The Adventures of Dave, Lindsay, Cora and Edie

This past weekend, Dave and I left our baby for the first time to celebrate our 6th Anniversary in Walla Walla with a little wine tasting. Cora enjoyed a weekend with Grandma TT and Grandy but they were definitely exhausted by the time we picked her up on Sunday evening. It was beautiful on Saturday so they headed out to a local farm for some fun and photo opps. Dave and I survived a weekend away and had a great time, though we missed our little girl like crazy. Cora wouldn't even look at me for the first 15 minutes after we got back but eventually giggled and came over to snuggle with her "Mama." Dave has been away from her for long stretches before but I don't think she and I had been apart longer than 12 hours. Hard to believe but I wouldn't have it any other way!

Papa Steve and Grandma Tanna were in town this weekend so we headed to Burgerville for some local fare. It's was Cora's first Burgerville experience and, much like her mom, she was quite taken with the cheeseburger we placed in front of her! These days, we're always excited when Cora eats something other than fruit, cheese, pasta or bread without spitting most of it out.

Dave has been traveling for the last week and I've discovered a level of exhaustion I didn't know existed. It's impossible to get anything done with a 14-month old constantly tugging on your pants saying "up" because she likes to see everything that's going on. It's been fun but I have a whole new respect for single parents who are trying to hold down a job. Wow! Thankfully, Dave will be coming home tomorrow.... This is just a glimpse of some of our recent activities - playing in the water on the back porch, play date with Jace, and a Gymboree Class with Willa. Cora thinks she's the leader of the class and literally gets giddy when "Gymbo the Clown" makes his appearance in class. Lucky for her, Grandma TT takes her to Gymboree Class every Tuesday!

Little Cora is on the move these days....walking everywhere and falling often. She's also quite a talker and has several words that she says, as well as a few signs. Not to mention she repeats most everything we say or do. She's definitely keeping us busy! Here's a few recent pictures of our "toddler" doing her thing - helping us brush Peeka (can't you tell how much Peeka is enjoying it?!), helping Mom water her plants, her first black eye (I'm sure there will be many more), a little bowling excursion and her first bike ride in Sunriver.

This cute little number traveled all the way from El Salvador. Cora is staying cool and lookin' adorable. Thanks Whitney and James!

In the midst of a busy month, which included a move across town, we were able to slip out for a little camping trip with our dear friends. "Stan the Van" makes it pretty easy to do family camping trips and Cora loved being outside - playing in the dirt with her friend Willa, sitting in the river, and exploring. She's still not walking YET but she's taken several steps and does a lot of "cruising" around when she has something to hold on to.

Our little girl turned 1 on Sunday, July 18th. How time flies...... Dave and I are simply head over heels for our little girl... and so are her grandparents, aunts, uncles, daycare providers, friends. She leaves quite an impression with her calm demeanor, funny faces and social personality. I'm blown away by how much she's changed over the course of a year and how much our life has changed to accomodate this new role as parents. There is truly nothing we'd rather do than spend the day enjoying time with Cora! On Sunday, we threw a picnic birthday party at a local park and were excited that so many friends and family showed up to celebrate. There were lots of kids playing in the grass and the sun even joined us...eventually. I think we're all still recovering from the excitement. Many more birthday parties in our future and we can't wait.