Cape Lookout

Travis aunt Lori came to Oregon in July and we were so glad we got to spend a day with her.  We all went to cape lookout and Tillamook cheese factory.  It was a little overcast at the beach, but it was still quite pleasant.  We had such a fun time and the kids love the beach no matter what weather it is and still want to play in the water even if it is freezing cold.

The kids had so much fun riding in the back with Aunt Lori.  She was so nice and entertained them.
We went to the cheese factory first and got some Ice Cream.  It was so packed though, it was crazy!  There was no place to sit so we had to go outside, but it was still fine and the ice cream tasted so good as always.  I always have to get the chocolate peanut butter and strawberry, and my kids of course take after me and go for the chocolate too :)  After the cheese factory we headed over to the beach and set up our little area and the kids were off playing in the sand and the water.

We brought our kite to fly, but unfortunately it wasn't that windy at the beach so it wouldn't work.  The kids were so bummed, but hopefully we get to try it out again.  It was fun though playing around and talking and of course eating snacks and just being together.  I love the beach, it is just so peaceful and beautiful.

It was Easton's first beach trip, and he was such a good boy.  He loved it and was just so happy as usual.

We stayed there a while and then decided we better head out.  We stopped at this bbq place for dinner in Tillamook and it was sooo good.  It looks a little sketchy, but it was some of the best food I ever had.  I wish I could remember the name of it.  We all liked the food and were happy to have full tummies as we drove the long way home.
We had such a fun day and I am so glad we got to spend it with our family.  I can't wait to go to the beach again, I just love it!

A berry picking we go

One of my favorite things to do in the summer in Oregon is to go berry picking!  The kids love it too and I am so glad I get to have them experience this every year.
We like to get strawberries and our favorite is raspberries.  I like to make freezer jam out of them, leave some to eat fresh, and then freeze some for smoothies.  I love having different ways to eat them, they are soo delicious.

We went Strawberry picking first with a bunch of friends and we got a ton of Strawberries.  The kids were such good helpers and they were really good, even Easton.
I hope they will remember going to pick berries every summer because it is one of my favorite memories.

4 months

Mr. Easton is already 4 months if you can believe it, I know I can't.  I took him to the dr. and his stats were weight:16.3, his height: 25 inches and he has a big head which I was surprised at because it doesn't look big for his chubby little body.  He is in the 62/63% for weight and height, and like 83% for head.  He is just a little above the average, but he has got the chunkiest thighs and a double chin and stomach rolls.  He is so squishy and I just love it!
He is learning to do so much.  He can roll over both ways now and is very proud of himself for being able to do so.  The funny thing though is that he can roll onto his stomach no problem and when he is in his crib he goes from tummy to back and back to tummy; put him on the floor though and he only rolls from back to stomach and then gets stuck and wines for help.  It is funny to watch him though.

He talks and laughs up a storm, it is the cutest thing to listen to.  I love making him laugh, and so do the kids. They are always trying new ways to get him to break into his squealing high pitched laugh and it is so cute watching them with him.
He also started rice cereal which he wasn't so sure about at first.  He probably got more of it on him then actually in his mouth, but at least he tried.  He does really good with it now, and really likes it.  I can't wait to see what his reaction will be to fruits and veggies when I introduce them.

Easton has brought so much joy to our family and we are so happy to have him.  McKenna is the best helper in the world, I don't know what I would do without her.  I don't know how I will manage when she goes back to school.  Graysen is actually a really big help too, but he can't hold him so it presents more of a problem.

He is such a happy baby though and rarely cries and is always smiling and flirting with the ladies.  I could seriously just love on him all day long.  I can't get enough of his handsome face and squishy body.  He has such a sweet spirit and I can tell he is going to be the biggest sweetheart and a lot like his big brother.

Mckenna's 7th birthday

McKenna turned 7 already, I can't believe it!  She is so grown up and is such a beautiful girl.  I could not ask for a better daughter in the whole world.  She made me a mother and I am so grateful for her every single day.  She has made my life so much better and filled it with happiness and joy.  Her smile is so infectious and anytime I see it I just feel peace and joy radiates from her.
She loves animals, especially dogs and cats.  She has so many kitty things and is always playing and petting other people's dogs when we are out somewhere.  She loves blue and riding her bike and playing with her dolls.  She loves to read and write and color and swim.  She has been really into gymnastics lately and really wants us to put her in it.
I made her chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast which are her favorite!  She was very happy about that.  I decorated the kitchen and everything for her too, and Travis and I blew up a whole bunch of balloons and had them strewn all over the floor which she was so excited about.

We made paper chains a couple weeks ago so she and Graysen could start counting down their birthdays.  She was so happy when she got to the last one and it was her birthday!  She has been soo excited for it to come.
She really wanted a new bike for her birthday, so when she woke up it was waiting for her in the living room.  She was so happy and wanted to go out and ride it right away.  It is a cute bike and actually big enough now for her long legs.

After she rode her bike for a little bit and we got ready, we went up to Sherwood and got some lunch with grandma and grandpa Allen at Taco Bell.  It was yummy!  From there we headed over to Safari Sams.  It was such a cool and fun place.  The kids had a blast and now Graysen wants to go there for his birthday too. We played miniature golf under black lights, which was awesome.  It was fun to see the kids play cause they just kept hitting it all over the place and didn't really care if they were playing right or not.

There was a huge jumgle gym for the kids to play on, the biggest one I have ever seen indoor somewhere.  they played there for a while and jumped in the bouncy houses and then played a bunch of games and got tickets which they then got to cash in for prizes.  They had such a great time and I am so glad McKenna was able to have fun on her birthday.  It was sweet because I gave her the option of either having a friend birthday party at our house or having a family party and she chose a family one.

We went to Red Robin (her choice) for dinner where Tyler and Melanie and the twins joined us.  It was nice they could be there and McKenna was happy they could come.  Uncle Mikey was there too, but he was serving us instead of eating with us, but we were glad we could spend time with him even if he was working.  After dinner we went back to Grandma and Grandpas to open presents and have cake and ice cream.  McKenna had to have a frozen cake so we go that for her which was a big hit.  It was really good cake and I am glad she got what she wanted.
Grandma and Grandpa Marshall gave her money for her birthday along with her grandpa Harris and Aunty Abbey so she could buy stuff she wanted.  She was so excited to get money so she could go pick out the toys and things that she has been eyeing for the last little while.
Grandma and Grandpa Allen got her frozen barbie dolls and a frozen activity set which she was soo excited about.  She wanted the frozen dolls soo bad, she had been asking for them for a while.  She also got a frozen book from them as well.
She said she had an awesome birthday, "the best birthday ever" in fact, so I am glad it was a success and that we did something right.
I love my girl, she is such a wonderful, sweet and fun loving person and I am so glad I got to experience 7 years with her so far.

4 months

Easton is 4 months old, I am in shock which is nothing new because I usually am because it goes too fast.  He is such a sweet and good tempered little boy.  He is always happy and hardly ever cries.
He is 16 lbs. and is 21.5 inches, he is in the 62/63% for his height and weight.  He also had to get shots which he didn't like, nor did I.
Easton can roll over from his back to his tummy and is working on rolling from tummy to back.  He likes to try to grab things and is so curious about everything.

 He had his first taste of rice cereal and though he doesn't quite grasp how to keep it all in his mouth yet, he loves it and is so excited to be able to try something new.  He loves sitting in his high chair or little bouncer and looking at everything going on.

He doesn't really like to be by himself much, he loves company.  He smiles all the time and giggles a lot.  He likes to be tickled and read to and talked to.  He loves his big brother and his big sister and they love him to pieces.

I am so blessed to have such a healthy and happy little boy.  I love my little guy and am so happy to have him in our family.

Let Freedom Ring

I was truly grateful this fourth of July to be an American and live in this beautiful country where we have so many wonderful freedoms.  Sometimes it feels like this country is going under fast, however I remind myself that compared to the rest of the world, we have it pretty good despite recent governmental issues.
I feel so blessed to be able to worship how I please and to have rights and so much more that is afforded me by living in this country.  God truly is good and has given us a wonderful choice place to live.
We had a great time celebrating.  We went up to Beaverton to hang out with Travis family.

The morning of the fourth we went to breakfast at Biscuits cafe.   It was sooo yummy!  It was fun to be with his family too.

After breakfast we headed over to the neighborhood park where they had a parade where all the kids could participate.  My kids decorated their bikes and rode those in the parade.  They had a lot of fun and it was nice to see them enjoying it.

There was a little carnival thing they had at the park afterwards with a bunch of bouncy toys and snow cones and cotton candy.  The kids jumped on a few of the things and had some snow cones and then we went back to grams and papas house.

Gram got out the slip and slide and they had fun playing on it in the backyard for the day.  It was so nice outside that we spent most of the day outside.  I love just watching the kids and enjoying the company of my family.

We had a big BBQ with the fam and good friends.  There was a lot of good foods to eat, I think I ate way too much.  I love having BBQ's and being outside.  What more could you ask for?

We kicked around for a little bit and then went over to Tyler and Melanie's house to watch the fireworks.  The kids did a bunch of pop its and played in the culdesac until the fireworks started.  They were having a blast, but I could tell they were soo tired.  Considering how they had been up since 6:30, I was surprised they were still alive.  Grandma brought pop its for them to do before the fire works, and they of course loved them.

They also got these cool glow wands from Grandma and Grandpa Marshall.  They were obsessed with them and even went to bed with them.

 Graysen didn't make it through the fireworks, he passed out on Papa.  I love fireworks though and it was nice to be there with my family.
 We had a great day and it was tons of fun.  Holidays with family are the best.  I love our country and am proud to be an American.

nothing for granted

So of all the places to have an enlightening experience, I would have never thought it would be at Walmart.  I don't usually write a lot of posts like this, but this experience had a profound impact on me and I just had to share.
I was walking through the store pushing the cart with Easton in it and Graysen was tagging along, well more like jumping on and off the cart and running around the stands of clothes, but who is keeping track right.  We had just finished coming out of the baby section and headed to the checkout when I heard a woman's voice ask me "what is his name?"  I asked which one she meant, the baby or the toddler, and she said the toddler.  I told her it was Graysen and then she came over and got teary eyed and said "Graysen, you know what? I have been watching you throughout the store and you have been such a good boy and listened to your mommy.  Make sure you always listen to her and treat her good." At this point tears were streaming down her face and I could feel that she had experienced some type of loss.  She told me her son was the same age as Graysen with blonde hair and blue eyes too.  I thought that she was going to tell me she lost her son, but then she said she was sorry that she just lost her daughter.
When someone says that to you there are no words that come to mind to express your deep sorrow for that loss or to even comprehend what they might be going through.  I expressed my deepest condolences and asked her how old she was.  She told me she was only 5 weeks, and my heart crushed a little more because that hit really close to home for me since Easton is only a couple months older than that.
I really felt like an idiot after she walked away because I felt like all I was doing was blubbering out things for the sake of trying to find the right words to say but I think I failed in that department.
I felt so sad as I walked to the checkout stand as I could see them in front of us buying their things.  When we had finished checking out she came over to me again and asked if she could see Easton (he had his car seat cover on so she couldn't see him).  I flipped back the cover and looked at her as she longing gazed upon his face remembering what her own daughter looked like.  She told me he had the same angel kisses on his eyes that her daughter did and she was choking back her tears as was I.  I felt like I should give her a hug so I did.  She said she was so sorry to do this to me and I answered right back that it was no problem, and that I couldn't even imagine what she must be going through.  I told her that I am sure her daughter was an angel now watching over her as she left and I rambled some other nervous words that trailed off as soon as they left my mouth.
I got out to my car and I just cried because I felt so bad for this lady and I could feel her sorrow and pain at loosing her child and then I started to think what if that had been me, what I would even be like.
It really got me to open my eyes and not take what I have for granted.  The new born stage is hard and there are times I find myself wishing Easton was older, but now all I want him to do is stay little like this forever and enjoy every moment I get to spend with him and my other kids.
Life is so fleeting and you never know what is going to happen.  I had been telling myself since Easton was born that it will be only a short time and that I need to enjoy him being so little while I can because he will be grown before I know it, but it didn't really resonate with me until today.
Instead of wishing he would sleep more than an hour at a time during the day, I am going to pick him up from his nap and enjoy the sweet smiles he gives me and snuggle him even if I have things to get done.  Instead of wishing he would sleep through the night, I am going to hold him tight when he wakes up to eat and drink in his sweet face and take it all in.  I am going to kiss my kids every chance I get and let them know how much I love them.
It is one thing to tell yourself to enjoy the moment, but it is another thing entirely to actually live in the moment and I feel like I finally know what that truly means.