We're BACK! Since my last post, we've both graduated from college, gotten pregnant (for reals this time), had a baby, and reared him to the age of 5 months. After an uncomfortably long bout of unemployment, Abe's had jobs a Wal-Mart (the worst two weeks of his life, I believe), Barnes and Noble (better, but not quite what a college grad is looking for), and finally at Harbor House, a home for drug-and-alcohol addicted adolescents. I've been working at the (take a deep breath before reading this out loud) Family Violence and Sexual Assault Intervention Center, as a full time Office Manager-turned part-time secretary-turned even-more-part-time bookkeeper.

So why have I returned to blogging after so long a silence? The reason has a name. And his name is Soren. Our baby is so ridiculously cute I can't help but show him off. Although as I'm typing this, a sudden wave of paranoia just washed over me. Working where I do, I encounter lots of creepo-stalking scenarios that tend to make one a little more cautious about displaying a great deal of personal information on the world wide web. I wonder if there is some way to make it so no one can see this except people I know and love.

Nevertheless, the pride of a new parent is more powerful than paranoia, and I shall continue, onward and upward, in the reporting our family's latest news, which is....

Soren's First Camping Trip

Our little kiddo is apparently a born outdoors man (baby?), as he slept just fine in a tent with his mom and dad. After hearing multiple horror stories about sleepless nights with screaming babies who did NOT camp well, this mother was greatly relieved to find that her son was not going to force her to join the ranks of the Walking Dead Campers.

Here are some pictures of Soren from our outdoor adventure:

...carrying on a longstanding family tradition of playing games of luck while gathered around the table in Mom and Dad's camper.
(Here, we are pictured throwing the dice in a rousing game of "Zonk." My niece Arielle is wearing the red hat. My mom is sitting beside her. Coloring in the background is Arielle's baby sister, Tessa, and sitting on my lap is the best looking child I've ever seen. Soren and I came in a close second to Arielle, who was the champion of the day. )

...sitting on Pappy's lap in front of the campfire.












...enjoying the family bed in our little tent.

While Soren was being cute, other adventures were taking place as well.

For example,



Grandma and Tessa throwing pine cones at each other,



and Calysta learning how to shoot a gun.

Activities not pictured here: The little girls giving Collette, Mom, Soren, and I glitter make-overs. Little Marty gathering a large pile of obsidian (he called it "flint") and other assorted rocks and shot gun shells. Dad, Abe, and Little Marty driving around and looking for small animals to shoot. Multiple fishing trips attended by various people, myself not included. Grandma speeding away on a bicycle with Tessa running behind (barefoot) in hot pursuit.

Also, I will post pictures later, but every day my husband looks more and more like an Idahoan. I about keeled over when I saw him on this trip: sporting a goatee, dressed in plaid and a baseball cap, strutting around with a gun over his shoulder.