First Hair Cut

June 19, 2017

Chanell gave Owen his first haircut in Uncle E and Aunt Tine's backyard. Owen was really wiggly, so it took many hands to keep him distracted and away from Chanell's scissors. Even Maya Dog helped! The haircut turned out really extra cute.

Father's Day 2017

June 18, 2017

Uncle E again hosted a great barbecue for Father's Day on his new grill. We never go home hungry!  We spent the weekend doing everything that Brandon loves: surfing and watching motos on Saturday morning. I hope he had as much fun as I did on Mother' Day!

Looking good...

Our favorite way to spend the day

Beach airplanes

Hanging with Kev

Happy beach baby!

Playing with Mike and Chanell

Cutie pie

 Sunglasses are so fun!

 Happy Father's Day!

Owens River Campout 2017

May 25, 2017

 The 6th Annual County Campout was another success this year. We camped in the same area of the Owens River as we did last year- our favorite campsite in the Sierras alongside Owen's namesake river. Our friends Blake, Bud, Kevin, Mike, and Chanell all joined us for a long weekend. We fished, swam, ate good food, and the boys rode motos. Owen must have been teething or not feeling well because he seemed to have a hard time during lot of the trip, but we had some great moments together as a family. It's always worth the trip and we were glad to spend some quality time with family and friends.

We met with my friend BryAnna and her family in Big Pine on our way home. BryAnna and I met through working with the Bishop Paiute Tribe, and we've been friends ever since. The Vaughan's are great role models for raising a family outside.

Fueling up in Olancha, and taking a break to go "vroom vroom"

Not a bad view from our favorite little camp

Wild Child!

Exploring on uneven terrain

  Checkin out the water

Fishin on the Upper Owens

Sun shade/mosquito net

Runnin the dogs

Owen in the Owens!

Owen checking out the moto in his BabyBjorn

Owen brought sticks to the dogs all weekend

"Chanell, tell me about the giant fish you caught!"

 Owen insisted on going for a swim in the snowmelt

Owens favorite bath toy

Awesome trip!

The Vaughan Family

Cosmic Creek 2017

May 21, 2017

Another year has past! Last year, Owen was 4 weeks old for his first Cosmic Creek contest. This year he was a local. 

Eric did a wonderful job again organizing and hosting the surf contest. All of our friends participated and the waves were so much fun. I lost in the first round, but had fun getting back in the water and catching a few waves after after my wrist surgery. Brandon made his first heat, but fell short in the second. Mike, Blake and Eric all made the finals. The food, sun, music and overall vibe was so great. Owen was super stoked to play in the water at low tide, and had to take a nap on the beach after all the fun. 

Traveling with a lot more stuff these days...

Scoping the waves

Uncle E setting up

Drawing cards for first pick of boards

Owen, helping Dad pick the best board for his heat

 Stacked heats

Brandon, Mike and Davo (Stance employees shred!)

Owen wanted a part of the action

You can't keep Owen out of the water!

Beach baby naps

Awesome weekend!

Brandon's Birthday

May 15, 2017

We pretended the last weekend was Brandon's birthday and celebrated while we were at his race in Primm, Nevada.  Uncle E was so nice and threw a last minute barbecue at his house for Brandon with our closest friends. Eric just got a new grill and he cooked up a storm. Brandon was very stoked! Owen had fun entertaining everyone at the dinner table with his moto sounds "bbrrrraaapppp!". It was a beautiful evening.

The next day, the Mehlberg's and Draguesku's all showed up at our house to wish Brandon a happy birthday, and to send Owen off to bed. It was perfect.

Sewing Class

May 14, 2017

I've always wanted to learn how to sew, and I finally signed up for a class at Saddleback Community College for the winter semester. It was so much fun! I really enjoyed having one night a week to focus on something for myself, and lose time for a few hours in a fun project. I learned so much, starting with how to thread a sewing machine, to completing projects like a messenger bag, pajama pants, zippered purses, and clothes.

For our knit project, we learned to make a t-shirt. A big motivation for me to learn how to sew was for our growing family, so I made a t-shirt for Owen. But I couldn't just make him a t-shirt, so I finished it with a cute pair of shorts. A whole outfit! I never thought I'd be able to do that. What a fun few months!

Mother's Day 2017

May 14, 2017

Brandon asked me what I wanted to do for Mother's Day, and while I know I should have said something like brunch, or a picnic, or a nice walk with my family. Instead I was honest, and replied "I just want to surf and get a breakfast burrito." Not a standard answer, but it was honest.

Thank you to Owen and Brandon for loving me for who I am, and helping me have the best Mother's Day!

 Owen watching mom surf!