In Salem, Oregon

These are the requested pictures of our apartment. Above is our triangle bedroom, below is Dillan's triangle bedroom, which is exactly the same size as ours.

Front and back halves of our family room.

Dining room and kitchen.

Our sweet triangle balcony with the pine tree that gets sap on everything.

We have now been in Salem, Oregon for 2 weeks and are starting to feel settled. So far we have:

• moved in
• gone to Portland
• gone boating, wakeboarding, and Dillan went tubing with us (he couldn't get enough)
• finished a sewing project
• picked blueberries at a farm
• gone to the beach (an hour away)
• hiked in Silver Falls State Park, a 5 mile hike with 7 waterfalls
• got forced to go the wrong way due to one way streets
• got forced to go the wrong way due to traffic
• made it to the second half of the pregnancy (ultrasound in 2 weeks)
• feel the baby kick regularly
• don't really fit my clothes anymore
• and Kyle is super excited about school after 2 days of orientation

Salem isn't what I expected

• the downtown roads are all one way
• the maximum freeway speed in the "country" is 65, and 60 in the city--makes for a lot of traffic
• the traffic lights are all timed perfectly, they turn green right before you get to it!
• Any highway going anywhere is lined with vineyards and Christmas tree farms
• Even when there is traffic (rush-hour compounded by construction) your drive time only changes by 5 minutes because the city is so small
• so far everyone is normal, no hippies, no druggies, no homosexuals
• it has only rained once in 2 weeks, and that was the only time it was overcast too
• you have to pay for metered parking at the public library, and $1 a movie you check out

I'm excited for this phase of life. I hope I keep liking Salem as I live here longer!

Dillan's Sweet moves

Just talking on the phone

Hiding the phone

I love D.I. (Deseret Industries)

Today Dillan and I went to D.I. for a shopping spree. As I reached the back of the toy section (outside where it is snowing, at the end of April) I see the most beautiful miniature basketball hoop. It's perfect! And it's $5! It's even more perfect!



Oops! It's sideways. I don't know how to change that.

Our Winter at a Glance

This summer we will be going on a backpacking trip into the Grand Canyon. We have started training by doing a lot of snow shoeing. This is at the top of Alta Ski Resort next to Secret Lake (which was just a dent full of snow). We are having a picnic! in the snow! no coats on!

Dillan travels in style on our hiking adventures. And Kyle is a macho man for carrying him the whole time.

I'm exhausted, but at least I look cool! This was a hike to Dog Lake, we made it 2.3 miles up the canyon before I couldn't go any further. (Dog Lake was 2.6 miles, we were close.)

Now that the weather has warmed up Dillan can play out on our balcony. He loves it. His knew goal is to throw one of his balls over the guard rail.

Dillan has grown up a lot this winter. Here is his most recent favorite move.

He can now climb up onto all our chairs. It has presented us with a lot of new adventures, even for him. In this picture he is stuck under the table.

He has also started helping me. He tried to spray the windex bottle, closes the dishwasher for us (before we are done filling it or emptying it), and he has helped me with stirring and kneading dough in the kitchen.

Mostly Dillan helps me by being funny and happy all the time. That is him, folded up and stuck in the bottom of his stroller.

What a Daddy's boy!

Video 1: "Pants on the ground, pants on the ground, looking like a fool with your pants on the ground"(from American Idol tryouts, see YouTube)
This was after our Dog Lake hike, we just let Dillan walk around for a little while, he does the strangest things!
Video 2: We laughed each time he was surprised, so he started doing his surprise face on purpose. This was probably the fifth time in 5 minutes, he wasn't really surprised anymore. What an actor!


He didn't even need snowshoes!