Bend

Brandon and I had the chance to get away to Bend for a couple of nights in July.  This year we decided to postpone our anniversary trip to summertime just because it seemed like it might be easier for those watching our kids and I think it worked out great.  We split everyone up for the first time and they loved it.  Wyatt stayed with Brian and Amy, Sadie stayed with Andy and Kendra, Cooper stayed with Ryan and Katie, and Hazel and Evie stayed with Grammy.  We are so appreciative to everyone for watching them and for the time away to relax together.

Apparently Wyatt and Payton are quite the gamers.  They played Monopoly, Settlers of Catan, and Soccor quite a bit.  Wyatt also got to go on a bike ride and to the pool!

Silly Kids!

Wyatt, Autumn, and Payton

Sadie had a lot of fun with Kendra and Andy!  She went to a fun pool with Kendy, went miniature golfing, painted her nails, watched The Greatest Showman, and one morning Uncle Andy even brought her a smoothie

Cooper stayed with Ryan and Katie and I was a little nervous for him just because he's younger than Sadie and Wyatt and he's never really been away from them.  So, although I knew he'd have fun I didn't know if he'd have a hard time being by himself.  All that said it made me smile when I got a text the first night saying he'd moved right in.  He asked where he could put his stuff and Auntie Katie sweetly made him a spot in Carter's dresser and he just settled in.  It sounded like Carter loved having a brother for a couple of days and Cooper had a blast too.  He got to swim at Mrs. Anne's pool (Katie's Mom) and went out for ice cream and bought a puzzle with Uncle Ryan and Danny.

As far as our trip, we tried to check out the lava tubes but apparently that's a pretty popular thing to do.  We weren't able to get in but we did find a couple great spots to hike.

We found this fun theater and were able to catch a movie we'd been wanting to see.

We loved our stay at the Riverhouse.  At check-in they asked us to change rooms from a room with a sofa to one without and in exchange they comped our breakfast both mornings which was really nice.  The weather was beautiful and so was the view!

We tried kayaking before we headed home.  It was a bit of a stretch for us but fun none-the-less.  

The Day Hazel Got Locked in Our Room

We were headed out the door to a day at the splash pad with the cousins when this happened...

I'm upstairs getting kids dressed and teeth brushed when Hazel runs in my room and Evie closes the door behind her and then for some reason the door wont open again.  Our doors upstairs have really old handles and they've been getting stuck from time to time but nothing like this.  So, I call Brandon and he tells me to get the hammer and pound on the handle to break it and then it should release.   So I do that but now the handle is just hanging there and I still can't get the door open.  Luckily the ladder was already leaned against the house and the window was open so I climb up to find Miss Hazelnut on the elliptical not at all concerned about being locked in.  

I don't dare climb back down with Hazel so next I call Uncle Robert and tell him about my little emergency.  I have Hazel locked in our room and Evie locked on the other side and I can't be in both places so he heads right over and tries to get the door opened same way i did, but he can't do it either.

So, next we work on removing the entire handle and eventually do get it out successfully but still the bolt is stuck and we can't get it to retract so that we can escape.

Finally, after about an hour of Hazel stuck in our room we end up having the kids pass a nail and hammer under the door and I'm able to remove the bolt from hinges and we break out that way.  It was quite an eventful morning, and I'm glad I've seen Brandon remove doors dozens of times otherwise he just may have had to come home to rescue us.

Shenanigans

They really just NEVER stop!  Calm Down has to be one of the most frequent things I hear my self say along with please THINK and make good choices!  I'm constantly reminding myself that I will miss this and that I honestly wouldn't want it any other way.  I can't even imagine what I'd do without this crazy crew or what I will do when I find myself one day in a quiet house, but right now I think I'm equally entertained and exhausted at the end of most days.

Love the sound of their laughter!

Zoey drives me a little crazy most of the time so in these moments I'm sorry and I'm not, and I realize she really is such a good dog to put up with these two.

Pink Car Racing with Daddy

Dancing in the car is Evie's favorite!

I mean really?!?!?!  Where are their parents??

Apparently the camera on Amy and Brian's front door is too tempting for this one.  I have now idea where he gets it from either.

Girls

These two littlest girls of ours are so much fun!  They're opposites in many ways but they both love to play and they love each other and they are my ever constant companions

These two love to go outside together.  Hazel is normally the one deciding what to do and I hear almost daily, "Evie we go outside and play?"  Hazel ALWAYS wants Evie with her.

Somehow I didn't get many Easter pictures but I did get a few of this little munchkin.

I can't even explain how much I LOVE the pigtails!!!

Hanging with the grown-ups while Daddy grills.

So much silliness from these two.

I think my girls have nailed the whole fashion thing don't you? 

Boots are such a good choice for this outfit.

And who doesn't want to go shopping with Miss Piggy?

Hazel finally got a helmet like the big kids.

Love how she watches me out of the corner of her eyes when she's not sure about something.  Like why is everyone looking at me and laughing?

Rosie's Rockin' It!

Hazel's first dentist appointment.

Jammie Time

They love to climb around in the car right now.  They hate their car seats, but love playing in the car which is all fine and good until somehow the car won't start and then when Uncle Ryan gets it started all the wipers are going and all the lights are turned on.  Oppps!

Just hanging out at Les Schwab getting new tires on the van.

Lamby Hats are another personal favorite!  I will forever think of Sadie wearing hers to nearly every day of kindergarten.

Evie loves the baby dolls right now but I think I'm glad it's not a real baby.

Like I said Goofballs!

The nut is NEVER sleepy!  In fact, we normally spend half of our morning talking about how she isn't "sweepy" and doesn't need a nap.  This however is proof that she may occasionally be a little "sweepy."

We just love her sooooo much!

Last Day of School

Where did this year go??

We've loved our teachers, made some new friends, Sadie learned multiplication and made a ton of progress in reading, and Wyatt made a lot of progress in handwriting and reading.  We also walked through a really hard time with our new friend Jaden, in Wyatt's class, who lost his dad to the same cancer that took my Dad, and had some hard moments struggling through reading with Sadie, but all in all this was a good year.  I loved helping out in their classrooms on Fridays, getting to know their teachers and classmates, and just being a part of their day.  We are so happy that summer is here and thankful for the year we've had and the growth that we've experienced!

1st Day

Last Day

1st Day

Last Day