Here lately

Such great photos Heather! So many great 1st communion ones of the whole group. Looks like an awesome day : )

Low key here lately, which has been really nice. This has been the nicest spring weather since the spring I first moved here. Every weekend has been just gorgeous.

Yesterday I opened one of the last jars of raspberry jam from Mom and Morgan's visit! I thought we would NEVER run out of jam. Almost time to make more...

.... So, when I went to the store yesterday afternoon and saw a huge display of good looking rhubarb right as I walked in, I had to grab some. Made my first batch of the year of Grandma K's rhubarb jam last night. Dad - I saved some rhubarb to make you a birthday pie this week!
Also made Grandma K's buttermilk biscuits for shortcake and chicken tamales for Cinco de Mayo.

Yesterday morning I took Carmen for a swim and hike at Silver Falls. Such an amazingly sunny summery day!

Trillium on the trail

Silver falls - one of 10 waterfalls on the hike

Pretty shady trail with lots of old growth

Went for a walk on the waterfront over lunch one day last week - all the colorful dragon boats looked really pretty in the sun. These are the tails..

Scary heads

The previous weekend I spent in the gorge with a group of friends. The last Sunday of every month, we get together for a hike. This month we made it a whole weekend. Went for a hike in the gorge and to a mineral springs spa for the night. So. Fun.
Four of the five women here are pregnant and one has a really little one.

It was a perfect day for a hike. We took it pretty easy - some of us were more out of breath than others : )

Pretty beds of adorable wildflowers all over the trail.

Four of the group. After this we headed to the spa and soaked and swam all evening, ate dinner, went to bed at 9pm, swam in the morning and grabbed brunch at a diner in Stevenson, WA (a cute town on the Columbia). One of the girls called the weekend group therapy while soaking in a mineral pool. : )

The previous weekend I did an Earth Day litter pick up with a bunch of coworkers. At least it was dry out! Found lots of junk and I was BEAT afterwards. Fun day though with a good group.

And that Friday night we had a shower for Jami (the most pregnant of the women above). She's having a boy and doing a woodland critter theme for the nursery. I needle felted a fox, squirrel, rabbit and owl to make a little mobile as gift. It turned out cuter than the picture, I swear : ) It was a really fun shower and nice to be around LOTS of pregnant women and two moms. 4 pregnant women at the shower and 2 women with babies under 3 months.

It also has been fun to get all the little baby gifts in the mail. So sweet - thank you guys! I also pulled out this blanket mom brought with her a while ago - a baby blanket she knit when she was pregnant with me. Couldn't love it any more! Started a little pile of baby stuff. CRAZY!