Happy Memorial Day!

For the last few years we have hiked around Pinecrest Lake on Memorial weekend- it's kind of our personal summer kickoff. We knew it would be colder than normal on this year's hike, but we really weren't prepared for the SNOW that met us. SNOW. So much for our plans for a hike and picnic lunch. 

 It really was beautiful. There were still people camping (in tents!) but the area was almost empty and everything was so quiet and peaceful. Just what we needed after six weeks with a newborn. After our displaced picnic lunch we stopped by Travis' parents' cabin for a quick visit before heading home.

Monday we celebrated my great-uncle Vernal's 90th birthday party with the extended family.  My dad's cousin Michelle hosted a beautiful gathering and we were able to introduce Spencer to all his great-great uncles and aunts on my dad's side. Uncle Vernal is the oldest of four (my grandpa is the third child) and all the siblings were there to celebrate. Every single one of them is still sharper and funnier than I am today in my 30s. I always look forward to hanging out with them and hearing their amazing stories. (This time one of the stories we heard was actually about how my dad shot one of his brothers without using a gun when they were kids. They both lived to tell about it-thankfully- but it's just one of the many stories we hear about our amazing family. I really should write all the stories I have heard down and compose a book. Some of them are so outrageous they're almost unbelievable. I only believe them because I know my dad and his siblings and I can vividly picture the scenarios they describe.)
Anyway~
I didn't think to bring my camera so I don't have any pictures of the party, but Michelle's friend was taking pictures and was kind enough to send these pictures her way, which she sent our way (thank you Michelle- I'd love to give your friend photo credit, so please send us her name!)

The party had a tractor theme (perfect for the farming family!) and these great little toy tractors kept Adaline and my cousin Aimee's children Julie, pictured here, and Jenna busy.

 Delicious food!

 Well, what I was able to taste was great- Adaline liked it so much she ate most of my plate :)

 Not very often someone takes a picture of me with my children, so I am so happy to have this one!

(Spencer is now SIX weeks old- already!!!!)

What a wonderful way to spend Memorial Day, celebrating a milestone birthday of a WWII vet with multiple other WWII vets who are also family members present (my grandpa included). Happy Birthday, Uncle Vernal, and thank you to all the servicemen and women who choose to protect our country as well as all their families who support them in their quest to do so. Hope you had an enjoyable weekend, too!

Math Fun

What do you do for a fun past-time when your dad is a math teacher? Practice your counting, of course!

This was after a full day of fun and no nap...hard to believe she's only two.

My Mother's Day

My first Mother's Day with two children started off on the right side of the bed- well, me sleeping in on the right side of the bed :) Travis gifted me an extra hour of sleep, and it was the best present I could have received! Then we headed out to a peaceful Mother's Day Brunch on the river where we watched some rafters floating by (looks like the perfect summer to raft- the river level is so high you won't have to paddle too much.)

Adaline 26 months, Spencer 1 month

Adaline, waving at the rafters passing by

The rafters, waving back...

My sister and her children

Apparently it was a yellow day :)

As hard as it was to get out of the house with two children, it was well worth it. The weather was perfect for our little gathering and we were able to get home in time for naps all around. I hope everyone else had a great Mother's Day, too!

Happy Birthday, Hayley!

Hayley's birthday was actually a few weeks ago, but I'm a little behind on my posts these days. My mom, Hayley, the kids, and brand new Spencer went to lunch on Hayley's birthday and Trace treated us to a little entertainment. He's singing a song from his favorite movie "Cars" and he's really good!

The next weekend we had a delicious dinner at Hayley's and the weather and company were perfect.

Happy Birthday, Hayley! Here's to a great year ahead with lots of love and laughs!

Happy Birthday, Laura!

 Laura had her SIXTH birthday party this weekend. My sister is a fantastic host and the party was amazing. It was a unicorn theme and Hayley thought of everything from "cloud dip" for the fruit to rainbow colored bread for the PB&Js.

My mom drew a unicorn (freehand!)

 She even looks older...

 Present time!

 Yummy cake :)

Happy birthday, Laura! 

You are growing up so quickly and it's been quite a trip to see you grow from an itty-bitty baby to a smart, beautiful, grown-up kindergartner.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there, but especially to my mom. Thank you for being such an amazing mother to me- especially now as I am a new mother, again. No matter how old I get, when I'm tired and worn out, when things get hard, I lean on my mother and when things are wonderful and perfect, I want to share them her. Thank you for always being there for me!

...and Happy Mother's Day to me :) 

I am so blessed to have these two miracles in my life.

Meeting the Family

We had a wonderful birth experience with Spencer. My labor was MUCH shorter but not that much more intense than with Adaline so I feel like it was a piece of cake! We asked for no visitors while we were in the hospital so we could have some private time with Spencer. We also wanted Adaline to be the first to meet her little brother, and it was so special. She walked in, quietly stared at Spencer and said, "Hi, Baby Brother."

Within the first two weeks, Spencer was able to meet both sets of grandparents, both aunts and his wonderful cousins. In my sleep-deprived state I forgot to pull out the camera when the aunts came to visit- such a bummer. 

(Note that Laura's favorite horse was with her to meet Spencer!)

Hello, World!

Here's one of my favorite shots of Spencer. When his eyes are open he looks like he's the most knowledgeable baby in the world. Unfortunately, his eyes are usually only open in the middle of the night. We are still working on getting his days and nights switched around which makes for loooooong nights for mommy and daddy. I don't know how Travis is holding it together to work all day; I'm able to take a nap and get a couple extra minutes of sleep before heading into another long night, but poor Travis is always headed into another work day. Hopefully we'll be out of this stage in a few days (I hope it's only a few more days and not weeks!!)
I have quite a few posts that I want to write, but I can't seem to find the time. Hopefully I'll get a routine down soon and have a few more moments like this one to scratch out a post and add a few pictures.