Boardman Lake Hike

It was a few more weeks before we got Cara out for another hike. C was busy with work, but Cara's Auntie D was more that happy to join an outing to a mountain lake. The weather was finally warming up and, given that it was the first week of August, we were pretty certain the area would be snow free.

Cara's timing was impeccable. The drive was slightly longer than she really wanted, but just as her complaints about being stuck in her car seat were getting a little loud, we turned off the main road onto a gravel road. The bumps and rattles kept her amused for the next fifteen minutes, until we stopped at the trail head, unloaded and prepared for the long hike ahead -a whole mile!



Cara is always eager to get into her backpack at the trail head, but once we're actually moving she realizes that she would much prefer to walk. Less than 1/4 mile from the trail head Cara made it very clear she wanted to be on her own two feet. She scampered along for the next half mile. We found various ways of entertaining her on the trail including playing hide and go seek and jumping off logs. Her energy flagged a little at the last uphill section. Sensing that the lake was near and that it was almost lunch time, J carried Cara for the last rocky, rooty wet 1/4 mile down to the lake.



Some lunch in the sun restored all our spirits. Cara enjoyed her own crackers and cheese, but thought Auntie D's lunch look pretty good, too! After we all ate enough, the lake beckoned Cara. The first dip in was a little chilly on her feet, but she soon discovered the joys of dropping rocks into the water and seeing them splash. Even better was the mud! The mud was slightly warmed by the sun, and Cara had a fine time smearing it around, gushing it between her toes and bringing Auntie D handfuls. She is very conscientious about sharing!






Eventually we had to pack up and head back down the trail. J expected Cara to tire quickly, given all the playing on the lake shore. But Cara was happy to walk and run down much of the trail. She eventually tired and consented to being carried, dozing off
for the last five minutes or so of the trail. Worn out from all the excitement, she slept for the whole drive home. Another busy day for our Northwest hiking girl!

Mirror Lake Hike

We finally had a weekend free and were ready to take Cara for a hike. The weather forecast wasn't perfect, but with there was only a 20% chance of rain. Cara is a tough NW girl, and we were sure we would all have fun. Okay, and the lake was a little over a mile from the trailhead so we couldn't get too soaked.

The trail started out going up a logging road but soon ducked into forest. While overcast, it wasn't actively raining yet. C carried Cara up to the first lake, Cottonwood, where we met another family with children coming down from Mirror Lake. They had spent the night and applauded our venturing out with Cara. We surreptitiously took note of some of their kids gear, as we are planning ahead for backpacking
soon.






Cara was eager to walk the remaining half mile, so we slowly made our way upward, stopping to enjoy the numerous downed logs along the way, picking up sticks and generally exploring. Eventually we arrived at the scenic lake and found a pleasant spot to have some lunch. The gray mist had become intermittently more rain-like, but we didn't let that chase us away. After lunch Cara had to dip her feet in the water, despite the chill! We did our best to keep the rest of her dry.






On the way back we stopped to explore a snow patch near the lake, and Cara was clearly fascinated by the texture and coldness. We made her some snowballs to hold; she hasn't learned the throwing part yet! She found the slipperiness of the snow to be a little disconcerting. Then it was back down the trail, alternating walking and being carried. We did our best to keep her out of the various puddles and streams along the way, much to Cara's disappointment. The cool summers of the Pacific Northwest aren't always ideal for water play.


Cara fell asleep almost as soon as she was back in the car. A long day for her short legs! And C and J felt fortunate to have only had some light rain, since as we crossed Snoqualimie Pass it was pouring.

Summer in Seattle

Summer brought several new experiences for Cara. We did our best to ensure that she started her summer out right, with a trip to the Fremont Solsitice Festival. In good Seattle tradition we cycled there, with Cara in her trailer. To our delight we discovered that Cara actually likes wearing her bike helmet! We all had fun strolling
around the booths, watching jugglers and listening to the street musicians. Unfortunately we had to head home before the famed parade, so Cara could have her nap. And our departure was good timing; Cara fell asleep soon after we started cycling home. It was hard to comprehend that she could sleep with her head in the helmet, bouncing as we rode home, but she must have been a tired girl.



Part of the festival fun was that all the kids were given orange balloons. This was Cara's second balloon, and they both made big impressions. 'Balloon' was quickly added to Cara's growing vocabulary. Unfortunately balloons are very transitory playthings, quickly loosing their helium and deflating to nothing. But maybe that is part of their allure, that they never stick around long enough to become boring.


Warmer weather also meant more opportunities to play with water. Seattle is blessed with many wading pools, so when the weather cooperated, Cara had several opportunities to splash in the water. A trip to a park on Lake Washington was less successful than those to the wading pools, since Cara didn't really like the waves. She was, however, happy to visit the beaches on Puget Sound where the main focus was playing with the sand. And mom supplemented some of her outdoor water play with an occasional after meal splash. It's one way to make sure her hands get clean!

Fathers' Day

Cara got a double dose this year for Fathers' Day, celebrating with her daddy and also her grandpa. What a treat! Grandma and Grandpa drove up from California with a trunk full of goodies for our little girl. They were clearing out C's childhood treasures, including matchbox cars and tinkertoys that will wait for a while before Cara is old enough to play with them. The rocking chair, however, was an immediate hit.

Cara clearly remembered her grandma and grandpa, enjoying the extra attention and audience.




For Fathers' Day itself, we all set off for the waterfront portion of the Arboretum, hoping to enjoy views of some boats and maybe feed some ducks. Cara walked most of the way out to the waterfront portion of the park where we had a picnic lunch overlooking Lake Washington. A few friendly dogs allowed Cara to pet them, a real treat.

On the walk back we stopped at a pond to feed some ducks (grain, not Cara's crackers). Cara was both fascinated and scared by the ducks with their big beaks. Mostly she kept her distance (and the ducks theirs), but she was definitely tempted to try to touch them. All in all the outing was a fun way spend time with dad and grandpa!



The visit with Grandma and Grandpa went way too fast. Grandpa helped out with our ongoing efforts to finish the window interiors, and Grandma helped me find curtain fabric for Cara's room. Not that I'll have time to make the curtains anytime soon, but we have some lovely fish fabric now.

Goofy Girl

Cara, without a doubt, can be incredibly goofy. After all she is a toddler! While she will play happily with her own toys, playing with other objects in the house is often preferred. So a plastic tub intended to hold some toys becomes a favorite hat...



Then there is a fascination with food. We weren't sure Cara would give up the head of garlic before she went to bed, but luckily after she finished her night-time milk she was willing to return the garlic to the pantry.




The love of hats - at least hats that aren't hers - can be pretty funny too!

And we swear that she did not get the idea of reading while riding on her trike from us!

Family Day

The year has flown by, and on May 30th we celebrated Family Day, the anniversary of the day that Cara joined our family. We're still figuring out how we want to commemorate this important day in our family. Obviously we are overjoyed to be Cara's parents and to be a family together, but we also want to acknowledge Cara's birth family and the foster family that took loving care of her for three months. This year C took the day off from work to take Cara to the zoo. I came home early and we enjoyed a nice walk through a local park, where we found a nice person to take this photo of us, our family, together for a whole year!

St. Edwards Park

Given Cara's love of running around large green fields, we decided to go on outing that would be satisfactory to all. St. Edwards Park has a beautiful big lawn plus some trails leading down to Lake Washington. So Cara would get her grass and mom and dad would get a bit of a hike, plus we would continue Cara's exposure to being carried in her backpack. J remembered there being a bit of a shoreline, so maybe Cara could also get a bit of a water experience!



The big grass field was a hit, as expected. Cara had her snack and then ran around, decapitating dandedlions. This has been an on-going delight of spring, and a joy we don't think anyone would deprive her of. After lots of running back and forth, with mom and dad alternating trying to take photos (the camera is a strong Cara magnet), we eventually loaded up and set off down the trail to the lake. Cara enjoyed checking out the flora. (yes, Cara is fond of her orange sippy cup)



At the waters edge the lure of water was too strong - Cara definitely had to get close. We hadn't brought extra shoes (or clothes), so we thought we would give her the opportunity to dabble her feet in the water. At first, Cara was delighted by the texture of cold, wet sand on her bare feet. That lasted a few minutes. Then her feet started getting cold and suddenly she wasn't having much fun anymore. We dried her feet off, got the sand out from between her toes and moved away from the very tempting water.





Walking along the trail restored Cara's good humor. She had a great time stomping across a wood bridge, but occasionally got tired and needed to sit down. In the middle of the trail! We had a yummy lunch back up on the main field, and Cara fell asleep in the car on the way home. A good time was had by all.