7 months

See my teeth! I have two!

Sitting in the big girl chair

I love ice cream!

Eva's eating all kinds of food now including sweet potatoes, peas, bananas, and applesauce. She's a funny eater.... she loves to start, but doesn't usually eat very long before she feels full. Except for ice cream!! 

Eva and dad... Eva and mom

The Oregon Cabin

We just returned from a family reunion held every 2 years in the remote mountains of southern Oregon.  It was great fun.  The Cole clan has been coming here for the last 20 years, and it was so much fun to bring Eva and Jan for the first time.  There is a ghost town, a couple of swimming ponds, rugged mountains, lots of cows, some really cool horses, rattlesnakes and badgers, and the historic Applegate trail that runs through the property.  The ranch is centered around a meadow, which was once a resting area for Native Americans; occasionally an arrow head is found.  Grandpas and grandmas, uncles and aunts, cousins galore, and an interesting assortment of cousins-once-removed all gather for this one week get together.  

The Ranch Museum


Playing in the Ranch Pond

Nathan on a zip line

Oregon Beauty !!

We have all arrived in Oregon! Eva and I followed Nathan by a week and we were happy to be met at the airport after lots of flying time by Nathan and his parents (Steve and Beth) and sister (Krista). Eva did an awesome job, sleeping in both the Atlanta airport and the long flight across the country... she made friends with all the flight attendants and so we got all kinds of special treatment and snacks. :) A few days after our arrival, we got to take a day trip to visit Krista's boyfriend Brian at his family's place... a little over an hour from Portland. Can you believe the beauty?? They live at the base of Mt. Hood, so we picnicked in the yard, picked strawberries, and showed Eva the horses and wildflowers. Pictured below are Brian's mom, Nathan, me, Krista, Brian, and Steve.

A gorgeous view of the nation's most climbed mountain

Eva and Papa

Eva and Moma
Eva and Grandpapy

6 mo

She sits now and is so cute even when she's not sitting

He's on his way

Nathan left last night around 7pm and began the long drive to Oregon. He drove 'til the early morning hours before stopping somewhere in Iowa for the night, then got going again at a good time this morning. I just called and he is now in the middle of Nebraska, resting on a quilt under a shade tree (at a rest stop). I have to say though that driving through Nebraska still ranks higher than taking your little girl to get her immunizations, which is what i was doing this afternoon!

My first banana

Bananas are awesome because they're so easy and she slurps them down with minimal mess unlike the oatmeal cereal she's been eating. And of course she loves them. We need to try some vegetables soon before she gets used to eating the sweet fruits and begins refusing veggies.