September 03, 2008

Life

I spent the last four days in Portland with my family. A new baby, the first of this generation, and HELLO! the first boy in my immediate family (all girls here) called for a big family party.

But first, the proud parents, Kevin & Natasha, with baby Kai

and me, of course....had to hold that little guy....he wasn't too happy about it though....hmmmm.


yeah...time to go back to mama...


On my 3 1/2 hour drive home, I contemplated birth and renewal....just in time to snap these pictures of the lava flow near Santiam Pass.




and the burn near the summit...



The new growth has already begun...


"The tree rustled. It had made music before they were born, and would continue after their deaths, but its song was of the moment."

~ E.M. Forster

27 comments:

Caroline said...

Awww, what a sweet family. New growth, indeed. :)

Unknown said...

Congratulations on your very handsome new addition to the family, they are a beautiful family themselves :)

I have been thinking of life & renewal as well lately and in many ways it is sad to think that there has to be a "burn" in order to have "growth" but that is really all a part of life right? I enjoyed reading your reflections :)

Michelle Engel Bencsko said...

My goodness your niece is adorable! Such a nice family. New beginnings. This certainly marks a pivotal moment for many.

Rosebud Collection said...

What great pictures..just beautiful..
Glad you had a great trip and got to share in the joy..

Leigh Shepherd said...

Congratulations! Beautiful pics :)
Makes me realise how quickly my two are growing!

Anonymous said...

I love these photos. Newborns are so delicious, my friend had a baby yesterday and I can't wait to get my hands on her.

Hey Harriet said...

Eeeeeek! What did you do to that poor little fella? He looks terrified!

Same thing happens when I hold babies...

A Cuban In London said...

Excellent photos and hooray, a boy!

Greetings from London.

Anonymous said...

What a darling little guy!! Very sweet couple too... and hey, I know those earrings! :D

Sarah McBride said...

Congrats on the new little guy.
Beautiful pictures and a beautiful baby!!

Tess Kincaid said...

What a beautiful little family! And you look fab, too!!!! :)

Home Deconomics said...

Aw congrats great-auntie! I was just in the Portland area visiting my new niece-in-law. And I was in your neck of the woods the week before that (well, Portland to Bend to Nampa and beyond).

We saw our fair share of lava flows too :)

..... said...

i love all those big family parties !!

picciolo said...

what beautiful family pictures and I love the quote. Your parcel is all ready to post to you tomorrow
: )

T.Allen said...

Beautiful photos and quote. Baby Kai is a passionate little guy, huh?!

Vana said...

precious baby....oh brought back memories..

LazyTcrochet said...

Cool pictures. Congrats Aunty!

Mrs.French said...

such a sweet family....that kai is perfection!

Inkspot Workshop said...

Amazing how so much love can fit into such a small package!

littlebyrd said...

What a little cutie! I always love seeing that new growth in the forest too.

Unknown said...

Hello Charmaine,
Firstly, beautiful picture of the family. You look absolutely great and baby Kai..wow..he's not very happy but then, that's what babies does cry :D The name Kai in Chinese means 'open', as in open doors, open minded..thought you might like to know the chinese version. The famous Kai that i read is General Kai Shek (90% of chinese have 2 names) Chiang/surname, he fought against communism and founded the now modern Taiwan.

Lava flows..never seen that before. Isnt it great we learn a bit of each other's country through blogs..Have a great day :D

Grizzly Mountain Arts said...

Congratulations on the new arrival to your family! He's a cutie!

Unknown said...

That baby is so adorable, and now that I see the parents with him, I can see why! Don't take the crying personally. I think at this stage, Mom is probably the one that smells the best to him.

Thoughtful post.

Mélanie said...

Congratulations ! Beautiful pictures !

StaroftheEast said...

Such a sweet family!!
And the little one has quite a throught :D

Anonymous said...

oh what sweetness! a baby kai! you look happy to hold that bundle even if he is in tears :) i love the contemplation that was a result of your visit. that quote is like something out of the story of the real Avalon where the earth was the mother from beginning to end and every moment beyond and before.
xo

littlebird said...

congratulations !