First Camping Trip of the Season!

Boy, you just LOVE the outdoors. It's one thing I love most about you. "Outside" was one of your first words, and it truly is all you want to do - go play outside! Pickup (and sometimes throw) rocks, explore our beautifully landscaped lawn, watch the birds, listen to the trees and in our yard, watch the choo choos go by. Well, camping is your Disneyland right now.

We packed the car up (and boy was it full) and headed for the hills Thurs before Memorial Day Weekend. Our destination was Lake Billy Chinook in Eastern Oregon, but this year it was a different kind of trip. When your mommy and daddy were younger, we would cruise around this lake in a houseboat with all of our closest friends. These close friends all now have a few kiddos and these friends serve as an extended family to you - aunts, uncles, and cousins. It's a beautiful thing - we are blessed with some awesome friends who love you to pieces (and the feeling is mutual). So, this year, we filled our kegs with grape juice (well, mostly grape juice) and traded in our houseboat for luxurious camping spots and roughed it - and boy was it fun! 7 Adults (with some special visitors) and 10 kiddos filled our campground, and boy was it fun to sit and listen to the things you babes say. Just so we never forget, here is the (extended family) that joined us this sweet weekend:

Lori/Jason + Jackson/Maverick + Ethan/Carter (Lori's sisters kiddos)

Jesse/Breanna + Haley/Caleb (+ baby #3 due in 2 months!)

Raegan + Emma/Liam/Lucas (Your other buddy Weston had a baseball game so his daddy Mike had to stay back with him. Boo!)

And special guests for a day: Nick/Rebekah and Camryn/Emery

We mostly hung around camp, ate smores for breakfast, read books, napped, played fun games, and put wood in the fire (lots and LOTS of wood - your favorite). On Sunday we had a pontoon boat adventure and darn, that was just FUN. You aren't yet the biggest fan of life jackets, but once we got cruising you forgot it was even on - we were SAILING!  You and Caleb were the best lil captains ever. We even brought your pack n play, and I'll be darned if you didn't just nap on that rowdy pontoon boat for 2 hours! Such a champ.

You are the most flexible and easy going babe ever. It's true, you don't like it when your schedule gets thrown off, but you were able to lay down and nap just about anywhere. You play so nicely with other kids, you love sharing but you're social enough to want to follow any of your cousins around camp. All of it was fun and I can confidently say that we will be camping a lot this summer. You just had too much fun not to. and So did we. :-)

Walking down to the lake at 6am - when NO ONE ELSE WAS AWAKE. :-)

Emma caught a trout!

Your buds (you're in there somewhere): Maverick, Emma (inside), Liam, Lucas, Maverick, Carter

Captain Sizemore

Showing Caleb how to steer

the famous cove - back here 10 years later with the same crew - but with babies. Even cooler

You were conked out on the pontoon boat. Bartender!

Beautiful Lake Billy Chinook

Sizemore tent mansion has two bedrooms - here was yours. Lucky ducks.

Mother's Day

There is so much rich history in your mama's family for Mother's Day.
It's a day of celebration, appreciation and reflection. Most nostalgic for me was spending that one day a year showing my mama how much I loved and appreciated her. We would make her a special breakfast and lay in bed and watch movies with her. After her nap (soon you'll know that napping and your Grandma are synonymous with one another), we would go play together outside and just love on each other. Each year was special and different, and seeing the joy and love in her eyes as we fawned over her was the best part. I remember being little and feeling so blessed and honored that I could make my mommy that happy.
Though you're not old enough yet to fully understand, you make me this happy every single day. What I came to realize this year is that I don't need one dedicated day, not yet anyway. This day was just like any other... and that is what made it great. We played, you laughed, you loved on me, you learned new words. You napped, I napped (the BEST!). We went to Grandma's for a family BBQ and you were just a HAM - you love your family so much and I adore watching you love on your Grandma, it added a new dimension to our always-fantastic-Mothers Day.

So, little bud. I can't wait for you to get older and for your Grandma to show you all of the fun stuff we get to do on Mother's day because I know you will love this special day. And I look forward to sharing this day with you for many years to come, because without you none of this would be possible.

Thanks for making me a mama, buddy. And for making my dreams come true. ;-)

Easter Funday

Your first Easter (as a big boy) was full of family fun. Admittedly, your mama underestimated how much fun we might have and actually planned to skip this holiday altogether.  I forgot what a holiday fanatic your sweet Grandma is and without a doubt, she went all out. She got you a sweet Easter basket full of candy and plastic eggs filled with cheerios, we had an Easter Egg Hunt in the front yard and BBQed an awesome big family dinner.

I couldn't be happier that our family all lives so close - it makes even the most mundane holidays and Sundays so extraordinary. 

Here's to you, bud.

Feb - Mar Updates

Well bud, you turned 1 and suddenly life got a lot crazier. You shifted into 4th gear and have been running nonstop ever since!
Life gets sweeter and sweeter by the day with you - which leaves little time to update this sweet blog I always swore to keep.
Here are a few fun FIRSTS of yours this lovely Spring!

*YOUR FIRST CANOE RIDE!!*

Your daddy and I LOVE the water. We've always had kayaks and canoes - we just got this brand new Mad River Canoe (the one we've been lusting after for years) and couldn't wait to take our sweet little family of 3 out on Hagg Lake (about 10 minutes from our house). It was a mellow Sunday evening sunset cruise, your papa is one heck of a captain. 

you got to bring one toy - it's always, ALWAYS a truck ;-)

Enamored with the water - as daddy rows, you'll pull your fingers through the cold water in amazement 

Storytime as the sun was setting; this moment goes down as one of my top 10 of my entire life; your mamas heart just melted as you enjoyed storytime on this beautiful lake out in the suburbs. God loves the country.

Guarding our new toy

Oh Captain, our Captain

*YOUR FIRST HIKE*

In Wilsonville Memorial Park there is an amazing forest with a great hike that's just perfect for the recently-learned-to-walk. You'll notice there is no stroller - though we've tried a few times, your parents have decided we are just not stroller people. You are such a mover and a shaker and we simply can't be bothered with it. Who needs one when you've got two legs to do the work for ya?

*SAWYERS FIRST WINE TOUR*

Your first years were spent living in the backyard of some of the worlds most amazing and award winning pinot's. It was March and we thought it was time - you needed to see this beautiful countryside and learn a little bit about wine. It was your Grandpa's birthday and we marked this blessed day by packing up the Humphries clan and heading for the Dundee Hills!

We visited 4 (yes, 4) wineries this day - all amazing. Your favorite was Dobbes Family Winery, which had a fun bridge that overlooked Koi fish and a grand lawn. So fun, we are definitely doing this again!

love this family!!!

You LOVED this bridge, walking over and over again. Your Uncle Cam was sitting on a rock on one side and you had all kinds of things to say to him. This was so fun to watch, buddy. You are one talkative and social little guy. At your happiest when you're around friends and family. And you just love your Grandma and Grandpa too. Be still, my heart. <3

I don&apos;t want to

Whoever invented working moms was clearly not a parent. Dude, the older you get, the harder it is to say goodbye in the morning. You are so fun and learning so much every minute of every day, I just want to be there for all of it.
I don't want to say goodbye 5 out of 7 days.
I don't want a daily max of 2 hrs of Sawyer time.
I don't want to leave you in someone else's care for 40 hrs/wk.
But, I have to. Truth is: there are positives. You love all of your friends at school. You love the activities, crafts, music and Spanish. You love 3 out of your 4 teachers. You eat healthy food at school.

So, we'll try to remember a glass half full and carry on. Some days (today) are harder than others for your mama, but that's ok because you are one happy little dude.
Loving.

Your FIRST Birthday!!

On Feb 1st, you turned ONE YEAR OLD! I am blown away by how much time has just flown by. How has it already been a year since that sweet day we first met you. Neither your daddy nor I can remember what life was like before you - we have become a perfectly in synch little family of 3 and it only gets better from here.
There are so many things to say about you. You are SUCH a blast, I rush home every single day just to hang out with you. You laugh, sing and dance. Your favorite thing in the world is books, which just melts my heart. And you are becoming more lovey and cuddly by the day, which makes your wildly affectionate mommy very happy.
Here's a guide to your big one year old self:
- You LOVE the sound of your voice, in particular, your screaming voice
- Love to play chase and hide and go seek, like to be surprised
- You point at things you want to know more about, or things you want to feel/get closer to
- You crawl in and on top of everything; your favorite toy right now is a cardboard box from Costco
- You love using a spoon in your yogurt and applesauce, and you can effectively use a fork in pasta; you will no longer let us feed you, it's all in your control now
- You shake your head no for fun as you smile
- Words: Dada (always, always dada), tay-tu (thank you), nana (banana), li-coh (lincoln, our big dog), uh oh, choo-choo. Yeah, that's right, you still have not said mama and connected it with me. This is KILLING me dude! Good news is: I know you love me best. So there.
- Favorite Foods: blueberries, bananas, anything with peanut butter on it (like your mama), grapes, spaghetti, avocado, squash, beans, pizza, enchiladas
- Not so Favorite Foods: strawberries, tomatoes

And some shots from your birthday party (which was Sunday, Jan 29th)!

In attendance: Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Cam, Aunt Tracy and Erik, Aunt Lori and Uncle Jason and your best buds in the world: Jackson and Maverick. 

We got you 30 balloons - your face just LIT UP when you saw them

Looking so handsome in your sweatervest and mock tie

Buddies helping you open all of your amazing presents!

New book = must read now

The real present

Not one, but TWO cakes. The one on the left was your very own "smash" cake, the one on the right was banana cake, just as delicious as it sounds. All HAND MADE (and frosted freehand) by the young and talented Miss Allie Wilson, who had never seen Yo Gabba before this cake; amazing job!

A Family Photo (a rare occurrence)   

We let you go...

And go....

And go...

Mommy's first mommy crafting: a 12-month banner collage featuring photos of you each month of your life, now hanging in your bedroom.

So fun.  Thanks for being born, buddy. You light up our lives, every single day.

Nuts and Bolts

This isn't the typical touchy feely post, but is just as important and makes me feel nearly as good as a sweet hug from you.
We go through good times and bad times, all as a family. I've been sick for weeks, daddy is having a tough time with his back and you became very sick recently too. It's been a challenging few weeks but at the end of the day, I am so so thankful that I work for an amazing company that provides truly top notch healthcare for my family. Work isn't always easy but the peace of mind we have, knowing that if something goes wrong, we can go to the doctor without hesitating, that peace of mind is just priceless. So thanks, Wieden + Kennedy, for rewarding my hard work with outstanding support for my family in so many ways.

3 Day Weekend of F-U-N!

I am so thankful for weekends like this. I've been making more of an effort this year to be thankful - not after the fact, but in the moment.
In spite of your mama being super sick, we were so excited to spend the weekend with you. I feel so spoiled having 3 entire days to spend with you, and it has been glorious. We sang, we danced, we laughed like crazy, we cuddled, read books, tried new foods and we didn't leave the house once - woah.
You are such a gem - the light of my life. You make me excited for a new day mostly because I know you'll be in it. Thanks for being such a sweet, charismatic baby boy. You are so fun!

Here are a few shots from this amazing 3-day weekend:

Ellllliiioooootttt

You point at everything. My favorite is playing this game with you that I nostalgically call "Elliot". It's a reference to a famous movie made the year your mama was born (1982) called "ET". You should put it in your queue, or download it, or pull it from the cloud - however you'll be watching movies in the future. You point at me, I point at you, and we reach out and touch fingers (reenacting the hospital scene from ET). It gets you every time. Ok, ok, it gets me every time too.
Love you buddy.
PS: I love being your best friend and favorite person. May this phase never end (ha).

Mr. Cuddles

I have MUCH to update on your blog - it's been a busy few months! Until then, I wanted to send these pics because it is what I'm doing instead of updating your blog. :-)
You've never been a big cuddler. Ive always thought that in the long run, this is likely a good thing. Independent fella, self-soothing, makes his own fun. Unfortunately for me, I am a huge cuddler! Can't get enough of it. Suddenly over the last month or so you have contracted the cuddle bug! I couldn't be happier.
It's a cold, rainy Portland morning and You and I are cuddled up under my favorite warm blanket watching Gabba, drinking grape juice (you) and tea (me). Thanks for cuddling with me lately - it warms my heart so, so much.