Family time in Oregon

This past week we took Sawyer on his first road trip to Bend, Oregon, which is where Tysha's parents live. It is normally a 5.5-6 hour drive, and with our little guy we had envisioned it taking us at least 8 hours - BUT much to our pleasant surprise (actually, we're not too surprised, he's a newborn AND he's super easy-going) we only had to stop once (to feed him and ourselves) and we made it in 6.5 hours. Crying: 10 minutes. Playing with parents: 20 minutes. Sleeping: 5.5 hours. It was a breeze, and we were very thankful. We met up with 3 of Tysha's siblings in Bend, each of whom have had a baby boy in the past year. Sawyer met all of his boy cousins (on the Kemp side) on this trip! Jackson is 10.5 months, David is 8 months, Tyson is 5 months, and of course Sawyer is the youngest - now 1 month old!

We took Sawyer to his first live concert. It was a Reggae band playing at Bend's Munch n Music series. It was an absolutely perfect evening when we packed our picnic and sat on the grass at Drake Park enjoying the music. Brandon - Jamie's boyfriend (Tysha's 18 y/o sis) joined us and even offered to "babysit" so we could dance a little. What a super guy he is! So...we danced a little...and grooved a little (nothing like dancing in bare feet!)...

Sawyer eventually joined in with the dancing. I think he was the youngest in the crowd. Of course, much like the 4th of July Fireworks, he pretty much snoozed through the Reggae Concert, but we enjoyed it nonetheless!!!

Magical Drake Park at dusk. It's one of Tysha's very favorite parts of Bend. It's a park that lines the Deschutes River, and there is always something going on there.

One day the whole crew went on a hike along the Deschutes River. Here's baby Jackson with his Daddy, Jared. They are all smiles! It was an absolutely beautiful day.

And baby David with his Mommy, Jen. Our boys are such troopers! We put Sawyer in our Ergo and he quite enjoyed the hike as well. We are excited for when he is big enough to fit in the big boy backpack and we can go on longer adventures.

It is fun being part of a family that is so active and enjoys the outdoors. We hope to continue the tradition...

Jacob found this fun thing. It's not a dandelion but we're not sure what it is. It looks like a huge dandelion.

Oh, what fun times with our cute little nephews!

Nothing can beat those curious & trusting, happy eyes and big smiles.

Sawyer quite enjoyed being passed around by the family. Here he is with Grammy, enjoying the shade on a hot afternoon. (Notice his receding hairline - at the rate he is going, he may end up bald like his cousin Jackson!)

And here he is with his "Gigi" (Great-Grandmother), Iris. She sure enjoyed meeting her little "tiny mite". We are sad that her husband, Grandpa Millard, didn't get to meet Sawyer. He passed away 2 days after Sawyer was born. We did get to go and visit his grave, as we were unable to be at the funeral. It was sad and sweet. We know he is resting peacefully, and looking out for us. Who knows, maybe he's the one who got Sawyer to smile at 2 days old! Remembering a great life helps remind us to treasure each moment we have with our little son, and with our wonderful families and friends.

Here we are all together. Jared, Rachel, & Jackson. Jen & David. Jamie. David, Kelli, & Tyson. And of course us. Four boy cousins. It will be fun to watch them as they grow! We had a wonderful time in beautiful Central Oregon. What a treat to spend a few days with family!