My kiddies...

So, I don't have any pictures to go with this post (sorry Mom), but just a little update on what my kids have been up to.

Carter loves going to the puppet time at the library. It's actually a different performance every Wednesday and this last week was a ventriloquist. He wasn't so sure about it (it was probably geared more towards ten year olds) and he would look over at me to kind of make sure that the show was ok, and not scary. I would smile at him and then he would smile back and two minutes later he would look back at me with that same concerned look, and I would smile, as if to say, it's ok, this is fun, and then he would smile back. It was cracking me up.

He still loves to call me "Sweetie" and I don't complain. Just today I was talking to my mom I hear this little voice from his room yelling, "Hey, Sweetie! Come here!" Carter is a being a little sass-a-frass. He likes to shout "Stop!" a lot. And I have received a few punches from him.

He also has turned into quite the little mother to Andi. He is always trying to stop her from getting into stuff (that he just got into moments before). I hear a lot of "Andi, uh-oh" throughout the day. Whenever he accidentally bumps into Andi or knocks her over, he'll always say, without being prompted to, "Sorry Andi." It is so sweet.

My little Carter will not eat fruit!! He won't eat bananas, blueberries, strawberries, nothing! Applesauce on occasion, but that's lucky. He loves his veggies though: raw carrots, avocado, green beans, steamed broccoli... weird.

Carter also loves to do anything Dad is doing. If Jefferson squats down to be at eye level to Carter, Carter will squat down. If Jefferson is leaning against the counter talking to me, Carter will come lean against the cabinets next to him. Carter puts on deodorant every morning. He goes over, grabs Jefferson's deodorant off the counter, pulls the cap off, pulls his shirt off, and then rubs it all over his belly.

Another common phrase out of his mouth is, "What you doing Daddy/Mama?" He asks us that about a hundred times every day.

I love how much he has grown up. I can kind of have a conversation with him. I love to hear him talk and watch him jump and dance and run.

Now Andi, she is being a little fuss budget this week, but I love her to death! She gets so upset if I get upset at her. If I get after her for getting into something she shouldn't, she gets this little pouty lip and starts to cry. It's so stinkin' cute that I immediately swoop her up and give her loves.

This lady gives some awesome kisses, open mouthed, tongue out, slobbery! YUM! She says hi, whoa, and mama. That's about it. No walking just yet, but she'll Mogli walk it when she's on a hard surface.

This girl loves her brother. She will climb up onto his bed any chance she gets. If Carter is asleep while she's up she'll crawl over to his door and just bang on the door.

We can finally put Andi's hair in a ponytail holder. It's so cute! My little girl. It's about the only girly thing about her. :) She is a mama's girl and I love it. She doesn't mind if other people hold her, but if I'm within an arms reach she'll dive over to get in my arms. It's always a good pick me up for me.

I get so many compliments on how well behaved my kids are and I could not agree more. I would like to think it has something to do with my parenting, but really, anybody who knows me knows that I am just super blessed with the most awesome kids ever! Love these little beings who keep me entertained and on my toes!

Sunny Sunriver

Finally, a recap of Sunriver. This might be a marathon post. I won't be offended if you don't read on. Where to begin.... every day was jam packed with activities, but yet, it was all very relaxing at the same time. The house we stayed at was amazing! It had five rooms and five bathrooms. Perfect for all of us couples and for the grandkids. It also had a hot tub out back and a huge deck where we put the blow up pool for the kiddies. Alli and I got to share bunk buds and giggled to sleep the first night between the squeaking, my claustrophobia, and the shaking of the bed. We felt like little kids again.

Us girls always seemed to have an activity during any "down time." We had a naughty nighty shower for Alli while the boys went out shopping for golf shoes. We did card making during nap time, jewelry making, and lots of gabbing and game playing.

(jewelry making)

(Card making)

There seemed to be a different activity every night too. We went to the concert on the green. There are a bunch of booths set up and a big stage on the golf course with bands playing (jazz, big band type music). We just took a bunch of snacks and blankets to sit on and enjoyed the setting sun and music. I spent the majority of the time chasing the boys around. We found a "rough" on the golf course and the boys enjoyed digging for golf balls. They probably found about twenty or so. Then they would dance and run around.

Quarter pound it with Uncle Farkus

Another evening was spent at the Munch-n-Music in Bend. Same sort of thing with tons of food and craft booths and live music. We enjoyed Diet Cokes and kettle corn. Carter and Gray provided the entertainment with their dancing. Even neighboring blankets enjoyed watching them dance. Next year we'll be sure to set out a hat and maybe make a buck or two.

We always spend an evening in the village at Goodies. That spells waffle cones and cookies and cream ice cream. Delicious as always.

We of course had a game night. Can I just say two words... "Ray Charles!" He's blind! We love Buzz Word. It's a great game if you've never played before. We also love Imagine If... And I still say that I would be a homicide and not a lane change violation- how boring!

Then, the last night we had FHE. Great job on the lesson Sam & Nikki! I'm so glad our awesome family is forever! And, I will give props to myself for the game. :) But really, it was fun to get to know those funny little quarks about everyone.

It was somewhat ironic that the whole week (well, almost the whole week, we'll get to that in a minute) the only two people without their spouse (or future spouse) there was me and Sharon, and we're the only ones with kids! Lucky for us, everyone was so helpful with the kiddies. We bike ride pretty much everywhere we go in Sunriver and it worked out well for me that Summer is pregnant and not able to bike ride because she pretty much toted Andi around to all of our destinations. And Nikki, you seemed to do that a lot for me too! Thanks!

I love this shot of baby girl Andrus! My sister makes one cute prego lady!

Aunt Nikki

Every morning we went walking while the kids were still sleeping (someone was always at home with them, don't worry). Every night a different couple was assigned dinner and we got some super yummy dinners going on! Can't wait to see what everyone concocts next year! I am already planning. So, tons of eating and an endless supply of treats, candies, and baked goods.

One afternoon Mom and Dad watched the kids so all of us grown up kids could go rafting. (thanks Mom& Dad!!) Sharon and I had a fun time being a "couple" and we did a dang good job rowing! I'm pretty sure we didn't ever run into a tree or bank. We even avoided the river shark!

Alli and Nic (my future brother-in-law)

Carter and Gray were just content to have each other to play with, as you can see from the pictures. They loved sitting in their bike trailer whether it was going or not. Carter somehow coerced Gray to sit in the umbrella stroller and Carter pushed him around the garage. They went swimming in the blow up pool, played with glitter pens that Aunt Sumo bought them, danced, jumped (A LOT!!), took baths, held hands, and did everything in between. Andi tagged along when possible, but was her usual content self, sitting pretty on a blanket. Love that girl.

So, I was only spouse-less for the first few days even though I thought I would be the whole week. Jefferson called me on Friday and asks what we are up to that night. I tell him that games are the only thing on dock, he then asks me if I can pick him up in Bend because he is boarding the Central Oregon Breeze. What is the Central Oregon Breeze you may ask? It's a bus!! Who in the world thinks to take a bus down to Bend?! The funniest, most thoughtful, loving, caring husband and father that ever walked the earth! After I stopped laughing I told him that I would be in Bend at the Sugar Loaf Motel to pick him up. We are so glad he got to "breeze" on in for the last few days of Sunriver.

Unfortunately it was still not the same without my brother Ben who was stuck at home, diligently studying for the bar that he takes in just a few days. His hard work will pay off.

Thank you again to the founders/funders of the Sunriver trip- Mom & Dad- you are the best! We love this tradition! It is so awesome to get to spend so much time together as a family. I will plan on a little jazercise in the mornings next year. :) (at least some turbo jam, and nobody is allowed an out)

Aren't they good looking grandparents?!

Busy Bees

I am trying to find time to post all about Sunriver, but we have been having a busy week. I am very grateful that we have had things to do this week. I always struggle the first few days after a vacation. I just want to stay in Neverland with my family and never return to reality.

Monday we had playgroup. My kids love being out in the sun on the playground with their friends. Andi has discovered how to climb up onto all the play equipment. She would go round and round, climb up the stairs, over the bridge, and then down the slide face first. Reminds me of Carter at that age. Carter loves going anywhere that Galla is going to be. At playgroup the two of them just disappear together and keep each other entertained. This past Monday they spent most of them time frolicking in the field or racing up and down the handicap ramp. Who needs a playground?

Tuesday morning we met up with some friends to pick blueberries. Carter loved picking them and Andi loved eating them. A little old man runs the place and boy was he grouchy! When I first pulled up he came up to my window and I said, "We're here to pick blueberries!" And first thing he does is look into the backseat and said, "What are you going to do with them?" referring to my kids. I assured him that I was going to bring them along with me. He went on to say that he didn't like the idea of a stroller going through the blueberry farm because the ground was rough. I told him that we could handle it. Imagine his dismay when my three other friends pulled up with a total of six more kids! :) He warned us that if he caught any one of our kids running, he would kick us all out. Can you believe how grouchy he was?! When we came up at the end to load our blueberries up he turned a little nicer and complimented us on how well behaved our kids were. I wanted to tell him that we would be finding a different blueberry patch next year to pick at, but I didn't. I just told the old cranky man that these well behaved kids have good mommies and left it at that. Anyways, we really did enjoyed ourselves.

The Gresham Library has an activity every Wednesday for kids. This week was a puppet show. I have never seen Carter so engrossed in an activity, or hold so still, for so long. Well, "still" is a relative term. He danced and yelled at appropriate times during the show and even figured out how to "flap his wings" when the butterfly and duck said to. I was so proud as I sat and watched him. He looked so grown up with all of the older kids around him (older being 3-5 years old). It probably helped that Galla was there for him to mimic.

This morning was supposed to be story time. We went to the younger age class for 12-24 months and it was a major bust. The lady was horrible who led it! She wasn't loud enough, animated enough, or capable of singing well enough to be leading that class. We had never been to this one. It also didn't help that Carter started crying the second we walked in the door... the exact same time Andi messed her diaper. We only lasted ten minutes. After we got Andi cleaned up we went and picked out some books to check out.

The library also does this great summer reading program. Each kid gets a little game board and every time you read to them for 15 minutes you cross off a space. Every ten spaces you bring it into the library and get to pick out a prize. Andi got a new book today and Carter got a yo-yo. It's more of a weapon at this point in time, but he was thrilled with it and it kept him entertained for a good half hour. It's a great program and a good reminder to read to my kids every day. They love it.

Well, check back soon for Sunriver posts. I'm working on it.

Last night consisted of

Dinner:

And a movie:

Which, by the way, was a spectacular film! I loved it! It was very dark, but so good. I wanted to go immediately back into the theater and watch it again.

Joy in the Journey

I was reading in the Ensign yesterday, conference edition, the article addressed to young moms. It was so inspiring. Elder Ballard just basically said that being a mom is hard work, and that "the joy of motherhood comes in moments." It's not going to be a rose filled walk in the park. "There will be hard times and frustrating times." And there definitely are, but basically he said we need to find the joy in the journey.

There was another quote in there that I liked from a mom that said, "I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less." Sometimes I find myself anticipating the future and counting down the days until we get out of school. Then, I think, we'll have it made. But then we'll be in a new business, paying off student loans, struggling financially, I'm sure, and then I'll be looking forward to five years down the road when we are a little more secure. There is always going to be something to look forward to.

Sometimes I am so ready for 7:00 to hit so I can put my kids to bed, that maybe I overlook some of those tender moments throughout the day. Like today, watching Carter try to unlock all the mailboxes with my mail key for the hundredth time was adorable. And while sometimes, that extra five minutes at the mailbox really drives me crazy, it's nice to stop and appreciate this little being next to me who is trying to figure life out. It's so easy to get caught up in completing our to-do list and wishing for and anticipating the future. I know that these are such treasured times with my children, and that someday I will want to be back here with my babies with nothing to do but watch ants and play in the sprinklers. These "quiet" times at home, unscheduled, spontaneous, and unpredictable are such a beautiful thing.

I love being a mom more than anything in the world. These two beautiful children of mine bring me so much joy. Watching them appreciate every small aspect of living makes me appreciate living so much more. My goal is to treasure the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less; to find joy in the journey.

"It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end."

-Ursula K LeGuin

Red, white and blue

We had such a wonderful 4th of July. We went down to Klamath Falls for a couple of days to visit my parents and sister, Alli. It was such beautiful weather and we got to be outside all day every day. Nic was down there all weekend too, so it was fun to see him and my sister together. P.S. they are engaged!!! Getting married in December. We are so excited for her! She is the last of the Stewart children to be married off. The two of them are perfect for each other.

Anyways, the pool was very inviting and we spent a lot of time swimming. My kids just love the water and Carter just wants to be little Mr Independent and swim by himself. He does a great job with the water wings on. Andi is pretty content just floating around in her ladybug.

One afternoon we went horseback riding. It was so much fun. My parents live on a mountain with very few houses, so we basically can just go riding wherever and enjoy the beautiful view of the lake and mountains. When my mom and I were out riding, Jefferson came out on the four wheeler with Carter to find us. When they found us we asked Carter if he wanted to ride the horse, thinking he would be a bit skeptical, but he just said, "Yes" and hopped right on. He loves riding on the horses now.
On the 4th we had some pop-its for Carter, which he thoroughly enjoyed and we lit some of those little snakes. That was all fine and dandy. Then we lit the big fountains. Carter just sat on his grandma's lap and took it all in. He clapped when it was over, but when we asked if he wanted us to light another one off he was very adamant that, "No" he did not want another firework lit off.
After the kiddies were in bed Jefferson and I went hot tubing with my parents and then watched the city fireworks from my parent's driveway. Though they were a little small from clear on the other side of town, we did have a perfect view and we didn't have to fight the crowds at the park or sit out by the cold, windy, stinky lake. It was rather enjoyable.

Carter is also in love with my parent's convertible. He always sneaks out to the garage and hops in and pretends to drive. He has figured out how to honk the horn and make the roof go up and down. He thinks he is hot stuff. Grandma and Grandpa finally got to take him out for a ride in it. And, as you'll see, us ladies took a spin in it as well.

Other than that, we just watched movies, swam some more, and built a fire and roasted marshmallows one night. Carter discovered the joys of a big wheel bike and loved the little play house that Grandpa put together. We had such a relaxing and enjoyable time. It just makes me even more excited for Sunriver in a week!!

Happy Anniversary!

We had our fifth wedding anniversary on July 1. It has been quite the journey since that blessed hot July day five years ago. We have lived in six different apartments/houses, lived in three different states, had 9 jobs combined, both graduated from college, have had two kids, and have made a lot of amazing memories between.

Our anniversary was nice and quiet. Jefferson was on break so we got to spend the whole day together. We made a yummy dinner of tri-tip steak, cheesy mashed potatoes, asparagus, everything bread, vinegar cucumbers, and watermelon. Then we just watched a movie that night.

Over dinner we were reminiscing about our favorite memories from the past year, they include, but are not limited to:

-Lighting our pillow on fire one steamy evening :)
-So You Think You Can Dance (one of the best date nights ever!)
-Going on our first trip without our kids to AZ
-Laughing at the dinner table one random night, so hard that we were crying
-Blessing our second child
-Doing everything we thought was hard with one kid, with two kids!
-Valentine's Day when we both vowed not to get each other something, and we both got each other something.

We can't wait to see all the fun memories this next year brings!

Catch up...

Jefferson has been on break for the last week. He finally wrapped up finals and, of course, did great in all of his classes. Jefferson is usually kind of a home body on his breaks because he doesn't get to spend a lot of time at home when he's in school. I, on the other hand, am so ready to get out of the house by the time break comes around and want to go and do.

This time we actually have hit a good middle ground. We have been enjoying some quiet time at home in the evenings, watching movies, but have also been out and about visiting some great places around Portland. We have kept pretty busy and I am super behind on posting, so scroll down to see what we have been up to this last week. We are so glad that we have a whole week of break left to enjoy with Jefferson home!

Seaside

This is what is only an hour and a half away from us. How come we have never gone in the almost two years we have been here? We don't know why.

It was so sunny and warm in Seaside and our water babies loved it, true to form. We went out to lunch for some halibut and chips and calamari. Jefferson's Uncle Dean, cousin Joe and their wives, Julie and Chris, were in town from Idaho. It was fun to spend some time with them. We went to the World Mark there and swam in their pool and wade pool. Cousin Joe bought some water wings for Carter and he loved swimming without Mom and Dad holding on to him.





Then we hit the aquarium. It was highly overrated, but the kids loved how dark it was in there and loved seeing the seals up close.



Then, of course we hit the beach. It was so beautiful. Carter loved the ocean. We got a good kick out of watching him get dizzy as the water kept switching directions on him. He loved helping Jefferson dig out little sand crabs.

We had such an amazing day and the kids held up great. We all slept hard that night and can't wait to make it out to the beaches again this summer, now that we know how wonderful it is.