Simply Sweet

As I was getting ready to write a blog post I came across these photos taken this last February and thought they were sweet. These are my two handsome boys with their Grandma Skeem. 

A Trip To Oregon

In May, we took a drive down to Bandon Oregon to dedicate my Grandmother's grave. It was a very nice trip that involved family and friends. On our drive down, we decided last minute to turn off and drive down Highway 101 that runs along the Oregon coastline. It added an additional two hours to our trip but it was worth it. 

The scenery was BEAUTIFUL...

But after 8+ hours in the car, we were ready to be done with the drive. 

If you look closely, you can see that Ethan is zonked out in his chair. For such a long drive, the boys did a fantastic job in the car. We really couldn't have asked for better kids during the drive. 

The day after we arrived, we had a nice grave dedication for my Grandma Sypher. My father said the dedicatory prayer for her grave site. The little tombstone in front is my grandparents first born son who past away as a baby. 

This is a picture of my brother Andrew (who had just arrived home from his mission a week earlier) and a good life long family friend, Charlie Barber. 

I am grateful for my sweet Grandmother for her strength and faith in God. She raised a good son who in turn married a great woman who then raised some pretty good kids. And those kids are now having kids of their own. Thank you Grandma for paving the way for a better life. We love you and miss you. 

Later that same day, we went to the beach. It was not a very warm day but you can't be minutes away from the beach and not go play in the sand for a little bit. 

Like I said, it wasn't warm...

Ethan couldn't understand why we were hanging out in such a cold and windy place. He curled up inside the carrier and wouldn't show his face until we got him back into the car. It was quite funny.

Beside the fact that it was FREEZING, my husband decided it would be fun to jump into the ocean. So, I got him on video. 

It was a very fun and memorable weekend. I think we should come back when the weather is a little warmer so we can enjoy those beaches a little more. 

Our Short Utah Adventure

I decided it was time to go make a visit to Utah. I hadn't seen my brother or my sister in a long time. So, thanks to my awesome husband, he watched Samuel for the weekend while Ethan and I went and had some fun. (Don't be fooled, they had lots of fun too.)

My brother picked us up from the airport and took us to lunch. We went to Bruge's Waffle and Frites for their machine gun sandwich. It looks like this:

Don't judge until you've had one. It was really actually quite yummy....but hard to eat.

 We stopped in to see his new stomping grounds and to let Ethan wiggle around a bit after the flight.

Later that day, we drove to my sisters house where I would be staying for the weekend. We met their newest addition, Spencer. Ethan and Spencer hit it off instantly. 

The rest of the weekend was filled with yummy restaurants, taking my sister out to get facials and pedicures, vegging on the couch late at night watching shows, going to a Zumba workout class, treating Matt (and the rest of the family) to his favorite burritos because he watched ALL the kids for us during our Spa outing, and  a trip to Sam's Club to get produce to juice for my sister's new juicer that she got from a garage sale, and trying out a new sushi place (we left feeling so gross....bleh. Never going to that restaurant again). It was a blast. I loved it all.

I had so much fun with Hallie. She has grown into such a beautiful girl. 

Ethan was a great little traveler and loved meeting his cousins for the first time.

David (D-Man) has grown so much since the last time I saw him. We played all sorts of fun trampoline games with him. 

I ended the trip with a picnic in their backyard. We had fresh juice from my sister's new juicer and yummy PB & Honey sandwiches. It was a wonderful way to end our fun trip. 

Love them all bunches!

A Walk To Enatai Beach

When the weather is nice and I am feeling good, we go on adventures. Some are in our very own back yard and others are to destinations around the area.

This adventure included a nice one mile walk along the I-90 bike trail that led to Enatai Beach. We had never been so why not on this beautiful day.

We stopped to take pictures along the way and enjoy the beautiful flowers. We also got to see a backhoe in action. The driver noticed that we were looking at him so he gave us a show. Samuel LOVED it. 

The moment we arrived Samuel was taking his shoes and socks off so he could go play in the sand. 

He brought some cars to play with in the sand. I thought I was doing a good job at keeping an eye out for where he was burying them (he is notorious for forgetting where he puts things) but the moment I turned my back to take care of Ethan's needs, Samuel had moved one of the cars and placed it somewhere else. We searched and searched for that car and could never find it. I suppose it will be a neat surprise when some other child goes digging and find a cool car. 

It was a wonderful two mile walk to and from the beach. We might just do it again this summer. 

The Ultimate Career

When I was young, I was told that someday I would get MARRIED and have KIDS of my own.

 I would be a MOM!

Then, I started babysitting and realized I didn't WANT kids of my own all because I didn't LIKE babysitting the snotty ones. That mindset actually stuck around for a very long time.

But, then life and college happened and I met my HUSBAND (Love at first date. I was too busy thinking about not settling down in Washington to really notice him at first. So the love didn't happen at first site. It happened on the first date...well, the realization that this guy was REALLY something cool.)

We got MARRIED!

It was such a wonderful and treasured day. 

Married life was everything I thought it would be.... EXHILARATING, FULFILLING, PERFECT!

 Then one day, MOTHER'S DAY happened and it became very clear to me the REALITY of motherhood was not far off. I was excited and ready (or so I thought) to be a mother. (Honestly, I was tired of working and wanted an excuse to have a more fulfilling job...Motherhood).

Did anyone mention that in order to be a mom you had to go through pregnancy first? Oh how I thought it would be fun....

I suppose it prepares you a little for whats to come (both the good and the tough)....

This beautiful baby entered our lives. Our sweet little SAMUEL. My journey of being a mom had truly begun. These were the most challenging, exhausting, emotional, tender, sweet, precious times that I had ever experienced. 

The question I ask myself was ....NOW WHAT?!?

 I didn't know much of anything except from what I had read in books and from other advice. Most of what I learned from my first child was the realization that one must embrace the journey and learn as you go. No matter how much you try to follow the advice of everyone else, the real task is learning to following the God given gift of your own motherly instinct. I learned that I must do what I feel is best for me, my children, and my family. 

Samuel has been an absolute joy! Almost three years have past and I get to enjoy cheese towers...

watching him learn and LOVE to learn. It's a pleasure being his mom!

Then one day we decided to have another...

Do you see those eyes....yup, they were as tired (if not more) as they looked. If I thought pregnancy was tough the first time around, I didn't realize what it would be like with a  TODDLER!

But...

It was just as rewarding with our second child. 

We welcomed ETHAN into our home! And, boy has he been a joy.

 And....he continues to crack us up with his large adorable smiles and cute giggles. 

My children have brought much JOY (and lots of experiences that try my patience). I have been blessed to experience motherhood and all that comes with it. Like they say, the hardest things in life are the most rewarding and character building. 

I have come across a quote that I have really come to appreciate. I may not be a professional in the work force making grand achievements but I know for a fact that I have the ULTIMATE CAREER. 

“The homemaker has the ultimate career. All other careers exist for one purpose only - and that is to support the ultimate career. ” 

C.S. Lewis

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!