Babysitting

It's time to update my blog.  We haven't been on any more RV trips, but we've had a chance to catch up on our Sophie-time.  Yesterday Dave and I had the privilege of babysitting our dear little granddaughter while her mom and dad enjoyed their time away by going to a movie and then to a bookstore. 

Sophie--photo taken by her parents

I'm kind of rusty at my child-care skills, but it's not work when it's your own grandchild, right? We got to hold her all we wanted, play with her, feed her, put her down for a nap, and yes, change her diapers.  It all quickly came back to us! 

The girl likes to eat.   The following three photos were taken by Dave.  I was  too busy to take pictures!

Sophie is five months old now and is great fun to be with.  She's not mobile yet, so we didn't have to worry about child-proofing.  She can turn from her back to her stomach, and did so frequently.  What a girl!

Sophie plays with "Squeaky"

After babysitting for about five hours, Tim and Kiersten came back and took us out to dinner in honor of Dave's birthday which is on Tuesday, September 20.  We were joined by our other son, Jonathan, who came down for the weekend.  We were so happy to spend time with all of them!

Sophie models Uncle Jon's trooper hat

Tonight our sister-in-law, Pam, arrives from Sacramento by way of Spokane.  She will spend a few days with us and we are hoping for sunshine so we can go to Portland's Rose Garden and enjoy some other outdoor activities. 

Motivated by Pam's visit, I gave our house a thorough fall cleaning.  Now I'm all caught up with chores until they start all over again after she leaves!

All is Well

We drove back down to Junction City, OR, today to pick up our motorhome.  The slight crack  near the bedroom slide has been successfully repaired, and we now have another year's warranty in case the crack reappears.

Fragrant flower bed at the Santiam rest area along I-5 south.

We had a great weather day today, mid-70s, with our overnight temperature predicted to be 52.  As much as we've had "no summer" in this area, I far prefer the weather we've had compared to the heat and humidity that has plagued the rest of the country. 

Last Friday night Dave and I had the privilege of babysitting our granddaughter, Sophie, in our home while her parents went out for dinner.  This was our first time babysitting her and she managed to stay awake during the couple of hours that she was here.

Sophie the rugby player. 

Then on Wednesday I went down to Tigard to go clothes stopping with Sophie and Kiersten.  Little Sophie needed a few items and Kiersten found her some things at a very nice consignment store in the Sellwood District.  I managed to get home just as the Portland traffic was getting bad.  It's a good feeling to get out of the traffic and cross the river back into Washington!

Happy Sophie--three months old.

We really don't live this close to Mt. Hood, but this is the view we get when we drive east on Vancouver's Highway 14--that is, when the mountain is "out"!

Meet Our New Granddaughter!

Newborn Sophie 

Our first grandchild, Sophie Peace, was born Sunday night, 4/17/11 at 11:30 pm.  Sophie weighed 7 pounds, 13 ounces and was 21 inches long.  Our daughter-in-law, Kiersten, was put in the hospital Friday afternoon because of pre-eclampsia and the baby was born by C-section.  The miracle of life--it's precious!

Grandpa Dave holds Sophie for the first time

Kiersten, Tim, and Sophie--now they are three!

The hospital is 40 minutes from our house when travelling in the middle of the night and there's no traffic.  We met Sophie when she was only 2 1/2 hours old.  She slept the whole time we visited.  Now the proud parents are getting some much needed rest and we will visit again tonight.

Tim posted this picture Monday morning--sticker added!