July 29, 2010 - Happy Birthday Daddy!

A new, Riley-sized camp chair!

She had a blast with Henry, she thought he was just a big, fun toy

Whoa, is this going to start a forest fire?

Helping Daddy blow out his candles

Fearlessly hiking down the path

Picking some flowers

Unfortunately, after watching us a few times she figured out how to pull out the knob to make the water flow. Smart baby who loves to make messes!

Chad frying up some bacon for breakfast

Looking out at Lake Tahoe

Mommy carried the backpack up Eagle Peak, a tough workout!

We were rewarded with a gorgeous view of the lake

Taking it all in

We realize how truly lucky we are to share moments like these as a family

At the end we let Riley free to burn some energy for the car ride home. She loved hiking!

This weekend we celebrated Chad's birthday camping by Lake Tahoe with friends. Spending Chad's birthday weekend in some of our favorite mountains has been a tradition for at least 5 years (we can't remember when it began) and this was another memorable trip. We were joined by our friends Jim and Henry. Chad and Jim did a little mountain biking, we swam in Lake Tahoe, and had a blast hanging out by the campfire at night. I think Riley had the most fun of anyone. There is a nice little park within walking distance of our campsite, so we went and played there a few times. She really loved being able to walk all over the place. The ground was rough, uneven and rocky in some places and we could see her walking improve over the course of the weekend. She had absolutely no fear about walking far away from us and we spent a lot of time following her around as she picked flowers and explored new areas. Riley continues to be a social toddler and walked up to other campsites and said, "Hi!" She always makes friends. Before leaving on Sun., Chad, Riley, Seamus and I hiked to the top of Eagle Peak and got an fantastic view of the lake. Its so beautiful, and the entire way down Chad and I talked about how lucky we are to be able to experience these places.

In other exciting news, our friends Steve and Lisa Winchell had a baby girl, Zooey Eun, on Tuesday. We are so happy for them and can't wait to meet their new little one.