Proxy Falls Hike

These moss covered cascades of lava flow were abundant on this trail;

I thought they were just beautiful!

He melted... like the "hot lava".

My good little hiker.

It was a gorgeous day, with hints of fall around every corner.

"The Falls"... best family shot in a long time...

My favorite leaf of the day

Intently watching a butterfly on the rock... can you see it?

Yesterday we took advantage of our beautiful weather and Joe's extra day off work and headed out on a family hike. While our little guy is not awfully fond of walking (why walk when you can ride??), we've decided we just need to make him do it, in hopes of him developing a love for hiking and the outdoors. This was our third official "hike" with him, besides the occasional "nature walk" around the park or strolls around the neighborhood. He did great! The loop was about 1.25 miles and he hiked the whole way! Towards the end he even said he wished he could go there everyday. I'm sure the promised treats at the end had nothing to do with it! The trees are just starting to turn around here, and the colors I had read about on this blog did not disappoint!

HALT!

I knew my great running season couldn't last forever. After several months of breaking records and feeling stronger than ever, my running came to an abrupt end about a month ago. As I was out on my longest training run for an upcoming (now past) half marathon, I developed a horrible pain in the back of my left "upper thigh". Shrugging it off to having run 12+ miles, I kept pushing through to the finish. After that run, the pain did not improve over the next week, so I finally went to the doctor. Of course, physical therapy was ordered. I thought I had just "pulled something". My PT had much different news for me. Apparently, I have "sacroiliac dysfunction". That's a fancy way of saying that my pelvic bones do not like to stay in place and the muscles surrounding them are not strong enough to keep them there. Great. He informed me that my legs were actually two different lengths, since one side of my pelvis was massively rotated forward. After a swift adjustment to my pelvic bones, I was back in line. Now... how do I stay that way?? More good news! He had a handy-dandy gut-wrenchingly tight belt for me to wear... 24/7 for at least 2 weeks. Lovely. No running until my muscles are strong enough to not wear the belt. Pretty much the only good news out of the whole thing is that he still wants me to be active, and he encouraged me to walk for exercise. (BTW- walking is NOT easy for a runner!) My awesome and super supportive running partner agreed to walk with me during my recovery, so that's made it much, much easier! Back at home, my son sees my nifty new belt, and calls it my "superhero belt".

Any hoo... fast forward 2 weeks to today. I finally have a PT appointment worth talking about! For the first time I went back and my bones have stayed put for the past 2 days!! Record breaking! Still no running, but I get to start spending time out of the belt! He actually said by the end of the weekend he wants me to be spending 3-4 hours a day without it. I also get to progress my home exercises, and I can now ride my bike! I'm so encouraged, and feel like I'm coming back to life. Best of all, my pain is much, much, much better! Only occasional twinges now in certain positions. Guess all those kegels really are paying off!!

Now if only the weather would cooperate so I can take advantage of some of my newly rediscovered freedom!

Make new friends... but keep the old...

One theme for our summer has been making new friends. New school, new neighborhood... it's inevitable. We have been spending time with a handful of special new friends this summer, and we've gotten to see some good friends from the past as well.

Here's some pics of the fun times we've had with some of our new friends! The boy is the grandson of one of Joe's co-workers; he and Kai hit it off right from the get go! The girls are some of our new neighbors, so we've spent lots of time at the park with them, and some fun excursions. We feel lucky to have met such great kids from wonderful families, and Joe and I think all the parents are pretty fun, too! (My new running partner is actually the girls' mom!)

Eatin' pie in the little house

Parade time!

All ready for a fun day at the coast!

(They're watching a movie, not rolling their eyes!)

Nature walk at Hendrick's park

Kai has also had chances to see some of his old buddies this summer. He's gotten to see friends from his previous day care a few times at birthday parties throughout the summer, and he talks about missing them quite frequently. We've also had a great friend (of mine!) move back to our area; remember how well these two got along?? We are sooo happy to have them closer and look forward to many, frequent play dates!!

Coast x 3

After not making the drive for nearly a year, we have gotten our much needed fill of our beautiful coast. We went three times in August! I may be a *bit* prejudice, but I don't think there's anywhere more beautiful than the Oreg0n coast. Being a native, I've seen it many, many, many times and it's beauty never ceases to amaze me... no matter what the weather is like.

Our first trip was a day trip with just our little family of three. The next trip was an overnighter with Joe's parents. Our final trip was a day trip for Kai and I with some friends! Each one had pretty decent weather and tons-o-fun! Here's some pictures from our little excursions!

Trip #1

Haceta Head Lighthouse

Our most successful family hike to date. Half mile each way.

He hiked up by himself; had to carry him down.

Contemplating life...

Playing in the cool "fort" we found

Trip #2

Roasting marshmallows on the beach was definitely the highlight of this trip,

even though he didn't roast any and didn't eat any of the roasted ones.

So sweet...

No explanation needed...

First official sand burial

Haystack Rock

Trip #3

See what I mean??

He is a true native. Got soaked,

even though the water was

FREEZING!!

Perfect tree stump... a cubby for each kid!