A Weekend Away...

We packed our suitcases and headed off on a little last minute adventure this weekend.  And by last minute, I mean we booked a room Saturday morning and left Saturday afternoon.  Yup, that's what we call living on the edge, folks! WITH two kids, mind you.  I know we're crazy like that.  Lucky for us my parents are WorldMark owners, which means we get the extra perks as well! We were able to get a suite at Eagle Crest for $40 per night.  Win-win in our book! I had checked Friday afternoon and nothing was available, but when I looked again Saturday morning there was a cancelation and we were able to get two nights in a row.  It was just what we needed in life and a generally a vacation in January doesn't really exist for basketball coaches (or their families)...  

And an even better WIN was the sunshine we experienced!!!  It wasn't smokin' hot (48 degrees) and we didn't float in a lazy river in 80 degree weather, but we soaked in the rays, nonetheless, and played freeze tag on the playground, went for walks, drank yummy coffee, ate lunch outside and attempted to keep this ca-razy 17 month old's head above water in the kiddie pool so he wouldn't drown! No joke.  And no, there's no evidence of this or he would probably be laying on the bottom of the pool.  This kid is fearLESS! 

All kidding aside though, I had a dream the first night we were there that both my kids drowned and I realized the next day that it was a horrible foretelling of just how fearless Emmitt is.  He had to of drank almost 16 oz of pool water over the weekend (three trips to the pool) and was constantly pulling away and dunking his head completely under water (on purpose and on accident) and every time he'd come up coughing with a giant grin on his face.  We tried putting a life jacket on him and he freaked out because he couldn't stand up... it was way too relaxing, and we tried putting him in a baby floaty, which resulted in another huge fit - being contained is not his style.  Hopefully he'll be learning how to swim ASAP as he gets older and I will definitely be earning my share of gray hairs over the next few years...or decades... Please, say a prayer!!!

Alright, but really, other than the pool experiences our weekend was wonderfully relaxing!!! Matt's parents came over for dinner on Sunday night (they live in Bend). We slept in (because 7:30 is sleeping in when you have kids), took a huge family nap and enjoyed the sunshine.  

Did I mention it was super sunny?

Fellow valley-ites, what is with this fog crap, anyway?!?!  

Hey Mom, I'm a little too cool for pictures, so snap it fast...

Madi's new best friends! Remember these, Kari? See this post for pictures of Madi the last time we were at EC!

She's totally crazy!!

I could go on and on and on about Madelyn's "picture" faces.  Let's just say she definitely inherited her lack of picture taking skills from me... But, seriously, I just couldn't resist this face!!!

Emmitt, on the other hand, is like a sweet little angel-baby in pictures and then a crazy-little-monster boy in real life! Aw, I just love my kiddos!

He gives me this look way too much! 

Here's the eyes and the sweatshirt, Ramie! =) Love it!!!

Thank you Eagle Crest, you were just what we needed.  We came home in time for Matt to go to practice on Monday afternoon and not 5 miles before we hit Stayton, the sun disappeared, the temperature dropped almost 15 degrees and we were suddenly thrown into a solid gloom of icicles.  It's been much easier to enjoy this frosty day after escaping to some sunshine for the weekend!!!

Bring it on January!!!

The Beach

I decided last year when we took a spontaneous trip to the beach that it might have to be an annual tradition.  It ended up being so beautiful, despite it being one of the rainiest months in the year.  So this year, we planned it a few days ahead and invited Aunt Whitney and Brandon along (they have very dull Saturdays, like us, cause Mike works on Saturdays...).  It wasn't quite as warm as last year, which I didn't expect, but it was still spectacular.  I always end up wondering why we don't make the trip over there more often.  It really isn't far at all and I'm always amazed at the beauty and vastness of the ocean.  We serve an amazing God! 

It was super fun to watch the kids run, play and discover too.  

Brandon, well, he was a little less thrilled, but I'm sure if we just give him time, he'll appreciate it a little more in the future.  

Emmitt, pretty much thought we took him to a giant playground on steroids.  There was "dirt" everywhere and he eventually discovered there was a giant bathtub within running distance as well.  Heaven. Pure heaven to this little boy...

Madelyn was a little unsure at first, aka, "cold". But, thankfully, she warmed up quickly! Both my kids ran and danced and skipped around, all the while throwing sand in the air.  I loved watching them.  We brought along some beach toys and Emmitt carried the same toy around in one hand the whole time, but hardly used it.  I guess he just had too much freedom and exploring was more important...

Madi discovered the joys of digging and "building" just in time for Emmitt to come over and knock anything and everything she tried building right over.  He may or may not find complete joy in hearing her squeal at the top of her lungs.  

*sigh*

And this too shall pass, right?

 Whitney laughed when Emmitt put sand in his mouth. I said, "oh just wait..." and sure enough by the time we left every kid had tried it... even Madi...

It's the beach. I guess you never know if someone dumped snow-cone-flavored-sugar-water in the sand, right?

Sweet Brandon thinking, Get me the heck outta here!

Love these two!

I loved this picture (and yes, it was the best attempt at a "cousin" picture). So much personality in every little expression. 

Brandon: You guys are crazy. There's nothing fun about this place. 

Emmitt:  The heck if I'm going to look at the camera when you want me to!

Madelyn: Who wants a sand-pie?!?! (in a sweet-syruppy voice...)

Look at that furrowed brow!

We topped off the trip with a successful trip to Mo's and then enjoyed a peacefully-napping car as we chatted our way home.  Loved our Saturday outing and loved our special company!

...until next winter. 

Or before?!?

Baby Lily...

First of all, I just have to say, as much as I love the holidays, and Christmas break, I sure do love routine... It felt SO good to wake up early Monday morning and drink coffee in the dark while the kids slept on... there's just something about starting a Monday morning off right that makes for a lovely week.  

Anyway, we did have a great time sleeping in, watching basketball, playing with new toys, visiting with family and friends, etc. etc. etc...

And on Matt's last day off, we {the kids and I} were supposed to have a play-date with friends from college (and their lovely offspring, which totals EIGHT small children, soon to be nine between the 4 of us), but it was cancelled at the last minute, due to the awful stomach bug. :( So, we decided to take advantage of Matt's last day of break and visit baby Lily on a cold, clear morning.  

I was a little worried it'd be crazy busy since it was still Christmas break, but we were pleasantly surprised to see a WIDE open parking lot when we pulled in at 10:15 (we loathe the zoo parking lot, if you know what I'm sayin'...) and not a single crowd the whole day!

Now, for those who are wondering who baby Lily is, I assumed she was a household name for everyone until this conversation occurred...

...and for the record it wasn't just Matt and I who wanted to see her.  Madelyn has been talking about visiting her since she was born.  She learned all about her at my mom's house the night she was born and we talked about "Wosie's baby" a lot until she was finally named. 

Anyway, we were super excited when we came to the elephants and there wasn't a single person standing in line.  We walked right into the elephant building and were able to spend as much time as we wanted ooohing and awing over Lily.  

She's SO much cuter {and littler, if you call 400 lbs little} in person.  Pictures could be taken as long as the flash was turned off, so this was as good as I could get in the dark building. 

And this picture is mostly just to show how small she is compared to her mom and aunt. She just stopped being able to fit under her mom's front legs without ducking. So cute! And Matt said he heard them say that she gained over a hundred pounds just in the last week. Holy elephant, right?!?!

I could have stayed and watched her much longer, but Emmitt was bound and determined to get us kicked out of there... go figure. 

So... we let the monster run free, all the way to the leopards...

{Timer Shot...gotta love 'em}

Thanks for letting us visit, baby Lily. I'm sure we'll be back!