eye and cut on his cheek. Ahhh, his first hiking battle wounds!

A poor little homeless child in Alaska ... oh wait, that's Ethan playing in the sludge of the parking area. He didn't care what color the snow was.

Evidence of Ethan's brush with nature. Thanks a lot mom and dad!

Being cheesy ... Ethan taking pics of himself.

A few more thoughts on Colombia ….

One thing that is for sure, you can find all kinds of entrepreneurs in Colombia. While cell phones are common in Colombia, not everyone has one like here in the U.S. But never fear because you’re sure to run into “pay by the minute” cells all around town. I snapped this picture on our trip to downtown Bogotá to a commercial area called San Victorino. These cell phone ‘booths’ are all over. You just walk up to the guy in the middle, ask for a phone, make your call, and pay him when you’re done - quite convenient if you ask me. As you can see, precautions are in place so people don’t run off with the phones.

One of my favorite day trips from Bogotá is to the town of Sopó. It’s a beautiful town against the mountains north of Bogotá. We usually make the trip there to visit the Alpina factory where they make delicious yogurts, cheeses, and desserts. Next to the factory is this new cabana where you can purchase some of their treats and sit outside and enjoy. I had the best cream puff ever!

At the Alpina Cabana in Sopó with Jairo's aunt Yolanda and her daughter Valerie.

We were also able to take a short weekend trip to Melgar. This is a small town about 60 miles Southwest of Bogotá. I have to admit that it seemed much further than 60 miles because it takes about 3 hours to make the trip because the terrain cover many steep mountain ranges so your traveling on two-lane roads up and down steep curvy mountains. It is a beautiful drive. In Melgar we enjoyed nice HOT weather so we spent lots of time in the pool soaking in the sun … although I packed on the sun block so I’m sure you couldn’t tell!

At the hotel in Melgar we found this tree with these amazing flowers that covered the ground below in a beautiful fuchsia that caught Ethan's attention. I still have yet to find the name of this tree. Any arborists out there?

Last, Ethan enjoyed meeting his grandfather, great-grandpa and great-grandma and many aunts, uncles and cousins. He had lots of fun getting to know everyone and of course enjoyed all the attention.

Us with Jairo's grandparents Juancho and Pepita.

Ethan playing with his grandpa Jairo.

Fingerpainting with Ethan's cousin Valerie.

Missing Colombia ~ Glad to Be Home

Returning from a trip is always bitter sweet for me. Many things I’m sad to say goodbye to, yet many things I’m sooo happy to be back to. So, a few thoughts since returning from Colombia (in no particular order).

I’ll miss …

1. Gorgeous weather! Bogotá has the most perfect weather with a year round average of 68 degrees (I realize this may seem cold to my Phoenix friends). Bright, sunny, warm days with showers in the early evenings to keep things green.

2. Delicious food. I really love Colombian food, particularly that the big meal of the day tends to be lunch so you're not left all bloated before bed time. Plus, all the fresh fruits you could ever want. Check out this site for some great pics and descriptions of typical Colombian comida (food).

3. Grandma Pepita’s juices. Jairo’s grandma Pepita makes the most delicious fresh fruit juices with fruits that are typical to Colombia … Lulo, Maracuya, Curuba …mmmm. She really could make a killing with her own juice store.

4. Family. Jairo’s family in Colombia is so kind and fun. Sad that we only see them every few years.

5. Peluquerias. Translated … beauty salons. These seem to be on every corner in the neighborhoods and the women take their trips to the salons seriously, visiting every 1-2 weeks to get nails done, hair cut and styled, etc. I always make sure to stop in and get a mani and a pedi … only $7 for both!

6. Panaderias. These little bakeries are also on every corner so walking around anywhere you can stop in and get some fresh bread or other little treats. Ethan’s favorite was Almojabana, a sweet roll made with corn meal, cheese, butter and eggs. Very yummy!

Some Almojabana.

7. Public transportation. Bogotá is such an easy place to get around. There is a lot more walking … why not, the weather is great, and you can always catch a bus, taxi, or take the Trasmilenio – a bus system that operates similar to a metro.

Glad we’re back because …

1. No more long plane rides … at least not soon. Ethan was a trooper with about 12 hours of air plane time each way. Plus he developed a bad case of diarrhea the morning we were heading home so we had many diaper changes on the plane. I packed extra in our carry-on just in case and we made it home with one to spare. Can’t say how happy I was to get off the plane last night. Halleluiah!

2. Glad to be back to my own bed and house. I can relax and let Ethan roam free around the house. No more worrying about him breaking other people’s stuff or cracking his head on all the tile floor and glass tables.

3. No more crazy driving. I swear I return from trips to Latin America with an ulcer from all the crazy driving. Driving in L.A. or New York is a treat in comparison.

4. Back to a schedule. The great thing about vacation is not having a schedule. But all the running around, staying out late & getting up early really wears on everyone, especially Ethan. He did great, but he was definitely in need of some regular nap and bed times.

5. Time to myself. I’m an introvert by nature and love time to myself. Everyone knows how it is on family vacations where there are people around all the time.

6. Open space. Bogotá and the surrounding area has a population of about 8 million people so you can imagine how crowded city life can be. We did get out of the city, which is gorgeous, but most of the time was spent in tight spaces and busy streets. At times I love the ability to go out and have people around all the time, but, as stated above, some times you want a bit more peace and quiet.

Landscape north of Bogota.

7. No more food guilt! As I mentioned above I love Colombian food, but we often received very large portions and we were always offered little extras between meals. Not wanting to offend, Jairo and I ate more than our usual share of food, yet we were still encouraged to eat more. I think if I stayed longer I would need to buy a new wardrobe before returning home.

Some pics of the trip coming soon ...