Old Friends

I have this group of high school girlfriends that I've been getting together with more or less since we started having kids. It's not as often as any of us would like, but it's always a sweet time of chatting and watching our kids grow through the years. Last month, our group was much bigger than in past years. This is all thanks to... Face Book (of course). I realize I've already posted these photos on Face book, but I didn't want my on-line blog journal thing to miss out so here they are again. We did have a second play date... however my camera missed the boat so I have no photos of that outing (gasp)!

Karen & Natalie with Finley

The kids!  

The Mom's!  Me, Natalie, Angie, Cyndi, Karen, Jenn, Amy & Jenn

Oregon Coast

We had a fun time this weekend at the Oregon Coast.  We stayed at a beach house in the town of Manzanita (one of my favorite little beach towns) with Kent's Mom, sister, nephew and Grandma.  The boys had a blast playing with their little cousin, Miles and we adults snuck in a game of Phase 10 whenever we could.  We also took a great little walk through the state park.  It was a nice relaxing weekend after an intense week.  Here are a few of my favorite photos from our fun time.  Please click on any you would like to get a closer look at.

I always love that very first reaction shot of setting a baby on the sand at the beach.  He thought the sand was so cool.  He kept picking it up and dropping and watching it fall grain by grain.  Ah to see life through the eyes of a baby!

My boys

Nana Sue

A special moment for 2 brothers

Daddy is so funny!

I really love this shot of cousin Miles

Spencer helping Hudson talk on the phone to Emma & Jackson at home

Sweet times with Grandma Jeanne and Miles

Ooooooooo a slug!

Aunt Carrie & Miles

We had lots of downtime... I loved seeing the cousins hang out together

Writing in the sand was so fun for Spencer.  He loved practicing his letters and drawing pictures.

I really loved running on the beach with the boys.  I wish we had taken more time to do just this!

Life is Good

I've always liked this particular branding of stuff.  I think it's because the message is so simple, yet it means so much.  Their slogan?  "Life is Good."

This past week I had much to ponder.  Much much more than my anxious little brain really wanted to get itself around.  

The brief run down is a week ago Tuesday, I went in for a routine Mammogram.  Why?  My Mom had her first (of two) experiences with breast cancer at the young age of 43.  Because of family history only, my doctor told me that he thought it would be a good idea to get a base line.  Wednesday I got a call from my midwife explaining that the Mammogram came back with an area of calcifications that they wanted to take a closer look at.  I went in Thursday for a more magnified Mammogram and was told that there were two areas of calcifications that looked different and required a biopsy.  I was in shock.  Complete shock.

Tuesday I went in for the biopsy.  I was scared on so many different levels... it's hard to explain.

The last few days I have had many many ups and downs.  Periods where I was absolutely certain everything would be okay.  Then about 5 minutes later I would feel like my world was crashing down and I'd burst into tears.  Then I'd suddenly feel better again.  There was no rhyme or reason... it was just this emotional roller coaster that just would not stop.  

OH AND THE important part... I almost left it out... My biopsy came back clear... no breast cancer... YIPEE!!!

What have I learned?

Compassion - I hope I can be there for others as they go through tough times like this where they are so scared they don't know what to do with themselves.  Also compassion for those living with cancer.

I have Friends and a great family - Sounds silly, doesn't it?  But like anyone, I go through times where I feel a bit lonely but it has never been clearer that I have a HUGE community of people who love me for who I am.

God is Good - He took care of me and prayer certainly got me through this.  I have been praying for a stronger sense of Faith and I'm getting there.  

I love my boys and my husband to pieces - The thought of possibly leaving them was so daunting I can't even describe it.  I knew that even if it was cancer that it would be early but still... I was scared.  Really scared.

Xanax - Wow - that stuff really works.  

Mammograms are good - Yes, there were times I wished I had never gone and gotten one.  But they are indeed the earliest and best way of detection.  

Thank you to all my friends and family who were here for me... even in the smallest of ways. 

Every e-mail and friendly check in meant so much to me.  For those who had no idea... I really just told the people I ran into without planning to... I would just blurt it out at random.  So it didn't mean I felt any less close to you - it just kinda rolled out with my punches.  

Here are a few photos of my boys... my world... my life (which is GOOD)!

Our Garden

We decided to plant a garden this year... we hope we can be diligent with the watering this year and it will be a great success!  Here are some before photos and some photos of the process... I will post more as our lovely garden grows!!!  It's already starting to sprout!

Before

Our little helpers

The boys moving dirt!

Spencer working hard


It's obviously exhausting work!

Finley getting in on the fun

Yay!  All ready for the seeds to start to grow!

Starlight Run

Saturday night I participated in my very first 5K.  I did it in about 37 minutes which is the longest I have ever run!  My personal goal was just to run it without walking so I'm pleased with my results.  It was a fun time... we met up with my cousin Greg and his wife Melanie and their two friends.  Kent's sister was also there with a group of gals to celebrate her birthday!  And we also saw my Dad's cousin Jim and his wife Julie - it was such a treat to see them there!  We might have to make these 5k's family events in the future!  Poor Kent has been having a really hard time with his allergies so he cheered us on from the stands.

The run itself was really fun but it really felt long... lots and lots of hills.  I felt like we were constantly either going uphill or downhill and my calves are still really really feeling it.  I also wish there had been kids spraying water on us as we ran... with the heat that would have been lovely!  But running through a cheering crowd was definitely fun and so were all the costumes.  My favorite was a little boy dressed as Pinnocio with strings and everything... so cute.  There was also a family of bumble bees that were just adorable. I also had a couple cows run past me and a shower curtain and I might have seen a very masculine Taylor Swift at one point.  Lots of very creative people!

Afterwards Kent and I walked to Deschutes Brewery in the Pearl and met up with Greg & Melanie and friends for beer and fabulous food.  It was so great to get out and such a fun treat after a great run.  

Before the race with Kent, Carrie and her girlfriends


After the race with Greg, Melanie, Jim & Julie

Vacation Wrap Up

May 16th, 2009

On our final day of vacation we went down to Mimi's for breakfast (yum) and then went back to the room to pack up which seemed to take FOREVER.  Mom and Dad headed to downtown Disney to shop, shop, shop and once I put Finley down for his nap I took the big boys down to the pool to swim one more time.  I don't say one "last" time because I know we'll go back!  Our flight went just fine (yay) but once again, Finley didn't fall asleep until the last 1/2 hour or so.  Hudson kept saying, "I don't want to fly on the plane, I want to go to Emma & Jackson's house!"  He didn't seem to understand that this was how we get home.  This was not just another Disney attraction!  Hudson did fall asleep eventually and we landed on schedule back at home sweet home!  Here are a few photos of our great pool at our wonderful hotel.  We definitely plan to stay there again!

A few words about our hotel. The lobby was so cute... very very retro - fun lights and crisp decor. The staff was very friendly and personable as well. There was no restaurant (no breakfast) but a great little gift shop where you could find all kinds of snacks and food items for whatever you need. We spent a fortune here in milk for Finley... he's at that age where he just can't get enough! Our beds were VERY comfortable and I'm picky as I have the BEST mattress in the universe in my bedroom at home. Apparently they replaced all their bedding in most of their rooms recently. We also had a great view of the Matterhorn at Disneyland and thus an awesome view of the fireworks. And according to my family, boy oh boy could you hear them too! We were on the top floor and I NEVER heard anyone else in the hotel. We were also next to the freeway which I loved. Having the constant flow of traffic was calming and helped everyone to sleep well. Great fan noise too for those who sleep well with the sound of fans (us). But the pool (oh the pool) let's just say it'll be hard for us to stay anywhere else again. I honestly don't think the boys will let us. When I ask Spencer his favorite thing about Disneyland he says, "Splash Mountain and the Pool." I think he thought our hotel was part of Disneyland. I can see why.

Please click on any of the photos to see detail.

The lovely view from our hotel room.  

Over view of the pool.  Pirate ship to the rear (hot tub beyond that).  Warm 1 foot pool in the front (this was where Hudson hung out).  Turtle had water running over it and spouts shooting into the air all around it.  Spencer found that if he stepped on one it would build pressure then he could jump back and it would shoot high into the air.  The orange mushroom thing to the right also had a constant flow of water over it that the kids could stand under.  Good times!

Every so often (not sure how often) a bell would chime and the bucket would dump a TON of water all over the kids below.  It did get Hudson once when he least expected it and he was not pleased!  It took Spencer a little while to get the guts to go stand under it.  But once he did he thought it was the best thing ever.

The bucket is actually tipping back up in this shot after dumping water.  


Another view of the ship with the slide off to the side.


A close up of the water dump... if you look closely to the right of the blue poles & netting, you can barely see Spencer running.

Spencer triumphant after the big water dump!

Hudson shooting the water guns from the ship

Spencer in the ship

Another one of the water guns

Colorful Crocs... I don't wear mine often, but they make great pool shoes.  My kids on the other hand, live in theirs.  

Disneyland - Day 6

May 15th, 2009

We started Friday morning early with walking to La Brea Bakery in downtown disney for a quick breakfast before we had our final morning in Disneyland. We got all the way over there and found out that they didn't open for another 1/2 hour! We let the kids run around while we waited for a very expensive not so great breakfast. We'll skip this one next time.

Once we got into Disneyland I went and got the boys sun hats embroidered with their names and also got them their Mickey Mouse ears... yay! They used to do these on machines by hand in that they would move the hats around to make the names... now they have fancy machines. I miss the old way, but it's still special.

After we did that we headed over to Splash Mountain and Winnie the Pooh Spencer and Hudson could each do their favorite rides. Hudson kept asking if he could do it again and again and again! After that we checked out Tom Sawyer's Island (which is now called, "Pirates Lair," The boys enjoyed running around and checking it out. Lots of caves and things.

Next was the Woody's Round Up Celebration BBQ. What fun this was! Upon entering we were greeted by Jesse and then taken to a table where Tex played guitar and sang songs with the kids. There was also a lady named Miss Chris who interacted with the kids and told funny stories. They did a show on stage with Woody and Bullseye too. Lunch was bbq ribs and chicken, with corn on the cob, cole slaw, corn bread and baked beans. We all agreed that this was our best meal... so yummy! For dessert they brought out these really fun centerpieces that had waffle cones stuck in there with gourmet cupcakes. Finley was noticeably excited about this one... we all thought they were great!

After this we visited the Sailing Ship Columbia (which I kept calling the Pirate Ship). It was fun to explore it and sail around Disneyland! The kids thought it was great too. We did a little shopping on Main Street after this and then headed back to the hotel for naps and more swimming (yay)! We swung by McDonalds to feed Mom & Dad and the kids dinner and then back to California Adventure. We could not believe how insanely packed California Adventure was! We did some quick shopping and then waded through the crowds to go the Bugs Life 3D show. It was so cute! I won't write about it much here though because I don't want to spoil the fun surprises for anyone who goes... but it can be a little scary for the little kids. Our kids did fantastic though! Then we did one more ride in bugs land before my parents took the kids back to the hotel. My parents set the kids up to watch a movie and gave them cheetos and let them stay up late to watch fireworks. They loved it and had so much fun with them!

Now it was time for Kent and I to have "Date Night" at Disneyland! Kent and I headed to a place called "Cove Bar" where we each enjoyed a drink and Lobster Nachos (yummy, but needed salsa)! It was a great little place overlooking the water (which was currently drained for a new water show under construction) so it over looked a pit. :) California Adventure was amazing at night... with all the beautiful lights... very boardwalk like! We enjoyed walking around and shopping - we looked at the future plans of California Adventure and didn't actually do any rides since it was so crowded. From here we went into Disneyland where I tripped going off the curb and slid on all fours for what felt like 10 feet. Gotta love those Cast Members though! As soon as I popped back up, one was standing right there to make sure I was okay! Just a little embarrassing! From there we tried to get over to Thunder Mountain Railroad but it was impossible to get through the crowd, so instead we enjoyed the most AMAZING fireworks ever. We even got to see Tinkerbell fly over our heads! We can't wait until the kids are old enough to take them to enjoy the fireworks!

As always, you can click on the photos to see detail.  

Finley hanging out before breakfast

We have ears!

Hudson's favorite ride!

Do you think he likes it?

Spencer on his way to Splash Mountain with Grandma and Grandpa

Jesse!

Woody!

The boys with Tex

Yum!

Grandpa & Grandma

Hudson "twirling" while Tex was performing

I want one!

On the Sailing Ship Columbia

All tuckered out

This bench was made to look like used popsicle sticks

Dad took this one while we were on this ride!

My "strong" boys

Hudson is hysterical when he does this pose!

bye.  bugs land!

Date night!

Tomorrow I plan on posting some fun photos of the pool at our hotel.  Check in then!