In our saris

Anjali was so excited that we were all wearing our saris' and that we all matched too! As far as she was concerned we were all going to her wedding...

Summers come... and go...

I believe the 2008 summer is over. Here in the NW we never really even put away our sweaters this summer. It was certainly a busy summer with lots of hiking, camping, a visit to Kentucky to see my family, and even a kitchen remodel squeezed in there! I captured the essence of it all here.
Summers just always zoom by... always tell myself that I am going to do a whole laundry list of things, but end up doing something totally different.

Why we love Portland - 17

The predictable views of Mt. Hood is one of the reasons people move to Portland. Its just awesome. This was the best view I'd ever seen... from a hike to Mc Neil point. We actually turned back on this hike since the snow pack was still about 3 feet high on the trail (in July). But as we were coming back we met a hiking group led by a guide from Maryland (go figure!) who invited us to join them. At the end of the day we were so glad we did!

The grandparents

This July in Louisville Anjali got really emotionally close to my parents (her Aththamma and Aththa). And it was really sad for all of them when we left. I also realized that the grandparent bond begins to get really strong around this age when they realize the value of extended family. For now we have photos with Anjali and Ranesh with the gramps.

Three and then some...

Anjali turned 3 on July 19th and we had the best kind of party ever (not too much sugar, not too hyper, but lots of love). It was a very relaxing pool-side BBQ and cake with grandparents and my brothers family in Kentucky. It was great. My polar bear cupcakes were a big success, and she just loved the polar bears. She is so mature for a three year old... sometimes I feel like she is already a teenager, imagine when she really is one! She tell adults to get to the side of the road because cars are coming...

Random photos

I love these two photos.
Here's Anjali and her friend Evie.

And on the swing

Beautiful AND Smart

Ok I HAD to say that (I am the mom after all).
But here's Anjali having completed this 24 piece puzzle all by herself!
We love this world puzzle and its a great first introduction to the globe. She already knows the location of about a dozen countries by association with the pictures; she will learn associations with the shapes of countries and its relative location with other countries she knows next. I love guiding the whole child development process, its so fun to raise this kid!