New Toys!

I have to apologize again.  It has been a looooong time since the last post.  Blame it on nice weather, a week of extra work in Eastern Oregon, and lots of visitors.  The good news is that I used some of the money I made in Eastern Oregon to buy some new toys. 

The first new toy was a Flip video mini camcorder.  These things are sweet.  It is a full on video camera about the size of a cell phone.  I bought it figuring I could take it anywhere to catch video of Priya or whatever else.  Here is the first video:

The other toy I bought is a Nikon D5000 Digital SLR camera.  This purchase was spurred by the fact that I got back from our recent trip from Yosemite to find that I didn't have much luck using my dad's 30-40 year old Minolta SLR.  I had one roll of blank film and 3 rolls of hit or miss pictures.  The digital SLR is sweet.  I am still learning to use it properly and will probably need to take a class, but here are some early shots:

Above:  Big Priya holding lil' Priya.

Below:  A seed/nut? at Hat Rock State Park in Hermiston, OR

Above:  A picture of me using the new Flip video with Priya.

Below:  Priya eating her new favorite food - strawberries!

The last picture is of a kiteboarder in Hood River, OR.  I will try get a few posts up soon with pictures of our recent visitors and more videos of Priya.

Yosemite

Sorry for the lack of posts.  Ami and I spent a week together in Yosemite, while Grandmaman watched Priya.  And ever since we got back to Portland, the weather has been unbelievable for late May.  So, not a lot of time in front of the computer.  

I hope to get more pictures of Priya's first birthday party posted soon.  But, in the meantime, enjoy some pictures from Yosemite.  We had a great time in Yosemite - hiking, biking, and relaxing (we were baby free after all!).

The picture above is the famous "Tunnel View" you get as you drive through the tunnel into Yosemite valley.  The sun was hitting bridal veil falls perfectly.  Below, is Ami in action on the cruisers we rented in the valley - a great way to get around.

That's me above, enjoying the view after a hike up Nevada Falls.

That's Ami below, on her way up the mist trail to the top of Vernal falls, with rainbows all around.

Above:  Looking up one of the adjacent peaks near Nevada falls.  Below:  Looking down the barrel of Nevada falls.

Above:  Along the trail to Bridalveil falls.

Below:  The two of us in front of the view over Yosemite valley.

One last look at Nevada Falls.  We had a great time.  Thanks to Grandmaman for watching Priya while we were gone.   We missed Priya, but it is a good idea to get away every now and then.

Priya's Birthday Party

Priya had a great first birthday party.  It was jungle themed, as put together by mom.  We had lots of friends in attendance, a few that we hadn't seen in a long time.  Priya had fun playing with Shaan, Hannah, and Maria Elena.

Here is Priya's first birthday cake, which Ami designed.  That is her hippo cupcake "smashcake" in the background.  It never got smashed.  Priya wasn't feeling the cake (what else is new?).

Above is Kathy hold Priya and Hannah, who look like they are sizing each other up before a fight.  Luckily, that didn't happen.  Hannah is playing with Maria Elena below:

If Priya isn't going to eat the cake, I guess I will have to:

Shrayen and Dhilan helped Priya open her great gifts.  Thanks to everyone who made Priya's first birthday party a great time.  More pictures to come...

Happy 1st Birthday Priya!!!

Today is Priya's first birthday!!  We are headed to Houston today for a big birthday party on Sunday.  I can't believe it has already been a year.  Priya is getting to be a big girl.  She is walking along the furniture and getting into all kinds of trouble.

I will update next week with pictures from her birthday party in Houston.  Until then, here are pictures from an early birthday party we had a few weeks ago to coincide with Pappy's 65th birthday:

This is Priya last week after waking up, spending time with Sona:

Earth Day celebration

Whenever I tell people that we live in Portland, they usually ask me if it is overrun with hippies.  Actually, it is more the land of hipsters than hippies.  But, the at the Earth Day celebration last weekend at our nearby park - the hippies were in full effect.  

There were plenty of booths trying to save the world and some decent music.  But, it was the people watching that was the best part.  I captured a few characters while taking pictures of Priya.

The picture above just about captures it all.  You have the crazy girls on stilts.  You have the guy sitting down wearing a furry brown bear bikini of some sort next to the guy wearing Spongebob Squarepants pajamas (who was about 6'5").  And you have the garden trolls walking with the girl blowing bubbles!  Good times.  Priya was confused:

This old lady above was my favorite.  She spent at least an hour running after the giant Earth beach ball and dancing to the music.  She was feeling it.

Priya took some time to try standing up and dancing with me and Sona, and sitting in the grass with Mom.

Truck Town

Our local library branch had a Truck Town party on Thursday.  Basically, they parked a bunch of big trucks in a parking lot across from the library.  Priya decided to nap forever, so we made it right at the end and a couple of trucks had already left.

It was also our friend Ella's 3rd birthday recently, so we brought her gifts to the party.  She was pretty excited:

Ami and Priya in front of an ambulance - hopefully her only experience with an ambulance for a very long time (forever Ami says).  

Big Unk (Uncle Chris) and Priya in front of the bomb squad mobile.  I don't think she liked that one much judging by the look on her face!

More Spring pictures

Here are some more pictures from the warm weekend we just had.  Priya and I at the park.  I am wearing my Dallas Mavs t-shirt in protest of the Blazers terrible performance in game 1 of the playoffs (they won game 2!)

On Tuesday, we met Ella at Jamison Park in the Pearl.  Priya will be climbing around on those rocks soon enough.

We might have some new family members soon, as this robin's nest has been very active lately.  It is right outside of our kitchen.  We will keep our eyes and ears out for any babies.

Warm Spring Days

It is days like these that make the grey and rain tolerable.  We just had a stretch of 4-5 amazing days in Portland.  Sunny skies with highs in the upper 70's and even into the 80's.  I think I have said it before, but the energy in the city during days like these is the best.  Everyone is out soaking it in.  As were we:

A stop at Wallace Park and a ride on the swing is always a must in sunny weather.  Even Aaron got into the swing of things.  The cherry blossoms are at their peak:

More swinging and climbing on Dad at the park.  You can see behind Priya on the swing that the park is packed.

Cherry blossoms up close.  More pictures to come...

Beautiful Spring Day

We had a beautiful spring weekend here in Portland.  Unseasonably warm weather led to a high in the 60's on Saturday and over 70 today!!  We took advantage of the great weather and tried to get outside as much as possible.  We even bought a new grill, broke out the patio furniture and splashed in the fountain.  It was perfect timing as the Wallace family was in town to celebrate Pappy's 65th birthday and an early first birthday for Priya.

Here are some pictures of our outdoor fun from the past two days:

Aaron, Natasha, and Ella met us at Wallace park on Saturday.  Ella brought Priya an early birthday present and then they both hit the swings.

Sunday morning, we visited the Grotto - a beautiful sanctuary and botanical garden with an amazing cliffside setting.

We spent Sunday afternoon at Jamison Park in the Pearl.  Priya really liked the water.  We can't wait for her to be able to walk and run around in the water.  Although, I have never been a big fan of combining running children and cement!

It was amazing weather this weekend.  Ami, Priya, and Grandmaman get to enjoy even better weather on Monday.  Unfortunately, I have to work.  Who knows when we will see such great weather again. 

SXSW Part 6: Jayna's Bday Party!

On Sunday of SXSW week, we were able to stop by Jayna's 4th birthday party before heading back to Houston.  The pirates and fairies were having a blast at the park.  Priya even got to try on some fairy wings with Shefaly:

Vijay the pirate got ahold of Priya.

Priya got a little time on the swing before hopping in the car for a nice long nap back to Houston.

What a week in Austin!