Ok so Chase & Madeleine have it pretty good.  In fact since we recently got a new kitchen table they have taken relaxtion to new heights.

Madeleine finishing lunch.
 

Busted!

How can you be upset at a face like that?

Chase not wanting to be left out pushes back as well.

Peanut hasn't quite mastered drinking with her feet yet.

So Maddy went and got the stuffed monkey and gave it a ride on the tricycle all by herself.  The days of pretend play have officially started.

OK, so I don't have any amazing eagle photos to show you (hopefully soon!), but in the meantime you can check out this webcam from a lake just to the South of us.  It is real time eagle nest watching at its finest.  In the few times I've checked it I've seen one of the adults bring back a fish, feed the little guy etc.  While it can be slow at times, just keep watching and something interesting is bound to happen.

Click HERE

or here is the full link to copy and paste:  http://www.fs.fed.us/outdoors/naturewatch/eaglecam.html#background

I took the kids across the street to the park on Thursday and decided to bring the camera along.  Not only were they dressed super cute, but they (somewhat) cooperated for me too!

My little sweetheart

Check out those baby blues.

Isn't she adorable?

Chase seems to look guilty a lot - wonder why?

She can look so innocent and then in the next moment this little smirk appears......

We are getting much better at running.

and throwing rocks....

Finally Chase wants to smile

and give a hug

or maybe he just wants the camera?

Maddy is making sure the drinks don't get away.

Later that evening the sunset was gorgeous - these are taken literally out the front door.

 

On Memorial Day we took a drive to the head of the Metolius River.  The Metolius is a pretty decent size river that literally just comes up out of the ground.  It is cool in theory, however there is so much brush and growth around where the water appears that you really can't see anything.  Apparently the thing to do there is feed the chipmunks as there are tons along the path and are constantly on the lookout for food.  Since the kids napped on the way up there, we let them play a little in the picnic area as you'll see below.  On the way back we stopped at Black Butte Ranch which was gorgeous.  Lake/river, meadows, views of Mt. Washington and Sisters - it is one of the nicer views we've seen out here.

While the view of the river was disappointing, there is a great view of Mt. Jefferson.

Madeleine is our little nature girl.

And a ham for the camera.

She was all fired up to play in the woods

So this photo is a little scary, but I like Maddy's "glasses" and it shows what we fed them for lunch.

More snacking - notice the peanut someone gave her to feed the chipmunks.

Having fun in the outdoors.

While Chase wasn't that interested in looking at the camera, Maddy had no problem at all.

Little fingers on the lens usually makes for great photos.

Ah time for the main course - dirt anyone?

She's so very proud of herself.
 

Chase is looking to get in on the dirt action.
 

There is nothing quite like two handfuls of dirt.

And for dessert we have graham crackers and juice which makes Madeleine very happy.

Just hanging out on the ranch.
 

Their climbing abilities are starting to get them in trouble.

It's OK - Chase didn't fall over.

Rather than just ride, Chase wants to drive.

The kids like books -although Maddy definitely has more patience than Chase.

Me and my little girl.

Maddy "reading" along.

No Daddy I want to turn the page....  Yes they have learned the word NO - it's so much fun!

Dog, dog, dog.... yes everything right now is a dog (dogs, cats, birds, things they want - pretty much everything   )

Cutie-pie

And she knows it!

Chase making sure he isn't missing out on anything.

So Madeleine hands him his own book so she can keep hers.

Lunch time - and the little beggars are out in force.

So while we are planning on putting up a larger feeder at some point, the kids are loving watching the finches eat from the window feeders.  They really get excited and they get to be super close to the birds.  I did catch this guy in the feeder one afternoon (the only time I think he's been there) and it was too good of an opportunity to pass on the photo.   The feeders aren't big enough for the larger birds so we will have to add another feeder in the back yard before long.  Probably the most interesting bird we have had is a Black Headed Grosbeak.  Oh and the kids got to watch 4 California Quail in the front yard out the window today - only about 5 feet away!

A couple of weeks ago we took a trip the southern Cascade Lakes - mostly Crane Prairie Reservoir.  The road to the North wasn't open yet so we had to go South through Sunriver. 

We did see an eagle over the water, but it was a LONG way away.

The shoreline around Crane Prairie.

I was able to play for a couple of minutes on our walk and liked this image.

When we returned to the car, Madeleine was in rare form.  She is really becoming camera aware and likes the attention!

And a not so "devilish" expression

Chase with his favorite (and Maddy's too) food these days..... dirt!

Then as we were about to leave Madeleine just wanted her Daddy to hold her.  Talk about a precious face.

That mischevious little grin is something else.

So in commemoration of the kids turning 16 months I'm posting a few images that for a number of reasons hadn't been posted before.

The firs three images are from the house in Encinitas.  Are these two cute or what?

Madeleine offering Daddy Chase's pacifier.

And then thinking better of it and making her get-away.

This is from Bend before any of our stuff arrived.  Since there weren't any chairs & tables Maddy's high chair was on the floor.

At the perfect level for Chase to help himself.

And be caught in the act!  What, who - wasn't me......

I am going to set up a separate blog for this stuff, but for now it is going here as it would never be seen otherwise.   Last week I had a chance to head out to the Painted Hills area - kind of Northeast of Bend.  It is very quiet and very sparsely populated out there.  In fact it is about 45 miles to the nearest town and in the mountains that is quite a ways.

The Painted Hills are clay hills that have eroded into fine rounded hills/mounds that are beautiful.  This first image is a little more abstract, but shows some of the fine detail in the lower parts of the hills.

The band of red (iron) really contrasts well with the yellows and blacks.

Soft evening light and the hills almost look like a sleeping animal.

I like this image as it shows the tracks of several animals traversing the hills.

After leaving the park I stopped on the side of the road and liked the way the sun was coming through the sagebrush.  Most traditionalists really hate lens flare, but with all of the wedding stuff we do I love it!

This image was taken from the side of the road as well.  The hills in the background really worked with the last of the evening light on the antelope.  These were the first wild antelope I have ever seen too! 

Lastly, I figured I would throw in a self-portrait.  In case you missed it, that's my shadow in the lower left.

A belated happy Mother's Day to all of you mothers out there.  No photos in this post, but I did want to update on Chase and Madeleine.  They are healthy, (usually) happy and growing so fast.  Just as the Babycenter email said, they discovered the word "No" last week.  Chase first, but with Maddy close behind they are certainly letting us know what they DON'T want.

While they have always tried to imitate us, it is really becoming apparent.  We were eating hummus and flat bread on Saturday and both kids picked up their bread and dipped it in the hummus bowl before eating - too cute.  Guess we need to be on our best behavior!

Lastly, wish me luck as we dropped Mindy at the airport yesterday as she is teaching a session at the Golden Gate School this week.  She will be back late Wednesday night so the kids and I are hanging out here in Bend.  What a great Mother's Day present - leaving your kids while they sleep in the car.