I am an Olympic/Nature Photographer!

Okay, I'm not really that good at photography, but I did take some pretty cool pictures of Olympians and Nature which I have posted below. :)

My parents and my brother Daniel came to visit at the end of June. My mom and Daniel came to visit me and see Lily.

 
But I think my dad mostly came so he could go to the track & field Olympic Trials in Eugene (ok, he came to visit us too). He was very kind and took me with him to one day of the meet, and it was fantastic! From third-row seats, we got to watch Ashton Eaton run a lifetime best, gut-wrenching 1500 as the final, world record-breaking event in the decathlon. Everyone in the stands, which were packed, was screaming and cheering through the whole race, and jumping up and down when he finished in the time needed to break the record. It was breathtaking.

I like going to track meets, just became I'm that kind of geek, but this was REALLY fun. Partly because everyone else there was track-and-field-obsessed, and partly because it was amazing to watch some of the very best athletes in the world compete. I went to another day of the trials with Adam, and we got to watch Allyson Felix run the 4th fastest 200 in history! As in the history of the world, EVER! We were really impressed by the women high-jumpers, which included a 15-year-old high school sophomore and a 36-year-old. Here are a few pictures.

This is Chaunte Lowe with her daughter on her victory lap after winning the high-jump and qualifying for the Olympic team:

Here is Sonya Richards-Ross before the final heat of the women's 200, in which competed 7 of the 10 fastest women in the world.

Allyson Felix, preparing for a world-class 200 race.

Wow, they were good! But since most people are probably not as interested in reading about every element of a track meet as I am, I will spare you the minute details of each event. You can just watch the Olympics.

While my parents were here, we went camping at Cape Perpetua. I was a little nervous about camping with a baby, but my parents just got a pop-up camping trailer, which worked really well. It provided a dry sleeping space (not easy to come by when camping in Oregon), and a little more privacy for nursing Lily. We had a lot of fun, and the area was beautiful.

My dad's family decided to join us and make it into a family reunion, so they were staying in a beach house about 10 minutes from our campsite. We went on some really fun hikes, and spent time at the beach. This is my cousin Emily giving me a break from carrying Lily on a hike.

We saw some of the best tide pools I've ever been to, and hiked up a mountain for an incredible view.

 
We also visited the Sea Lion Caves, which is the largest sea cave in the world, and it's full of sea lions (as if you couldn't tell by the name). It was crazy to watch the males fight each other for the best sleeping spots. They are huge, and I really wouldn't want to meet one.

 
I really enjoyed spending time with my grandparents and some aunts and uncles I don't see very often. In fact, it was really hard when everyone left. I think I had forgotten how much I crave being around other people. It was difficult to go back to my very solitary life of taking care of Lily by myself most of the time. Adam has been really great at helping out, but of course he has school and work to do. I guess I realized that being around family is more important than I had thought. Hopefully when we go somewhere more permanent, we will be a little closer to family than we are now.

In the mean time, I will enjoy the time I have with Lily. She is growing up so fast! Lily is trying very hard to crawl, but has not been successful. I think this is because she is too heavy to support herself on her arms and legs. I don't mind though. She is easier to keep track of the way things are. She has two teeth, and loves eating new foods. Here is Lily devouring a plum during our camping trip:

And finally, we have some big news . . . Lily said her first word! She has been babbling for some time, so it may have been coincidence, but we think there is understanding behind it. We have been playing a game with her where I say "Da-da" and then Adam jumps up or appears from around the corner. And whenever she inadvertently says "da-da" Adam comes in and claps and cheers and repeats it. So after playing this for a while last week (officially it was July 1), he came in the room and Lily looked right at him, smiled and said clearly, "Da-da!" She has done it a number of times since each day since, so maybe that is significant. Maybe not, but hey, as her parents, it's our job to be over-excited about everything she does, right? :)