Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Vacation to Washington and Oregon

For this year's family vacation in August, we drove to Washington and Oregon. We were sad Forest wasn't able to come with us, but we still had a great time. Our first stop was Bellevue, WA, where we stayed with Enoch's brother Hoyt and his awesome family. We went into Seattle and did the fun touristy things, went to the lake, picked blackberries, had a campfire, ate so much delicious food, and had a blast being with family.
Next stop: Seaside, Oregon - one of my new favorite towns! It felt like home to be on the beach. Since it was pretty cold we thought that we didn't need swimsuits, but sure enough the kids wanted to go in the water with their clothes on. I told them they'd have to ask their Dad, who isn't the biggest fan of sand all over the car- ok let's be honest, he loathes it - (I had already given E the, "you'd-better-let-them-look"). Then the look on their faces was priceless when Enoch smiled and said, "Ok." They ran and gave me high fives, saying "He said yes! He said yes!!" I walked over to him with the proudest smile, and he said softly, "You're cleaning it up, you know!"... It was well worth it :)
Last stop: Bend, Oregon to see our amazing friends Jon and Heather. We went to a museum, the best candy store ever, and enjoyed sightseeing. Every time I travel, I'm amazed at all of the places in this world that are so beautiful. I'm also grateful for built-in DVD players, an incredible husband who can fix broken car doors (twice), and memories that last forever!


Snoqualmie Falls

Ye Old Curiosity Shop - and yes, the kids are almost as tall as me, even though that's not much of an accomplishment...

Finally found a house we can really afford!

Lewis and Clark memorial in Seaside, Oregon. It's amazing what they were able to accomplish, but those men didn't have to travel with a baby in the Baby Bjorn ... even though I've decided there's nothing sexier than that!

They look tough now, but they sure were whimpering for the next couple hours because they couldn't stop shivering!

Priceless ...

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Rome's Baby Blessing


This was such an incredible day!  Little Rome Douglas was blessed, and we had so many friends and family members there to enjoy the occasion with us.  I started crying before we even got to church because I had been thinking about the events in mine and Enoch's lives that brought us to this day.  Even bringing Rome into this world was eventful!  Yet here we are, with this beautiful baby boy who was told in his blessing that he is here to "bond our blended family."   All 7 siblings in my family were there with their children & most of Enoch's family was there. Rome, or "Little Douglas", is named after his uncle and Grandpa Doug who have both passed away.   I know they were here celebrating also.

We almost doubled the church attendance that day!
Enoch's side of the family
My side of the family