Category: Media

Images, audio & media to feast your eyes and ears on

Ellie’s first day at school [VIDEO]

This day was a long time coming. I think Ellie’s been ready to go to school for about three years, but she finally got the chance.

We sent her off into the world and she had an excellent first day at school. She rode the bus without issue and forgot about us the second she got on the bus.

Ever since, she’s truly thrived at school and loves going. She’s coming alive with learning new information and skills and will undoubtedly become a very intelligent person. Continue reading “Ellie’s first day at school [VIDEO]”

April – June 2018

As the weather cleared up and Ellie completed her fifth trip around the sun, her personality just keeps coming out more and more.

These photos help to show how much she’s coming out of her shell and that she isn’t afraid to be her, which I love. I don’t want her to ever apologise for being who she is.

She upgraded from her balance bike to her first real bike at Christmas and once the weather cleared up, she was able to start riding around and she’s getting pretty good at operating the bike by herself. She’s still got training wheels / stabilisers on for now, but those’ll come off soon enough with how well she’s progressing. Continue reading “April – June 2018”

Ellie’s 5th birthday

Ellie celebrated her fifth(!) birthday this summer. To celebrate, we invited a bunch of her friends to come and celebrate at Enchanted Forest: a theme park based on fairy tales which hasn’t seen too many updates since the 1970s. However, all of the adults agreed that that was part of its charm; it isn’t flashy or over the top, but offers some great entertainment for a reasonable price without going crazy.

For her actual birthday, she was insistent on wearing her princess dress, and looked beautiful and grown up. Continue reading “Ellie’s 5th birthday”

Family vacation to Bend, OR [VIDEO]

This summer, we made the decision to take our family vacation in Bend, OR. Bend is characterized by the high desert climate, notably different from the wetter climate on the west side of the Cascades (where Portland is), but its craft beer scene and its many options for outdoor adventure.

It was a pretty low-key affair and more than anything, it was just a good break from the everyday slog of life at home, but while we were there, we definitely took the opportunity to do some activities that we wouldn’t ordinarily be able to do.

For example, we took Ellie and Jack horseback riding which went really well. Jack definitely needed some convincing, but once he realised he was OK, he loved it up on the horse. Continue reading “Family vacation to Bend, OR [VIDEO]”

January – March 2018

December was largely a write-off because of sickness throughout the house, however we got right on with enjoying the new year.

Ellie spent a fair amount of time building the Lego sets that she got at Christmas. Ellie and I also participated in a 13-week Daddy-Daughter Ballet class: she was definitely the better ballerina, but it was nice to have that special experience with her.

It was a pretty mild winter all told, to the point of us being able to visit vineyards towards the end of March in the sun with short sleeves on. Continue reading “January – March 2018”

December 2017

Last December, we were settling in for our first winter and our first Christmas in Oregon, and we certainly made the most of it.

We took a trip up to Mount Hood to go tubing and build snowmen, we took a ride on the Christmas train, we made gingerbread houses and generally had a jolly old time. Continue reading “December 2017”

Ellie and Daddy do Seattle [VIDEO]

This past weekend, I took Ellie to Seattle for a little daddy-daughter weekend before she starts school in a couple of weeks! We had so much fun seeing the sights and I cherished the opportunity to dote on my little girl, and do things like get dressed up and take her on a date.

We got up to write a lot during our time in Seattle. We:

  • Rode the light rail and the monorail (this is exciting to Ellie).
  • Went on a dinner date together, with Ellie in her princess dress and me in a shirt and tie.
  • Went up to the Space Needle and watched Seattle from high up, with the city lights aglow (Ellie often says how pretty the city looks at night because of all the lights.
  • Went to Pike Place Market.
  • Grabbed breakfast at Wayward Vegan Cafe (this wasn’t planned, but Ellie wanted waffles for breakfast, so the girl had to have waffles!).
  • Spent a few hours in the Pacific Science Center.
  • Went on the Seattle Great Wheel.
  • Grabbed breakfast together at Starbucks.
  • Went to Genessee Park to the Seafair Festival so that we could watch the Blue Angels. Continue reading “Ellie and Daddy do Seattle [VIDEO]”

Eclipse

Last August, we were lucky enough to have the solar eclipse pass right by Portland. Because of the promise of absolute bedlam on the roads, we decided not to drive 30 minutes south into the path of totality and instead settled for 99.64% totality.

Ellie was very excited in the run up to the eclipse (prompting her to gain a real interest in astronomy) and loved watching the whole thing.
Continue reading “Eclipse”