May was a month of travel for us. Tyler and I started out the month by going to Oregon for a wedding. This also doubled as a getaway trip for our 31st wedding anniversary. We had a great time! Spokane to Portland is the perfect road trip. Not too long. Pretty with lots of good stops along the way.
Oregon Trip
Day One
We left Spokane around 9am and stopped in The Dalles for lunch. We got Hawaiian food and went to our favorite French Bakery for macarons for dessert. I also went to my favorite haunt for Sisters Creed finds and for the first time in forever I found absolutely nothing. Plus they have raised their prices significantly higher. Bummer. But we still had fun on our little side adventure.
We stayed at the Oregon Garden Resort in Silverton. We absolutely LOVED it! This will be our new place to stay whenever we come to town. I think it would be a good place for our whole family to stay if we were to all come to Silverton to see Tyler's mom. We had never stayed there before and were very pleased with our accommodations. Part of the resort is an 80 acre botanical garden. There is a restaurant, spa, and pool/hot tub. The rooms are in cottage style buildings that also overlook the garden and open up onto walking paths. Our room had a fireplace and a deck. It was so nice!
The weather was fantastic when we arrived. We just had to go walk around in the gardens for awhile. It was so LOVELY! Here are a few pictures from some of the different gardens.
The restaurant.
Later that night we went over to Judie and Lori's house and had dinner with them. It was nice to catch up. Tyler's mom was looking better than the last time we saw her. She's been a bit more peppy and has even been working out regularly.
Day Two
Today was the wedding. We were up early. Tyler had breakfast in the restaurant by himself while I got ready. He said that he had a table right by the window with a stunning view while he ate his breakfast.
We had to be at the Portland Temple by 10am. Silverton is about a half an hour from the temple. We've been to this temple many times with the kids, to walk around the grounds, but we've never gone inside. It is such a BIG temple (to these little Spokane temple eyes) and in such a breathtaking location in Lake Oswego. We met up with family inside the temple. It was fun to see my cousins and their kids and my Aunt Bonnie and her mom. It felt good being in the temple together.
Addie and Jared's sealing was beautiful. We were honored to be there. Addie was a lovely bride and looked so happy. Jared seems like a really nice guy. It was fun to catch up with my cousins while we took pictures. The weather was cloudy and there was thunder but the rain held off and it actually made the light incredibly beautiful.
My cousin Wendy aka mama of the bride.
Mothers of the Bride need to get more credit for all they do to make the day come off without a hitch. Wendy was mother of the bride/counselor/wedding planner/organizer/decorator/florist/caterer. She did it all! So impressive! She did an amazing job!!
Family!
After pictures were done Tyler and I went out to lunch at our favorite French Bistro. It was a cooler day and I got their French Onion soup and it was to die for! Tyler got the Croissant Eggs Benedict and was raving about it. Lake Oswego is such a beautiful place with wonderful shops and restaurants. I love it! We had a little bit of time before we had to be at the ring ceremony and reception so we went back to our hotel and relaxed for a bit and checked in with Tyler's mom and sister.
The ring ceremony and reception was at Davidson Ranch up in the mountains of Silver Falls State Park. It is a historic lodge with a big round stone fireplace in the middle of the venue. It was rustic and beautiful.
The ring ceremony was really nice and I loved hearing the couple exchange their vows. I love that this is becoming more common.
The reception was a lot of fun! Great food and good music! Tyler and I danced all night! I wish I would've taken more pictures instead I took a bunch of videos.
It was fun to hang out with my cousins and their kids and now their GRANDKIDS! Wow. We got back to our hotel very late that night. Exhausted but happy! It was a fun day with family and celebrating a cute new married couple. Best wishes to Addie and Jared!
Day 3
The next day we slept late. Then we ate breakfast and packed up. We took a leisurely stroll along some of the other paths in the botanical gardens in the pretty morning sunshine. We saw more of the gardens that we didn't see on our last walk. We could walk for days and see different gardens and areas there. Tyler wanted to see the Frank Lloyd Wright House that is on the resort grounds. It's the only building that Wright designed in the state of Oregon. You can tour it. He took pictures and texted them to his work buddies. LOL.
After that we went back over to Judie and Lori's and spent some time with them before we had to drive home. They wanted to see all the pictures and videos from the wedding and reception. We stopped for a very late lunch at our favorite Cafe Yumm on our way out of town. It's so good! We were home by 7pm. It was a great trip and the perfect little getaway!
Two days later it was our 31st Anniversary! We didn't really do much since we had already basically celebrated. We heard from all of our kids which was really nice and the grandkids came over for a bit. It's always fun to see them. That night we got dinner from our favorite Hawaiian restaurant (We are really on a Hawaiian food kick!) and watched Wuthering Heights! LOVED IT! That Jacob Elordi! Damn! I didn't care that it didn't super closely follow the book or that the last half of the book was ignored. I still thought it was really good! I had Tyler read the book a few weeks before (his first time). He liked both the book and the movie.
Mother's Day
I had a fantastic Mother's Day. I decided to ditch church. I am the opposite from all the people who ditch church on Mother's Day for reasons like it makes them feel sad or like they don't measure up. I decided to ditch it because in our ward they barely acknowledge mothers/Mother's Day and THAT bugs me. If I don't go then I can't be annoyed. Coincidentally, Bryn was asked to speak in Sacrament Meeting on Mother's Day and I told her to say she wouldn't be there. That is a landmine of a speaking engagement. Is this an issue on Father's Day? Doesn't seem to be. Then ironically both Kameron and Erin got asked to speak in their ward. They got texts from their bishopric about how to handle it...yada yada. This doesn't have to be so awkward. Both Erin and Kameron did a great job of talking about mothers in a sensitive way and even got a nice text from their bishop but both talked about mothers, their importance, and talked about their own mothers. Kameron emailed me his talk and it was wonderful! Made me cry. He is so sweet.
Mother's Day was gray and gloomy but it wasn't cold and it wasn't raining so that was a win. Tyler had a special breakfast and flowers for me when I got up. Tyler and the kids were very generous and I had gifts, phone calls, texts, IG stories, and fun surprises. They are so good to me! It was fun to send a little something to two more little mamas this year...Erin and Ailey. Part of Reilly's Mother's Day celebration was that Hunter took the kids (to visit his mom) and Reilly hung out with us and we got to spoil her a bit too.
I wanted to do a bike ride in CDA for part of my celebration. It felt so good to be back on my bike! It's been two years. We didn't get to do a bike ride last year. We had a lot of rain in May and then I broke my arm the first of June. It sucked! It felt so good to do one of my favorite 14 mile rides.
Reilly didn't join us for our bike ride. She was being celebrated by her cute little family but she did meet us for sushi and lake time.
Our meal was divine.
As was the lake! The water wasn't too frigid. It was tolerable. LOL. The lake is our happy place.
We were there until the sun went down!
It sounded like everyone else had a good Mother's Day. We talked to Judie on our way to CDA and she said that Lori was taking good care of her. Kam, Luke, and Tate took good care of Ailey and Erin. They ended up all having dinner together at Kam and Erin's house.
That day ended up being a little traumatic. That morning I watched the twins while Reilly took Karson in for his yearly visit with the pediatrician. Reilly had been noticing that Karson was really pale and had dark circles under his eyes. She was worried about him being anemic...especially after all that we have been through with Ailey. She asked the pediatrician to run a blood test. They did a quick check there and the test came back that Karson was dangerously anemic. The pediatrician wanted him to go to the ER immediately. Reilly didn't know if Hunter could get off of work to go to the ER with her. She was having trouble getting ahold of him. We had Tyler leave work and come to Reilly's so that he could go with her if Hunter couldn't and I would stay with the twins. Thankfully Hunter got the message and called home. He was able to leave immediately and go with Reilly and Karson to the hospital. Tyler and I loaded up the twins and brought them to our house.
Karson ended up needing an iron infusion...just like Ailey. He was prescribed very potent iron drops too. He goes back in a couple of weeks to be tested again. They also have to really limit how much milk he can have. Only twice a day. Apparently cow's milk blocks iron absorption. Who knew?
All Hunter wanted for his birthday from us was a kid free afternoon and a little date night later that week and we were happy to oblige. Reilly brought the kids over and we had a great time playing outside. It was warm and Karson was having a ball with his water table.
Bryn picked up a DQ picnic for all of us.
Everyone loves Aunt Brynnie!
Kynlee's favorite toy to play with at Lovey and Pop's house it that crazy fake food hot dog!
Just like her mama! Which explains the sad flattened shape it is in now! Reilly took that hot dog everywhere. Doesn't Kynlee look so much like Reilly? Reilly is pictured here with her Great-Grandma Kofford. Tyler's grandma. I loved her. She was so fun! Reilly and Hunter spent their time getting a bunch of things done that they couldn't do with three kids under foot but they did get to grab some dinner together. The reality of parent life. We told them that they could have a do-over and actually go have some fun next time!
Other things that happened this month...Bryn quit her job at the assisted living place and got hired to teach gymnastics to preschoolers. She LOVES it! Thank goodness! She teaches at two different locations. She also took her AP test for English and is thrilled to have that over with! Early morning seminary ended. Yehaw for all involved!
It was rainy for most of the month. Not ideal when we were trying to get a bunch of yard work done, plant things, and work on our deck. I feel like we have watched a lot of TV and movies this month. That's all well and good in January but in May I want to be OUTSIDE doing OUTSIDE things.
I had my yearly mammogram. Normal. Bryn had another breast ultrasound. She found another lump on the other side and had to go in to get it checked out too. Thankfully they think it is another benign fibroadenoma but this one will have to be watched like the other one. I guess it is common to get more. Swell. She was a trooper. I also had a dental appointment and went to PT. I only go twice a month now. My arm is doing great! I am so glad and grateful!
Business at Midtown Market is slow but steady. Hunter's mom and I are still watching the twins one morning a week each while Karson goes to his speech and OT therapy. He's making some great progress. Every week I am seeing him do/say/eat new things. Going over and babysitting on Thursday mornings is the highlight of my week and I'm sure it is for Colleen too. The kids are so cute! Not even Bryn can stay away.
She had a dermatology appointment one morning and dropped by before heading back to school. Who doesn't want to snuggle babies? It just makes life feel so much more manageable especially high school. LOL.
Who could resist these faces?!
The twins are now 8 months old. Both are crawlers and pulling themselves up on furniture. They are jabbering like crazy and giggling! They get so excited when I come over and I LOVE it!! They are cuddlers. They love to be held and snuggled. They are both good little eaters. Karter is a bit more of a picky eater than Kynlee. Reilly found out that Kynlee has astigmatism in one eye that will need to be checked again. Reilly said that she has astigmatism too. That was news to me. Reilly is still struggling with postpartum depression but she is weaning the twins and getting out of the apartment most days and hopefully that helps. She has had to deal with a lot all at once.
Colleen and I are happy to help as much as we can. The kids are so much fun and the twins are in such a cute stage right now and so curious about the world.
Tate is growing up so fast. He is so cute! He smiles and coos. He and Ailey have been getting out and running errands during the day now. Then in the evening, when Luke gets home from work, they all go on a big walk.
So cute!
One Saturday they took him to the Aquarium for the first time with Kameron and Erin. Looks like he enjoyed it!
Ha ha!
We just watched Remarkably Bright Creatures and it was so good! I thought it was a great adaptation of the book. That's two for two this month!
Utah Trip
Day One
We traveled to Utah over Memorial Day weekend for Tate's Baby Blessing. The whole family was together for a few days and it was amazing! Reilly, Hunter, and family got to meet Tate and Bryn did too. It was so cute seeing all the grandkids together.
Tyler, Bryn, and I drove down very early on Friday. Our first stop in Utah was In-N-Out. We didn't get to eat there when we were down in March. The line was always too long. It's Bryn's number one must do so this time we stopped in Ogden and got the deed done immediately.
When we pulled into our hotel...Ailey, Luke, and Tate were already there waiting for us! Ha ha! Tate has grown so much! Aunt Brynnie was in love with him! Kameron and Erin got there pretty quick too. Erin is looking adorable with her little baby bump! Reilly and family weren't leaving until the next day (Hunter couldn't take time off of work) so they weren't there the first night. We all headed over to BYU for ice cream.
It was so good to see everyone and visit. Bryn went home with Kameron and Erin and spent the weekend at their house. Tyler and I ended up having the hotel room to ourselves (well Beverly was there too.)
Day Two
Tyler and I headed over to Ailey's that morning to run some errands and prep food for the blessing luncheon the next day. Luke had to work so we had Ailey and Tate all to ourselves. We got some groceries and party supplies. We made a stop at Deseret Book. I got a bracelet for Kam and Erin's baby...the same one that our girls have worn...and Kynlee has one too. I also found the cutest little baby board books. Then we went out to lunch at Cubby's. I love that place! Good food and I love their strawberry buttermilk shakes! Meanwhile Bryn was with Kam and Erin and they were hitting all the trendy stores that Bryn had been dying to go to and went out to lunch at In-N-Out. She had a ball! I'm glad that she got to spend some good time with both of them. After that we went back to Ailey's house and I made chicken salad and fruit dip for the next day. Luke got home from work and pretty quickly after that Kam, Erin, and Bryn arrived and then so did Reilly, Hunter, and the kids. We hung out at Ailey and Luke's for awhile and let Karson play in the yard and jump on the inground trampoline which he LOVED. We took cute pictures of the three babies. They are adorable together!
Then we all headed over to the Salem Pond Park for a picnic. The weather was gorgeous! That park is so cute! Luke brought his fishing gear. Everyone relaxed and let the babies play on the blankets and let Karson run around after being cooped up in the car for so long. Tyler and I picked up food for everyone from the Burger Barn. It was actually really good!
The one downside of the night was that Luke found a tick crawling on Tate which lead to some panic. Everyone else was fine and no other ticks were found. I'm pretty sure that it was on Luke from the area where he was fishing with all the brush and then he brought it back with him. Thankfully no one else saw any more ticks and Tate was fine.
We stayed and enjoyed the park until it got dark. Ailey, Luke, and Tate left early to go over to Luke's grandma's house to help set up tables for the luncheon the next day. Then we all headed back to our hotel and Bryn spent another night at Kameron and Erin's house.
Day Three
The next day was Tate's Blessing Day. Tyler and I went over to Ailey's super early to help assemble all the sandwiches and the rest of the food platters. Then it was time to go to the church. They have 9am church just like us. Bummer. LOL.
Tate in his blessing outfit:
When we got to the church, Kirk and his family were already there, as were Reilly and her family. Kam, Erin, and Bryn showed up soon after. We got there in good time to save benches for everyone. It was so fun to have everyone at church together! My dream...a full bench...nay several full benches! The babies were all so good. The blessing went well and Tate was an adorable little angel.
We took a bunch of pictures:
Love Tate's baby Birks.
Kynlee and I matched.
So did Tyler and Kameron. LOL.
After the blessing we went over to Luke's grandma's house for the luncheon. The food turned out great and we were able to visit with our family and Luke's family. Kirk and Meki invited all of us up to their house that afternoon. That was a lot of fun! We ordered Chinese food and hung out. Karson had a blast playing in their backyard and on their trampoline. Everyone passed the babies around and visited. It was so nice and relaxing. Later we headed to Brooker's for ice cream. Ailey has been wanting us to try this place for forever! It is kind of crazy...the employees are dressed up like the Revolutionary War Era...and all the ice cream flavors/names correspond. It was SO GOOD!
Bryn got locked up in the stockade.
Ha ha! It was a fun day!
Day Four
Reilly, Hunter, and the kids left at 4am to get home a little earlier. Tyler and I went to breakfast at Tru Religion with the rest of the kids. This has become our new departure day tradition. There were a few less tears on my part this time because everyone will be coming home in a few weeks for Judie's Birthday weekend so that is good. Tyler, Bryn, Beverly, and I had a dull but uneventful drive home. Reilly and Hunter made good time and got home safely as well. That drive is just too darn long and boring. It only gets good once you get to Missoula and hit the pine trees and water again. It always feels so good to come back to the PNW.
We ended the month with all kinds of grad cards and party and wedding invitations rolling in. Tis the season. Bryn helped with the community Science Night at her school. She manned the slime station and loved it! She also met Henry my PT. He was there talking about physical therapy and repping their office. That was fun! I've wanted them to meet for a long time. I think Bryn would love to shadow him and learn about being a physical therapist. That office is so fun and I think she would love it! Bryn also broke up with her new guy. High school relationships are so short-lived. LOL. She also did her lifeguard recertification and will be starting to work at the aquatics center for her third summer. She will work at both the pool and the gymnastics place.
And...in the world's strangest turn of events...guess who called me out of the blue one night? My sister Jordin. UH-WHAT? Like I was going to pick up the phone after literally no contact whatsoever for two years and almost no contact for 5 years? She wanted my address to send me her daughter's graduation announcement. (I've lived at the same address for 21 years.) She then texted me and we had a very weird and brief texting conversation about how she doesn't like how our family has ended up. Ya think?! Just when you least expect it...strange things happen. Although here we are...as I am posting this... on June 21...and thus far no graduation announcement has arrived. Makes you wonder.
May was quite the month full of all kinds of interesting happenings. Onto June.
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