the week of the smiths

Otherwise titled:
Things I Never Blogged About, part 1
Also otherwise titled: The most pictures posted in one post. Ever.

So even though we're spending time with the Smiths now, in Portland, in November, I'm trying to spend some down time this trip finally finishing up all these pictures and posts I'm behind on from this summer. You know- when the Smiths came and started our marathon of visitors and vacation in July?!

(this was actually written at the end of the week it all happened, -um, JULY- but never put together with pics or posted due to lack of internet on our following vacation)

Wow, this week flew by! The fam arrived last Friday and then I blinked and it was already Thursday and they were piling into our car and heading to Chicago. (they were due in Chicago for the weekend for Dan's brother's wedding, borrowing our 4runner for the road trip from here)(about two minutes after we waved them off and they had pulled out of our driveway Sawyer came to me with a quivery lip saying "I miss our 4runner!". Yep, not his cousins, just his car!)

But we had a full week of fun.
I especially miss hanging out with this little part of our family... I loved spending a year living by "just" the Smiths way back when, when we lived in Salem, Oregon, and it was hard to move away from that when we left the state. I forget they're "family" because they are just such great friends and we have so much fun together.
It was also sad to leave because these have been my kids' only cousins so far. It was so fun to get to know our little nieces... Taegen and Sawyer are just four weeks apart in age, making her only six months old when we left. Since then they've added two more cuties and so we had a lot of little girl catching up to do!

We spent as much in between time this week as we could at the pool... (which should probably be a post of it's own in the amount of pictures I'm slapping on here!)(sorry!!)






































































































































































































































































We spent a day at the zoo of course...





































































Played in the rain together...






























We had a mini family photo shoot after a picnic...













































































































We explored a new nature park...









































































































The cousins skyped Grandma together...





























We got together with lots of college friends (Ryan and Holly went to the same school) and all their kids.
Here's all the young'ins that day. Minus Tatum cuz she was napping...














We played lots of games, made lots of food, had lots of laughs, lots of fits, lots of hugs and just a great, great time with our visitors...
































So sad we won't be here when they return for a day before flying home.

Thanks for hanging out with us for a week, guys! Can't wait to do it again!!
(or all the time when you move to St Louis....)

random thoughts for thursday

10) There is little in this world better than spending a day reconnecting with a dear, dear friend.

9) I have been officially (self)diagnosed with Baby Fever. And it's a very good thing that I can not naturally, biologically, do anything about it.

8) You know Portland traffic is bad when your four-year-old comments on the fact that there are "too many cars on the road" and "too many red lights around here".

7) No sales tax is NICE.

6) I like driving around with only one kid in the car.

5) Making a commitment and effort to not only write every day for NaBloPoMo/BaToBloMo, but also making a personal commitment to comment more on more of the blogs I read are two not very good commitments to make at the same time. Too many NaBloPoMo'ers to keep up with right now! Too many blogs, too little time!

4) The only only only silver lining in the gray cloud of slight chance that we may have to move again, is thinking about house hunting. I love house hunting. Love It. Love seeing different places, imagining what kind of home it's been, whether or not it might work for us, who I see living there, seeing all the potential, picturing the possible transformation into our own. I just love the hunt. That's not saying that I want to do it... in fact, if I could just hunt houses without having to move...
That's why I've secretly always wanted to be a realtor. Or a flip houses as a hobby...

3) I may have already mentioned this, but if anyone wants to pawn off a little baby, I'm ready and willing to take it off your hands for a bit. Although I'm not sure whether that would medicate me or perpetuate the advancement of The Fever.

2) May have already mentioned this too, but old friends are the best. :)

1) So is having family all over town clamoring to take your kid off your hands.
Solo shopping here I come!

nothing new

I've not got much to say...
Just been hanging out with some family, soaking in my nieces and new nephew, haven't been on the internet for (gasp) 36hours, and just all around enjoying being back in good old p-town.

Long day yesterday, paying for it today. I'm seriously considering going to bed and it's only 8 o'clock.

On the docket for manana: Burgerville with Annie! It's gonna be a great day :)

um....

Denver International Airport.

No playground.

Arghhhhh!

30 minutes down, only 210 more to go... :)

top ten must-haves/must-dos/must-sees for our trip

Here are the top ten things, people and places I am so, so, so excited to eat, visit and see while in Oregon for the next two weeks. [not counting most of our family whom we have at least seen a bit of in the past two years since I've been home]
In no particular order:

1. Burgerville
2. Gartner's cross cut ribs
3. Edo's
4. RiverWest
5. Fred Meyer
6. The Duck Store
7. these friends (and more)
8. this baby
9. this view
10. this beach

Heather and Sawyer are leaving us...

...and Savannah and Ryan are going to have some fun.
Items on the agenda...or at least some highlights:

Tuesday: wake up real early to take them to the airport, then attempt to impersonate mom to get SJ dressed, lunch made and to school. be home on early enough to meet the bus and then deal with a tired girl until I take her to our last foster parenting class which lasts until 9 pm.

Wednesday: Savannah has suggested "egg salad samwitch" for dinner

Thursday: Ryan attempts to do something other than a headband for Savannah's hair

Friday: Piano lessons then Ryan and Savannah date night

Saturday: SJ goes to a Birthday party, Ducks game and Kye's dedicaton service

Sunday: Church, Ryan's becomes an expert doing SJ's hair

Monday: Maybe the Renaud Spirit Center for some swimming?

Tuesday: Ryan tries to remember everything that Heather told him to pack for SJ for the trip

Wednesday: off to OR!

sunday survey

Last week I surveyed my husband. This week I'm pointing to you:

1. Who would life be less exciting without?
2. What are you currently putting off?
3. Name something that you know is bad for you, but you love anyway.
4. What song is currently stuck in your head?
5. What's the weather like where you are?