Lost Lake

In May, my sister Emily invited us to go camping with her family near Lost Lake, in the Mount Hood wilderness. Initially I did not want to go. Yes, I enjoy camping but not with a baby that doesn't sleep through the night even in his own crib. I only imagined how bad the night could be for all of us. But then the voice inside me said, "To heck with reason! Live a little!" and before I knew it we would planning our trip.

We drove up on Friday with some vague directions from off the internet. They took us onto a dirt road in the middle of NOWHERE, but it promised a scenic view and that's what we got. This is the view we had as we drove in:

We also happened to run into the Pacific Crest Trail, the trail that runs all the way from Canado to Mexico. Ben has a dream to do it one day, so we were sure to document that he'd at least been at one of the trailheads.

Miraculously we ended up on paved road again. We got there at nightfall and set up camp, then quickly walked down to the lake as the sun set. The night was spent chatting around the campfire and enjoying ourselves. It was great.

The night was cold and Teddy slept terrible, but I was actually braced for worse so I woke up in a pretty good mood. We ate a delicious breakfast cooked by Emily and Darren and warmed up around the fire.

Me (in my hideous camping beanie) and Teddy

He is such a doll

Teddy doing what he does best- exploring and gettin' dirty

My niece Ellie had just got a brand new puppy and Nayeli was IN LOVE. It was so fun to see her hold and play with it.

After breakfast, we headed out on a loop hike around the lake. We wanted to be able to see the amazing view of Mount Hood on the other side.

Ben wanted to take the kids like this and this is actually how we started hiking. But we soon realized it wasn't practical and I ended up carrying Teddy. Ben is a boss though. What else can I say? :)

This was the stunning view we got. Ben and I agree that Lost Lake is one of our top three most beautiful places we've been in Oregon. It's unreal.

We wanted to get the perfect shot...

so we waded into the freezing water and got it!

Last but not least, we took our raft that we got for Christmas on it's maiden voyage. The water was a bit choppy and Teddy kept trying to throw himself into the water, so it wasn't a long trip. It was good to get it out though and begin to enjoy it. Ben grew up taking these same types of rafts on adventures, so we know good things are to come.

We then played on the shore while people took turns in the raft. Nayeli and Gabe stripped down to their underwear and waded in the water. Gabe is finally starting to pay attention to Nayeli. He has been very indifferent to her up until now. It's fun to see their friendship forming.

More puppy love. That poor dog...

Darren, Kyle and Paul manning the seas

Nayeli and Gabe weren't happy about getting their pictures taken

But they had a great time in the water and that's all that matters right?

We left that evening so tired but so happy. It was one of the funnest camping trips we had ever been on. Emily's family is so fun to get together with and it's been great living so close together.

Teddy Turns One!

On April 28th, our sweet Teddy turned one. It's unreal to think that just a year ago I looked like this:

I weighed over 140 pounds (which on my five foot frame is quite a bit of weight) and I was SO uncomfortable. I literally had difficulty breathing when I sat down because of how Teddy pushed up on my lungs. But it was all worth it, because then my sweet 8lb 6oz boy was born.
 

Chest to chest right after giving birth. I have cried with joy every time I have met my babies (excuse the triple chin- as mentioned before I had a few extra pounds on me :) )

And now look at him- the cutest little rascal:

He likes to bang the pots and pans as I make dinner

As well as get into all the cupboards. We put locks on them (see the cupboard door), but he was still able to get into this specific one. We finally replaced the lock when he spilled the maple syrup... BIG mess!

My cute mess maker

He loves being outside and LOVES strawberries

On his actual birthday, I took both Teddy and Nayeli to their one and three year well check-ups, respectively.

The windows at the doctor's office are on the third floor making them fascinating.

Poor Teddy had to get shots (my mother-in-law is convinced he'll never forgive me for the trauma I caused tohim on his birthday) but after a nursing and a good nap he was back to normal. It was a pretty standard day, except that Nayeli and I made cupcakes for him to celebrate that night when Ben came home.

We sang Happy Birthday, then let him dig in. He licked the candle...

...then licked the frosting off the top...

Then dumped the chocolate cake bottom on the floor! Whose child is this anyway?!

He is just precious, isn't he?

We did baths and pajamas, then opened gifts. Nayeli was happy to help out with the opening, of course.

It was a pretty simple day, but that's the way I like birthdays. I am not an elaborate party planner, and so while my kids are little and I can keep it simple, I will. 

As a side note, I sewed a pennant banner that can be used for birthdays at our house, but it wasn't done in time for Teddy's birthday. When I did finish it, I decided that it had taken so long that by golly, I was going to hang it up somewhere. So it's out on my porch right now, making our apartment reminiscent of a circus.

Back to Teddy- he has been a difficult baby (see this post) but he is the sweetest, cutest, most loving little boy and I love him with all my heart. I am so happy he came to our family and for the things he has taught me about patience, love, sacrifice, and myself. 

Happy birthday sweet Teddyman! We sure are happy you brighten our lives every day!

Five Years Together

On April 28 we celebrated five years of marriage. Sometimes it feels like we were just married yesterday, and then we hear the baby screaming or our three year old runs up to ask us a question and we realize that in actuality, five years seems about right.

We wanted to make it a special occasion, so we took two days to celebrate. We went out to eat on our actual anniversay (Thursday night), then Ben fortuitously had the next day off (they were getting their cubicles replaced) so we went on a date that morning as well.

He brought home a dozen rozes- "Just like your wedding bouquet!" Good man.

Ben picked a restaurant that he had been to for a work dinner- a place called Recipe in Newberg, Oregon. It is in an old, remodeled house and has a minimal amount of dishes but an AMAZING chef. Everything is made by hand. I couldn't pronounce half the menu and had to have the waitress help me understand what was in each dish. I settled on mushroom gnocchi- I don't even like mushrooms and it was divine! Ben got the chicken and it was probably the best I had ever tasted. This is a great place to live if you have a lot of money to spend on food :)

 At dinner

That night we arrived home to a bottle of organic orange juice on our porch- courtesy of our friend Brittany Horner. She and I are visiting teaching companions and the last time she stopped by to chat she accidentally left her bottle of organic, delicious orange juice on our couch. When I texted to tell her that she left it, Ben joked to tell her that the next time she was going to leave orange juice at our house, to have the courtesy to not open it beforehand. And so she delivered us our own bottle to drink on our anniversary. We decided to drink it our of flutes and text her this picture:

Friday I had a college age girl in the ward come watch the kids and we went into the city to explore a few places we hadn't been. First stop? Powell's City of Books. It's an entire city block of bookstore. Very cool.

 See the books?

We perused but didn't buy anything except a hot chocolate and scone. We then drove up to the Pittock Mansion up in the West hills. I had been twice before but the only time I went inside I had both Teddy and Nayeli with me and I only saw half the house. I figured Ben and I should go without kids so we could enjoy it. It was wonderful- we saw every room and read every plaque and took our time.

The mansion has a great view of the city and Mt. Hood- but it was pretty overcast so the view wasn't fantastic. We still had a great time- of course. Hello, we were on a date without kids!

 

Although we had a great time seeing sights in the city, we realized (as we always do after we go into Portland) that we aren't metropolitan people. We don't like the traffic, the search for parking, the crowds, the dirty streets, etc. We are more suburban or country people at heart. It's a realization that we came to when we lived in Washington DC, right in the heart of Foggy Bottom. We felt claustrophobic but didn't realize it until we rented a car to drive to Tennessee and finally felt like we could breath! It's something we see eye to eye on and so I doubt we'll ever end up living in a big city. Not really our style.

That night Ben had to go camping with the scouts so I was happy that we had already celebrated before the weekend started. I'm so happy to be married to Ben and every day I discover more reasons to love him. He really is the most perfect man for me.

Here's to many more years together!

Girl's Weekend and Ben Conquers Mount St. Helens

In April I flew to Boise to spent a weekend with all the women in my family. We wanted to get together, and a girl's weekend in Sun Valley seemed like a great idea. Initially I was going to drive, but 20 total hours in the car with my kids felt too overwhelming, so I ended up buying plane tickets. Two hours in the plane was sooooo much better than a long car ride.

We flew to Boise on Wednesday where Malinda picked us up from the airport, then I stayed up late to chat with her and Mark. I love visiting their home- they are so fun to talk to and their kids are so helpful with my kids. Plus they always have delicious food- Malinda keeps all sorts of goodies at their house.

The flight went well- I had a ton of toys and treats and games and... you name it. We boarded outside old-fashioned style so I had to get a picture.

Nayeli buckled in her own seat with her "doggie"

 The whole flight Teddy was trying to climb over Nayeli to look out the window. It goes without saying that she wasn't smiling this big every time he did it.

Like I mentioned, we stayed the first night at Mark's and then Thursday Malinda and I went to lunch together at Kneader's. Oh how I miss Kneader's in Oregon. Then Emily arrived (she drove from Hermiston) and we all piled into Malinda's suburban to drive to Sun Valley.

Out to dinner Thursday night

We all met at our condo late Thursday afternoon and then went to dinner. That night we stayed up late and sat talking and laughing on the couch. It was so much fun- I remember thinking, "All the effort to get here was worth it, even if just for this moment." 

Friday and Saturday were spent relaxing, shopping, visiting yard sales, and eating out. One morning I came down to find Nayeli and my mom like this:

 Another moment that I thought, "This makes all the effort of getting here worth it".

I was the only one who brought kids on the weekend, so my kids were spoiled with attention and loved it. My sister Julia even did Teddy's hair one day.

 Mohawk Teddy

 Eating out on Saturday

My kids needed naps in the afternoon so everyone went to a movie on Saturday while my kids and I rested. When they woke we went out on a walk. It is a beautiful area of Idaho.

 Nayeli insisted on holding Teddy's hand

Sorting all the stuff that was purchased at the yard sales. My sisters and mom LOVE to shop thrift, and they got a lot of great deals. As for myself, I love to shop but I only bought a few shirts and a stroller. I had to reign myself in since I had to take everything back with me on the airplane.

 The kids enjoying a yard sale find

We headed back to Boise Sunday morning and then I flew home that night, so it was a quick trip. While I was gone Ben had his own adventures. On Saturday he hiked Mount St. Helens (yes, THAT St. Helens) with his missionary trainer Jason Newman. Newman now lives with his family about an hour from us in Washington and it's been fun to get to know him and his wife Krista.

The summit! That's Mt. Adams in the background, the one that Ben hiked twice last summer.

The crater that the 1980 eruption left on the side of the mountain. That's Spirit Lake at the bottom.

It was a 10 mile hike that took about 10 hours total. Ben has loved living in an area with so many amazing mountains- it feeds a part of soul that nothing else quite can. I love that he's such an adventurer and am happy he has that outlet.