Northwest Adventures

Beth Rose

2012-01-25T21:56:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from Beth's first two months.

BigHole River

2011-10-03T21:28:00.001-07:00

Nice fall day with Laura,Oliver, Charlie and Farron.

Summer 2011

2011-09-04T21:08:00.000-07:00

Here are some fun pictures from our summer.

Our friends Clint and Chase came up to Montana. The summer started pretty slowly and there was still a lot of snow left in the mountains so we took the van over Beartooth pass, through Yellowstone and back up the Paradise valley. Chase and Oliver had just as much fun hiking as playing in the van.

Fourth of July marked Laura's graduation from Family Practice Residency! Laura's family came out and we celebrated in Paradise valley.

By August, the rivers were finally receeding and we snuck in a great raft trip on the Stillwater with some friends.

Laura starts her new job after Labor Day so we moved to Dillon, MT in August and had just enough time to visit her family in Washington and go sailing in the San Juan Islands with our friends Sarah, Zack, Skye and Parker.

Visiting Home

2011-05-22T11:59:00.000-07:00

We traveled to New Orleans, Atlanta and North Carolina recently. We saw lots of family and friends. Activities included lots of swimming and playing with cousins, eating good food, went to a few concerts, and built a dock. It was great to see everyone.

I rode a REAL horse!

2011-03-20T10:05:00.000-07:00

First sunny day of spring - we went for a picnic!

Oliver took his first riding lesson this week on "Bubbles."

He learned to brush, saddle, & bridle her.

Working on "whoa" & "giddy up".

Winter

2011-03-05T10:52:00.001-08:00

Cross country skiing in Tom Miner Basin with Paradise Valley in the background.

Powder day at Pioneer Park. Not quite steep enough.
Oliver is showing off his new boots from Aunt Becky.

Haaken and Oliver playing construction.

Sri Lanka

2011-01-30T16:23:00.000-08:00

We had a nice relaxing vaction. We spent Christmas in Washington with Laura's parents and then took a long flight across the Pacific Ocean. Our friends Dave, Jen, Logan and Clay are living in Singapore. All seven of us went to Sri Lanka.

We spent the first half of the trip at Mirissa Beach.

Fishing guides

Clay and Oliver became good friends.

The whole crew

Leach bite

millipede

vine snake

Crazy Tuk Tuk drivers

Tallest point in Singapore.

Summer

2010-09-06T08:15:00.000-07:00

Summer sure went fast. We were lucky to do lots of camping, playing in the rivers, visiting friends and my dad, Oliver and I built a treehouse.

And here is a parting shot of Oliver learning to snorkel.

Tetons

2010-07-20T12:40:00.000-07:00

We took a vacation down to the Tetons in June. This was our first camping trip in the new van. I replaced the engine, transmission, cooling lines, radiator and fuel lines.

nice van!

We spent a nice day canoeing and hiking around Jenny Lake. Oliver feel asleep on the canoe ride home so we got to just drift and read for a while.

SAnd angels by Yellowstone lake.

Oliver is double checking the engine outside of Cody.

skiing

2010-07-20T12:07:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of skiing this past season in the Beartooths. My Montana skiing did not start until April and because of a cold and wet June extended into the middle of July!

The first two pictures are from mid May when my friend Peder and I camped at Glacier Lake. The snow covered lake where we camped can be seen in the bottom picture.

And then in the middle of July we were able to ski Whitetail peak. The first time we tried the sun had softened the snow too much so we came back a few days later. The second time we started hiking at 2am and everything worked out perfect.

It was about a 2000 foot ski from the top all the way to the creek.

Spring

2010-04-12T11:27:00.000-07:00

We're back home & enjoying the sunshine.
Climbin trees in the park - Oliver found a duck egg!Meet the new additions:

Suzanne

Vurnie Lou

The boys are very excited to have two babies in the house. We'll have 6 layers come fall. We dare not speak of cholesterol in our house. :)

Salt Lake City

2010-03-17T12:30:00.000-07:00

We've been in Salt Lake for just over a week now. I've been rotating with the pediatric ER department at Primary Children's here. All of my shifts are in the evenings, so we've had some time to spend together during the day. Oliver and I went to the zoo yesterday.
He loved the carousel.
Over the weekend we drove to Elko to visit our friend Susan and her family. We met Sarah & Zac there too. It was fun to get the kids together.

Zac & Baldwin relaxing.

Oliver & Jack with bridle and lead rope.

Oliver's first day on skis at Alta. Unfortunately, we didn't get any action shots, but we swear he pointed his sticks downhill "by myself."

Big Boy

2010-02-20T13:21:00.000-08:00

Oliver is growing into a "big boy". We're in the throws of potty training, he's moved out of his crib, and it's all "I can do it by myself."
Playin' castles. Note the new TV in the background. We haven't had one in 10 years... all principle has been thrown out the window. The crazy things we do to watch the Olympics.
Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

Watching from the ladder.
Oliver & his cousins Hunter & Lauren.

Catchin beads. Uncle Nate as Captain Morgan in the foreground

More Mardi Gras.

Children's museum.
Ready for spring. We're headed to Salt Lake in March for a month for more adventure. Hugs!

Winter respite

2010-01-05T18:21:00.001-08:00

Went up to the Beartooths for a little cross country skiing. Oliver is enthusiastic for the sport outdoors & indoors.

December.

2009-12-19T14:43:00.000-08:00

A bit behind on blogging. November was busy - spent a week with my folks in Washington. We hadn't been back in over a year, so it was nice to visit. Put dad's pony saddle on the ottoman & Oliver played rodeo cowboy the whole time. Note where he put his stuffed horse, "midnight moon." Took a ride on "peanut" the pony too.

Bev & Bill joined us for Thanksgiving - it was a treat! They went with the boys to Redlodge & cut down a christmas tree in the mountains. Oliver & Baldwin will be headed to Atlanta this week to spend christmas with family. It's been bitterly cold here in Billings... negative temps the last 10 days. Looking forward to teaching Oliver to ski once the weather warms up.

Wishing you a blessed christmas.

Laura, Baldwin & Oliver

Halloween

2009-11-16T23:11:00.000-08:00

Olie was... ahem, IS a "bronco buster". At least that's what he calls himself. :)

First snow

2009-10-13T19:44:00.000-07:00

It's birthday week at our house. Baldwin turned 35 & Oliver 2! Celebrated on Sunday evening with a cake - keg - carving party. The kids painted pumpkins and our guests brought electric powered hand held saws to carve the larger pumpkins. Made for fantastic jack-o-lanterns. Enjoyed the company of friends. Oliver says, "party time! It's my birthday."

Workin' on lighting the candles atop Baldwin's german chocolate cake. Oliver requested lizards and frogs on his cake.
My boys. *sigh* Make me smile.
More party pictures. We've enjoyed the cards and gifts from our loved ones - Thank you.
Wade, Lilly & Farron came to visit the end of September. Lilly came prepared and apparently stopped at the sportsman's store and got a nice pink jacket before her trip to Montana. All were greeted by our first snowstorm of the season. Burrr.
Farron & Lilly look a little chilly here.
Lilly was nearly lunch for the grizzly bear they spotted in Yellowstone.
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.
Thanks for visiting Farron & Wade. Love you!

Turnin' 30

2009-09-24T20:30:00.001-07:00

Clips from a relaxing evening with my boys. Baldwin & Oliver made BBQ salmon, scalloped potatoes & asparagus for dinner. Hot apple crisp to finish it off. "Happy Birthday mommy!" It's nice to be 30.

Oliver's prepping the candles here. Done best on the kitchen floor. He picked out the star candles for the "cake."

Four Mile cabin up the Boulder River.

Somewhere on the Yellowstone.

Thank you for all the wonderful cards & birthday wishes. I am blessed.

Extended Weekend

2009-09-01T15:34:00.001-07:00

Way-ward to Wyoming to visit Pilot & Index peaks. Drove over the Beartooth plateau & enjoyed the company of good friends.

Beartooth Lake. Oliver's "lookin' for grizz-a bears."

Sarah & Skye joined us from Bozeman. Skye & Oliver are 6 days apart in age.
Smores smiles

Came home & enjoyed our garden. Too bad I'm the only one that likes tomatoes. We'll be making a lot of spaghetti sauce this year.

Giddy-up

2009-08-28T06:42:00.000-07:00

Misplaced the camera for the last month. Here are a few photos. Oliver loves to play cowboy with his "horsie" and cowboy hat.

New video rockstars.

2009-07-22T09:03:00.000-07:00

The boys sent me a message at work the other day.... pretty charming, huh?!

Good Summer

2009-07-19T21:25:00.000-07:00

We have been having a great summer so far. We did a bunch of skiing and camping in June. I know lots of great ski lines if anyone wants to visit next early June.

About to ski the Rock Creek Headwall with Casey.

July has been fun as well but we have shifted our attention to more biking and paddling. My neighbor and I did a great mountain bike ride from the West Stillwater along the front of the beartooths into the West Boulder. We biked through chest high wildflowers for hours and saw a lot of wildlife including a big bear. Also Laura bought a nice bike seat and Oliver loves to go for rides.

After a couple of visits to Chico this month I am starting to feel like a regular. Oliver loves the warm swimming pool and we have had some nice floats on the Yellowstone.
Oliver and I on another Yellowstone adventure with Paul and Kris.
Relaxing at Chico. Oliver sure is growing fast.

Eileen and Laura at Dailey Lake.

Our garden is growing and we are already harvesting zucchini, broccoli, lettuce and carrots. We need to do some serious thinning though.

We have 15 really tall sunflowers scattered through our yard. I can't wait to see them all bloom. Thanks Sarah for the seeds!

July 4th

2009-07-09T10:08:00.000-07:00

Enjoyed the company of my parents over the 4th of July. We went to the Livingston Roundup Rodeo. The boys were sporting their hats. Oliver was captivated for the entire 2 1/2 hours with the horses, cowboys, and bulls. We joined up with friends from Bozeman - a treat.

Indian paint brush.
More time on the Yellowstone. We had a grand time.

Rock Creek

2009-06-30T15:17:00.001-07:00

Escaped for another weekend up in the Beartooths. Oliver's dancin' with the butterflies here. New word, (spoken enthusiastically) "My light"
Dirty boys.
Looking forward to the fourth of July weekend with family and friends.

Campin'

2009-06-21T13:56:00.000-07:00

We drove up Rock Creek last weekend & did a little spring skiing-camping in the Beartooths. Oliver was ready to go.

Greatful to live in such a beautiful place. Nice to have some time off with my boys.

Family

2009-06-13T20:49:00.000-07:00

Enjoyed traveling to Houston for Farron & Wade's wedding. Congratulations! It was a grand time - wonderful to see them both so happy together.
Oak Street in New Orleans after a delectable meal at Jaque Imo's.

Audubon Park, watching the giraffes.
Climbing the oaks.
Grandmother Goodell, Heather, & Charlotte
Oliver, Nelson, & Vicki

Unfortunately, we misplaced the camera during the wedding and didn't catch any photos of the bride & groom. It was a beautiful celebration. A treat to be with family!

River rats.

2009-05-26T21:59:00.000-07:00

We're behind on bloggin'. The boys have been busy workin' in the garden, rafting the yellowstone, and sitting on the pot.

More to come about our trip to Houston for Farron's wedding. Great to see family and friends.

Still Winter

2009-04-13T20:11:00.000-07:00

Even though it was 80 degrees for Easter, winter is returning this week. Here is the forecast for Red Lodge.

Future engineer?

2009-04-03T12:07:00.000-07:00

One of our lap-tops died the other day. Oliver took it upon himself to resurrect it. Hard at work, he's a close study Baldwin's: electrical engineer & mad scientist.

Knee deep into the project.
More rainy day activities to come. Just getting over croup at our house. Thankful for a healthy, smiley, boy.

Aunt Farron visits

2009-03-22T15:08:00.001-07:00

Farron flew up from Denver the other week. We were all super excited to see her.
She gave Baldwin a much needed "groom". (THANK YOU FARRON)

Baldwin as "Borat". He insisted on keeping the "stash", but Farron & Laura outnumbered his vote 2:1.This pretty much sums up the last two weeks. Trying to make it though the mid-winter working slog. Looking forward to spring.

Finally had some sunshine today & went down to the Yellowstone River.Here are the boys on the bank. Looking forward to seeing family at Farron's wedding in May!

Winter time a passin'

2009-03-03T20:07:00.000-08:00

A little reprieve

2009-02-15T21:42:00.001-08:00

Glad for a week of vacation. Spent some much needed time together as a family. Didn't travel far, but enjoyed the company of close friends and made a few turns on a few of our favorite mountains. Went to Chico hot springs - Charlie was lovin' the dog friendly accommodations and Oliver - the repeated jaunts to the pool. From there, off to Big Sky for some "freshies". Finished our trip in Bozeman where Baldwin & Paul skied Hyalite - "the highlight of the season".... no pun intended. Valentine dinner with my favorite boys.
Cross country skiing with Eileen. She & Jessie welcomed us in Big Sky. A treat!
Chillin' at Chico.
Sarah & Skye... bird looks a little tired. :)
Oliver, Zach & Skye. Love those pig-tails.
Pickin' up rocks on the Yellowstone. Oliver would take them all home if he had his druthers.
Keeping our heads up until our next vacation: Farron's wedding in Houston this May! Can't wait!

East Rosebud

2009-01-20T20:17:00.001-08:00

A little high pressure moved in and we've reveled in the last few warm sunny days. We spent Saturday at East Rosebud scouting an ice climb & breathing in gulp after gulp of fresh air. A good helping of mountains is good for our mental health in the middle of a cold winter. California ice in the distance.
Happy trail buddies.
And last but not least, a formal introduction to the girls:
Left to right - Daisy Bell, Marge, Ethel & Penny. Fondly named after our grandmothers.
We're up to four eggs a day. The girls are all layin' now. Penny is becoming pretty tame... Oliver likes to give her pets. More backyard encounters to come.

48 off...

2009-01-11T22:05:00.000-08:00

Grateful to spend the weekend together.
Oliver is excited about his new fish "beta". He has added "fish lips" to his repertoire of animal noises. Spent Sunday afternoon hiking near the Yellowstone River.
Even attempted to take down the Christmas tree. Here's Oliver with a handful of stray ornaments:

Looking forward to the next "Golden weekend" and another 48 off.
L, B, & O.

Oh the weather outside was frightful

2008-12-28T21:24:00.000-08:00

We enjoyed the company of my parents & brother Mike over the holidays. Hope you had time with friends & loved ones too...Discussing snowballs. Eat em or throw em?
Helping mom & dad shoveling snow.
A drink, a tiger, & a blankie... the essentials.
We did a little sledding. Charlie's thrilled.
Dad - heels up. Mom - heels down.
Mike borrowed some of my gifts.
We like the new table.
Oliver & Mom perusing the cupboards. I think they were making cookies.
Hugging on the steps.
Brushing! ... I think.
All our very best wishes for a happy new year! L, B, & O

Merry Christmas

2008-12-12T08:06:00.001-08:00

Boy & his dog

2008-12-07T20:51:00.001-08:00

walking

2008-11-11T19:19:00.000-08:00

October in pictures...

2008-11-02T10:23:00.001-08:00

Downloaded a month's worth of photos today. Thought we'd share some of our adventures. Here's a brief rewind of October.

Glad for a few days of vacation last week. Traveled to NW Montana to Glacier Park. Kintla Lake is pictured below. The tamaraks were brilliant yellow.
Oliver has started walking. Cautious - he only dishes out 4-5 steps at a time. He musters more courage every day. It won't be long before he's a very mobile little boy.
It was COLD!
Enjoyed a picnic with our friend Tyler from Whitefish. Left-over-turkey sandwiches!
Traveled through Bozeman & visited college friends. Below - Skye & Oliver. These two are only 9 days apart. A kick to watch them play together.
Oliver's first hike to the "M".
A beautiful day in the Bridgers.

Early in the month we had an impressive snow storm. 22" at our house. Leaves had not yet fallen from the trees & many branches snapped under the weight of the snow. Our yard was a mess. Oliver & Charlie have a few thoughts about the weather.It kept snowing, and snowing, and snowing. Here you can see where the apple & elm took out the power line to the house. Mike came to visit from Washington. He was en-route to Costa Rica for a surfing trip. Wished we had bought tickets to go along.
This next photo pretty much sums up Oliver's first birthday: no power, propane heater cranked in the back, refrigerator items in the cooler on the porch, trees down in the back yard. Mike's celebrating, Oliver's taking notes.
Oliver's favorite: angel food cake, whipped cream and STRAWBERRIES.One lucky boy. Oliver received some nice gifts. One of his favorites is in hand - food strainers for the sandbox.
Staying warm with Uncle Mike. Nothin' like freezin' at your own birthday party.
Baldwin's 34th birthday. Just before the power went out. Oliver loves to snuggle his stuffed "doooggies"... "dog" is his favorite word right now.
More doggie snuggles. Throw in a bear & a monkey too.
Baldwin & Oliver went on their first fishing trip to the Yellowstone River. I was on call that particular day & B had phoned me, asking how to cook trout. I'm assuming that was after this photo was taken. As a mother, I find this picture somewhat disturbing... you never can tell what your boys are up to in one's absence. "Fishy" is all I can say.

Baldwin's mom Bev came to visit. It was a treat to see her. Went hiking in the Beartooths during her stay.

We've been blessed with the beautiful fall sunshine and company of family and friends.

Fall

2008-10-10T05:54:00.001-07:00

Playin' in the yard.

Snow!

2008-09-19T21:39:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of East and West Rosebud from Froze to Death Plateau.

11 months

2008-09-14T22:46:00.000-07:00

Off to the zoo this weekend where we met a curious clydesdale; retired to the kid's barn because of his asthma. He liked to tickle Oliver's fingers with his muzzle. We enjoyed the company of friends - Tom, Katie, Kelty & Finn Woods - neighbors and fellow com padre's in the family medicine program.
I also had great help in the garden this afternoon.
The garden has become overgrown, but Oliver prefers it that way.
Olie is one busy guy. Looking forward to his FIRST birthday in the next few weeks.

Blackberry lips

2008-09-02T20:53:00.000-07:00

Back in the Beartooths for a hike and campfire dinner with friends over Labor Day. We found bear tracks and watched a spectacular lightning storm roll through. It's starting to get cooler in the evenings. Looking toward the mountains we can already see the first snow of winter. Baldwin is waiting excitedly for the ski season.
My boys in the mountains.
Two teeth on the bottom... four up top.
I bought some blackberries at the farmer's market this past Saturday. Oliver really loves them... or rather... loves to smash them all over his face. The boys have been climbing up and down the new steps in the back yard all week. No doubt, we've got another climber in the family.

Our love to you.

Down by the river

2008-08-20T20:31:00.001-07:00

The boys headed down to the Yellowstone today. It's been hot enough to bear our buns.
Found the three of them - Charlie, Oliver & Baldwin - covered in sand and mud when I returned from work this evening. A good day.

Dad's Birthday

2008-08-16T23:14:00.000-07:00

Dad, Vickie and Farron came up to visit and we took a nice hike on the beartooth plateau. It was also Dad's 60th birthday!

Washington Wedding

2008-08-11T21:32:00.001-07:00

Oliver & I took a quick 3 day trip out to Washington for my cousin's wedding. Congratulations Chris & Bekah! Oliver got a chance to meet some of his relatives for the first time... charmed them all. Baldwin stayed home in Billings to build a back deck with his dad. We were surprised when we returned home and the dining room window had been knocked out for a sliding glass door. It looks really nice. Stay tuned for pictures of the new backyard roost.

Oliver's desperate to jump out of Mike's arms. Crazy Uncle Mike.
A pair - Jenny & Mike.
Uncle Bruce in a sweet pink tux. Missy arranged all the wedding flowers. They were beautiful!

Summer Camping

2008-07-27T17:05:00.000-07:00

Oliver went on his first two camping trips this summer. Both times we went to the Beartooths.

First we went to Rock Creek and had a great time playing outdoors. I had been here a very long time ago with Tim and it was nice to come back and see the awesome scenery again. The June Couloir can be seen in the background.

We also went camping up the Stillwater drainage. We started the trip with a plum snack and then went to wash off in the stream afterwards.

More teeth!

2008-06-29T20:23:00.001-07:00

We enjoyed sunshine in the Beartooths this weekend as a family. Baldwin made a few turns with some friends from the residency program, and Oliver & I did a little backpacking. It was beautiful!

The latest... Oliver surprises us with a second tooth, we now have 25 baby chickens (rainbow layers), and Baldwin's sister gets engaged. Congratulations Farron & Wade!

Oliver is curious about the new babies in the family.
Charlie stands guard.

A little fun with bath time.
All our love to you!
L, B & O

Teeth!

2008-06-21T20:31:00.000-07:00

This week....
Laura started work, Don & Jean came to visit, Baldwin flew to Cleveland for a neuroengineering conference, we hired a nanny, and Oliver cut his first tooth! Thank you mom and dad for all your gracious help painting, unpacking, and tackling the odd jobs. We love you.
These two are excited to see each other.
Enjoying the sunshine... and Aunt Farron's mini pool.
Taking a break on the couch.
We've really enjoyed our new back yard. All for now... L

Happy Father's Day!

2008-06-14T20:18:00.000-07:00

All our love to you papas out there.This week... Oliver turns 8 months old!, Laura planted her vegetable garden, Baldwin skis the Beartooth Pass, our living & dining rooms were painted, and last but not least... we finished the work on our hard wood floors.

We'll try a few mini movies for this special father's day blogger edition. Our little boy has become one proficient crawler this week.

Also, we've been moving up the food chain a little from milk & rice cereal...

Phew... all that makes for one tired crew! Now we're finally working on unpacking.
Hugs, Laura, Baldwin & Oliver

Headliners

2008-05-29T19:56:00.000-07:00

This week in Billings... 5" of rain in as many days, Hillary Clinton comes to town, Oliver gets a backyard swing, Charlie learns of free hand outs (makes for one happy dog!).Trouble. Period. I've posted a mini-photo journal below. You might guess who ended up with the bread heel.

Charlie: Are you gonna eat that?
Oliver: Yes... It's very tasty. Don't mind if I do.
Oliver: Hey! What the...

Sunshine and 70's this evening. Oliver, Charlie and I really enjoyed our new backyard. Baldwin's down on the Yellowstone kayaking that 5" of rain.
Back to refinishing the wood floor this weekend. We're getting closer. I'm trying to get up the gumption to paint too. All our love... L, B & O.

Billings!

2008-05-26T12:46:00.000-07:00

Baldwin, Charlie and I rolled into Billings on Thursday. It was an inauspicious arrival. On the road, I misplaced my wallet and locked my keys in the car. When we pulled up to the house, we had been given the wrong keys and had to call a locksmith let us in. Meanwhile, there was torrential rain, thunder & lightning.... jeez. To our good fortune though, a dozen or more people from the residency program showed up with hugs, brownies, and able hands to unload our u-haul. So nice to be so warmly welcomed! My mom flew in with Oliver last night - she graciously offered to take care of him through our moving shenanigans. Good to have the whole family together again.

Our new address is:
Goodell's
520 Burlington Avenue
Billings, MT 59101
406-259-9511 home
208-721-2297 cell

We're presently in the middle of refinishing our hard wood floors. I can feel the sawdust behind my ears.

North Face of Shuksan

2008-05-07T22:36:00.000-07:00

Hard up for spring skiing, Baldwin and Dave Tarby went after the north face of Mt. Shuksan this past weekend. It's been on B's wish list for more than two years. They left the house at 3:30am and enjoyed a blue-bird day.
Scouting the line.

Mt. Baker in the background.

Where has the time gone?

2008-05-07T22:19:00.000-07:00

As our nomadic life settles down, we realize the last few months have flown! In the mean time our little Oliver has grown. He really is thriving. We've enjoyed the last 10 days at the lake cabin as a family. Today was reading day.

Gearing up for the move to Billings. We're headed east with the U-hall over memorial day.

Terrific Tulips

2008-05-07T22:03:00.000-07:00

Last days of April... Spring heralds beautiful blooms in our neighboring Skagit Valley. Oliver, mom & I took a trip to the tulip fields for a picnic. The flowers are late this year as we've had snow off and on; as recently as two weeks ago. Burrr!Oliver making a grab for the petals.
Supervising the scene from his roost
A treat to share the day with mom.

Lounging in Louisiana

2008-05-07T21:13:00.001-07:00

Mid April... A week after returning home from Hawaii, we charged another three time zones east to Louisiana for Baldwin's mom's surprise 60th birthday! It was fun to be part of the top secret preparations and the celebration in New Orleans was a blast.
Oliver partied until 12 am with a smile. Shortly after he cried out in desperation - "take me home."
Uncle David & the boys.
Aunt Farron and Oliver are silly.
Played all day in the mini pool.
Relaxing in the back yard with the birthday girl.Visiting with Great-grandmother Goodell in Baton Rouge.

Our top 11 favorites from our Louisiana trip:
1. Eating shrimp & roast beef po boy's from Crabby Jacks.
2. Oliver dancing to "We Are Family" in the baby bjorn with all our groovin' relatives.
3. Surprise! Beverly we love you!
4. Meeting our brand new cousin Charlotte Anne.
5. Crawfish boil with the Manns.
6. Oliver & Laura talk to Allison Krauss at the New Orleans Metropolitan Museum of Art.
7. Laughing with Great-grandmother Goodell.
8. Picnic under the rain clouds during the symphony in city park.
9. Jazz fest with dear friends.
10. Crawfish Monica & Cochon de Lait.
11. Celebrating Bill's birthday with a little german chocolate cake.

We have more pictures of the party posted on our online album: Bev's Surprise 60th!
(Be sure to click on the grey text link above.)

Hangin' in Hawaii

2008-05-07T20:49:00.000-07:00

Flew to Hawaii the beginning of April to spend some time in the sunshine on the beach. I forgot our digital camera card in the computer back home. phoey.

We started on the Big Island - visiting Baldwin's cousins Joel & Ryan. They took us to the Waipio Valley. I've snagged a picture for you to see. We traveled down a 25% grade "road" in their truck to a beautiful black sand beach. With the waterfalls and forest overhead, it was one of the most beautiful places I'd ever been. They also took us upcountry to 8 acres they plan to build and farm on. Thanks Joel!

Later, we met up with my family on Maui. Mike and Baldwin did some surfing. Oliver and I set up our tent on the beach to watch. The days flew by swimming, snorkeling, eating pineapple, and relaxing.

Check out Baldwin's sweet wetsuit.

Travelling Gypsies

2008-05-07T20:42:00.000-07:00

Ooooh boy. We're behind on our blogging. The next few posts will be a quick photo tour of our adventures the last month. In the mean time we're celebrating.... Oliver slept through the ENTIRE night for the first time last evening: 7:30pm to 7:00am! Blessed sleep. We hardly dare hope it will happen again.

Perfect in Purple

2008-04-01T21:07:00.001-07:00

Enjoying my plums, thank you. Would you like some too?

We bought a house!

2008-03-31T11:27:00.001-07:00

Flew last minute to Billings to do some house hunting and child care shopping. Phew... Oliver was such a good sport. He charmed realtors, little old ladies, and pets alike. He also toured quite a few homes from his car seat which weighed heavy in the crook of my elbow. We finally found a place we liked the last day - put an offer down - Baldwin dickered - and *phew* he landed us a house. It was built in the 1940's... 4 bedrooms, so we have enough space for Baldwin's office AND a guest bed. Hope you can come visit!

Our new address will be 520 Burlington Ave, Billings. We hope to move the end of May.

We're sad to leave our little cabin. We enjoyed the company of two loons on the lake this morning. But - we look forward to.... flushing toilets, washer & dryer, and a vegetable garden. Baldwin has high hopes to build a skateboarding half pipe in the back yard too.

Hugs to you,
Laura

Match Day

2008-03-23T23:42:00.000-07:00

Charlie and Oliver are on the move. They're packing their bags and are headed for..... Billings!
This past Thursday was the match and we received great news! I'll be joining the Montana Family Medicine Residency program and be working in two hospitals: St. Vincent's and the Billings Clinic. I'll also serve in the Deering Clinic, a federally funded health care center and the only "safety net" medical option for the un- and under- insured in Billings. I put on the coat June 30 and will no longer be pretending. Terrifying & exciting.
Oliver is excited about Billings too and has called all his friends on his red phone. He's looking forward to living in a bigger space where he can walk and crawl.
Aunt Farron visited us this weekend. She was interviewing for a job in Seattle & we snagged her for a few extra days. (BTW - she got the job! Farron's awesome!) It was really nice to have her here. She came with gifts: bunny ears & a Billy Bob pacifier.
As a mother, I can't bring myself to comment on this picture. I had nothing to do with this.
We also had Oliver's baptism this past weekend. It's been a tradition in my family and it was nice to set aside some time to recognize what a miracle our son is. Crazy godparents - Farron & Mike are on the left.

We hope you are well! Happy Easter! L, B & O

Check This

2008-03-12T20:35:00.001-07:00

Hey guys.
I'm 5 months old today!

...Oliver

Reno Reunion

2008-03-06T19:04:00.001-08:00

Flew down to Reno this past weekend to visit Andrew & Nicole. Their kids Molly (3) & Liam (18 mo) are beautiful! We were joined up by some of Baldwin's other close friends. The snow around Tahoe was lousy, but the great company more than made up for it.Logan & Dave
Liam & Molly give Oliver a fierce hug.
Chillin' on the couch.
Mike D, Nicole, & Dave at Mt. Rose.
Logan tore it up - we couldn't have guessed it was only her 7th day on a snowboard. She & Dave are pictured here soaking up some sun.

Thanks Nicole & Andy! We had a great time.

Four months & counting

2008-03-06T17:32:00.001-08:00

Standing tall, rolling over, and playing with his ten toes - Oliver has kept us busy this month. He's also started solid foods - his favorite being applesauce, sweet potatoes, & rice cereal. Green beans are not popular yet. We're afraid he might skip crawling all together and go straight to walking. Time for us to relocate soon. Our little cabin is a hazard for a mobile baby...a twenty foot drop out the front deck and our fireplace for example.The exchange between dad & Oliver here is pretty comical.
Enjoying some time with my mom.
Oliver & Charlie are good friends. Charlie is very protective of him and loves him as dearly as any four legged "brother" can.

We're looking forward to spring. We'll know March 20 where we match for residency. Stay tuned!

Rogers Pass

2008-02-27T21:42:00.000-08:00

I recently went skiing at Rogers Pass in BC, Canada. We stayed at the Asulkan hut. It is perched up high in the mountains with great skiing above and below. This area is known for its snowy weather and we arrived on the first sunny day of the winter. Luckily it stayed sunny the whole time we were there. We enjoyed lots of deep powder.

View from the hut. Headed out to Dome Peak above us.

View from the top of Dome Peak.

Skiing down the "7 steps of Heaven" run to the hut. The Swiss Glacier is in the far left distance and Mt. Sir Donald is on the right.

View from the Swiss Glacier looking back towards the Asulkan drainage.

Can you tell the ski track from the snowboard track?

Year of the Rat

2008-02-10T21:08:00.001-08:00

Drove up to Vancouver, BC to watch the Chinese New Year parade today. We learned it's the second largest Chinatown in North America... so figured it would be a pretty big festival. We mingled with dragons, ate good food & steered clear of the flying fireworks. Watch out for the old guys with back packs full of black-jacks. They wield a wicked punk.
The kids dancing in the dragon costumes have got some crazy moves.
Many older Chinease women commented on Oliver's blue eyes. Here's our man at the parade. A fun day.

One little Guppy

2008-02-09T21:32:00.000-08:00

Oliver went swimming for the first time today. He loved it! Cried only when we took him OUT of the water after 30 minutes. Very curious about all the other kids splashing around him. It was a kick. Baldwin & I both jumped in the pool with him.

The pool is a pretty nice place to go when it's been raining in town all month.

Here's a picture after our big day at the aquatic center.
A bowl full of apple sauce = big baby belly & one happy boy.

All that rain makes for great snow up in the mountains. Baldwin & Dave Tarby went up to Lake Ann near Mount Shuksan last week. Here's a few photos of their sweet turns.

Mount Baker, Snoqualmie & Stevens ski areas are all closed this weekend. TOO MUCH SNOW! Keep it comin'.

January Review

2008-02-05T11:33:00.001-08:00

It's been a cold two weeks at the cabin. We've stayed cozy with our propane heater & wood fireplace. The lake has been frozen & wet snow has fallen most days. To stove off the cabin fever, we've been busy. Here's the recap:

1. Oliver sports a new "tuque". A fond name for "knitted hat" from our Canadian neighbors. Grandma made this felted marvel.

2. Green bumbo seat makes it's debut. Oliver enjoys playing with his toys from a new perspective. The world is more interesting indeed from the seated position. Thanks Aunt Farron!

3. So close to rolling over! Oliver and Baldwin work out on the floor every morning with Charlie.

4. Skiing at Whistler/Blackomb. Went for our first cross country ski in Canada. We had beautiful weather & enjoyed the company of our friends Konrad & Stacy.

5. Baths continue to be an every day necessity.

6. Munching on Baldwin's hair & slobbering on his head are a new favorite pastime. Again, a higher perspective on the world.

This February we look forward to trying:
-Rice Cereal & Prunes
-A train ride to Montana on the Empire Builder
-Countless games of Peek-A-Boo
-Traversing up the hill by our cabin in our BOB stroller.

Hugs, L, B & O

Good Friends

2008-01-19T17:42:00.001-08:00

A lifelong friendship? .... Likely so.

Tide is out

2008-01-17T22:15:00.001-08:00

Winter in the Northwest Washington = RAIN. I was listening to the weatherman on NPR this morning and was struck by the ridiculous forecast.... "mostly cloudy with chance of afternoon SUNBREAKS". Such a term must be unique to our part of the world; or at least the unlikely chance we might have one during the months of December and January.

We were out for a walk on the beach in Bellingham bay this week, enjoying a "sunbreak".

Charlie was a happy dog chasing seagulls off the mud flats.

Three months old

2008-01-15T15:11:00.000-08:00

Oliver turned three months on the 12th of January. Our baby turned into a little boy overnight it seems. He's a busy body; babbling, standing up, kicking & grabbing for things. His new favorite toy is a stuffed cat in the hat that Aunt Jannah & Uncle Konrad gave him. He especially likes the way its black fuzzy feet taste. Just the thing for his daily oral fixation.

Baldwin has been up to his ears working on a grant for his research with Charlie Gray. Also, last week, my mom had her second corneal transplant. Thankfully, it went well. We're hopeful her vision will be quazie normal in the next year. In any event, the little peanut and I have spent a lot of time with my folks this past week. These pictures are courtesy of my dad's digital. Thanks dad!
Finally had a little sunshine in Bellingham this past week. Mt. Baker is on course to hit record snow fall measures like those set in 1998. If you ask Baldwin, the quantity of powder in NW Washington more than makes up for the lower quality that we were used to in Bozeman.
Mom knit Oliver this hat before her surgery. As you can tell by the look on his face... he approves.
We haven't started solid foods just yet, but Oliver has had an oppurtunity to "taste" a few new things. This is his reaction to bananas.
Charlie can hardly help himself he wants to play so bad. He licks Oliver's head & feet when we're playing on the floor. Charlie saves the hands for last... they must be the tastiest as Oliver keeps them pretty sticky and slobbery most of the time.
We're off to get a little take out Chinese. All for now! L, B & O

Happy 2008!

2008-01-02T20:26:00.001-08:00

Just returned home from our holiday travels in Louisiana. Oliver kept us to a pretty tight social calendar... meeting so many new relatives & friends. We spent Christmas day in New Orleans & then drove to Baton Rouge to see the Goodells.

Oliver & Lilly - two little elves - dressed with love, by Aunt Farron.

Baldwin, Great-Grandpa Ted "Poppy" & Grandpa Bill

Christmas day with family.
Grandpa Nelson - all smiles.

Blessings in the new year!

First Snow

2007-12-20T18:31:00.001-08:00

Our love to you this holiday. We look forward to spending Christmas in New Orleans with Baldwin's family. Oliver will be meeting his Grandpa Nelson & Grandpa Bill for the first time. Lots of aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends to meet too...

Just returned from our trip to Montana. Baldwin did some work back at the MSU lab and the three of us drove to Billings for another residency interview. We were able to visit dear friends and spend time with family. B made some fresh tracks in the Bridger back country too.

The view from the canoe... our little lake cabin. Baldwin paddled out to take a picture of our first snow. Looks more like a tree house from this vantage.
Grandma Beckman & Oliver. She gave him the official tour of her santa collection.

Oliver really likes the bath at this stage. Splashing... cooing... drenching any unsuspecting person that should pass by.
This is Oscar the sock monkey. (Thank you Aunt Kathy!) Oliver especially likes kisses from his big lips.

All our very best wishes in the coming new year! Baldwin, Laura & Oliver

Whistler

2007-12-04T16:25:00.000-08:00

We have been busy as usual. Laura went to a residency interview in Anchorage, Alaska last week and I went skiing near Whistler in British Columbia, Canada.

Stefan came over to help watch Oliver while I packed up. Thankfully, Don and Jean watched Oliver until Laura came back. The next morning we took the ski lift to the top of Whistler and skied out of bounds with some friends.

It was a beautiful day and we found some nice powder.

Joe and Stefan even did some speed gliding on skis.

At the end of the day, we made the long traverse back to the ski area and then skied down the groomers in the dark. You can see our tracks on the sun lit hill behind Joe if you look very closely.

Whew finally back on the bus after a long day!

Week 7

2007-11-25T20:42:00.001-08:00

We're waiting with great anticipation for the forcasted snow. In the mean time, we've been watching Oliver grow. He's started to interact with us a lot more. Turning his head when we speak to him, smiling & laughing, cooing and being a good baby.

I swear our kid is not a dolly. This is Baldwin's preferred rocking position... knees sway back and forth while reading & sipping on apple cider. Such coordination!
Sweet smiles.

And a chuckle.
Watching daddy & talking about the skiing on Mt. Baker. All for now!

Aunt Farron comes to town

2007-11-24T10:50:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope y'all are recovering from a healthy dose of turkey and stuffing. We're taking advantage of the rampant tryptophan at our house and will be napping all day. We're thankful for our families, big baby smiles, snow "freshies", spinach madeline and mashed potatoes with gravy.

Oliver met his Aunt Farron for the first time this week. He loves to snuggle with her and laughs when she tickles his double chin. It has been such a treat to have her with us. Oliver impressed Farron with his bodily functions... he's got gas with gusto.

Who's that in the mirror?
Out for a neighborhood hike in Bellingham
I love my Aunt Farron. She gives good hugs.
Happy family.

Other news - Made it home from a quick tour of Idaho with Oliver and mom in tow. I was encouraged by the feedback I received from my interviews in Pocatello and Boise. It's kind of fun to think about where residency will take us next year. Off to Anchorage next week to continue a long string of interviews.

Winter

2007-11-20T09:06:00.000-08:00

Winter has finally arrived up here. Oliver, Laura and her mom went to Idaho to interview for Family Practice residency programs and Charlie and I went skiing near the Mt. Baker Ski Resort this weekend.

Tony with Mt. Shuksan (9127') in the distance.

Mike with Ptarmigan Peak and Mt. Baker(10,778') in the distance.

Little man of many faces

2007-11-11T15:49:00.001-08:00

Oliver & I have been holding down the fort as Baldwin has been at a neuroscience conference in San Diego this past week. Our little man is growing like a weed - turning into quite the chubby monkey.

Finishing up with a bath. Splashing and soap aren't so bad as you can see by the look on Oliver's face.

Oliver's middle name Isaac means laughter. Quite fitting really. For the last two weeks he's been laughing in his sleep. He often wakes himself up with these fully belly fits and is grouchy for a moment. Now he chuckles when he's awake too. This week he's also learned to smile. He likes talking to Baldwin about future sailing trips. .. not surprised to find both of them smiling in the rocking chair visiting about pirates, oceans, Hawaii, and sails.

Sleepy face. Yawning requires a person's whole face to express yourself adequately.

Concentration face. Watch out for the one-two punch. He's got much more control over his hands and fingers this week. Fewer random episodes of poking himself in the eye.

Serious face. Check out that scowl. Not sure which side of the family he learned this from.

Our son is such a blessing. We feel lucky indeed to have such a healthy and happy kid.
Hugs!

Double Chin

2007-11-02T17:58:00.000-07:00

Oliver is three weeks old today. It's amazing how much he's changed already. A double chin and a little belly have appeared. He's thriving & we're enjoying him every day. We got to spend some time with grandma Bev & he met his Uncle Nate for the first time.

Sleeping sound.

Hangin' out with dad on the couch.

Charlie likes to get in on the snuggles too.

Aunt Missy & Uncle Nate.

So glad to have spent some time with grandma Bev.

Love to you all. Baldwin, Laura & Oliver

More pictures

2007-10-24T16:38:00.000-07:00

It has been a tiring last week. Oliver sleeps 3-4 hours at a time but definitely better during the day rather than night. Friends and family have been helping lots. And lots of people want more pictures, so here they are.

Some friends from Seattle came up this weekend and made us a great dinner.

And mom was glad to meet her grandson.

Oliver is definitely growing.

Windsurfing

2007-10-19T09:43:00.000-07:00

Yesterday UW Atomospheric Studies were predicting "Windstorm 2K7" and the National Weather Service had issued gale warnings. I was very excited. I headed down to Bellingham Bay in the afternoon and found 6 other windsurfers already out. The launch is protected from the wind and so it was hard to decide what size sail to rig. It looked pretty windy so I rigged my 3.5 and it was just right. After swimming out to the wind line I had a great session. I tried to take a picture but the action is so far from the beach that the sailors are pretty small (click on the pic to enlarge). Lummi Island and Portage Island are in the background, which are part of the San Juan Islands.

First few days

2007-10-16T18:16:00.001-07:00

It has been an amazing few days. Having a baby has really reinforced just how special life is. It has also been challenging to learn how to take care of this little guy. Oliver doesn't sleep very much unless he is being held so sleeping has been discontinuous. He is turning into quite the milk guzzler though. This is forcing me to work on my diaper skills but I still have a long way to go until I can beat grandfather Ted's 8 second record. We went on a long walk today. The sun was shining and the trail was carpeted in red leaves. Charlie, Oliver and I sure were glad to get outside while Laura caught up on some much needed rest. I wonder how soon I can bring him skiing ...?

Future Musician?

Changing colors and nice evening rainbow.

Oliver Isaac Goodell

2007-10-14T12:21:00.000-07:00

Oliver was born at 11:21am on October 12, 2007. He has blond hair and blue eyes so far. He weighed 7lbs 9oz and is just perfect. Laura had a intense but fast delivery. Oliver was born three hours after arriving at the hospital. So far he likes to sleep and eat. The first two nights we woke up almost every two hours but we are starting to figure things out and he just slept for 5 hours. We are super happy. Oliver was mom's middle name and it also means Elf Warrior. He sure does seem strong so far. Here are some pictures.

Glad labor is over!

He's so small.

Pretty cute.

Trying to smile.

Excited papa.

Proud parents.

Getting ready for his first shots.

Grandparents are pretty happy also.

Powder

2007-10-05T13:49:00.000-07:00

It was a bluebird day on Mt. Baker today. Here are some pictures.

Sunshine

2007-10-05T13:44:00.000-07:00

It has been cold and rainy all week but the sun finally came out. Laura and I went for a walk along Bellingham Bay. We both can't wait to meet our new baby! Any day now hopefully.

Snow!

2007-09-29T09:43:00.001-07:00

I could not resist putting this forecast up for Mt. Baker. I can't wait to ski some powder! This part of the world gets a lot of precipitation but this is a pretty early snowfall. The local ski area gets an average of 64 feet of snow each winter and in 1998 a world record of 95 feet of snow fell. That's a lot of snow.

First Blog

2007-09-28T10:52:00.000-07:00

Here is my first blog. We live so far from so many friends and I hope this will be a convenient way for everyone to see how we are doing. I will put some pictures of the new baby up soon and hopefully lots of skiing and outdoor shots in the future.
We are living in a small cabin outside of Bellingham, Wa now. It is about 400 sq feet and has a nice wood stove and propane heater. It also has a composting toilet and a shower downstairs in the basement. It is perched on a steep hillside above Toad Lake. It super quiet and we have enjoyed watching all of the wildlife. Here is a picture of Laura a couple weeks ago. She is 8.5 months pregnant now so we are expecting a new baby any day now.