Here are few pictures of Claire (and the rest of the family) from Grandma Vickery's visit. As a special bonus for our readers, a few other pictures are included as well. Enjoy!
Claire - October 2011
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Claire's First Bath
Here are a few pictures from Claire's first bath last Thursday. She seemed to like the water very much and didn't put up any sort of fuss. Our future swimmer perhaps??
Bath Pictures!
Bath Pictures!
Monday, September 26, 2011
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Announcing Claire Elizabeth Vickery!
As many of our readers have likely heard, our daughter Claire Elizabeth Vickery was born on Wednesday September 14, 2011 at 4:50AM MDT at St. Luke's Hospital in Meridian. She weighed 7lbs 6oz and was 21" tall!
Katie's doctor recommended that she be induced so we headed to the hospital around 2:30PM on Tuesday afternoon. As the induction progressed, Katie's contractions intensified around 11PM and she labored through the early morning. The nurses initially didn't think the labor was progressing well but around 3AM it became clear things were moving quickly. By 4:15AM or so it became apparent to all of the staff that the baby was imminent and after a little bit of delivery drama, Claire emerged into the world healthy at 4:50AM! It was truly a magical moment for me, unlike anything I've experienced before. After I got to hold her, I was surprised how calm Claire was after such a traumatic experience!
The labor and delivery was difficult for Katie but she was great and healthy as well. I'll let her elaborate on her experience in a future blog post! Afterwards, we spent the next two nights at the hospital getting acquainted with Claire and trying to get her feeding properly, a task that is still ongoing but progressing nicely. The nurses at the hospital were great and provided all kinds of help with regard to laboring, baby care, feeding, swaddling, and anything else we needed. On Thursday Claire got her first visitors: our friend Diana, her Great-Grandma Dow, her Grandaunt Bonnie and her Granduncle Gary. She may have not shown it, but I know she was super-excited to meet all the new people! On Friday Claire got to go on her first car ride as we were officially discharged to begin our life together. On Saturday Liz (Katie's Mom) arrived from Vancouver to meet her new granddaughter and hopefully make our transition a little less overwhelming.
Claire has her first doctor appointment tomorrow which will hopefully be all good news. Then after that, she'll be ready for her one week birthday. More soon!
Baby Pictures!
Katie's doctor recommended that she be induced so we headed to the hospital around 2:30PM on Tuesday afternoon. As the induction progressed, Katie's contractions intensified around 11PM and she labored through the early morning. The nurses initially didn't think the labor was progressing well but around 3AM it became clear things were moving quickly. By 4:15AM or so it became apparent to all of the staff that the baby was imminent and after a little bit of delivery drama, Claire emerged into the world healthy at 4:50AM! It was truly a magical moment for me, unlike anything I've experienced before. After I got to hold her, I was surprised how calm Claire was after such a traumatic experience!
The labor and delivery was difficult for Katie but she was great and healthy as well. I'll let her elaborate on her experience in a future blog post! Afterwards, we spent the next two nights at the hospital getting acquainted with Claire and trying to get her feeding properly, a task that is still ongoing but progressing nicely. The nurses at the hospital were great and provided all kinds of help with regard to laboring, baby care, feeding, swaddling, and anything else we needed. On Thursday Claire got her first visitors: our friend Diana, her Great-Grandma Dow, her Grandaunt Bonnie and her Granduncle Gary. She may have not shown it, but I know she was super-excited to meet all the new people! On Friday Claire got to go on her first car ride as we were officially discharged to begin our life together. On Saturday Liz (Katie's Mom) arrived from Vancouver to meet her new granddaughter and hopefully make our transition a little less overwhelming.
Claire has her first doctor appointment tomorrow which will hopefully be all good news. Then after that, she'll be ready for her one week birthday. More soon!
Baby Pictures!
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Due Date!!.. and a Short Hike
Today is our due date, however as of this typing there is no sign of "Baby Vickery" arriving imminently. Katie has her doctor appointment tomorrow so maybe we'll know more then. For now, it is day-by-day!
With Katie's approval I used the nice weather and "lack of babyness" to go on a short hike in the Boise foothills. After leaving the house, I tuned in the Jaguars game on the satellite radio and listened to them achieve an opening day victory. As that was playing out, I drove up the 8th Street Extension which was quite rough - I got my old LeSabre up this road in 2001 and now there are a few spots where I wasn't sure about the Escape making it. But all was well and I was soon hiking uphill toward Peak 6218', an extremely obscure peak along the Boise Ridge. The hike promised to be short, only a half mile each way. I started in an open area but soon found myself trying to avoid increasing amounts of brush. It soon became evident that the peak is surrounded by an unbroken thicket of chaparral and other vegetation which I would have to confront directly. What I assumed would be a short and easy hike turned into a arduous slog through thick, chest-high (and higher) vegetation. Eventually I made the summit, which fortunately features a small rocky area devoid of the brush that was everywhere else. The views of the surrounding area were good, including the Bogus Basin area, Boise Peak, and Gardiner Peak. I decided to descend a different way (a more western aspect) but found the brush to be just as bad that way. On the way home, I drove down Bogus Basin Road which is a much better access route than 8th Street for this area.
In short, I don't really recommend anyone climb this peak unless that person likes miserable plodding through thickets. Maybe it would be better in late Fall?
Trip statistics: 1.25 miles, 650' elevation gain, 1.5 hours
Peak 6218' Hike Pictures
With Katie's approval I used the nice weather and "lack of babyness" to go on a short hike in the Boise foothills. After leaving the house, I tuned in the Jaguars game on the satellite radio and listened to them achieve an opening day victory. As that was playing out, I drove up the 8th Street Extension which was quite rough - I got my old LeSabre up this road in 2001 and now there are a few spots where I wasn't sure about the Escape making it. But all was well and I was soon hiking uphill toward Peak 6218', an extremely obscure peak along the Boise Ridge. The hike promised to be short, only a half mile each way. I started in an open area but soon found myself trying to avoid increasing amounts of brush. It soon became evident that the peak is surrounded by an unbroken thicket of chaparral and other vegetation which I would have to confront directly. What I assumed would be a short and easy hike turned into a arduous slog through thick, chest-high (and higher) vegetation. Eventually I made the summit, which fortunately features a small rocky area devoid of the brush that was everywhere else. The views of the surrounding area were good, including the Bogus Basin area, Boise Peak, and Gardiner Peak. I decided to descend a different way (a more western aspect) but found the brush to be just as bad that way. On the way home, I drove down Bogus Basin Road which is a much better access route than 8th Street for this area.
In short, I don't really recommend anyone climb this peak unless that person likes miserable plodding through thickets. Maybe it would be better in late Fall?
Trip statistics: 1.25 miles, 650' elevation gain, 1.5 hours
Peak 6218' Hike Pictures
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Baby Vickery Update time!
Well, folks, once again it's update time on the baby-baking process! This time, there are even some exciting pictures to entertain you! So, sit back, relax, and let the 39-weeks-pregnant lady do all the talking (er..typing) :-)
As Zach mentioned in his last post, this past Friday was officially my last day of work - I'm now on Maternity Leave, so I've joined the ranks of the unemployed! While it's very strange to think that I won't be going back to work on Tuesday, I know it will be great to have a different type of boss once this little kiddo arrives!
Last Saturday (Aug 27th) was my baby shower with all my coworkers. It was a very relaxed afternoon of chatting, baby-holding (one of my coworkers brought her 3-week-old son), and snacks (including homemade peanut butter & jelly cupcakes with peanut butter buttercream frosting...I have an AMAZING coworker/cupcake-making queen!). Oh, there was also some gift-opening that took place! My coworkers were outrageously generous, and the little peanut now has a whole bunch of blankets, lots of onesies, many toys & books (including "Love You Forever" by Robert Munsch!) and adorable stuffed animals, to name just a few items! We also got a few packs of diapers & wipes, so we're set for at least a couple of weeks in that department. One of my coworkers donated her (barely used!) baby carrier, as well as her (gently used) baby monitors among other things. It was a wonderful day, and as soon as the host sends me the pictures she took, I'll get them posted! For now, you can see some of the items in the below pictures of the nursery.
The nursery has progressed, and we now have most stuff ready to go, including the artwork I found online. There are still a few things that we need to get (a laundry basket might be useful, for instance!), but that's something I'll be working on this week. I'm also going to try my hand at making a mobile to hang over the crib...because it is appalling to me that crib mobiles range from $50 (for your standard plastic arm with little animals hanging from it) to $80 or $120 (for a handmade mobile out of dowels/fishing line/hand-sewn felt animals). I figure that I can pick up a dowel from Home Depot, some cheap fishing line and some felt animals or something from the Craft store, and throw it all together for much cheaper! We'll see how this goes...wish me luck!
****You can click on the below pictures to make them bigger*****
View from the doorway, looking into the nursery (note my awesome Cabbage Patch Kids sitting on the toybox - one was even used for swaddling practice!). Also, the blanket over the side of the crib was a gift from Zach's coworker Linda - just beautiful!
View of the change-table/dresser station, as well as the bookshelf (lovingly filled by Grandma Vickery & the Aprim family!), and my Mom's awesome rocking chair that she rocked all of us in, just a few years ago! The green blanket is from IKEA, and is being used as a buffer to keep the rocking chair back from hitting the wall. You can also see the artwork on the walls - more on that shortly! The stainless steel garbage can by the door is actually the diaper pail :-)
A shot of the ceiling & light fixture, so you can see the colors & the sunshiney light!
View of the crib (don't worry, the blanket & stuffed animals/pillow will be removed before the baby is put in the crib - don't want any suffocation to take place! Also, the crib bumpers (there's one on the front, too) are made of breathable mesh...I haven't made up my mind about their design/colors yet, but if anything they'll keep the kid from getting limbs stuck through the crib slats! The adorable blue dog was a gift (along with other great items!) from Jan's friend Michelle, in Tampa - thank you, Michelle! You can also see the hand-made blanket on the front a little better in this shot.
A shot of the (kinda wild!) curtains!
Here's a close-up of the alphabet print I found on etsy.com - the artist who made this print (who is from Kamloops, BC!), also made the farm animal prints below - so cute!!
What? A sheep? How unexpected!
And of course an adorable pig!
And finally, this cow was too cute to pass up!
Me, modeling the awesome cloth diapers I got on sale - look at those totally adorable colours! In case anyone wonders, we'll be doing disposable diapers for the first few months (while we adjust to life as parents!) and then I'll try switching to cloth (at least while we're home - travelling with cloth diapers just seems like a LOT of trouble & mess!). This is our starter set of 6 - I couldn't pass up the sale, and loved the colours. Plus, they're "one size", with adjustable snaps, so they'll fit from infant to toddler.
Annnnnd finally...Here are a couple of shots of me in all my 39-week-pregnant glory. Pardon the "goofball" aspect of the first picture!
The profile picture was a special request from my Auntie Barb (Hi Manitoba relatives/readers!), but I figured others might also be interested!
And there you have it, folks - a baby update, complete with pictures! Big plans for this week include:
- Sleeping
- Washing/folding/organizing baby clothes
- Cleaning
- Shopping for a few things
- Attempting to be crafty & try to make a crib mobile
- Doctor's appointment & Non-Stress Test (to monitor the baby's heartbeat)
- Cooking/Baking to stock up some food in the freezer
Should be an exciting week! Hope you have a great week, too!
Also, sending lots and lots of love & hugs to my Grandma, who is being sprung from the hospital & heading home today...I'm sure you're glad to be outta there, Grandma!! We love you!
-Love,
Katie
As Zach mentioned in his last post, this past Friday was officially my last day of work - I'm now on Maternity Leave, so I've joined the ranks of the unemployed! While it's very strange to think that I won't be going back to work on Tuesday, I know it will be great to have a different type of boss once this little kiddo arrives!
Last Saturday (Aug 27th) was my baby shower with all my coworkers. It was a very relaxed afternoon of chatting, baby-holding (one of my coworkers brought her 3-week-old son), and snacks (including homemade peanut butter & jelly cupcakes with peanut butter buttercream frosting...I have an AMAZING coworker/cupcake-making queen!). Oh, there was also some gift-opening that took place! My coworkers were outrageously generous, and the little peanut now has a whole bunch of blankets, lots of onesies, many toys & books (including "Love You Forever" by Robert Munsch!) and adorable stuffed animals, to name just a few items! We also got a few packs of diapers & wipes, so we're set for at least a couple of weeks in that department. One of my coworkers donated her (barely used!) baby carrier, as well as her (gently used) baby monitors among other things. It was a wonderful day, and as soon as the host sends me the pictures she took, I'll get them posted! For now, you can see some of the items in the below pictures of the nursery.
The nursery has progressed, and we now have most stuff ready to go, including the artwork I found online. There are still a few things that we need to get (a laundry basket might be useful, for instance!), but that's something I'll be working on this week. I'm also going to try my hand at making a mobile to hang over the crib...because it is appalling to me that crib mobiles range from $50 (for your standard plastic arm with little animals hanging from it) to $80 or $120 (for a handmade mobile out of dowels/fishing line/hand-sewn felt animals). I figure that I can pick up a dowel from Home Depot, some cheap fishing line and some felt animals or something from the Craft store, and throw it all together for much cheaper! We'll see how this goes...wish me luck!
****You can click on the below pictures to make them bigger*****
View from the doorway, looking into the nursery (note my awesome Cabbage Patch Kids sitting on the toybox - one was even used for swaddling practice!). Also, the blanket over the side of the crib was a gift from Zach's coworker Linda - just beautiful!
View of the change-table/dresser station, as well as the bookshelf (lovingly filled by Grandma Vickery & the Aprim family!), and my Mom's awesome rocking chair that she rocked all of us in, just a few years ago! The green blanket is from IKEA, and is being used as a buffer to keep the rocking chair back from hitting the wall. You can also see the artwork on the walls - more on that shortly! The stainless steel garbage can by the door is actually the diaper pail :-)
A shot of the ceiling & light fixture, so you can see the colors & the sunshiney light!
View of the crib (don't worry, the blanket & stuffed animals/pillow will be removed before the baby is put in the crib - don't want any suffocation to take place! Also, the crib bumpers (there's one on the front, too) are made of breathable mesh...I haven't made up my mind about their design/colors yet, but if anything they'll keep the kid from getting limbs stuck through the crib slats! The adorable blue dog was a gift (along with other great items!) from Jan's friend Michelle, in Tampa - thank you, Michelle! You can also see the hand-made blanket on the front a little better in this shot.
A shot of the (kinda wild!) curtains!
Here's a close-up of the alphabet print I found on etsy.com - the artist who made this print (who is from Kamloops, BC!), also made the farm animal prints below - so cute!!
What? A sheep? How unexpected!
And of course an adorable pig!
And finally, this cow was too cute to pass up!
Me, modeling the awesome cloth diapers I got on sale - look at those totally adorable colours! In case anyone wonders, we'll be doing disposable diapers for the first few months (while we adjust to life as parents!) and then I'll try switching to cloth (at least while we're home - travelling with cloth diapers just seems like a LOT of trouble & mess!). This is our starter set of 6 - I couldn't pass up the sale, and loved the colours. Plus, they're "one size", with adjustable snaps, so they'll fit from infant to toddler.
Annnnnd finally...Here are a couple of shots of me in all my 39-week-pregnant glory. Pardon the "goofball" aspect of the first picture!
The profile picture was a special request from my Auntie Barb (Hi Manitoba relatives/readers!), but I figured others might also be interested!
And there you have it, folks - a baby update, complete with pictures! Big plans for this week include:
- Sleeping
- Washing/folding/organizing baby clothes
- Cleaning
- Shopping for a few things
- Attempting to be crafty & try to make a crib mobile
- Doctor's appointment & Non-Stress Test (to monitor the baby's heartbeat)
- Cooking/Baking to stock up some food in the freezer
Should be an exciting week! Hope you have a great week, too!
Also, sending lots and lots of love & hugs to my Grandma, who is being sprung from the hospital & heading home today...I'm sure you're glad to be outta there, Grandma!! We love you!
-Love,
Katie
Boise Hawks Game
Despite living in the Boise area for nearly five years (!), Katie and I had never been to a Boise Hawks baseball game together. I last went during my bachelor days back in 2003. On Friday evening (after Katie's last day before starting maternity leave), we went to our first game. The opponent: Katie's hometown Vancouver Canadians! We arrived at 6:45pm just in time to hear the last few bars of O Canada before getting to our seats. The weather was perfect as it has just started to cool off after a hot summer. The game was well played and decided on a top-of-the ninth RBI double and the Canadians won 3-2. The night also featured guest mascot Reggy (and his pal, a 9 foot inflatable monkey) and a nice fireworks display after the game. It was a sold-out crowd and a great way to spend a Friday night!
Game writeup
Early action with Reggy doing a dance
Game writeup
Early action with Reggy doing a dance
Monday, August 22, 2011
North Twin and Red Cone Peak Climb
At 6am, I met Dan and Tom (author of Idaho: A Climbing Guide) for the long drive to climb North Twin in the Lost River Range. We arrived in Arco at 9am and met Margo (who drove in from Pocatello) for the drive to the trailhead. The road up Elbow Canyon was pretty good and we were moving around 10am.
The route starts along an road/ATV trail, crosses a very nice meadow and enters a thick forest. The forest was a surprise and is very uncommon for a Lost River ascent, particularly on the west side. Down in the trees we made a slight navigational error but after a correction we made our way above treeline and into a gorgeous basin beneath the northwest face of North Twin. A short class 3 stretch got us into the upper reaches of the basin after which we soon were able to take a nice break at the flowery saddle between North Twin and nearby Red Cone Peak.
After our break, we made the final push to the top of North Twin. On our way up we saw some sheep who were just as interested in us as we were them. They probably aren't used to visitors on this seldom-climbed peak! After they scattered, we finished the climb on very solid terrain. Once on top, we enjoyed beautiful weather and the incredible panorama of the Lost River Range. Some clouds were looking questionable for awhile but once on the summit it was clear that they would not threaten our day.
We descended to the saddle and then all agreed to make the short climb up Red Cone Peak. We actually didn't know the name of this peak until we discovered Rick Baugher's register from 1993 - it appeared that we were the first visitors since then! After a brief time on the summit of Red Cone Peak, we descended the canyon to the northwest of Red Cone Peak. This was a very direct descent on mostly solid terrain, although it was a bit of a slog since it came at the end of a long day.
Once at the truck we all enjoyed a beer - thanks Margo! It hit the spot and after a few minutes we headed back to Arco. As we were leaving Elbow Canyon we saw a black bear which made some serious climbing moves up a cliff to get away. Impressive!! Before we parted ways, we had a nice dinner at Pickle's Place in Arco. This was memorable especially for the large group of French (Cajun?) speakers in there. Our drive home was long but uneventful and I didn't get home until 11:45pm. A long but great day in the mountains with a great group!
North Twin/Red Cone Peak Pictures!
GPS Track
Dan's Trip Report
Margo's Trip Report
The route starts along an road/ATV trail, crosses a very nice meadow and enters a thick forest. The forest was a surprise and is very uncommon for a Lost River ascent, particularly on the west side. Down in the trees we made a slight navigational error but after a correction we made our way above treeline and into a gorgeous basin beneath the northwest face of North Twin. A short class 3 stretch got us into the upper reaches of the basin after which we soon were able to take a nice break at the flowery saddle between North Twin and nearby Red Cone Peak.
After our break, we made the final push to the top of North Twin. On our way up we saw some sheep who were just as interested in us as we were them. They probably aren't used to visitors on this seldom-climbed peak! After they scattered, we finished the climb on very solid terrain. Once on top, we enjoyed beautiful weather and the incredible panorama of the Lost River Range. Some clouds were looking questionable for awhile but once on the summit it was clear that they would not threaten our day.
We descended to the saddle and then all agreed to make the short climb up Red Cone Peak. We actually didn't know the name of this peak until we discovered Rick Baugher's register from 1993 - it appeared that we were the first visitors since then! After a brief time on the summit of Red Cone Peak, we descended the canyon to the northwest of Red Cone Peak. This was a very direct descent on mostly solid terrain, although it was a bit of a slog since it came at the end of a long day.
Once at the truck we all enjoyed a beer - thanks Margo! It hit the spot and after a few minutes we headed back to Arco. As we were leaving Elbow Canyon we saw a black bear which made some serious climbing moves up a cliff to get away. Impressive!! Before we parted ways, we had a nice dinner at Pickle's Place in Arco. This was memorable especially for the large group of French (Cajun?) speakers in there. Our drive home was long but uneventful and I didn't get home until 11:45pm. A long but great day in the mountains with a great group!
North Twin/Red Cone Peak Pictures!
GPS Track
Dan's Trip Report
Margo's Trip Report
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Peak 11087' Climb
Last Sunday Dan and I climbed Peak 11087' in the Boulder Mountains. We left Boise just after 6am and were hiking around 9am. Dan had an evening commitment so we were hoping to get back to Boise by 7pm.
The hike starts on a nice trail up the West Fork of the North Fork of the Big Wood River. After heading up the trail for roughly two and half miles, we left the trail and headed straight up toward the basin containing Lake 10062'. Once up in the basin below the lake, we started heading directly up the south slopes of the peak. Initially this was pretty easy but the terrain degenerated into steep, loose Boulder Mountain scree as we got above 10000'. Between that and my struggling with the elevation, it was a bit of a slog for awhile. Eventually we reached the reached the ridge top and the footing got much better. From there it was a direct class 2 ascent to the summit, which has an incredible view of the Boulders and surrounding mountains!
After enjoyed a well-earned break on the summit and taking in the great views, we headed down with the realization we weren't going to make our 7pm return time. After quickly descending the scree, Dan found us a more direct and enjoyable route back to the trail. Before hitting the trail we filtered some water from the West Fork and enjoyed some high quality H2O to help us finish the hike.
We ended up missing our return time by 45 minutes but it was still an outstanding day!
Peak 11087' Pictures!
GPS Track
Dan's Trip Report
The hike starts on a nice trail up the West Fork of the North Fork of the Big Wood River. After heading up the trail for roughly two and half miles, we left the trail and headed straight up toward the basin containing Lake 10062'. Once up in the basin below the lake, we started heading directly up the south slopes of the peak. Initially this was pretty easy but the terrain degenerated into steep, loose Boulder Mountain scree as we got above 10000'. Between that and my struggling with the elevation, it was a bit of a slog for awhile. Eventually we reached the reached the ridge top and the footing got much better. From there it was a direct class 2 ascent to the summit, which has an incredible view of the Boulders and surrounding mountains!
After enjoyed a well-earned break on the summit and taking in the great views, we headed down with the realization we weren't going to make our 7pm return time. After quickly descending the scree, Dan found us a more direct and enjoyable route back to the trail. Before hitting the trail we filtered some water from the West Fork and enjoyed some high quality H2O to help us finish the hike.
We ended up missing our return time by 45 minutes but it was still an outstanding day!
Peak 11087' Pictures!
GPS Track
Dan's Trip Report
Monday, August 15, 2011
Aprim Family Visit 2011!!
In the first weekend of August, we were lucky enough to have the Aprim family visit us from Vancouver! Ben, Megan, Emily & Matthew made the drive down (with no A/C, and almost 100*F weather in Boise), stopping overnight to camp & arriving on Friday night.
We spent Friday night hanging out & having dinner, and the kids enjoyed the free Water Park (aka our neighbors sprinklers!).
On Saturday, it was a scorcher of a day, so after a leisurely breakfast of eggs, bacon, toast & fruit, we headed out to Settler's Park. This park was pretty great - in addition to a water park, it also had a very cool Pirate Ship-themed playground, a rock-climbing area for kids, a fishing pond, baseball diamonds, soccer fields, tennis courts & horseshoe pits! The kids had a wonderful time running around on the playground & getting drenched at the water park!
After hanging out at the water park for the afternoon, we headed back to the house for dinner & the kids ran around in our backyard sprinklers - yay for our at-home water park!
Sunday was another low-key day. Megan & I did some shopping and Ben & Zach took the kids on a little shopping excursion of their own, to Wal-Mart & Fred Meyer. The kids got remote-controlled trucks that Zach & Ben had fun doing "quality control" on :-) We had home-made pizza for dinner, and tried to call it an early night, since the Aprims had to head out the next morning, and Zach & I had to go back to work.
On Monday, Megan, Ben & the kids left for their next adventure, in Bend, OR. We were sad to see them go, but had SUCH a great visit!! We're so glad they were able to make it down here & hang out with us for a few days! Thanks guys!! :-)
There are a couple of pictures below for everyone's viewing pleasure.
(PS: I promise that Megan & I didn't wear matching shirts on purpose!!)
The gang at Settler's Park
Playing with Legos on the patio
Also, as a teaser: We'll be finishing up the nursery soon & will post some pictures for everyone to see...and maybe I'll sneak in a picture of me looking (barely) pregnant (even with only 1 month to go!).
Have a great week, everyone!
Love,
Katie & Zach
We spent Friday night hanging out & having dinner, and the kids enjoyed the free Water Park (aka our neighbors sprinklers!).
On Saturday, it was a scorcher of a day, so after a leisurely breakfast of eggs, bacon, toast & fruit, we headed out to Settler's Park. This park was pretty great - in addition to a water park, it also had a very cool Pirate Ship-themed playground, a rock-climbing area for kids, a fishing pond, baseball diamonds, soccer fields, tennis courts & horseshoe pits! The kids had a wonderful time running around on the playground & getting drenched at the water park!
After hanging out at the water park for the afternoon, we headed back to the house for dinner & the kids ran around in our backyard sprinklers - yay for our at-home water park!
Sunday was another low-key day. Megan & I did some shopping and Ben & Zach took the kids on a little shopping excursion of their own, to Wal-Mart & Fred Meyer. The kids got remote-controlled trucks that Zach & Ben had fun doing "quality control" on :-) We had home-made pizza for dinner, and tried to call it an early night, since the Aprims had to head out the next morning, and Zach & I had to go back to work.
On Monday, Megan, Ben & the kids left for their next adventure, in Bend, OR. We were sad to see them go, but had SUCH a great visit!! We're so glad they were able to make it down here & hang out with us for a few days! Thanks guys!! :-)
There are a couple of pictures below for everyone's viewing pleasure.
(PS: I promise that Megan & I didn't wear matching shirts on purpose!!)
The gang at Settler's Park
Playing with Legos on the patio
Also, as a teaser: We'll be finishing up the nursery soon & will post some pictures for everyone to see...and maybe I'll sneak in a picture of me looking (barely) pregnant (even with only 1 month to go!).
Have a great week, everyone!
Love,
Katie & Zach
Friday, August 12, 2011
Seven Year Anniversary!
Katie and I celebrated our seven year anniversary today! Mostly it was spent at work but in the evening we went to the Idaho Shakespeare Festival and watched their production of Cabaret (not a Shakespeare play, but that's how they roll). After a quick dinner at the cafe (which provides pretty good food and Table Rock beer) we settled in for the show in our lawn seats. It was a very memorable evening as it was the first time we've ever been to a play together! We both enjoyed the production and the outdoor theater by the river is outstanding. It makes me definitely want to go again and see another play!
Yay for seven years of marriage!
Yay for seven years of marriage!
Monday, August 8, 2011
Texas Trip 2011
My parents arranged a trip to visit family in Texas so I decided to tag along. Katie didn't go because she is in the third trimester of baking Baby Vickery!
We coordinated our flights and I arrived on Friday the 29th and quickly met my parents at the airport. Pretty soon we had our car rented and were off to the hotel, the Comfort Suites in Grand Prairie. This hotel was memorable mainly for the softball tournament and baby shower it hosted while we were there. Oh, and the bed was really comfortable.
After meeting Teresa and Charles (and their new dog Rosie), we headed to Babe's Chicken in Arlington for a great family style dinner. The place was super popular as we had to wait close to an hour for our large group to be seated. Attending were myself, my parents, Aunt Teresa, Uncle Charles, my cousin Becky, her husband Kenny, their two children Brayden and Grace, my cousin Matt and his fiancee Kasey, Charles' parents Clint and Barbara, Grand-Aunt Joyce, cousin once removed Letitia and her husband Chip, cousin once removed Loretta and her husband Charlie. Suffice to say it was a big group but the restaurant was designed to handle it! The only sad part was that I didn't take any pictures...
A constant theme of the trip was Texas' epic heat wave and drought. As we arrived the Dallas area had experienced high temperatures above 100° for over 30 straight days! Combined with the fact that there had been no significant rain in two months, everything was super dry and brown looking. I'm trying my best rain dances to help but sadly they appear ineffective...
On Saturday we (myself, my parents, Teresa, and Charles) went to visit my Nana in Palestine. Before we got too far down the road we had a breakfast at the Cracker Barrel in Desoto. Along the way to Palestine we stopped at Teresa and Charles' lot where they plan to build a retirement home. It was in a very nice area along a reservoir with a nice clubhouse - sadly, my camera ate the pictures. After the stop, we continued to Palestine where my Nana is in the care of the Alzheimer's unit of the Cartmell Home. She is doing pretty well physically but Alzheimer's has definitely taken a toll on her mind - I think she only had a vague idea about who my parents were and I'm not sure she knew who I was at all. It was great to see Nana but of course very hard to see how much Alzheimer's had affected her. The facility was very nice and the staff in the Alzheimer's unit were impressive - that is one tough job! After we left the Cartmell Home, we had a late lunch at El Toro (yay for their green sauce) before making stops at Pilgrim Cemetery near Elkhart and Crawford Cemetery near Slocum. These two cemeteries are where many of my Vickery and Seymour relatives are buried, including my Papa Vickery. From there we headed home, getting back to the hotel late in the evening.
On Sunday my Mom and Teresa decided we should go to a giant flea market in Canton, which is a little ways east of the Dallas area. This flea market was massive, I would estimate a square mile in area, with countless open-air buildings, parking areas, and even one air-conditioned building. Upon getting there we proceeded to walk around the flea market in the triple digit heat. Both Dad and myself surrendered to the heat after awhile and just sat there drinking water. Teresa, Charles, and Mom did a better job staying at it but the heat eventually got to Mom. Of particular note were the eating establishments at this flea market, highlighted by the fried food emporium. I am proud to say I ate no food at the flea market! On the way back home we ate lunch at the Ranchero (a decent buffet) and stopped at an improbably placed bead store along I-20.
On Monday we went to Frisco to meet my Mom's former co-worker Kathy and her husband Lloyd at La Hacienda Ranch in Frisco. It was Kathy and Lloyd's anniversary so we all had a nice lunch to celebrate! The restaurant was really good and I really enjoyed my enchilada with chili on it. The restaurant was founded by the inventor of the frozen margarita machine which is an interesting bit of trivia. Afterwards Kathy, Mom, and Teresa wanted to go shopping at Sam Moon's and T.J. Maxx. I decided I would rather walk around the giant mall nearby so I did that. I was blown away when I saw that the mall had an ice rink in it. Combined with the Barnes & Noble and Chick-Fil-A, this was a pretty solid place to hang out.
On Tuesday we headed home. Once again we coordinated flights with both of us departing around 10:30am. For once our flights were in the same terminal so we were able to hang out at the gate until our flights were almost ready to board. We said our goodbyes with the memories of a great trip together!
Texas Trip 2011 Pictures!
Mom's Texas Pictures!
We coordinated our flights and I arrived on Friday the 29th and quickly met my parents at the airport. Pretty soon we had our car rented and were off to the hotel, the Comfort Suites in Grand Prairie. This hotel was memorable mainly for the softball tournament and baby shower it hosted while we were there. Oh, and the bed was really comfortable.
After meeting Teresa and Charles (and their new dog Rosie), we headed to Babe's Chicken in Arlington for a great family style dinner. The place was super popular as we had to wait close to an hour for our large group to be seated. Attending were myself, my parents, Aunt Teresa, Uncle Charles, my cousin Becky, her husband Kenny, their two children Brayden and Grace, my cousin Matt and his fiancee Kasey, Charles' parents Clint and Barbara, Grand-Aunt Joyce, cousin once removed Letitia and her husband Chip, cousin once removed Loretta and her husband Charlie. Suffice to say it was a big group but the restaurant was designed to handle it! The only sad part was that I didn't take any pictures...
A constant theme of the trip was Texas' epic heat wave and drought. As we arrived the Dallas area had experienced high temperatures above 100° for over 30 straight days! Combined with the fact that there had been no significant rain in two months, everything was super dry and brown looking. I'm trying my best rain dances to help but sadly they appear ineffective...
On Saturday we (myself, my parents, Teresa, and Charles) went to visit my Nana in Palestine. Before we got too far down the road we had a breakfast at the Cracker Barrel in Desoto. Along the way to Palestine we stopped at Teresa and Charles' lot where they plan to build a retirement home. It was in a very nice area along a reservoir with a nice clubhouse - sadly, my camera ate the pictures. After the stop, we continued to Palestine where my Nana is in the care of the Alzheimer's unit of the Cartmell Home. She is doing pretty well physically but Alzheimer's has definitely taken a toll on her mind - I think she only had a vague idea about who my parents were and I'm not sure she knew who I was at all. It was great to see Nana but of course very hard to see how much Alzheimer's had affected her. The facility was very nice and the staff in the Alzheimer's unit were impressive - that is one tough job! After we left the Cartmell Home, we had a late lunch at El Toro (yay for their green sauce) before making stops at Pilgrim Cemetery near Elkhart and Crawford Cemetery near Slocum. These two cemeteries are where many of my Vickery and Seymour relatives are buried, including my Papa Vickery. From there we headed home, getting back to the hotel late in the evening.
On Sunday my Mom and Teresa decided we should go to a giant flea market in Canton, which is a little ways east of the Dallas area. This flea market was massive, I would estimate a square mile in area, with countless open-air buildings, parking areas, and even one air-conditioned building. Upon getting there we proceeded to walk around the flea market in the triple digit heat. Both Dad and myself surrendered to the heat after awhile and just sat there drinking water. Teresa, Charles, and Mom did a better job staying at it but the heat eventually got to Mom. Of particular note were the eating establishments at this flea market, highlighted by the fried food emporium. I am proud to say I ate no food at the flea market! On the way back home we ate lunch at the Ranchero (a decent buffet) and stopped at an improbably placed bead store along I-20.
On Monday we went to Frisco to meet my Mom's former co-worker Kathy and her husband Lloyd at La Hacienda Ranch in Frisco. It was Kathy and Lloyd's anniversary so we all had a nice lunch to celebrate! The restaurant was really good and I really enjoyed my enchilada with chili on it. The restaurant was founded by the inventor of the frozen margarita machine which is an interesting bit of trivia. Afterwards Kathy, Mom, and Teresa wanted to go shopping at Sam Moon's and T.J. Maxx. I decided I would rather walk around the giant mall nearby so I did that. I was blown away when I saw that the mall had an ice rink in it. Combined with the Barnes & Noble and Chick-Fil-A, this was a pretty solid place to hang out.
On Tuesday we headed home. Once again we coordinated flights with both of us departing around 10:30am. For once our flights were in the same terminal so we were able to hang out at the gate until our flights were almost ready to board. We said our goodbyes with the memories of a great trip together!
Texas Trip 2011 Pictures!
Mom's Texas Pictures!
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Observation Peak Hike
Last Sunday, I met Todd and Dan for a hike up Observation Peak in the Sawtooths. Also joining the party were Todd's two excellent hiking dogs Leo and Roxy. After meeting at 9am, we headed out around 9:15am. The drive was smooth and we were hiking just after 11:30am.
Observation Peak is the only Sawtooth peak with a trail to the top. Thus, the hike was unusually easy for the Sawtooths. However the typical long approach was still present. We spent most of our time hiking up the Trail Creek drainage which was scenic and enjoyable. The trail was well-graded but more overgrown than we expected. We also only saw two other people on the trail all day - pretty sparse for peak season. The creek crossings were a little bit high but the only risk was getting water in my boots. We had been in a mild burn area for much of the hike but once we got near Stanley Lake Creek it turned into total destruction with no vegetation anywhere. In this burn area we hit snow which was firm and supported us well. Soon we were on the summit, just over four hours in.
The summit was incredible with perfect temperatures, no wind, and outstanding views of the northern and western parts of the Sawtooth Range. We all enjoyed a nice leisurely break on top before heading back down. We made good time on the descent, highlighted by a nice glissade on the upper slopes of the peak. Upon arriving at the trailhead, we were deflated upon discovering Dan's vehicle has suffered a flat time. Fortunately the spare was in order and we were able to roll home on the doughnut - though we didn't get home until after 10pm!
Observation Peak Pictures!
GPS Track
Dan's Trip Report
Observation Peak is the only Sawtooth peak with a trail to the top. Thus, the hike was unusually easy for the Sawtooths. However the typical long approach was still present. We spent most of our time hiking up the Trail Creek drainage which was scenic and enjoyable. The trail was well-graded but more overgrown than we expected. We also only saw two other people on the trail all day - pretty sparse for peak season. The creek crossings were a little bit high but the only risk was getting water in my boots. We had been in a mild burn area for much of the hike but once we got near Stanley Lake Creek it turned into total destruction with no vegetation anywhere. In this burn area we hit snow which was firm and supported us well. Soon we were on the summit, just over four hours in.
The summit was incredible with perfect temperatures, no wind, and outstanding views of the northern and western parts of the Sawtooth Range. We all enjoyed a nice leisurely break on top before heading back down. We made good time on the descent, highlighted by a nice glissade on the upper slopes of the peak. Upon arriving at the trailhead, we were deflated upon discovering Dan's vehicle has suffered a flat time. Fortunately the spare was in order and we were able to roll home on the doughnut - though we didn't get home until after 10pm!
Observation Peak Pictures!
GPS Track
Dan's Trip Report
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Business Trip #3
Immediately after returning from our Vancouver trip, I had to get on a plane for a business trip to Covington, LA, where one of our offices is located. My day started with our arrival back from Vancouver just before 1am on Wednesday the 6th. After an abbreviated sleep, I woke up about 8am, went running, mowed the yard, fought fires at work, then went to the airport to fly to New Orleans. After a stop in San Francisco (a beautiful place to fly in and out of), the three of us arrived in the Crescent City at 12am Thursday morning. After arriving, we drove another 45 minutes across the Lake Ponchartrain Causeway (the second longest bridge in the world!), finally getting to the hotel just after 1am. Long day!!
Thursday was our meeting day where we had engineering discussions from roughly 8-5. Lunch was from McAlister's Deli, which I didn't know still existed. They used to be around Florida in the 1990's. After an evening tour of the lab, we went to Don's for dinner and drinks. The oysters were great and I discovered a new favorite beer, Jefferson Stout. The South apparently is milk stout central which makes it awesome!
Friday was a travel day but we had some time to spend before our afternoon departure. I had a quick breakfast at the Covington Chick-Fil-A which was celebrating Cow Appreciation Day. After breakfast, we were able to squeeze in a brief walking tour of the French Quarter before heading home. After a quick cruise through Jackson Square and along Bourbon Street, we grabbed a quick lunch before heading to the airport. The flight home was interesting because we ran into two other coworkers at the New Orleans airport (they were doing demos in New Iberia, LA) and one of our sales guys was on our final leg home from Denver. Clearly it was a busy week for office travel!
Business Trip Pictures!
Thursday was our meeting day where we had engineering discussions from roughly 8-5. Lunch was from McAlister's Deli, which I didn't know still existed. They used to be around Florida in the 1990's. After an evening tour of the lab, we went to Don's for dinner and drinks. The oysters were great and I discovered a new favorite beer, Jefferson Stout. The South apparently is milk stout central which makes it awesome!
Friday was a travel day but we had some time to spend before our afternoon departure. I had a quick breakfast at the Covington Chick-Fil-A which was celebrating Cow Appreciation Day. After breakfast, we were able to squeeze in a brief walking tour of the French Quarter before heading home. After a quick cruise through Jackson Square and along Bourbon Street, we grabbed a quick lunch before heading to the airport. The flight home was interesting because we ran into two other coworkers at the New Orleans airport (they were doing demos in New Iberia, LA) and one of our sales guys was on our final leg home from Denver. Clearly it was a busy week for office travel!
Business Trip Pictures!
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Canada Trip 2011!!
2011 has been full of lots of great trips for Zach & I - highlights have included LA/Long Beach in January, our wonderful visit to Florida, and Portland at the end of May. This past long weekend was no different! We headed up to Vancouver to spend some time with the Shepherd/Aprim side of the family. We left Boise late in the day on Wednesday June 30, and drove all night, arriving in Vancouver around 11am on Thursday morning.
Thursday was a low-key day, since we were both pretty wiped out from pulling an all-night drive-a-thon, although luckily we had our Sirius XM Radio in the car, which kept the drive more interesting! Friday was Canada Day, and I spent some time in North Vancouver visiting with my friend Jenn, and then we had a lovely dinner at White Spot with my Mom, Dave & Greg.
On Saturday, I got together with my friend Linsie, and then Zach, Mom, Dave & I spent some time (DAAAAAAYS, if you ask Dave & Zach!) at IKEA, picking up a few things including our new light fixture for the nursery, which Zach is putting up this weekend.
Sunday was a beautiful day for a party, and we had a great one! Mom made delicious burgers, spinach salad & potato salad, Dave grilled the burgers & we enjoyed 2 fantastic dessert options - Pavlova with whipped cream & berries and blackberry pie (or galette, because we're fancy!), made with berries that were hand-picked by Auntie Margaret! YUM!! What wonderful spread of food! Along with Mom, Dave & Greg, we were also able to visit with Megan, Ben, Emily & Matthew, as well as Auntie Margaret, Auntie Maggie & Uncle Barry and Uncle Tom. It was SO nice to see everyone...thank you for the birthday gifts!
Sunday night took a turn for the worse when Greg, who was playing in a co-ed recreational soccer game, got tripped by an opponent & took a very bad fall. He ended up in Emergency, with a fractured pelvis (OUCH!!). He spent the night in Emergency, and was admitted on Monday so that he could have surgery done on Tuesday morning (the morning we left). He's now sporting 3 steel pins & a steel plate in his hip, so we can all call him Bionic Man! Greg, you have seriously been a trooper through all of this!!
Greg was able to come home on Friday, and has been settling in & adjusting to life on crutches. He'll likely be on the crutches for a couple of months, but who knows - he surprised the physio-therapists by dominating the crutches on Thursday, 2 days after surgery, which they weren't expecting! I'm sure he'll be back on the soccer field in no time! ;-)
So, apart from all that craziness, we had a great trip! Tuesday was spent driving home, and we got in around 1am...it was a loooong day, to say the least. Zach left on Wednesday afternoon for his business trip to Loooo-zianna, but he'll get to that in the next post!
Below are a few pictures from our party on Sunday. Enjoy!
Canada Trip 2011 Pictures!
Thursday was a low-key day, since we were both pretty wiped out from pulling an all-night drive-a-thon, although luckily we had our Sirius XM Radio in the car, which kept the drive more interesting! Friday was Canada Day, and I spent some time in North Vancouver visiting with my friend Jenn, and then we had a lovely dinner at White Spot with my Mom, Dave & Greg.
On Saturday, I got together with my friend Linsie, and then Zach, Mom, Dave & I spent some time (DAAAAAAYS, if you ask Dave & Zach!) at IKEA, picking up a few things including our new light fixture for the nursery, which Zach is putting up this weekend.
Sunday was a beautiful day for a party, and we had a great one! Mom made delicious burgers, spinach salad & potato salad, Dave grilled the burgers & we enjoyed 2 fantastic dessert options - Pavlova with whipped cream & berries and blackberry pie (or galette, because we're fancy!), made with berries that were hand-picked by Auntie Margaret! YUM!! What wonderful spread of food! Along with Mom, Dave & Greg, we were also able to visit with Megan, Ben, Emily & Matthew, as well as Auntie Margaret, Auntie Maggie & Uncle Barry and Uncle Tom. It was SO nice to see everyone...thank you for the birthday gifts!
Sunday night took a turn for the worse when Greg, who was playing in a co-ed recreational soccer game, got tripped by an opponent & took a very bad fall. He ended up in Emergency, with a fractured pelvis (OUCH!!). He spent the night in Emergency, and was admitted on Monday so that he could have surgery done on Tuesday morning (the morning we left). He's now sporting 3 steel pins & a steel plate in his hip, so we can all call him Bionic Man! Greg, you have seriously been a trooper through all of this!!
Greg was able to come home on Friday, and has been settling in & adjusting to life on crutches. He'll likely be on the crutches for a couple of months, but who knows - he surprised the physio-therapists by dominating the crutches on Thursday, 2 days after surgery, which they weren't expecting! I'm sure he'll be back on the soccer field in no time! ;-)
So, apart from all that craziness, we had a great trip! Tuesday was spent driving home, and we got in around 1am...it was a loooong day, to say the least. Zach left on Wednesday afternoon for his business trip to Loooo-zianna, but he'll get to that in the next post!
Below are a few pictures from our party on Sunday. Enjoy!
Canada Trip 2011 Pictures!
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