Day number two, Astoria, Oregon

Our first stop in Astori, OR was the Columbia River Maritime Museum. This was a neat place to visit. There were lots of replicas, fishing and coast guard stories, and things to do and see.



Troy backpacked Kaebryn most of the time. She seemed to like it and Troy didn't seem to mind.



This was inside some kind of Navy vessel. This was one of the boys favorites...and when I say boys, it includes Brandon and Troy!!



Troy's cousin, Brandon, is next to a missile...or atleast that is what I think it is!



The boys loved having their pictures taken! They thought it was pretty neat to be next to something waaaay bigger than they.



Troy and Kaebryn loved the museum. This is a missile launcher, I think.



Daeson thought all the replicas were pretty neat. He enjoyed them a lot.



This is a boat wheel,Daeson pretended he was in a storm at sea.



Brandon and D, not sure what that is next to them.



This is an operating Coast Guard boat. Those in the coast guard risk their lives to save many!



This is a view of Astori from the dock. We went into Columbia for a tour. It was tight quarters, but very neat.



This was in front of a propeller. We were waiting for the Riverfront Trolley.



The cream colored house with dark trim and the covered porch on the top row was the house where the Goonies was filmed.



This is the school where Kindergarten Cop was filmed. Our trolley guide was very knowledgeable. He knew what we wanted to see :)



The boys loved the trolley. We all did. When we arrived at the edge of Astoria, we stood up and flipped our seats so we could see the other direction. It was fun to see the amazed faces when the

trolley turned itself around

.

Oregon or bust...our first family vacation

This is our first real family vacation. Troy and I have been on trips for work and little jaunts here and there, but never a vacation. So we left on Friday, March 23, 2012 and headed to Oregon. We first stopped in Pocatello to get my hair cut and then once more in Massacre Rocks to get Tevan. He was at my parent's house for the last three weeks. We then continued on our way. We made little stops here and there, but drove through the night, arriving in Beaverton, OR at 5 am on Saturday, March 24.

The kids were wide awake and so excited, so I stayed awake with them while Troy slept. Brandon, our cousin, works nights, so he needed some more shut-eye as well. After about an hour or two of trying to keep the kids quiet, I decided to venture out on my own. I used the GPS in my cell phone and drove to Sonic for breakfast and then a park for the kids to play. It was windy and chilly, so Kaebryn fussed after her nap. I was a little annoyed...okay, a lot annoyed, but we managed. I found our way back to Brandon's and Brandon woke up. We then woke Troy up and we got ready to venture out in the Portland area.

We went to Fry's...of course! Troy was in heaven! Then we ventured over to a mall, walked around, went to the Lego store, then to the Cheesecake Factory. It was sooo yummy! Tevan and Daeson fell asleep on the bench long before their food arrived, so we got it to go. We headed back to Bran's, got kids ready for bed, fed the boys, and watched one of Troy's favorites, The Simpson's. Then to bed we went. Kb slept in her carseat next to me on the couch, Troy on the blow-up and the boys in a papasan chair in the living room. The next morning, March 25, we got up, ate waffles...thanks, Bran...and headed to Astoria.

Ecuador needs help

My other-mother, Peggy, and my brother-in-law, Kaden, just returned from Ecuador. They went to help in the orphanages. If you would like more information, the link below should direct you. However, I have no idea how to make the link click-able. So just copy and paste like I do! It is a wonderful opportunity to serve.

Orphanage Support Services Organization (OSSO)
www.orphanagesupport.org/

Where has the time gone!?

I figured it was time for an update, just some things I want to be sure get recorded. Tevan has been gone to my parent's house for a couple of weeks now. We will pick him up Friday. He has had a lot of fun, and the little stinker hardly talks to us now. He watches cartoons, helps Grandma, goes to the movies, plays Grandpa's IPad, does chores with Grandpa, and plays toys. What a life. My mom is a really good cook, so he gets to do all of that AND eat her delicious food. We miss him, but as Daeson puts it, we don't miss his fits. When he is done talking to us, he says, "Talk to you later, Bye!" and then hangs up... regardless if we are done talking to him.

Daeson has spring break coming up and so does Troy. We are traveling to the wonderful Oregon coast. It is whale watching week, and we are so excited for this. I am a little anxious for Kaebryn to be in the car all that time, but we will survive I think. We cannot wait.

I have five cakes this week, two for Relief Society, two for my neighbor's kids, and one for my father in law. I hope they all turn out like I imagine. One is going to be a challenge, but the others should be fun.

Kaebryn is army crawling and getting into everything. If she can see it, it is no longer safe. She bites now...and it is not fun. We are trying to get her to stop, but I don't think she will until her top two teeth finish coming in. That makes four teeth for her. She eats everything. She loves to have attention and she loves to look at herself in the mirror. She is so different from the boys. Not that I enjoy girls over boys, they are just different.

Peggy and Kaden just got back from Ecuador. They went for 10 days to work in the orphanages. They loved it and had a great time. What a neat opportunity! Peggy said they are always looking for volunteers, so if you feel like going to Ecuador, I am sure I can get some information for you! What great acts of service! I am grateful they were so willing to go, and even more grateful they are home safely.

I am free from the chains of physical therapy! Dr. Huntsman gave me the okay to get back to normal last Monday. Wednesday was my final day of PT. I am still doin a home program, but atleast I don't go three times each week. I started running last Wednesday and ran Thursday, Friday and today. I also do the stationary bike. I am enjoying being back to normal for the most part. I have lost six pounds since Friday. I want to keep losing so I can enjoy the swimming pools at the hotels in Oregon. However, eating 1000 calories each day is not fun. I skip the icecream and the other treat type foods, but I did allow myself to have some popcorn last night...at only 30 calories a bag, I figured a cup wouldn't hurt!

We saw The Lorax St. Patricks's Day. Very cute and I give it two thumbs up. We took Kaebryn, my nephew, Jaxon, my brother, Jesse, and Adam and Kayla went and treated Daeson. Thank you so much for a fun afternoon! It was super fun. I made a traditional Irish Lamb stew this day...I do not recommend it. Trying the lamb was fun, and it wasn't too bad, but the stew itself wasn't very good. I now know why I previously didn't own majoram spice. I was sorely disappointed.

Well, I'm off to get ready for the day. I sneaked downstairs for a few minutes. Happy Spring!

She's 9 months!!

I cannot believe Kaebryn is already nine months. She is such a happy girl. I love her so much. The things Kaebryn loves:

Food. Anything that has texture, no baby food and very few bottles.
Sesame Street. She will watch Cookie Monster very i intensely.
Me. She lights up when she sees me.
Army crawling. She gets everywhere she wants.
Mischief. She is into everything!!!
Screeching. She screeches so loudly when she feels like it.
Balls. She has a great aim, too. She and I play catch.
Strings. She loves to whip them around.
Giggling. And it is so cute!
Neck kisses. She has a really fat neck and she loves to have it kissed.
Waving. She waves at everything.
Spitting/raspberries. She is doing this always.
Shoes. She will find a pair and suck on them.
Bright colored objects. Anything shiny or colorful attracts her attention.
Mimicking. She copies everyone.
Love. She is a lovey girl!
Staying up late. Boy, I tell you, some nights it is L-A-T-E!

Today we went to the park. Something you rarely get to do in Idaho in March. I put her in the baby swing and she laughed for a minute, then started to fuss. It was a little chilly, so then we went to the van and let Daeson finish playing. We went to Sizzler for a school fundraiser and she had some yummy food. I think her 9 month birthday was pretty great.