Aint no sunshine

Yeah!!! As I write this my baby is less than half an hour away from being home!!! Belize and I survived Brannon's month departure and are very excited to have him all to ourselves for a week! Brannon's rotation at OHSU went well and I think he really enjoyed it there. I wouldn't be too surprised if we were in the Portest of lands this time next year. With a rough start to the week, meltdowns GALORE, the week has ended nicely with lots of kissy faces and giggles. Lately she's had a slight obsession with towels, whether using them to "clean up" or draping them over her head in biblical style- only problem is they fall off after 2 seconds so I end up putting the towel on over and over again. Her newest phrases are, "Bye, bye, see you later" and "You're welcome." Also she LOVES giving rasberry kisses especially on baby brother a.k.a. mommy's tummy. She's also been surprising me with her letter skills; like the other day she randomly pointed at the computer keyboard and said, "T" . . . and it was the T. She amazes me!

The Coast

These are the last pictures I will be posting for awhile as my beloved camera that snapped its little heart out for 5 years is officially dead. :( This weekend we went camping with the Butterfields (cousins once or twice removed) at Ocean Shores state park. It was a blast! It poured the first night but cleared up for a beautiful weekend. I successfully put up and down the tent thanks to Brannon's detailed instructions and my outdoor prowess and am proud to say, Belize and I were as dry as cereal before the milk! Belize had fun bonding with her cousins and their bicycles, especially her cousin Madi who she lovingly called Mani. Gary cooked with a dutch oven and the food was divine!!! Then we hopped in the car again and drove down to visit the Angus's in Portland where Brannon was able to see us for maybe a total of a few hours in 3 days but it was worth it just to see him. Belize was enamered with her 3 year old cousin, Emma and followed her everywhere. Thanks to the Butterfields and the Angus's for welcoming us into your campgroud/home!

We love the Garcias!

Week 1

Whew, one week down as a single parent, three to go! Thanks to everyone who came over to visit, endured my phone calls and invited us to go play. We had a lot of fun, despite Dad being gone and I haven't slept this well in months (Belize is a good personal trainer and the minute my head hits the pillow, I'm OUT!) We also had a wonderful visit from Brannon this weekend (we think it will be the only weekend off he gets), Belize has been saying all week that her Dad is on an airplane and he flew away, even though I've been telling her he's at work. And she gets excited everytime we hear a plane.

And let me just describe more in detail what is going on in the first picture. We spent the night at Nana's house one night, the doll is sleeping on the mattress and Belize is sleeping on the doll's sleeping bag- fair trade? She also put herself down for a nap early when Aunt Sarah found her asleep on her bed!!!! How cute is that? I just love that girl, she's a sweetie pie!

Bad news- Brannon is taking the laptop for a presentation and I will be COMPUTERLESS for awhile, not sure that I will make it, give us a call as I will not be receiving any emails. :(