Getaway - days 3 & 4

Wedding time!  After our short jaunt in Washington, we drove down to the Oregon Coast for a few days for the wedding of Stephen and Diana.  I have known Diana since she was a wee preschooler (and a very cute one at that!)  and then became her youth group leader once we moved back to the area for her 9th-12th grades.  She is a precious soul, and I'm so thankful that God brought her and Stephen together in marriage!  Diana's family is one that I have always looked up to - I love large families, always have.  But I had no idea that God would be blessing Jeremy and I with our very own!  But I know now, that he was preparing my heart for what he had for us. 

It was a super fun few days with family and friends in such a beautiful part of the country!  Though it rained nearly the whole time we were there, and never were able to step foot on a beach because of weather, we didn't mind since we were on a getaway alone, and it was all so much easier without our darling kiddos in tow. 

Here are some fun, morning of the wedding shots, with my sister Jen and I helping two of Diana's sisters get ready for the wedding.  (My sister, Jen and our brother-in-law Kris, and their 4 kiddos live all the way across the country from us - it was so amazing to spend a few days together!!!) 

Brothers-in-law!  It'd been far too long since they'd seen each other...

Look at the beautiful and fun vintage decor for this wedding...  loved it all.

Not to mention the lovely mother of the bride (and seven children total) being walked down the aisle by her two sons. 

I love this shot of Diana's four sisters...  (the four on the left)

It was a beautiful ceremony that left many of us a tad teary!

The bride and groom!

The only bummer about sitting on the bride's side, if she's the one you know best, you don't get see their face very often during the wedding!

They wrote their own beautiful vows...

YES!  Married!

And of course, being the fun couple that they are, they danced their way down the aisle to celebrate.

Four of my former youth girls, and now friends!  I love these girls - they're all married now and I can't believe it! 

The beautiful bride and I

They had a super fun photo booth at the wedding!!  And...  a candy buffet from Bruce's Candy Kitchen.. oh my!!!  Bruce's is a favorite place of mine from my childhood.  Their saltwater taffy is absolutely addictive and divine.  We brought home heaps of it!

The eldest sister of the bride's family - Ashley!  She is married and the mama of two beautiful girls, it was so fun to reconnect in person for a couple days!

Jeremy was taking a couple shots of my growing belly, and spotted my sister and was beckoning her over to join me!  When we're together, I always forget to get a picture of us together!!  Not this time!

I miss you, sister!!

But the amazing thing, is that God has provided a way for us to see each other once or twice a year...  we're so thankful.  But I think our kids are going to freak out if we see each other one more time without them!  All these cousins miss each other SO dearly - it's been 4.5 years since they moved away (we've made it their way once), and it stinks that it's so expensive to travel...  We'll keep hoping for a sweet reunion in the near future!

 

Getaway - days 1 & 2

A couple of days ago, Jeremy and I returned from an out-of-state trip all by our lonesome with our kiddos back home  in amazingly loving and capable hands.

(This was our first ever trip alone in 13 years of marriage since our honeymoon... it was much appreciated and needed.) 

The main purpose for the trip was to attend a wedding ceremony of friends on the Oregon coast - but we were able to fit in some time with family too, which was so meaningful to us!

We flew into Seattle, and made a beeline for IKEA. 

It was Jeremy's time first to one of the stores.  Even men like IKEA.  

Except we had to ask for directions to the exit.  Those places are twisty-turny and confusing.  I think they like it that way.  Keeps you stuck in their aisles forever buying cheap and colorful dishtowels, insanely cute mugs, and all of the organizational tools one could need.  We had Swedish meatballs and mashed potatoes for lunch there too.  Yum!

Then, we went to meet with our friend Leigh and her kiddos for donuts!  I met Leigh at the MOPS Convention my first year attending back in 2005 in Dallas, when Leigh stayed with our group at the hotel!  We adopted her into our group and met there a few years in a row - - we've been friends ever since! 

After that, it was north for a beautiful drive up to the Washington/Canada border to see Jeremy's brother Aaron, his wife Abie, and our sweetie pie 7 week-old niece, Katie!

Oh, she's so yummy!

Uncle Jeremy in baby heaven.

Proud Uncle and Auntie!

We wouldn't have seen her otherwise until next Christmas when they make it to our neck of the woods. 

Standing on her baby cousin, wishing she could come out and play...  

At the end of my 35th week!

Aaron and Abie took us up on the ridge, we saw several deer, which was cool since we never see them where we live!

Happy family, thankful for the time (though short) together!!! 

What a beautiful drive!!! The next day we headed down to the Oregon coast to get ready for wedding weekend in Astoria, Oregon.

It was so surreal that we were without our kids, and the only potty breaks were mine! 

 

so much to celebrate!

Happy start of summer to us! 

Jeremy and I just returned from a amazing getaway out of state for 6 days, with the kids remaining at home with Grandma and Grandpa for part, and friends for part!  Pictures and stories soon to come. 

Also, we wrapped up our year of homeschooling last Thursday, ahhhhhh - SUMMER!

Aaaand I'm nearing the 37 week mark in this pregnancy - just 3 more days until I'm "legal" to deliver at our birth center and out-of-hospital!  Yay, baby!!!

 This was taken one week ago at Jeremy's brother and our sister-in-law's house!  Good times!

 

nesting, nesting... 1-2-3

I have moved into full nesting mode to get ready for this little one to arrive in the upcoming weeks. Just over 5 weeks now until my due date...  it's unbelievable, that it's getting so close.

Today I set up the bassinet in our room, probably my most cherished step each and every time when I'm in nesting mode.  I love walking into our room and seeing that little bed all set up.  The bassinet we have is one Jeremy scored at a garage sale two summers ago when we brought Gabrielle home.  It is a small version of a normal pack 'n play, with the bassinet attachment for the top that has storage shelves underneath.  It has been so useful for us these past two years.  Jeremy got it for $10, can you believe that?  It retails for $130 online... insanity!  It was only missing the three bars that hook the bassinet attachment to the pack 'n play shell.  I didn't order the replacement parts at the time we brought Gabi home, since she was already nine weeks old, but I checked into them a couple weeks ago, and it would only be $15  to buy all three replacement bars to make it work for us...  I ordered them and got them in the mail last night - and you know this mama was chompin' at the bit to get it set up!  I'm excited for Jeremy to see it all set up in our room when he gets home today.

 Every baby, no matter if it's your first or your seventh, is an amazing gift to be celebrated! 






 Here's a picture of our lovely little bed for the baby.  Tonight I think I'll stock the shelves underneath.  That comes in so handy since she'll be in our room the first few months and has no other place for her things in our room. 

It's amazing that I've been nesting at all... I wasn't quite sure when that would happen.  I'm not exactly moving around like a chipper chicken these days.  I have been in some pretty good amounts of pain these past couple months, but thankfully, I've had bursts of energy for short spurts the last couple days!

I've washed the newborn clothes and blankets, bought newborn diapers (and have a great stash of newborn cloth diapers for when I feel ready to start them up),  bought all of the necessities for nursing, and will probably get the bag packed to take to the birth center in the next few days just for fun. 

Jeremy and I have been given the opportunity to fly to a wedding next week and meet our two new baby nieces along the way!  That's part of the reason I feel the need to get things ready early - we'll be gone for six whole days, just the two of us!  It's a big deal to us since it'll be our first trip alone as a couple in thirteen years since our honeymoon.  I'll be checked out by my midwife the day before we fly (it's a short 3.5 hour flight) to make sure nothing is brewing this early, then off we go!  I'm really praying we get the okay, we are SO looking forward to this time together.  When we get home, I'll be considered full-term at 37 weeks just four days later, and can deliver out of hospital at the birth center anytime.

I've never gone early, other than 5 days early with the first three - but each and every time it feels like baby is coming weeks before that magical due date number due to the pain and amount of contractions (that have become painful) I have in the weeks leading up to baby's birth... but it just doesn't happen!  So I'm not counting on it.

But this time, I'm praying she stays put until I'm 37 weeks and back from our trip!  I don't ever think I've hoped for that before.  

The other projects on my before baby to-do list are:

sew swaddle blanket project that had I planned on starting last week
sew burp cloths
pack mine and baby's bag
buy a few more last minute necessities (tiny socks, a few more onesies, Miracle Blankets) 
wash carseat cover and have that handy to grab and take
finish baby quilt (completely optional, but it'd be fun to be done with it)

Well, that's all from nesting central for now... it is so exciting to see the green leaves finally appearing around here.  That has been the benchmark I set all winter explaining to the kids when the baby would be here... "When the grass is green, the leaves are grown, and school is out - baby sister will soon arrive!" 

Now we're down to just seven more school days, we see hints of green in our grass, and tiny leaves are exploding! 



 

He's flying now

This little boy is flying free.

 Jeremy and I can both see it.  

Ever since his adoption was finalized two weeks ago, he's a different boy.  

It's like God flipped a switch in his little heart.  

He's home. 

I've never seen anything quite like it.   

A lot of the behaviors that could easily be put in the category of normal toddler behavior have vanished.  

Like several of them, all at once!

It's astounding. 

He's a free little boy.  

He is accepted.  Loved.  Welcomed.  

He has a family.  

Oh, I love him.  

Every day when Jeremy gets home from work, Levi greets Jeremy jumping up and down with his arms held high to be tossed up in the air.  Thank goodness we have vaulted ceilings.  

It's his favorite place to be.  

In his Daddy's arms flying free.  

  

God has done huge and great things for you, Levi.  

And He will continue to do so.   

 You just wait and see.