Saturday, June 18, 2011

Oregon Trip 2011

So we finally took a family vacation! It was SO nice to relax, and just get away from it all! We went to Hood River, Oregon the first night. We went to Multnoma Falls first, and hiked up to the bridge. There were so many people!


There wasn't a whole lot to do in Hood River, but the views are beautiful! We took a family walk to the local park. It was very windy! I am glad I remembered to pack a coat for everyone! We also met a really nice older lady on our walk. She had a little toy Pomeranian dog. He was the cutest dog I have seen in a long time! We got to talking to her for probably 20 minutes about dogs! She was just so friendly! We headed back to our hotel, and had dinner at the hotel.



Second day we headed to McMinnville, Oregon. We decided to head thru Portland, and I met up with a friend in Newberg, Or. I hadn't seen her since highschool so it was fun! We went to a local park, and the kids played while I talked with my friend. We had originally planned to go to the Evergreen Aviation, and Space Museum that day, but we were tired from our trip. Cameron was itching to go swimming since our hotel in Hood River was doing work on there pool so it was closed for a week. We decided to just go swimming, and have a relaxing evening.Cameron loved the pool as did Haley! They are both little fishes! After our long swim we ended up walking to the local Albertsons which was like a few blocks away. The stroller we packed did come in handy after all! Thursday morning after breakfast we headed over to the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum! It was such a blast! There was a ton of hands on things for kids to do, as well as a tour of the Spruce Goose airplane! It was HUGE! We also got to touch a piece of the moon,and a few meteorites. We also got to see a ton of airplanes, helicopters, and rockets.We were there for over 4 hrs! Then we let the kids play on there huge playground they have. They also have an indoor waterpark that just opened, but that was a separate fee, and we were already tired! We then grabbed some lunch, and headed to Tillamook, Oregon. We toured the Tillamook Cheese Factory! It was so fun! I had been there before, but it had been a long time! We got to see the factory workers making the cheese, and packaging it. We also learned how cheese, and ice cream is made! Then we headed downstairs to sample some cheese, and buy a few things in the gift shop. We ended up buying some squeaky cheese. It really does squeak when you eat it! They only sell it at the factory too. We couldn't leave before we had a chance to get a sweet treat! Haley got Udderly Chocolate ice cream, Cameron got Orange,and Jeremy got Marionberry Pie! I ended up getting peach, and vanilla frozen yogurt! It was yummy! After our tour of the factory, we headed up to Cannon Beach, Oregon. We walked on the beach, and saw some sealife! It was so fun to see the kids exploring for sea creatures! We forgot our kite, but I am not sure it was windy enough to fly it. After our beach fun we ended up in Seaside, Oregon where we stayed at the Holiday Inn Express! It was SO nice! We ate a nice place called Doogers! I do suggest it! I was able to eat some Ahi Tuna! It was yummy! The kids were exausted as were we so it didn't take long for them to konk out. In the morning we headed home. It was a wonderful trip! we had lots of fun, and made some memories! When we got home Cameron asked when we were gonna go on another vacation!:)

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Reflecting on the last 6 yrs!

First Day of Kindergarten!





Class Pic!

Camerons Kindergarten graduation is Monday, June 13th 2011! I can't believe we are here! My once small boy is growing up. He has come so far this last year it is amazing. He has learned to write, read, some adding/subtracting, money value, about geography, letter combinations and sounds, the 3 R's(respect, responsibility, and relationship). He even got the responsibility award! He has learned so much about Jesus, and has memorized many verses each month! We have had field trips, parties, and several concerts where he performed! My heart melts at the boy he has become! He amazes me everyday at what he knows! My miracle boy I prayed, and waited for. Now a new chapter of our lives opens, and we enter full day school. It is scarey for mommy to let go. To realize I won't be seeing him as much as before. It will be weird not to have him here during the day. I am sure the first few weeks I will be counting down the time til he gets home. I am praying for a special friend to come into his life. He met a few very good friends this last year that I plan on staying in touch with. One being Tage. I have never seen Cameron loves someone so much! They were always together at school. When they weren't at school they were asking about each other. We will miss seeing him everyday. Another good friend is Kirsten. They have so much fun together, and they are so much alike despite being opposite sexes. She isn't afraid to get out in the mud, and get dirty! We had her over the other day, and they both went bug hunting. They came in just covered in dirt! I love that he has a variety of friends! He has always been the shy boy. I remember the beginning of the year his teacher asked me if he talked cause he never said a word for a few weeks of school. Now he is such a social butterfly talking all the time! I love how much he has come out of his shell!

Monday, June 6, 2011

Don't Blink

Where did the time go? I feel like we just rang in the new year, and here it is June! I feel like time is speeding up, and if I blink I am going to miss something. This year has been a very challenging year for me personally. Satan has really been attacking our family. It all started in November when I got the horrible pain in my stomach, and had to go thru months of testing, and dr appointments to figure out my diagnoses.Meanwhile my only living Grandpa had open heart surgery, and was in the ICU for months. I then got my diagnosis in early February that I had Gastroparesis. A disease where your food doesn't digest correctly. While learning to live with this disease, my mom started having major health issues with her kidneys. She ended up having surgery to remove a huge stone that couldn't pass on its own. She was in and out of the hospital for awhile. I feel like this year has just been one thing after another. Our most recent heartache came last week with the death of our beloved dog of 9 yrs. At church on Sunday the speaker spoke on walking by faith not by site. Living for God even in the hard times. I have to keep going even when my world feels like its crashing in on me. I have to put one foot in front of the other, and just trust that Jesus will make a way. I don't understand it, and I don't think I am meant to understand. I am only called to listen, and obey.

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Letting Go

So yesterday we said goodbye to our beloved dog Koko. We rescued her 9 yrs ago at the Tacoma Animal Shelter. She had been given up by a military family who was relocating. They had small children, so we knew she would be a great dog when we had kids someday. We were right. She was the best dog you could have ever asked for. She was loyal, loving, and yet she had a free spirit I will deeply miss. She was always happy, and even in her last days when she struggled to walk she still was happy. I will never forget the look in her eyes right before she got the shot to go to sleep. She saw us crying our eyes out, and yet she still nuzzled us, and did her famous handshake with me. It was like she was telling us it was going to be ok, and not to be upset. I am so glad Jeremy was there to hold my hand, and comfort me. I could not have done this without him. When I woke up this morning I felt like a piece of my heart was missing, but I know in time it will heal. We will never ever forget her, but we have to let go, and move on with our lives.

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Thursday, June 2, 2011

Blogging

SO I have decided to start blogging. I actually forgot I had this blogspot. I guess I created it back in 09! Anyways, glad I have this tool. I look forward to updating you all on our life, and adventures!