Vasectomy Who?

My loving husband went in for his vasectomy six months ago, just after Halea was born. I felt like it was a rash decision and that we should have one more baby, but I couldn't see how I would be able to handle any more. I was struggling with the adjustment of have four babies, and never wanted to go through another pregnancy again, so he had a vasectomy. As time has gone on and I've gotten my body back quickly, my heart has ached because I don't feel like our family is all here yet. This is where Heavenly Father has stepped in again. After two tests, Ryan is still fertile. We feel like this is a sign and we're not going to mess with Heavenly Father's will for our family. We learned after having Halea that his plan for our lives is way better than anything we can come up with on our own. So, when it happens, we'll be glad to have our family complete.

Wonderful Thitho Weekend

I had a glorious weekend with my sisters. It was nice to be able to see them ~ and we even got a night out away from the kiddos. We saw Love Happens ~ a movie I'd never be able to drag Ryan to. Before we went to the movies we stopped for slurpees and the clerk gave me a coupon for a free one ~ AWESOME!!! We took the kids to the playground each night. My sisters watched our kids so Ryan and I could go to a coug's football game ~ they won. It was a great weekend!

SOOOOOOOOOO EXCITED!!!

Tomorrow we're going to visit my sisters (yes both) in Pullman. Ryan is especially good with it because that's where he spent five college years. It's been fun to hear about his fraternity and it's sweet to see how much he enjoys looking back on those years. So he's happy, and I'm thrilled to see my sisters ~ it's a win~win!

Is this mean?

It's our tradition to have our kids get their faces painted, so I thought we would try with Halea.

Fun at the Fair '09

We had such a good time at the fair! We do it each year, and each year it's about the same, but always an enjoyable experience (especially because I wasn't pregnant this year and could ride the big kid rides)!

I need a nap real bad!

I'm exhausted! I subbed a class yesterday. It's the same class I will be teaching, starting next week, so I used it as a tool to get myself acclimated. I may have pushed myself too hard, though. Each muscle group in my body aches. I tried to run this morning, but I had to walk two times, so to make it up, I went a little over six miles. I feel like I want to nap all weekend. On the positive side ~ I have always hated my legs, especially my knees. They're ugly and fat looking. I remember my mom complaining about her legs when I was growing up, but she would always say that her legs have always gotten her where she wanted to go and she's never broken a bone. This morning I felt really blessed that my ugly legs could carry my tired body six miles.

Cannon Beach, OR '09

We had a great time in Cannon Beach. Bryce and Parker were at my parent's house, so it was just Ryan, me, Ollie, and Halea. We did not get any rain while we were there, so we definitely counted our blessings for that. We camped and took most of our own food to keep costs down. We walked the beach a couple of times and enjoyed the sights and smells around us. Ryan took Ollie on his first bumper car ride ~ he didn't enjoy it very much. We looked at a lot of art in the galleries and learned about some of the artists. Although we missed the older boys, it was nice to be able to go into galleries and shops that we normally would not be able to go into with the whole herd.

I have to mention the reason why Cannon Beach is such a significant place for us. When Ryan and I first met, during our first conversation, Cannon Beach came up. He had spent every summer there growing up, and I had been taking Bryce there during the summer to start that tradition with him. While we were talking, I wondered what it would be like to go to Cannon Beach with him. And I didn't have to wonder very long because we were married five months later. We love it every time we go.

It takes everyone to make the Y go round.

I just got back from my first official meeting as Y staff. They were orienting us to the new building and showing various emergency procedures. I was surprised at how many people are working at the new Y. And another thing I was surprised about was how different everyone is from each other. It was really cool to see that each of us in our differences has a niche that we can fill perfectly. I'm not uptight or mechanical, so I would never be good at the administrative stuff. I love my kids, but I would never want to work in the daycare (I get enough of that at home). I do have a love of health and fitness and people though. Just another way I feel so blessed to have this opportunity.

I'm not bitter...

This picture is my not so bitter face ~ more like my WHAT?!?! face. Really, I'm not bitter. Really. But knowing that my sisters are in Pullman together WITHOUT me is a little bit hurtful. Not so much that they're together, but more that one of them had to fly into the airport that's two miles from my house~ and I didn't even get a call. I didn't know there would be a sister reunion that I was not invited to. OUCH!

But it's ok ~ Ryan is taking me to Cannon Beach for a quick end of the summer trip. And while he's not one of my sisters, he is my best friend.