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December 21, 2014

Baby #2: Welcoming Our Newest Wild Adventurer

It’s a Girl!

Just one week ago, on December 14, 2014, our second wild adventurer, Georgia, arrived, right on time! After a tough labor, but easy delivery, filled with laughter in fact, she joined our little family and made it complete.

For those who like specifics, here are some of her stats:

Born: Sunday, 12/14/14, 8:50 am

Weight: 8 pounds (even!)

Height: 20 inches

She’s an eating machine, and already fitting right into the family with a love of getting out and about for walks (short ones so far) and other outings with her big brother. We are so blessed and lucky to have Grandparents in town to take care of us and provide some amazing support.

We’re slowly getting back into the swing of things, but especially with the holidays coming, expect the blog to be rather quiet. We may share an adventure or two on facebook, instagram, and twitter, so be sure to connect there to see what we might be up to!

Baby #2: Welcoming Our Newest Wild Adventurer | WildTalesof.com

Merry Christmas!

December 14, 2014

Dawn Day in the Wildlife: Sea Lion Release

Over 18,000 animals rescued and treated since 1975…
Over 30,000 adults and children educated each year…
Over 1,100 volunteers from Medocino County in Northern California to San Luis Obispo County on the Central Coast…

Why do the animal rescue professionals and volunteers work so hard in the research and rehabilitation of the animals that come into the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, California?

For these moments of glory: The opportunity to return sea lions, seals and other marine wildlife to their natural habitats knowing that they have the strength and skills to stay alive and thrive.

Dawn Day in the Wildlife: Sea Lion Release | WildTalesof.com

Photo Courtesy of Susan Goldman

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November 26, 2014

Easy Backyard Activity: Pine Cone Bird Feeders

Late last week after a busy morning of running around and getting errands and chores accomplished, I realized that we were in need of some creative time. We’d collected pine cones earlier in the week and they were ready and waiting to be a little bit more useful than just a lazy “center piece” decoration.

I’ve loved working through our fall bucket list just as much as our end-of-summer list! It feels so much easier when all your ideas and aspirations are already documented. This way, when the time is right, I can consult the list and know just what to do. Pine Cone Bird Feeders are on our fall list, and even though they are super easy to execute, I’d been putting them off in favor of more active adventures that had us leaving the house.

I read about the simple idea in one of our favorite outdoor activity references, The Kids’ Outdoor Adventure Book, and knew the feeders were something we would be able to not only accomplish successfully, but also enjoy!

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November 20, 2014

Feeding the Pineapple Obsession: Oahu’s Dole Plantation with Kids

With a serious pineapple loving little boy on our hands, it would have been cruel of us not to visit the Dole Plantation during our recent visit to Oahu. Bergen (3-years old) cannot get enough of the stuff. In fact the other day when I ordered a pineapple-flavored soda at the Mexican restaurant we were dining at, he cried when the drink arrived as (we soon found out) he was expecting a plate of actual pineapple!

We planned for a morning visit, and thanks the resident alarm clocks surrounding our vacation rental, it wasn’t at all difficult to get ourselves there right as they opened their doors to at least try to avoid some of the inevitable crowds. The plantation is located in the town of Wahiawa, which in Oahu’s central valley, about a 40 minute drive from Honolulu, but only 10 minutes or so from our base in Haleiwa on the North Shore.

Truly trying to make the experience all about Bergen, we wasted no time dawdling around, and purchased our tickets for the pineapple train right away. Pineapples and trains: What more could a little boy ask for?

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November 18, 2014

Flying While Pregnant: Ideas on Staying Comfortable in Flight

Baby #2 is coming! Believe it or not (that’s me talking to myself) in just a few short weeks, we will be welcoming our second little adventurer into the world. He or she has already been coming along on quite a few journeys, and has probably logged more miles than Bergen (now 3 years old) when I was pregnant with him. We believe in the importance of traveling as a family, and more than ever we felt it was essential to build that bond as a family of 3 before adding another member.

I flew several times during the pregnancy, but it was on our last trip, a week in Oahu at about 28 weeks, that I really took notice and reflected on some best practices for air travel while pregnant. Considering that I’ve had more discomfort during this pregnancy, I was somewhat anxious for how this last set of flights would go. Not worried enough, of course to be alarmed or call anything off, but cautious.

In the end, I didn’t have much to worry about as the flights to and from Oahu went smoothly. With a few implementations and considerations, I was comfortable, and the experience wasn’t too far from flying without a mini “passenger”:

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November 14, 2014

Walk and Fly Along the Lewis and Clark Discovery Trail: Long Beach, WA

While on a mini getaway in Long Beach, Washington this past summer in celebration of our 5-year wedding anniversary, coupled with our little guy’s 3rd birthday, we found that the town is great for walking.

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