10 years and more

Certainly the highlight this week (at least for me) was Jeremy's and my 10th anniversary, so the reason for this week's blog title is two fold.  First, as our anniversary was on Wednesday, we are now more than ten years together.  Secondly, while this post was originally just going to be about our anniversary, more happened this week that I would be remiss if I didn't talk about.

First up, though, our anniversary...

When you have kids and your anniversary falls on a Wednesday, it takes some serious planning to celebrate in any kind of special way.  Our main celebration actually happened about a  month ago when my mom was in town.  We had planned a weekend getaway to Bend when she first arrived so she could help with the kids, but then there was a complication with scheduling and she ended up having cataract surgery just days before our non-refundable trip.  Thankfully Brendon and Rachel graciously agreed to help and all was not lost.

The trip itself was short, but perfect.  We went white water rafting, shopped, ate yummy food, played miniature golf, swam, visited an natural rock water slide, watched movies, stayed up late, and slept in.  It was a great way to recharge and reconnect.

Fast forward to this week and we could not let our actual anniversary slip by without some additional celebrating.  Again, scheduling was an issue so we ended up  going out to dinner on Tuesday.  We went to a restaurant called Oswego Grill.  We had never been there, but it did not disappoint.  The food was fantastic!  Not only that, but when we sat down our waitress asked us if we were celebrating something and at the end of the meal the manager came over and not only brought us a huge banana split, but also a card signed by all the staff.  I thought it was above and beyond and it really impressed me.

I am so grateful for these ten (now more) years of having the perfect companion and partner by my side.  I really hit the marriage jackpot.

And now for the more...

The first more is soccer camp.  Merrick was in soccer camp all week.  When I first signed him up he was a little nervous about going.  He was not sure if he liked the idea of being away from me all day when he didn't know anyone (foreshadowing to the first day of kindergarten perhaps).  He was so cute the first day picking out his most soccery outfit to wear, but you can see his nervousness in his refusal to smile in his first day picture.  By the end, though, he did not want camp to come to an end.  He liked playing so much that we have signed him up to play rec soccer in the fall.

The second more is that last week it was just a possibility, but this week we heard for sure that my parents are coming home.  Due to my dad's health, they are letting him out of his contract early and they should be home by mid-September.  If you are interested in more details, my parents wrote about it on their blog this week.  We can't wait to have them home!

  

Saturday Adventures

When Jeremy was in law school Saturdays were an interesting thing.  Most people really look forward to the weekend as a time to relax and do something you enjoy, but while he was in school, the weekend was a time to cram and catch-up (and once in a blue moon, get a jump on the next week).  Since he graduated that is one thing I have really enjoyed, and no longer taken for granted, having Saturdays together.

Yesterday was no exception and despite the hot weather we continue to have, we were determined to still have a great day as a family.  I had read about this activity online in Oregon City, the next town over.  It was a scavenger hunt where you visited spots downtown, learned about the history and first settlers and eventually found gold.  I will say that the description online was a little misleading, the prizes along the way turned out to be stamps (is it just me or is that not a prize????).  Anyway, it was still fun and Merrick was seriously impressed by the little glass bottle of Gold he got at the very end.  For my part I really enjoyed learning about some of Oregon's history and when I complained about some of the "prizes" Jeremy reminded me that knowledge is the best prize I could have gotten.  It is lucky for me I have him around to remind me of such things.

After the scavenger hunt we had lunch and went to the farmer's market before ending up at a park to get our passport stamp.  I don't think I have talked about our city's summer passport activity yet, but that is a subject for another day.  In the meantime you will just have to settle for a picture of Jeremy and CC on the trail in search of the illusive (and by that I mean we never found it) stamp.

And just like, another fun-filled Oregon summer day was in the books.  Have I mentioned yet how much I love it here (like a million times).

Family Fun In the Sun

I had wondered this week if, once all the visitor left, those of us that live here would retreat to our various homes to recover and not see much of each other.  Instead we experienced a nice little break in the heat wave we had been having and had an excuse to get outside both with our immediate fam and with cousins.

Last Sunday evening we went with Ben and Becca's family and Maude on a little walk down by the river.  In the spirit of full disclosure, this was before the break in the heat and it was quite toasty.  We still had a nice time, but Carrigan got tired more easily than she might otherwise have and quickly began asking for me to "hold you, me".  All along the trail Jeremy kept trying to relieve me and take a turn carrying C.C. but each time was told "Mama hold you, me".  Finally he convinced her to come to him by offering a ride on his shoulders and assuring her I would not do the same.

Over the course of the week we played with cousins at our house, at their house and at several parks.  Of course we miss Kai, but I am so thankful that my kids have the chance to build these close relationships with their cousins.

The other highlight of the week was that Jeremy had Wednesday off of work (this meant that he had to work yesterday but we won't talk about that part).  We decided to make the most of his time off with a little mid-week adventure.  Tuesday night we met Jeremy at the theater as soon as he got off work and saw the "Minion" movie.  The kids definitely liked it, but I will say is was not as good as the "Despicable Me" movies.

The fun continued the next morning when we went to Oak's Amusement Park park for their preschool rides morning that is geared towards kids 6 and younger.  It was fun to be able to ride some rides without worrying about big kids and rides that were too scary (for Merrick anyway, some were still too scary for Carrigan).  Our fatal mistake, however, came on our very first ride.  It looked innocent enough, but spun us around like nobody's business.  C.C. was not pleased and it took her much of the rest of the morning to warm back up to idea of riding the rides.  She did like the VERY slow moving train ride though, it was just her speed.  At one point she decided she wanted to ride a car ride that required she ride by herself.  She was happy until the ride started, then she went from scared to seriously put out that she could not get off the ride (check out her face in the pictures).   What really cracked me up was we would be walking along and she would see a poster with a cut-out for a photo opp and she would immediatly break off and head towards it saying "I need to smile."  She would then stick her head through the hole and wait for someone to join her and/or someone to take her picture.  She is certainly a girl who knows what she wants.

Fun Until Goodbye

This week was just what the title suggests, fun until it was time the say goodbye, first goodbye to Emily and Kai and then goodbye to Nana and Papa.  My parents just left a couple of hours ago so my heart is still really sad, but before we get to the goodbyes, lets talk about the fun.

This week the cousins continued to enjoy spending every minute they could together, whether that meant playing Disney Infinity together at home or playing at a park, they didn't really seem to care what they were doing as long as they were to together.  Over the course of the week we visited a few parks, build the Black Widow motorcycle, and went to the zoo (oh and played lots of Infinity).  The Black Widow motorcycle was a kit that we had picked up from Lowe's for each of the kids to do.  I think they enjoyed making them, but they definitely became a parent project as well.  As for the parks and the zoo, the weather was a touch on the warm side but I think everyone was having too much fun to really notice and mostly we were just happy to be together.

On Friday the first goodbye struck and Emily and Kai went home.  It was tough to see them go and I know it is hard for them being the only ones in Arizona.  Merrick in particular had a rough day on Friday and at one point came in to me crying that now he didn't have anyone to play Infinity with.  I reminded him that he had a little sister he could play with, but he didn't hesitate to let me know that she didn't count.  Jeremy has been a really good sport to step up this weekend the fill the void as Merrick's Infinity partner.

Despite the sadness of Friday, we had Saturday to spend with Nana and Papa (and my Aunt Launa and cousin Jenna who came from California to see everyone).  The West Linn Old Time Fair was this weekend and most of Saturday's activities centered around that.  In the morning there was a parade that Lauren danced in and the kids all got way more candy than they needed.  In the afternoon we went back to the fair.  Merrick got to test his karate skills by breaking a board with his hand and we rode a few rides before we met everyone for dinner at Pieology.

Again, all fun and games and then whamo, it was time to say goodbye to my parents.  My mom had been here over three months and my dad just about two weeks, but no matter how long or short the visit, sending them off half way around the world is heart-wrenching.  It is particularly hard given my dad's current health situation.  The only bright spot is that this is the last goodbye to India.  We sent them off to wrap things up and when they come back it will be for good.  Right in this moment I am focusing on that and doing my best to take comfort in it.

Family Visitors Round II

One week ago today we all piled into the car and went to the airport to pick up my very weary father.  Most of you know that my mom has been with us for several months now (since just before our move into our new house) and that the plan has always been for my dad to come join her for the last couple of weeks of her trip and for them to return to India together.  Most of you also know that my dad has been very ill with an auto immune disorder aggravated by a ruptured cyst and subsequent infection.  For a while it looked as if his visit would have to be canceled, but in the end he decided to come anyway.  Well, when we picked him up last Sunday, I wondered if the decision to have him come had been the wrong one.  Don't get me wrong, I was happy to see him, but I was not really prepared for the condition he was in and I wondered if the trip was going to cause an insurmountable set back.

Over this past week we, for the most part, have taken things easy.  This visit has not really been about big trips to the beach, Mt. Hood, or Multnomah  Falls, but about resting, pain treatment visits, and frequent games of "Go Fish".  The improvement my dad has made of the course of the week, while no where near complete, is undeniable.  He still moves slowly and with a cane, but he is stronger and able to do more and more things on his own.  We have one more week to get him whipped into shape before my parent have to go home.  I hope we can make enough progress that when he arrived back in India he is better shape than when he arrived here.

My dad was not our only visitor to arrive this past week.  On Friday Emily and Kai got here.  They came so they could see my dad and so that they could be a part of yesterday's festivities.  Yesterday was Colvin's 8th birthday.  For anyone not of our faith, 8 is a big birthday for us because that is when we get baptized.  Typically it does not take place on your actual birthday, but the stars aligned for Colvin and we was able to have a day all about him, starting with slurpees at 7-11, moving to a slip-in-slide birthday party, and ending with his baptism.  Not only was it a great day, but it is just the beginning of Emily and Kai's visit with lots more fun to come.

P.S. All photos are courtesy of Auntie Em, who will be the official photographer during her stay.

4th of July 2015

Since moving to Oregon, the 4th of July has become one of my favorite, if not my very favorite holiday.  The reasons for this include the legal fireworks that many people light in the street right in front of their houses and for Jim and Tamie Brown's famous July 4th party.  This year, mid June we started hearing rumors that the Browns might not be having their party.  When it turned out the rumors were actually true, we were worried that the day might be DOA.  Fortunately, with a little last minute planning, we were able to pull off a day to remember after all.

Early in the day we (and my mom) went to see the new Pixar movie Inside Out.  We don't have a lot of experience with Carrigan at the movie theater and I was wondering how it would go, but for the most part she did great.  It is amazing what a non-stop supply of candy will do.
                                                            

After the movie we headed to Ben and Becca's house for some slip-n-slide action and a bar-b-que.  I didn't slide this time and CC did about 1/4 of a slide, but Jeremy and Merrick slid enough for all of us (they both even have bruises today to prove it).  We had invited some friends of ours, the Wilsons and the Corbins, and a good time was had by all.

We ended the day at the Corbin's.  We roasted s'mores over a fire pit and lit fireworks.  We had a couple of close calls with fireworks coming a little too close for comfort and an incident where Lincoln may or may not have eaten a firework, but everyone was having a good enough time that we didn't make it home until almost 11.  In fact, Carrigan was so tired that she fell asleep in the one mile drive from the Corbin's to our house and while she stirred briefly when I put on her pajamas, she was out enough that I ended up cutting her hair ties off of her while in her crib.  I am going to take that at a sign of a great day.

And since I am in the habit lately of doing double duty on the blog, let me just mention that Merrick went with the family of a friend from preschool to the coast on Friday.  I was a bit nervous to have him away from me, but he had a blast.  They went crabbing, playing in the water, went to an arcade.  The boy's mom sent me a few pictures during the day so I could keep my sanity and not worry too much.