Wordless Wednesday - Look alikes

You all know how much I love to compare kiddos!  Yes, with each other, but with also with other kids I love.

So imagine how pleased I was when we were at the playground on Sunday and my mother in law showed me a picture of my nephew in a red shirt, playing on a playground in NJ.  Bryson was, at that moment, playing on the playground, in a red shirt.  You know I jumped on it.  The two Herman boy cousins?  Um, yeah!

 They are separated by 4 years and 3000 miles, but you'd never know it looking at this picture.  If you are on my FB, you've already seen it.  But I love it!

If you wonder why you are tired...

Lawrence's mom and dad left last night. His mom was here with us from New Jersey for 12 days. The kids were over the moon to have her here. His dad was also here for 6 days - we love Gpa too (he DOES get all the photo credits), but this is a post all for Gma. It was a great visit and a lot of help. When our parents are here, it is always validating for us that we have every right to be exhausted all the time caring for three kids. Yes, it is a lot of fun. Yes, we love it. Yes, we are 30+ years younger than they. But. YES, it is exhausting! :)

This time while Grandma was here, she... (in no particular order because that would take more time than what I have to organize the photos)

Fed many small children, particularly often an almost one year old boy...
Taught Kindergarten...


Held friends' babies...


Taught Lily to knit...
Made foam menorahs...
Bathed babies...and other assorted sizes...
Baked a $hit load of mondel brot...
Perfected Lily's knitting (see she's holding both needles now)...Got our annual photo taken at Hayden's ( 6 months late! I like the July ones better!)
I'm not sayin' Grandpa didn't pitch in too...he did...
But Grandma worked her little tail off...and seemed to enjoy every minute of it...

Activities Not Pictured Above: Helping in Addie's preschool class, Giving Julia a day off-childcare, Laundry & Dishes (x100,000 loads), Grocery shopping, Sewing several saved for her projects and rips and tears, Carefully cutting out tags, Cooked meatloaf and chicken and matzo ball soup and more dinners that I can't remember, Preparing and brewing coffee for me (and her) every morning, Washing bottles, Changing Diapers, Reading Books, Playing Educational Games, Reading with Lily, Organizing the Pantry, and Junk Drawers (MUCH my horrified dismay!), Cleaning the fridge, Stuffing and un-stuffing the garbage disposal, Making beds, Wait, did I mention laundry? Or Dishes? And Dishes? And Dishes?

I'll admit that any time long time company leaves, there is a small sigh of relief, whether it be your bestest friend in the entire world or your most loved family member, there is just something nice about having the house to yourselves again. Thinking only of yourself and not worrying about others.

But then. I look at that list of things above and remember. Shoot, I'm gonna have to do all those things now again! Except for the sewing. And the knitting. :)

All kidding aside, we really do appreciate all the help and the kids having that priceless time with their Grandparents, each visit allows them to create their own special memories as they come to know and love them more.

Old Man Lily

I promised myself I would start writing down conversations that make me (and the grandparents) laugh out loud.

Lawrence: Lily come here let me tuck in your [soccer] shirt
Lily: (preferring the Erkel look) Is it supposed to do that like that?
Lawr: What, blouse out a little?
Lily: Yeah
Lawr: Yes, it looks good that way - you look sharp
Lily: I look like an old man!
Lawr: Is that how old men wear their shirts?
Lily: Yes, it's how Grandpa Steve does his
Lawr: Gpa Steve's belly does that to his shirt.
Lily: Oh, (in gruff voice, walking like a ape with arms out) I look like an old man, I am Grandpa Steve, this is my belly doing this to my shirt.

What? Girl cracks me up. If we weren't running late, I totally would have had her call Grandpa himself to tell him the story. I just love her perception! So funny.

Meanwhile she looks like the littlest cutest soccer girl ever. Soccer Saturday take 2.

And look at that, it didn't take too long and I'll actually remember the story now

Hodge Podge from the bus...

9 months old and his first time on the swings. oops. :)

I'm on the bus and am going to once again attempt to write and post a blog via text message. The last time I tried this, I wrote a lengthy post and hit send and it disappeared into cyberspace or wireless space or however the heck that all works. I'll be smart this time though, I will save a draft, just in case.

Bryson turned 9 months on Tuesday and I'm trying not to feel guilty about the fact that I didn't get a post/letter written. And I didn't take his photo with the dog. In this last month he has started to eat a lot of finger foods, still no teeth and is cruising up a storm. Due to our vacation, his minor cold there, and having a very high fever last week it was his worst sleeping month since month 3. But he is all better now and back to sleeping through the night and up at 5am, champ that he is. He is so super sweet and cute, I can barely stand it. Several times a day, you look at him and his smile makes you want to die with love for him. He looks at you like he is seeing you for the first time in weeks and he is genuinely SO happy to see you. He is pulling up all over and getting into everything. He laughs all the time and he will wrestle you to the death if you want to change his diaper. If you don't make a game of it, he will cry, but if you kiss his belly and play peek-a-boo and make funny faces, it will take twice as long but he will be happy and squirmy rather than mad and squirmy. He has taken quite well to our new AuPair Julia, and it has been good for he and Addie to have some quality time while big sis Lily is at Kindergarten. Since I didn't get pictures with him next to the pink dog ON his 9mth bday, and there is no way I could do it 2 days later, perfectionist that I am, it's just not the same, I'll just tell you he seems to weigh about the same, with a face and tummy that is slightly thinner, maybe from all the crawling and walking. Damn I wish I got that dog pic for comparison sake.

Tuesday was also my sister-in-laws birthday and while I thought of her all day it wasn't until 7pm my time and 10pm her time that I finally got around to calling. In my head I thought about a post I could write to her, a picture of her and Bryson I could find in order to pay tribute to them both, but it just didn't happen. Addie had some weird tummy issues that turned out to be nothing -but appeared to maybe be a hernia - and I was coordinating her first day of preschool and pediatrician appointment. Sorry Laureen. I promise it is not an indication of how much we love you! Oh, and your card is still not sent either. Shootie. Damn again. And I wanted to post another REAL first day of school pic, but the ones from her first day meeting her teacher and seeing her classroom, will have to do.

My dear friend Jeanine lost her dad Jack on Monday night. He has been in hospice care at home for a few months and has hung on to his well-lived life for years longer than any medical professional could have predicted. I don't know the exact timing of all the events in his life but I think its been a year or so since he decided to decline further medical intervention. Ever since I met Jeanine, 12 or so years ago, he's been threatened with "no possibility of making it through another case of pneumonia" due to severe lung deterioration. I bet he's had pneumonia every year since, at least once, and he's always pulled through. Thirty or so years ago, he fell through the ice while driving truck in Alaska. He was seemingly rescued by an angel because no one knows how he got there but he woke up in a hospital bed, after being submerge in the subzero Alaskan waters. God had great things for his life, and he's spent all the years since then living life to the fullest, while on oxygen. Including giving my friend the daddy she so loved and deserved, a great man who showed her such unconditional love, taught her much about life, and kissed her wounds. For several years, he's also spent every day after school with her two children, getting to know them, and passing on his wisdom and love. Over these past few years, I've learned a lot from Jeanine. She is so humble and kind, and she and her husband have sacrificed unselfishly for her parents. She is a reminder of what a good daughter does, when her grown parents need her. These last weeks, when they were sure every moment was close to the last, Jeanine spend so much time with her mom and Jack. She sat and held his hand and talked to him, and she changed his diapers. And now, even though there is relief among them that he is in Heaven, breathing easy, pain free for the first time in a long time, it still hurts so bad to let go. I think she thought she should be more prepared, you know, because it's been such a long time coming. And in a way, he's seemed nearly invincible, beating the odds every time. It's not easy to lose someone you love, even if you know it's coming. You just can't prepare yourself for it, no matter how hard you try. I'm hurting for my friend, and I want to do more to help with all that has to be done. At a time when people deserve to grieve and sulk and do nothing, there is always so much to do, so many details to take care of. Only one state separates us, and I just want to go and help. Be with her and let her be weak for a minute giving her the strength to be strong again. If you live in Boise, and can help with organizing or cleaning or moving, or funeral arrangements, or printing programs, anything, please let me know - as I just want to do anything I can to help them. In the meantime, I'm left with sending text messages and having abbreviated phone calls and loving pep talks. I feel guilty that I can't find a way to be there for her.

When I hear her sobbing, it puts all the other stuff in perspective, though. All the minor worries and troubles with this or that.

Like the fact that I signed up for way too many volunteer things at Lily and Addie's schools. Lest I forget, I am a working mom. A working mom with a flexible job, but a working mom, just the same. I got caught up in the sign up sheets and the moms putting their names down for lots of slots. I was excited by the pep rally about how essential we parents are in the learning process, and partnering with the teachers, and I wanted to be in the class room, seeing, learning, helping. But it was way too much stuff. And way too much right away. Like I signed up to bring some play doh for Addie's class, the make it at home kind. At her school you are required to do 10 parent volunteer hours. I thought making play doh with Addie would be fun, and we could do it at home, on our own time. Except that it was due TODAY, and you had to like, buy ingredients for it. So I humbly sent an email to Mrs. K saying that I'd terribly underestimated my time commitments this week and could I bring later in the year. AND OF COURSE I NEED TWO MONTHS NOTICE FOR SUCH AN ACTIVITY. You can't drop a bomb like making the play doh I volunteered to make just 7 days before it's due. The nerve. Heh.

And then Lily's class. Oh my. So, they need classroom moms to come. I said I could do one Friday or Tuesday a month. Those are the days I work from home and school is out by 10:40. I'd heard that if you sign up for the Library, you go for 30 minutes during library time, and that would be my perfect lunch hour during working from home days. Except that I guess I didn't make the OR clear. Tuesdays OR Fridays ONCE a month. So now I'm on the schedule tomorrow from 8:20-10:40 AND on Tuesday from 8:20-10:40. So tonight at BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT I have to humbly bow out and ask the teacher if it is a problem for me to do one day a month, and skip this month all together, because have I mentioned that I've already had to go to the pediatricians office TWICE since school started. And I have two more well child visits in the next month for Lily and Bryson? And I just can't ask for more flexibility with the work that there is to do at work hanging over my head. There is no end. There are a reason lots of moms don't work at the office. Being a mom is a full time job. And I have a full time job too. Two full time jobs. Both which require a lot of effort and hours and planning from me.

I know I can do this. I will work it out. It's just that sometimes I'll have to be less. And find a way to be okay with being less. And I can't feel guilty because non working moms get to sign up for once a week when I can "only" sign up for once a month. And when I don't make a call or send a card or show up to clean for a love one in need, I just have to be okay with my own limitations. I need to bring the circle back, reel it in a little closer.

Only do what you can do.

I give that advice to my friends like it is going out of style. But somehow I just can't expect less from myself. I give those words to my own ears, and I believe, with every fiber of my being that I can do more. Be more. I honestly believe that I can. But then sometimes I just get so extremely tired. And so I've been mindful to meet those needs too. To go to bed an hour earlier. Facebook less. Say no to a coffee date that I'd love to have with a friend. Say I have to go on the phone, or don't answer at all if I can't talk. Last night I got home, scarfed dinner, put Bryson to bed (Bathless AGAIN), played Pet Shop with the girls, put them to bed, did day 10 of my "shred" and I showered and I loved my husband and I went to bed. This morning I WISHED I'd gotten the coffee ready, and laid out my clothes, and laid out the girls clothes, and wrote a check for the book orders, and filled out the book order form, and made Addie's snack, and filled milk cups, and loaded my pump and bottle supplies, all last night. But instead I went to bed and rushed around this morning and it all worked out. I got to the bus, so did Lily, and Lawrence got to work, and the girls hair and teeth were brush. It worked. It always does. And then I got pediatrician appointments made - so what if Bryson's is 10 days after his 9 month bday and in the middle of his nap time because that's what's available. And Lily's is a month and 10 days after her 6 year birthday and the day before Thanksgiving (BUSY!!!) because that's what's available? So what, in the whole scheme of things, it doesn't really matter. That is no indication of the kind of person or mother I am.

So I'm giving myself a break in the way that I know how. I'm putting things in perspective as my heart bleeds for my dear friend left with a big hole in her everyday life. I'm devastated and sick for my other friend, Julie, who is losing her battle with cancer. I'm apologizing to the people in my life who don't get the attention they deserve from me on the day they deserve it. I'm continuing to work out by habit and blog by habit and read my bible by habit because those things DO truly feed my soul. And if that's the me time I can fit in, that's pretty good, because those things mean a lot to ME. But if I miss a day, that's not the end of me, I'll simply come back when I can.

It seems like mothering and living to me, is often the daily reminder that I must recommit to do the best that I can, with the best attitude I can, and not to do more than that. I must re-prioritize again and again, and worry less what people might be thinking of me. I must leave emails unanswered, sometimes for days at a time, because babies need holding and taxes need filing and financial statements need preparing. I must be smart with my time and with my money. I must complain less and rejoice more. I must remember to let God's love flow through me so that the people in my life feel that Love, without question. And with a heart like that, no matter what else happens, I really can't go wrong. I won't please everyone, but isn't it just an audience of One anyway? This isn't the first time you've heard me say these types of things, and I promise it isn't the last. The to-do lists and the guilt changes tasks and topics but it doesn't go away. It is never finished. And this here blog, is how I process it, this is where I post the goodness of my life, the greatness of our family, and this is where I say 'out loud' that I will do better today, and that even the doing I'm doing now, before doing better, is still doing pretty good.

And for the record, no, posting via text message from the #&%$#%&%&#@!@#@!# bus did not work, AGAIN, not at all. Longest waste of time and battery, do not try that at..uh..public transit. Luckily I did have it saved in drafts on my phone so I could re-type from there rather than rethinking this whole post up again. But can you believe I typed this whole post on my phone, only to retype on my computer and re-post again? ME NEITHER! Oh well, it was too crowded and wet on the bus to read even...so it killed an hour of commuting as I organized my thoughts and prepared me for my positive and productive day...

Wordless Wednesday - The Herman Men

Just when you think you can't get the perfect picture, you get the perfect picture. Three Generations worth. Incredible.

7 blogs in 7 days. Day 3 - The first day...

Third day of blogging. Third day of blogging mostly about Lily. Guess this is just her week.

How could I possibly post any backlog blogs when my little girl started Kindergarten today? It almost feels cliche to say since people have been posting on FaceBook for a month about their little ones starting school and where did the summer go and can you believe I have a third grader, etc, etc. But today, it wasn't cliche because it was my baby. My first one. She started real school. The school she'll go to for the next 6 years. When she is finished here she will be 12 years old. TWELVE. Yeah, so I'm sentimental and I'm getting a little ahead of myself. But. Still.

Before we left the house she came to me, hugged me tight around the waist, put her chin on my belly button and looked up at me. I looked into her deep brown eyes, and I could remember those same eyes looking at me as a baby, as a toddler, as barely a little girl. Her face has changed through the years, but her eyes, they are exactly the same. I said, "Lily, how did we get here? I can't believe you are in Kindergarten. When you were a baby, I couldn't imagine this day would ever come!" She just smiled hard at me with her squinty smile eyes and her happy dimple.
To compare how she looked last year on her first day of school, you can see that post hereWe walked in together, even though she desperately wanted me to let her ride the bus today. I couldn't do it. I needed to see her get there. Be with her a few more minutes. "They don't let Kinders ride the bus to school on the first day." I lied. :)
She signed her name when she got there.

She hung up her back pack on her hook. She put on her name tag and she went off to play. She is the only Lily in the class, but there are two Emma's, two Claire's, and two Emily's. Wow. Not that I ever had any class/camp/etc. without more than a few Jenny's growing up, but 3x2 seems like a lot. The teacher has 24 students to keep track of.

The day was great. She liked "Criss Cross Applesauce, put your hands in the chocolate sauce" at circle time. She had a lot of fun, she made a great friend.

Over a year and a half ago I did an Interview with Lily. You can see the answers to that here. My friend Jenn told me about her mom interviewing her on the cassette recorder before her first day of Kindergarten. I thought, wouldn't that be a cute little first day of school tradition, for all the kids? Each year, see how their answers change. I re-read her first one. I was impressed by the difference in her as I read it. And the same-ness. Even before getting this years answers. I remember that her and it is amazing how different she is now. AND Wow did she love Addie. :) Now they fight a little more like sisters than what I'd like! :(

Sitting down before we started she said, "But I'm still in my jammies, is it just talking? Did you take those pictures of me tis morning? Mama? And you already got them on the computer? (meaning the pictures above)

So I was a little disappointed at how UNinteresting this year's interview was, but I'm still going to post it for record keeping sake. Stop reading now if you aren't a grandma! :) I'll try to write the dialect like she says things and also put my commentary in (parenthesis).

What's your name? Lily

How old are you? Five. N. A half.

What was special about today? having my first day of school
How did you get there? Mommy drove me
How did you get home? The school bus
What was the school bus like? It was very big, there were only six kids on it and it was so big. I sat next to my friend. I don't know her name. Tomorrow I'll come back and tell you that answer okay Mommy, it was either Emma or Emily. I'm pretty sure it was Emma.
What is your teachers name? huh. I don't know. I don't remember. Mrs O. That's it (we are going to call her Mrs. O for privacy sake this year.

What's your favorite color? Pink

What's your favorite book? B.O.B. books

What's your favorite song? All of them. Oh, "You got a friend in me" You know that song, mama? I like that one.
What's your favorite movie? Dora saves the snow princess
Television Show? Mickey Mouse
Who's your best friend? Rachel

Favorite Smell? Mandel bread smell
What's your favorite kind of candy? chocolate

Favorite Sound? I don't know. Is there any sound you can think of that you really like to hear? No. You just like things to be silent? Yeah silence (ha, yeah RIGHT kid!) Music, Talking, Laughing,?? Your sleep music? Yes! Sleep music! Mommy singing? YES!! Mommy singing. I like when mommy sings at bed time to me. (Ahh the power of suggestion)

What's your favorite instrument? Piano

Favorite thing to do at school? Everything.
What do you hope to learn this year at school? How to read. Anything else? No.
Don't you know how to read already? No (okay then-moving on)

What's your favorite game? Anywhere. What? The question was what game do you like? Like any game. Uno and Memory.

Favorite Food? Pancakes

Favorite thing to drink? Milk

What's your favorite animal? Monkey

What's your favorite thing to do? Scrapbook with Mommy (TRUE)
Outside? Play on the swing set
Front Yard? Chalk (what? even Addie piped up, 'what about widing bike Lilay?' I mean she does like chalk but not in the front yard)

Where's your favorite place to go? Safari Sams (honestly haven't been there in a year, too bad, you know since it's her favorite and all)

What's your favorite Toy? Penguin

What's your favorite thing about Addie? Nothing, I can't think of anything. (What a CHANGE from last year's answer!

Okay, What color are her eyes? Blue
Anything else about Addie that you want to share? nothing about that
What is your favorite thing about Bryson? For him to be my brother and for Addie to be your sister, (are you even listening to me, kid?)
Anything else about Bryson that you want to share? no. why did you say this will be pretty boring to daddy. (haha, oh you heard that?)

How old is Daddy? 37 (correct)

How old is Mommy? I don't know. Guess. 3298

What makes you happy? Did you write 3298 for real. No. No I don't want you to write 3298. What did you write? What makes you happy? When Uncle Matt comes to my house.

Favorite Thing About Addie? She's my sister

What do you want to be when you grow up? An ackerbat in Cirque du Soliel

What is your favorite word that Addie says: Whateva
What is your favorite word that Bryson says: Whateva, mama, he said whateva for the first time today today
What is your favorite word?I love you
What is your favorite time of day? Waking up and going to school
What is your favorite way to have your hair? my bangs grew out in a french braid
What is your favorite Holiday? 4th of July
Why? We get all the candy. No Halloween. Why? We get the candy. And it's out Birthday months
What other holiday do you like? I don't have another holiday
What happens in June? Flowers

Whose your favorite character? June (should have seen that coming!)

What is your favorite day of the week? Friday. No Friday, Saturday, Sunday

What's your favorite room in the house? The playroom

Do you want to be done? Is there anything more that I could do?

What's your favorite thing about daddy? (Addie - I yuv him) Lily - Cirque du Soliel.
(Addie - 'mommy - I want you to write me. Not Lily. Me!'; Me - I just did Addie.; Addie -'You Ony wote one sing, I want you to white five sings')

What's your favorite thing about mommy? When you get to play with me.

What do you do with your kisses when someone kisses you?I wipe them off and they go in my head to give to other people and they make more kisses.

Do you crack your knuckles? Yes. Why? I"m trying not to but I can't help it. (Grrr)

What was your favorite trip last year? Going to North Carolina. Going to Sunriver.

What do you like about Uncle Matt? He's my uncle and I really really love him and he is so fun.

What about Grandma Lanie? She's my grandma and I love going to her house and I love spending time with her.

What about Grandma Carol and Grandpa Steve? I like to spend to time. And I love all of the wonderful things they give us.

Who do you sleep with? Addie

Anyone else - like your "guys"? Penguin, Bear bear, I have to sleep with Addie's bear bear. the bean beans bunny. Did you write the bean bean bunny?

What's the capital of Oregon? Um I know it. It's where Washington. Is that right? No. Salem
What's Oregon State animal? (We stopped here, she doesn't know these anymore and Addie was getting IRATE that it wasn't her turn to do the interview. Lily wasn't really paying attention and then Addie locked us all in their room. Luckily I had the computer and Skyped Julia to let us out. The girls thought this was one of the funniest things that had ever happened. Bedtime for bonzo. Bryson has a bit of a fever so bedtime for me too. Praying it won't be a long not for him. G'night. Only day 2 of school tomorrow. And 2 more orientations for Addie's preschool. Oh dear, going back to school is not made for the workin' mama. Lucky for me I've got a super AuPair and a very nice boss! :)


Unasked:
What States do you know?
What is the capital of New Jersey?
What is the NJ state flower?
What is the OR state flower?

Vacation 2008 Photo Book

Click here to view this photo book larger

Family vacation in Sunriver

Our Family Vacation - East and West Coast Herman's

the recap - it's a long one

All of us!

Jayme, Cassidy, Lily, Addie, Tyler

Lily & Bryson with cousin Jayme

The Herman Family

I always get hung up blogging after a trip because it feels a little overwhelming to write a post that does the trip justice. But if there is one thing I have learned as a not professional blogger, it is that it is better to post a post not doing an event justice than to wait, or not post at all (ahem, Lily's 5th birthday party!).

Lawrence's parents and his brother arrived with the twins in tow on Friday afternoon, my sister-in-law and oldest neice arrived on Friday night and we picked up 2 rental cars for our caravan to Sunriver. Saturday morning (Day 1) after loading a trailer (and I do mean TRAILER)full of stuff, a quick trip to VooDoo Donuts, and packing up coolers of food, we were off. When we were pulling out of our driveway, Addie said, "Okay, evwebody, weddy to wok and wool". Very funny, little girl, who desperately needed a nap yet only slept for 30 minutes of the 4 hour drive.

We all arrived at the house a little before check in, about 3:30pm. The kids got on the bikes straight away, and we all unloaded and claimed bedrooms. The house had 5 master bedrooms and we figured out sleeping arrangements that worked for everyone. Bryson was happy in the closet of our master, and the girls were thrilled to sleep in the kids bunk room with their cousins.
Tyler was thrilled to finally have a boy to hang out with. Though I think a year from now he will love it even more. He was hoping to teach Bryson how to pee standing up. We got half way there, Bryson DID learn to pull himself up fully to a standing position this trip! We couldn't resist getting cute boy cousin pictures in matching clothing. Bryson was even happy about it!

Of course we had to get some of matching girl cousins too!

Day 2, since the temperature was forecast to be a high of 69, included a trip to the High Desert Museum. It wasn't exactly what I was expecting, but it was cool. Lily really enjoyed the presentation about the Birds of Prey and was taking a million pictures with her camera. There were a bunch of neat interactive type exhibits and I was impressed with the types of questions she was asking. We ran into some friends from Portland, which was funny and unexpected. The kids ran and played and got dirty. They also enjoyed an exhibit where they got to scrub the wood floor of an old farm house. Go Figure.We tried to push Addie through her nap without luck, she fell asleep in the stroller for a few minutes only to wake up a screaming monster version of her self. Good thing we were on our way out of the museum as it was. She screamed the rest of the way back to the house, (about 20 minutes) and when we got there, I took advantage of her overtiredness to give us both a much needed nap, cuddling together. I guess Lawrence, Julia, and the in-laws had the rest of the kids, but I was so busy snoring and drooling in Addie's hair that I couldn't say for sure. At around 5:30 pm I knew I needed to wake her or she'd never go to bed that night. So I took the opportunity to take some sleeping photos of her. Lawrence came in to wake us both and found me awake, standing on the bed snapping photos. :)

That night before bed, Lawrence, Lily, Julia, Addie, and I took a long bike ride. It was nice. I hadn't ridden a bike for a while. Fun. Addie rode in the trailer, Lily rode on her own (still with training wheels) and Bryson stayed with Grandma while we relived bike riding childhood memories with our girls.
Lawrence and I managed to have a lot of fun together on this trip. We got along awesome and were both in a very good frame of mind with a relaxed attitude. See what taking away work does for the soul?!

Day 3 started like most others, Uncle Mark making yummy breakfast sausage for everyone while I fumbled with my coffee, and dripped vanilla creamer all over the floor due to a mutilated lid. :) Then we bathed the children, who managed to get dirtier and dirtier earlier and earlier as the week went on. A surefire sign that fun is being had. It was COLD in the mornings, as low as 29 degrees one night, so the coffee and fireplace in the morning was great. Lawrence even went for a run and then jumped in the hot tub after that day. Something I planning to do each night but was collapsing with exhaustion after kids were in bed, so didn't. Exhaustion and dry skin! I was, we all were, very under packed in the lotion requirement department. High dessert. Cold and dry. A few times I spilled water on the kitchen floor and Lawrence was able to just mop it up with his dry feet. His joke, not mine. Anyway, that day, we also went to the park, sans our two little napping guys who stayed with Julia, and had sports fun with Lily.Jayme and I beat Lawrence and his dad in a soccer scrimmage (and that is REALLY sad considering I was wearing flip flops)! We played track ball, did the parachute, and once the little guys were awake, Julia call and we all packed up and went to the North Pool in the afternoon, Came home, had dinner and then did S'Mores that night.Bryson reading books with Grandpa before bed

Day 4. Tuesday. Overtired Addie asked to take a nap at 10:30am. Since we didn't want to see the screaming monster inside our 25 pound blondie, we let her and I stayed home with her (can you say quiet house!) then she and I met the rest of the fam at the pool (we discovered the much better and WARMER South pool this time) after a solid two hours of sleep. Bryson again LOVED the pool, when I arrived he was just falling asleep and took a nap, wet, in his bathing suit, wrapped in towels in the stroller. Man, he was cute. When we got back to the house, we all got showered and ready for family pictures. Devin Miller arrived a few minutes early and we had 2 hours of photos taken. They were good, especially considering we had 6 kids and 7 adults, and it was hot and kids were tired and hungry. She had her work cut out for her, and everyone was rewarded for sort of smiling pretty with more S'Mores that night back home. Uncle Mark also found an old style popcorn popper with a big pot/crank and made some home made popcorn. It was yummy and we all agreed popcorn just tastes better when it's made that way!
Day 5 - Bikes, Pool, Picnics, Bikes, Pool, and not much else. We had a very good day. And that night, Mark, Laureen, Lawrence, and I had a night out. THANKS JULIA! It was fun to have some kidless time with them, and to be able to sit and talk uninterrupted. It's been 2 years since we had that with Lawrence's brother and his wife. Way too long. I think Day 5, Wednesday was my favorite day of the whole vacation. No plans, beautiful weather, good family, I thoroughly enjoyed it. We aren't at a stage of life where vacation is relaxing.
It's fun, but it is not restful. This would be the day that was the most restful day if there was one.

Day 6 - Played in PJs all morning with cousins. Addie and Tyler still have a really cute special bond and they can't get enough of each other. I found them playing school and reading books together in the loft, just the two of them. After naps, McMenimans's Francis School for happy hour in Bend. I might have given Bryson his first tater tot, and he might have really liked it. Before bed Addie asked me how many more nights left, I said, 2 counting tonight. She said, "But I tot we have a whole week". The boys smoked cigars after bed time and tried to soak it off in the hot tub.

Day 7 - Celebrated our niece's 10th birthday a day early. Happy 10th Birthday Jayme!! In the morning, she went with her dad on a horse back ride, and our nephew gave everyone a scare with what ended in an urgent care trip for what turned out to be an asthma attack caused by partially by altitude sickness. Otherwise, the day was awesome. We played games, rode bikes, pulled the wagon, played ping pong (Lawrence REALLY enjoyed playing with his mom), foosball, and finally ate birthday cake and MORE S'MORES!! Before bed, I told Addie it was the last night, and she said, "But I still have one more pull up left". Ha! That was her Advent Calendar of the 7 nights of vacation. But she didn't bargain for us bringing an extra.
On the last day, we packed up - headed to Sunriver Lodge to take some pictures and then hit the road for the 4 hr drive home. We had one more dinner with Lawrence's family before they got on the red eye back to NJ.

At around 9pm that night I was beat, and I certainly was not jealous of the rest of the family who was just boarding, 4 tired adults with 3 tired kids. We were glad to have Sunday to clean up, do laundry, and regroup for the week ahead.

Thank you so much to Lawrence's parents. As the family grows and life gets busier and more expensive, time passes and it is difficult to see each other. We truly appreciate what they do to put a trip like this together for us all to see each other. Lily and Addie were broken hearted on Saturday night. Goodbyes have been plentiful as of late, and this one wasn't easy for them. They've looked forward to it all year and they loved the time with their cousins so much.