Hometown fun

Most people don't know but I was born in a small town just outside of Spokane called Chewelah and my family had a farm in between Chewelah and Spokane. I don't get to go back very often but when I do it's always a special treat. Not only does Ziff's sister Tabatha and her family live there but my maternal grandma lives there and I feel surrounded my memories of my mom.

We spent most of our trip hanging out and relaxing in Tab's new backyard. The weather was fabulous most of the days and so it made for great outside relaxing, bbq-ing and water balloon fights. One day we decided to pack a picnic and take a little nature in. It was quite impressive and the views were magnificent. Our last morning there Tab and I got to have some girl time at Starbucks playing farkel and gabbing and nothing is better than a little girl time.

Another day we spent having lunch with my grandma and her man friend and then we took them to the park with us. Since she doesn't get to see the kids that often I thought it might be nice for her to get to watch them at the park. I wish I could have gotten a picture with her and the kids but by the time I thought about it the kids were asleep. I am very grateful however that the kids have had the opportunities to get to spend time with her, even if it seems really brief.

We were sad it was such a short trip but we are hoping to make it back in the next few weeks. I cherish the memories that we are making with my grandma and with Tabatha and her family and I know that there are many more to make.

Bonus

Having an extra month in Fort Collins was a blessing in disguise. At first I had a hard time embracing the situation. One friend referred to it as a mini vacation and I thought she was crazy, but as the month wore on I became more comfortable with what we were going through. Having no place of our own meant not having a daily chore list and no daily to do's. Somehow I can to feel as if we had some sort of weight lifted and had the opportunity to really bond as a family. I really tried to take some time to re-evaluate myself and ask "what can I learn from all of this?" It was a major opportunity for growth we didn't want to miss.

I had the chance to be somewhat carefree throughout the day and really take the time to spend with the kids playing with them on a new level. (not that I didn't play with them before, but this time it was different) We enjoyed many days outside in the gorgeous pre-summer weather. Playing in the water, visiting the parks and the farm, learning to ride a trike, and just plain ol' running around being silly. Thank you to all of our wonderful friends who opened up their homes to us while they were on vacation and and a special thanks to those who opened up their homes and allowed us to be part of your families. It is one adventure we will not soon forget.

Here are some random pictures from our bonus month:

One morning we got to check out a movie theater with some friends that plays kids movies

Afterwards we had some lunch at Mcdonalds and let the kids get their wiggles out

Lilly got a chance to practice her golf form

Daddy starting to teach Lilly about riding bikes

Kyle checking out the pigs at the farm

Backyard water play. Being silly with Lilly is the best!

Lilly loves it when daddy can play too!

Presents, cake, and family

Since we had planned on being in Washington to celebrate Kyle's big day I was thrown off when we ended up staying in Fort Collins for an extra month. Since we weren't with family and our means were very limited we decided to keep it small. Just the 4 of us.

Lilly and Ziff went out in the morning on his birthday in search of some good birthday presents. They decided a Mater theme would be fun so all of the presents and small decorations were Mater. Since I didn't have my own oven or my baking stuff I sadly bought him his first cake. I settled on an extra large cupcake with a smaller one stacked on top and small cupcakes for the family. We spent the day opening presents, playing, eating cake and just enjoying the special day together.

I hope looking back Kyle will feel all the love we have for him and the specialness we tried to bring to his birthday despite our rocky times.

Kyle turns 1

It is hard to believe that it has been 1 year (well a little over a year now) since our little guy made his big arrival! He came into this world like a whirlwind and he hasn't stopped going since. I remember thinking when I was still pregnant how can anyone love another person so much. I love Lilly so much it's crazy and the thought of loving someone else as much as I love her seemed impossible. But oh how I was wrong. I don't know how it happens, but it surely does. I love that little guy with all my being. We had a rough few first months of figuring each other out. I spent 90% of his first 9 months holding him and rocking him. It wasn't until he started really getting mobile around 9 months that he started to realize what a big world is out there and how many fun things there are to see and explore.

I am so glad that he found so much comfort in my arms and sometimes I find myself missing all of those times of just sitting and rocking him. Now that he is mobile he is to busy exploring to slowdown and snuggle. He is so smart and constantly trying to figure out how to do things he shouldn't (like drive his grandma's wheelchair or climbing out of his bed). He has picked up really quickly with signing and has become quite a little communicator. He loves to talk and he has always liked the sound of his voice. Although over time it has progressed from random moments of loud babbling to a constant chatter.He is very outgoing and super friendly to everyone. He is a great independent player. He loves to play with cars and make the noise of a car driving.

We reached all of his firsts and made sure to celebrate each milestone as we did with Lilly. The first time he laughed, the first time he sat up, his first word. They were each very precious to us and we cherish them all. He is a perfect addition to our family and mixes us up a bit. We now have a nice variety of personalities. He keeps us on the go and on our toes and doesn't slow down except to eat and even then I'm not sure if you can consider that slowing down since he usually out eats his 3 year old sister. I think I will be shopping in bulk (once a week) when he becomes a teenager.

There are many many differences between he and his sister (too many to list) but they have forged a deep bond that I know nothing will be able to break. Lilly looks out for him and is always there for him when he needs something. So cliche, but I really can't imagine our family without him.

Mini vacation

We love to see new places and to experience things we have never experienced before. We try to instill in our children a love for adventure and travels and we tried to do a little of that this summer. Although it wasn't quite how we planned it and is got broken up into two parts we drove from Fort Collins to Mount Rushmore and then eventually to the pacific northwest. We drove two cars which was hard at times. I had the kids 90% of the time and we both would get very tired not having anyone next to us keeping us company, but we did plan ahead and we used walkie talkies to talk back and forth and a little bit of that made a whole lot of difference.

Our first stop was a national park about 20 miles outside of Mount Rushmore. We got to see some pretty amazing animals, buffalo, deer, some rams and a bus. If you ask Lilly she would tell you she really liked seeing all the animals but she was really excited to see a bus there. I even took a few pictures for her so she wouldn't forget what that bus looked like. There were some gorgeous views and best of all we all rode in one car through it so we could experience the beauty all together.

Next up was Mount Rushmore. Let me just say that no matter how many pictures you look at there is nothing like experiencing something like that in person. Our history is so rich and so deep and how better to learn more than to immerse yourself right there in the middle of something so grand. It was our first time and I can say that I am sure there was a bit of a child like awe in me. We went through the museum section showing Lilly things as we went and learning a few new things as we went through.



After Mount Rushmore we drove back to fort Collins for once last month of unexpected fun, before we drove to Washington.

Graduation

I am so proud of my awesome husband. I cannot say that enough. He deserves all the praise in the world for everything that he has accomplished including graduating from Colorado State University with his bachelors degree in economics and a minor in business. Although he will be going back to school in the next few years for his masters it's nice to say that for a while he's done with school. With two kids and supporting a growing family it is no easy task to achieve what he has. Congratulations!

Opa!

I have always loved the movies My Big Fat Greek Wedding. It reminds me so much of my family. Although we are not Greek and we aren't Catholic, but if you look beyond those small details there lies a perfect movie about my family. I don't kid! Which is maybe why I love Greek restaurants so much, a touch of home but then I get to go home to quiet at the end of the night.

My best girls and I had one last official night out at a new Greek restaurant in town called Taverna and let me tell you what the entertainment alone was worth it. There was music and clapping, dancing, fire spiting, and plate breaking. The food was pretty good too.

As always we had good conversation and enjoyed each others company and Kathleen who was in town for a few weeks got to join us also. She brought along Alice so it was an extra special girls night out since it was Alice's first.

I miss going out with these ladies. They keep me sane. They are always there for me and always ready to listen advice and comforting words at the draw. I can't wait till I can go back and we can have a mini reunion.