Vacation Flashback: Beautiful Mt. Rainier

After a super fun family reunion, our next stop was Ohanapecosh Campground in Mt. Rainier National Park to break in our new (to us) tent trailer:

Isn't Ohanapecosh a great name? Say that five times fast:

Ohanapecosh Ohanapecosh Ohanapecosh Ohanapecosh Ohanapecosh

We stayed for five days.

(This explains the absence of adults in these pictures. We were all camera shy after a week without showers. )

It was five days of hiking, playing games, eating s'mores, hanging out by the campfire, and visiting Grandma and Grandpa in their new camper for early morning cups of hot chocolate:

Hey, Aunt Becky!! I saw you eyeballing my hot chocolate!

The big kids went every morning to the Ranger Station for the kids' program and were proudly sporting "Junior Ranger" badges all week.

The following pictures were taken standing in our campsite. We definitely had the best site there. Isn't it beautiful?

Thank you, Lord, for the beauty we saw and the magical childhood memories made.

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Nana's Midas Touch

I've always hoped that someday I could grow up and have even a little of my grandmother's gift for making her home a place of beauty. Even as a little girl I was aware of how nice Nana's home was and loved being there.

During the first weekend of our vacation we stayed at Nana's house and although my pictures will never be able to capture exactly how her home feels to me, nor will I be able to give a complete picture of how pretty it all is, I wanted to share with all of you a glimpse of one of my favorite places to be:

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I'm Leaving in a Tundra....

Don't know when I'll be back again (because vacation just sounds so good, I might never return)

I'm off to family, camping, relaxation, and hopefully at least one day to sleep in.

I'm going to take a blogging break, too, so my family will get my full attention.

I'll see you July 19th!!!

Hope you are having a Popsicle eating, sprinkler running through, s'more eating kind of summer.

See you soon!

Love,

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A Summer of... (Part Two)

Swimming!

I'm still reminiscing about this past summer before Fall is here for good.

This was our summer of a major breakthrough.

After a combination of two scary incidents in a pool and some high pressure swimming lessons, our oldest princess was terrified of the water. We decided to take last summer off from lessons and didn't swim much at all. This summer, we found some easy-going, great lessons at our local college. She spent the first three weeks of this summer taking those lessons and then we had a good friend take us to her aunt's pool for some fun. (Thanks, Marisa!)

Then we went to visit my mom and dad in July, they had a brand new above ground pool waiting for us. Look how confident she looks here:





Disclaimer: I am NOT responsible for Prince Charming's hair being pushed up into a Mohawk in this video. You can thank his sisters for that. Just want to make sure he doesn't blame me for it when he sees this video in the future. : )

Littlest Princess made huge strides with swimming this year, too. I'm so happy because I've always been a swimmer. I love the water and it was fun to see my girls following in my wake. : )

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Belated Anniversary

On June 19, King Charming and I celebrated 10 years of marriage. Only, it wasn't much of a celebration. We were unable to find a babysitter that night, so we rented a movie and made the most of a "stay at home" date.


When we got to Mom and Dad's "bed and breakfast," they volunteered to keep the kids while we got away for a belated anniversary date. We jumped at the chance! : )


So Thursday, we drove to Leavenworth, WA, a little tourist town at the base of the Cascades they've turned into a Bavarian village. You feel like you are in the alps!


Look at this view out our hotel room window!




King Charming, being the grand deal finder, was able to surprise me with a suite!


We walked in and found bathrobes,


chocolate mints,

even a rubber ducky!

I really felt like royalty.

That night we drove to the ski hill to an outdoor amphitheater and watched a performance of The Sound of Music. So fun! I loved walking up the hill on the path lit with white lights up to the amphitheater. The little kids in the musical were amazing and so talented. It was all magical.

Then the next morning, I woke up and said, "I miss my kids. Time to go home to Mom and Dad's!" I made it less than 24 hours! Ha Ha.

We stopped by Liberty Orchards Aplets and Cotlets candy factory in Cashmere on the way home and watched them making the candy. Aplets and Cotlets are my dad's ABSOLUTE FAVORITE CANDY IN THE WHOLE WORLD, so we brought home a thank you gift for the babysitting.



It was so nice to be away with my husband. 10 years has been a blink. I didn't think I could love you any more on the first day, but every day I love you more, King Charming.

I heard this song the other day, and I'm so thankful I will never have to go back to the day before you. Happy Belated Anniversary Baby!

I had all but given up on finding the one that I could fall into
On the day before you
I was ready to settle for less than love and not much more
There was no such thing as a dream come true
But that was on the day before you

Now you're here and everything's changing
Suddenly life means so much
I can't wait to wake up tomorrow and find out this promise is true
I will never have to go back to the day before you

In your eyes I see forever
And it makes me wish that my life never knew the day before you
Oh, but heaven knows those years without you
Were shaping my heart for the day that I found you

And if you're the reason for all I've been through
then I'm thankful for the day before you

Now you're here and everything's changing
Suddenly life means so much
I can't wait to wake up tomorrow and find out this promise is true
I will never have to go back to the day before you
It was the last day that I ever lived alone

And I'm never going back
No, I'm never going back

To the day before you.

Love,

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On Vacation!

We just arrived at the sweetest bed and breakfast.

It's an out of the way place that few know about, but we like it that way.

They take such amazing care of us whenever we show up here: great food, wait on us hand and foot, get up with my children and allow me to sleep in. Why would we ever vacation anywhere else??

You guessed it- We are at Grandma and Grandpa's house for the week.

Just arrived tonight and am already looking forward to being spoiled.

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Vacation Is Over

I'm surprised about how few pictures I took over our vacation. I guess I was too busy having fun to stop and document it all. I did get a few though that make me smile and one that tugs at my heartstrings a little.

My brother and I have always been good friends and it is tough for us to not have our kids living in the same town. We worried they wouldn't be as close of friends as we were with our cousins. We shouldn't have worried. Our kids make the most of every opportunity to see each other. They love each other so much.

When they do get together, it is very important to check out who is taller now.


On this trip, we were stuck inside a lot because of very cold, snowy conditions, so Mom and my sister-in-law taught the kids to dance. The boys would come up to the girls and say, "May, I have this dance?" There were only two girls and three boys, so the odd man out would ask to cut in. They were very polite and formal. It was adorable.


For Baby's first Christmas, he got a Baby Einstein Play Gym. I think he likes it.

At this point, though, he is much more interested in smiling faces than toys.

This is my nephew, Zac. He is such a spitfire! He's got the greatest raspy voice and all-boy personality. I love how much he reminds me of his daddy at this age. This is the picture that pulls on my heartstrings. As cute as it is, it makes me a little sad.

My brother and I were keeping up with each other in the baby having business. My daughters and his two oldest sons are the same age and are really close friends. Whenever we get together, they pair off and have so much fun together. I guess on this trip I noticed how left out Zac was. It made me miss David, my baby boy who would have been the same age as Zac if he had been born. There are times especially during special events and holidays when I still really feel the loss.

Don't worry about Zac too much, though. He made sure everyone included him, and he kept us all laughing. Here he is entertaining his audience. : ) You can see Grandma fit in lots of baby holding.

We had such a great trip. We were able to go to my brother and sister-in-law's house, then to Mom and Dad's place, and then to my cousin Katy's. It was all so sweet and fun. My family is amazing. Whenever we go to visit it feels like their whole goal in life is to bless us. We are so spoiled to be so loved.

It is hard being back in the real world. I'm struggling to get Prince Charming back on a good sleeping schedule after the trip. He hasn't been very charming at all when he's wide awake at 3 AM or screaming his head off because he doesn't want to nap. I'm telling myself, "This too shall pass" and trying to get him back into a regular routine. I'm praying we will get back to where we were. My quality of life right now is so dependent on his sleeping habits, but as always, he is worth it all.

One of the best parts of this trip was the time I spent with all three of my kids. I was just so incredibly proud of them and grateful for them. I enjoyed them so much.

Well, that's all I've got for you. The pictures don't do the trip justice or give you an idea of how beautiful all of the snow was. We had a Merry and Very White Christmas. I hope yours was also!

Happy New Year Everyone!

Love,

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What a Good Sport!

My fifteen-year-old cousin, Krista, is such a good sport! When we were on vacation, my princesses turned cowgirls needed a horse and Krista was elected.

What do you think of her bridle and reins? : )

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I'm Home! : )

I'm sorry my blog has been the same since Tuesday of last week. I was playing too much to find blogging time. We had a great vacation!

After the week of visiting my mom and dad, we drove to my cousin's house for a 4th of July party. We had so much fun with family (and her backyard swimming pool) : ) I thought I was getting great pictures of our celebration, but they didn't turn out. My cousin did a blog post of the day on her blog if you'd like to see where we were.

It really was a blessed trip. I enjoyed it so much, even the car ride. I loved the quality time with my husband and my girls.

Now the hard part.....adjusting back to real life.

I need another week!

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Vacation Continues.....

My Mom : )

True Fishermen:

Our men know the secret to catching fish-

Barbie and Disney Princess Poles! : )

I'm glad they are so secure in their manhood. : )

We spent the day yesterday fishing and swimming. The princesses were ready to catch fish with their new fishing poles and matching life vests.

Princess Amy catches her first fish:

Amy got the prize for the first fish and Karissa got the prize for the biggest fish. They had so much fun!

Whenever we got too hot, we jumped in! My dad rolled his eyes and said, "True fishermen would never jump in to a hot fishing spot and scare all the fish away!" But we were persuasive and eventually got him to jump in with us.

It felt so good to float in the water. I haven't been able to lay on my back in a long time. My belly makes a great flotation device. : )

RockWall Cellars All To Ourselves

After our day at the lake, we were treated to an amazing dinner! My sister-in-law's family own a beautiful winery. Doug and Sandy, Angie's mom and dad, invited us over last night to enjoy it. We had dinner in the reception area. Everyone (excluding me and the girls) sampled their wines and we all enjoyed Sandy's master cooking.

King Charming kept the jukebox running and taught the girls how to two-step. I wish I had brought my camera, but you can visit their website here to see where we were at. It was such a fun evening. Thank you Doug and Sandy!

For a last minute decision vacation, we sure are having a magical week!

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Sleeping In, Eating Ice Cream, Swimming in the Lake, It Must Be.....

....vacation. : )

We arrived at Mom and Dad's house on Friday for a week of rest and relaxation. The princesses are being spoiled, I'm getting waited on, and King Charming is vegging in front of movies. I'm sure there will be a pinochle game some time soon.

With my pregnancy history, we weren't sure if we should try to travel at all this summer. My OB gave me the green light and we decided we wanted a break from the routine. So here we are! : ) I told you I was impulsive!

It isn't a flashy vacation, but it is just what I needed....a chance to get out of town, spend time with the people I love, and do nothing but swim, eat, watch movies, and sleep. Ahhh....

One of the things I've been enjoying the most is quality time with God. Usually vacations are so packed with activity, I end up taking a vacation from my spiritual life as well. This time, I've been surprised by the amount of free time I keep finding each day. I've enjoyed my quiet times with the Lord so much!

I've also had opportunities to work on the book I'm writing. It is a project that is close to my heart, and I dream of the day it is a book instead of files on my hard drive. I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel! I can't wait to share it with you all some day.

I better go help Mom make dinner instead of expecting her to wait on me hand and foot.

Happy Summer Everyone!

Love,

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