Summer 2011 picture update!

Once Kate had settled in at home with Grammy DeRocker, Obee, and Mr. Turtle, Gregg and I hatched a plan that would allow us to see our families and friends back home on the East Coast. We would drive from Los Angeles to our homeland for a portion of my maternity leave. At the start of the cross country roadtrip from Los Angeles to the East Coast, Kate was 7.5 weeks old. We spent 8 weeks visiting family and friends and then made our way back across the country, taking the northern route, when Kate was about 14 weeks old. We thought we would share some pictures of our trip with all of you.

As of September 12th (4 months), Kate is 12 lbs 10 oz and 25.75 inches long with a 16 inch head circumference. She had her first cereal on September 14th and is settling into her own room here in Los Angeles.

This was taken somewhere in Utah, on Interstate 70, through Spotted Wolf Canyon

Family Portrait in front of the Wasatch Plateau, Utah

Rusty's Dream in Palisades, CO - may also be Obee's dream

Auntie Lala and Eliza (8.5 weeks old) meet at Lake George

Cute outfit from Cousin Lauren, Chris, and Maxton

Loving the porch in Lake George in her bumbo, about 9 weeks old

Obee gets the upperhand?

Obadoodle enjoying the porch during downtime (when he wasn't jumping off the dock)

Maxton and Kate meet for the first time at Auntie Lorraine's house. Kate's about 10 weeks and Max is about 8 weeks.

More Max and Kate - wish we lived closer!

Family portrait in Mystic, CT

Including Obee - Mystic, CT

A dude and his dog - Mystic, CT

Steep Rock State Park in Conneticut - Kate about 11 weeks

Beautiful day in Steep Rock State Park

Obee and Lilly in Paddy Hallow

Nana and Kate in Torrington

Grandy and Kate (12 weeks) on the top dock in Lake George, NY

Lake George, NY

Lake George, NY

Part of the roadtrip back - Elkhart, IN (Kate's 14 weeks)

Coolest pizza delivery car ever - Wisconson Dells, WI

In front of the Falls in Sioux Falls, SD - (Kate's 14 weeks)

Sioux Falls, SD

Badlands National Park, South Dakota

Badlands National Park, South Dakota

Badlands National Park, South Dakota - Kate's 14.5 weeks

Badlands National Park, South Dakota

Goats in Badlands National Park, South Dakota

Wall Drug South Dakota

Fullsized stuffed buffalo Wall, South Dakota

Mount Rushmore National Memorial South Dakota

Mount Rushmore National Memorial South Dakota

Mount Rushmore National Memorial South Dakota

South Dakota State Line (Kate was sleeping in the car)

Wyoming State Line (Kate still asleep)

Somewhere near the Powder River Basin, WY - one of the old large dump trucks used to transport the coal from the mine to the railroad

Taken for scale

Wildflowers along I-70

Roadtrip! On the way to Yellowstone National Park, Kate's about 15 weeks

Grand Teton Mountain Range in the background on the way to Yellowstone

Grand Tetons

Jackson Lake with Grand Tetons



Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park with the wooferdoodle

Yellowstone National Park - note the regrowth of the Lodgepole pines in the background after the historic fires of 1988.



Kepler Cascades, Yellowstone National Park

Buffalo

Elk in front of the Mammoth Hot Springs Park Head Quarters

Along Route 89 in Montana

Overlooking the Columbia River near Vantage, WA

Visiting Bonnie-Bea and Adelaide in Freemont, WA

Farmer's Market in Freemont, WA

Kate (15 weeks) and Adelaide in Bonnie-Bea's house in Freemont, WA

More Kate (15 weeks) and Adelaide

K&A

Avenue of the Giants, Northern California (Old Highway 101)

Redwoods!







Looks a bit like Alderaan, no?

Drive through Tree!

Family portrait with room to spare in the Avenue of the Giants



A Visit with Emstar in Berkley, CA

Otters in the Wild in Moss Landing, CA