Road Trip!

We had a wonderful trip to visit my parents in Port Angeles, WA. It was so nice to get away from all of our responsibilities and be able to relax ~ to live in the moment. I enjoyed brushing my mom's new horses, and visiting some beautiful places in the Olympic National Forest. My parents have a trailer that sleeps our whole family, so Ryan has decided that we need to make the trip out there more often.

Big Difference

After my last post, I noticed from those pictures that I was very actively engaged with my kids on Saturday. It got me thinking about how good it feels to have the energy I need to keep up with them. When I'm not eating right and not exercising, I don't have the energy to get on the ground and play with my kids ~ and I avoid it because I don't like the feeling my fat rolling over my jeans. It's amazing what a difference 10 lbs can make!

Our great Saturday

We had a great, long day on Saturday. We took the kids to Jetty Island which is a manmade island by Everett. We even had to take a four minute ferry ride to get to the island ~ of course Parker freaked out on the way there, but not on the way back. We had fun playing in REAL sand and exploring the island. Then we took the kids to an Everett Aquasox game. We sat in the grass and it was much easier on the kids being able to run than keeping them in their seats the whole time. Dora was at the game, so we went to meet her. She was awfully quiet and only spoke with large gestures. At the end of the game the boys got to run the bases ~ that was a lot of fun for all of us. Bryce was with his friend Sharon all day, so we did not have the pleasure of his company. Hopefully next time he will want to come.

~31~

My welcome to 31 was kind of a rough one this morning. We went out to dinner last night and had the BEST time!!! Dinner lasted about three hours, with all the fun-doing (fondue) of our food. We opted for the oil rather than the broth to cook our food, which means everything in our main course was fried. It was so good! But I woke up with a horrible food hangover ~ bloated, headachy, disoriented, etc. It's a good thing I only do this once a year. I ran my five miles this morning with incredible ease, and felt much better afterward.

My wonderful day~

I woke up this morning and planned on slipping out the door to go running. As I was heading down the hall, I met Ryan who was bringing me breakfast in bed. I couldn't NOT eat it, so I did, and then did my run. It was a bit harder with breakfast in my stomach, but totally worth it.

I was able to get in to get my hair done. I got it cut and had a glaze treatment on a coupon, so I didn't break the bank. My hair looks super cute!

A friend of mine is going to watch the kids tonight so that Ryan and I can go out to dinner. We're going to the Melting Pot ~ a really good fondue (or fun ~ do) restaurant. I'm so excited! I appreciate all the angels blessing me with this beautiful day.

I Did It!

I'm am officially down to the weight I was before ever having babies. 122 lbs!!! I really wanted to accomplish it before my birthday because it feels better to turn a year older if I at least have my weight in check. My husband was explaining that with him, it's always kind of sad when he reaches a goal because chasing it is such a thrill. I can sort of relate. I've thought about trying to lose four more pounds, but I think I'll just maintain where I'm at for right now.

What a great weekend!

We had such a good time this weekend~ We had a bed for each member of our family in one of the bedrooms in the cabin. The cabin owners are wonderful, laid back people, so there was no pressure with trying to control our kids actions or volume. It was great! It proved to me that it's not about difficulty with traveling with young children, the difficult part is keeping up with other people's expectations. Since there weren't unrealistic expectations, it was a great time!

All of our kids went on the boat, and Bryce also rode a jet ski with another lady from our ward. Our kids haven't gotten their sea legs yet, but hopefully next time they will do better (there were a lot of tears on the boat ~ especially from Parker). Ryan wake boarded and innertubed behind the boat and I enjoyed the ride with Halea strapped to my chest, under my life jacket.

Van Update...

My sweet husband found a storage place for the ugly van. It's at a friend of our's storage unit that he and his wife manage. While my love was getting it stored away, he found a large poster board (much like the kind that you would write a report on for a school project) with pictures of pot growing from seedlings to full-sized plants. My sweet darling has been so patient, but I think that pushed him over the edge. Sympathy is gone, now.

Camping Trip!

We're going to attempt our first camping trip as a family this weekend. We are joining a group in our ward at their family's cabin on a lake near Bremerton. They have two houses next to each other with all the amenities of home, so it's not really camping, more like staying in a motel away from home. They have a boat and jet skis, but I don't know how much we will be able to utilize them with four kids. I hope it goes well!

Date Night

My ex-mother-in-law took our oldest two and my father-in-law is taking Apollo so that we can have a date night, tonight. I'm so excited! We're going out for sushi and the to Bullwinkle's to play. It should be a lot of fun! This picture is from our honeymoon, but it's applicable because when we get time alone, it takes us back to that wonderful place.

Dear Sisters,

I sure do miss you girls. I haven't talked to either of you in days. Partially my fault ~ but I haven't wanted to disturb Tacho while she's moving ~ and Pinks hasn't been answering her phone. I know I tend to distance myself when there is distance between us. Just know I love and miss you both.