Elliott's 1st Birthday!

Elliott turned 1 on July 26th, 2012!

I can't believe how old he is and how much Adam and I adore him!

His birth feels like a distant memory :)

We had a Summertime themed party in our back yard with watermelon, popsicles, and birthday cake. The Argosy and ducks were part of the fun, too.

We made felt watches as an activity and party favor ("What time is it?" -"It's Summertime!")

...Unfortunately, I can't find the other pictures from this party :(

Schwarzwalder reunion

Every three years, there is a large Blackwelder reunion at Solitude ski Resort, near Salt Lake City. This year, we have a German theme: Schwarzwalder Reunited!

Prizes from Europe

These are my prizes from Europe...the spoils of Iceland+Paris/2012

Clockwise from upper left:

Blue and white dirndle with blouse - 10E ($12) at Marche aux Puces St. Ouen, Paris

Grey wool beret for Adam - 5E ($5.50) in Paris

White head scarf with blue stitching - 300 ISK ($3) at Frida Fraenka, Reykjavik

Blue and white valise for Elliott - 5E ($5.50) at Marche aux Puces St. Ouen, Paris

Red and white dot bandana - 100 ISK ($1) at Kolaportid, Reykjavik

Wood train spelling 'Elliott' - 9E ($11) from street vendor at Sacre Coeur

Puzzle of Iceland - gift to Elliott from friends in Selfoss, Iceland

Shoes, pale green flats with yellow elastic - 100E ($120) in Paris

Black antique blouse, White Edwardian blouse - 1000 ISK ($10) each! at Kolaportid, Reykjavik

Bag sewn from turn-of-the century floral fabric - 10E ($12) at Marche aux Puces St. Ouen, Paris

Knife and spoon from fabric and resin 6E each? ($7.50) - Sabre kitchen store in Montmartre, Paris

Pack of spoons for Elliott - 50 ISK ($.50) at Frida Fraenka, Reykjavik

Lakkris bindi/leather ties for all our male family members- 1000 ISK each ($10) at Spuutnik, Reykjavik

Fabric, 2 African prints and houndstooth remnant - 3E/meter ($3.50/yard) at Maison Drefus fabric store. I am going to make Elliott a tunic and matching pants with the blue print!

summer photos

dino jammies at the rock wall:

new jeans:

delicious, fruity-tasting, dark chocolate

two-day-old goats!

chicken shorts

Elliott now has some cute chicken print shorts from two fat-quarters that were on sale.

I used the same pattern I drafted for the German Dancer shorts, only I made these larger.

Here he is saying Hi to the cars:

He loves trying to put on his shoes:

And use knitting needles like pencils and swords:

Rocket Stove

Adam built a 16 brick rocket stove so we could enjoy our summer dinners outside.

We've made several pans of zucchini (from our garden box!) and hamburgers wrapped in kale leaves from our garden, too :)

Elliott loved the zucchini

And teased us with his new standing tricks:

Darrington 4th of July

For our second trip in the Argosy, we drove north to Darrington at the Northern end of the Mountain Loop Highway. We arrived the night before the 4th of July and met our friends, Stephanie, Gabe, and their little Stella.

We camped at Cold Creek at the start of the Mountain Loop Highway. There was a beautiful, wide riverbed full of moss covered rocks:

We ate fish salad for dinner and Elliott discovered Otter Pops (love his hand position...zen moment):

The next day we ate crepes for breakfast filled with ricotta cheese and sliced oranges.

Then we headed out for a hike. Gab and Adam wanted to climb Green Giant Buttress, so Stephanie and I took our time on the approach since we had babies and then wouldn't have to wait as long for the men to finish.

Unfortunately, by the time the boys got near the base of the climb, they realized there wouldn't be enough daylight to finish the route, so they decided to wait for us and eat lunch all together.

Gabe set up a rope to help us cross the stream while Adam walked along the trail toward us to make sure we hadn't turned around.

The hike was through thick bush and trees along an old mining trail. We saw old water pipe and machinery from their operations.

A nurse log:

Crossing the stream was fun!

The view from the other side was gorgeous:

What a wonderful place to eat lunch:

Elliott enjoying the river rocks:

We watched the Darrington town firework show from our Argosy in the high school parkinglot:

In the morning we were on the road early to get back to work (after figuring out how to dump our black water...)

To many more adventures.....

Ingalls Peak III

Our first trip in the Argosy was to Ingalls Peak - one of our favorite places to hike, climb, and camp.

Here is Adam, driving the Argosy:

Our huge windows make for great views of the Pacific Northwest. I think my favorite part about the Argosy is driving around looking at everything. It feels significantly different than in a car :)

Elliott loved being forward-facing for the first time. He stared at Adam, who was driving, for about 20 minutes.

Dinner in the Argosy is usually quesadillas, beans, guacamole, chips, and salsa or fish salad.

This time to Ingalls, we met up with Adam's friend from Elementary School, Tim Starr and his wife, Kelly. They have been travelling the country with their trailer and skiing for the last few months. Luckily, it worked to meet up with them while they were stationed at Mt. Rainier.

In the morning, Adam and Tim hiked ahead of us so they could climb the South Ridge of Ingalls North Peak. Elliott and I hiked with Kelly, and it was fun to get to know her.

Elliott and I at the pass with Mount Stuart in the background. Yes, I hiked like an idiot with this shoulder bag. It was easier to carry Elliott in the Ergo, but it has no storage...

Elliott wore his fleecy layers:

Ingalls lake beginning to melt:

A sneaky goat came up behind us:

For breakfast we ate a giant fruit salad: