WA.OR.CA {TRANSITION}

Saturday and Sunday we spent driving down Highway 101 along the Oregon and California Coast. We originally planned to fly home from Portland, but Jordan's Dad wanted us to drive a truck down from Florence for him. So, we rearranged our plans, and spent two days driving to California.

When I made these plans, I wanted us to spend some time hiking through the Redwoods...however, when we got to that point Henry was fast asleep in the back of the truck. So, we took some pictures out the window, and kept driving! Kinda a bummer, but, c'est la vie! I'm learning, that's "vacationing with a baby."

WA.OR.CA {LEG #2}

Friday was our last full day in Oregon, and we made sure to spend lots of time with the Bartlett's. This trip was Henry's first time meeting his Great Grandparents, and he took to them like flies to stink! :)

We loved spending time with the Bartlett's and on the beautiful Oregon Coast!

Friday evening we headed out to the North Jetty but weren't able to stay long because it was so windy and rainy!

WA.OR.CA {LEG #2}

Thursday we had another late start {I need to just accept the fact that vacations, for us, include sleeping in}. Jordan washed Grandma & Grandpa's Prius and cleaned out the inside of it; that really made them happy! While Jordan was cleaning the house, Great-Grandma Sue was keeping Henry happy sharing a graham cracker with him! He was in heaven!

Once we finally left the house, we headed up the Coast to Haceta Head Lighthouse. What a beautiful place! The trees along the coast were filled with nests and baby birds and while we stood and watched, we saw momma birds bringing back fish to feed the squawking babies! It was pretty cool to watch, but pretty stinky too!

After hiking to the lighthouse, we headed back down to the beach and Jordan took Henry on his first Agate hunting excursion. They must've found some good ones because Jordan had a pocket full when they were finished.

WA.OR.CA {LEG #2}

Wednesday we had the intention of taking Henry on a 3 mile hike to a lighthouse, however after driving up the Coast and passing so many beautiful beaches and realizing what a gorgeous day it was, we decided it would be a crime to not spend the day on the beach!

We got lucky when Jordan pulled into Picnic Beach. It was miles long, nearly deserted, and completely calm! Somehow, magically, there was no wind on the Oregon Coast! I didn't know that was possible!

Henry had his first experience with the ocean and sand, and he didn't like either! The water was too cold and the sand was just weird! But he loved when mommy held him and ran into and out of the water! He would just squeal with delight! What a perfect day!

WA.OR.CA {LEG #2}

We arrived in Oregon around 10:00, but didn't get out of the airport until after 12:00 because the rental car company was so backed up we had to wait FOREVER! Ridiculous!
We finally got on the road, after getting a free upgrade of course, and made the 3 hour drive to Florence. Jordan and I haven't been here since the summer before our wedding, nearly 5 years ago, and Henry had never met his Bartlett Great-Grandparents!
After spending Sunday evening getting settled, we woke Monday morning refreshed and ready for some fun in the Oregon sun!

Monday Jordan drove Grandma to the doctor in Eugene, so Henry and I hung out at Old Town Florence. We left there and drove to the North Jetty, but Henry fell asleep before we got there! All this excitement is really wearing him out!

Tuesday we got a late start, but ended up making our way up the Coast to Smelt Sands Beach Park...and what a treat when we got there! Two whales were playing out in the water and we got to watch them and look at the tide pools before heading home.

Wednesday started with a stop at Strawberry Hill where we got to watch a bunch of Sea Lions hunting for lunch in the ocean and soaking up the sun on the rocks. We kept pointing them out to Henry, but he was too busy looking at everything but the sea lions!

WA.OR.CA {LEG #1}

We had a wonderful excuse to take one last vacation before Jordan starts Pharmacy School and we become dirt poor college students...so we jumped on it!

We left Smithfield for SLC at 4:00 AM to catch our 7:15 AM flight! Note to self, Pay the extra $50 to get a later flight next time! We arrived in Washington around 8:30 AM and after stopping for breakfast, began our trek to the Olympic Peninsula. On the way, we stopped in Olympia looking for my Grandma Fortune's final resting place, only to discover, it wasn't so final! Apparently when my Grandpa moved to Utah, he took her ashes with him! After making that discovery, we continued on our way. The drive was BEAUTIFUL as the road hugged the Puget Sound nearly the entire time!

We arrived in Sequim {pronounced by the "locals" as "sKwim"} around 5:00, ate dinner at a cute 50's diner, and were ready for bed by 8:00! It had been a LONG day! The next morning we spent some time picking berries at one of the many local berry and lavender farms, and then headed over to the Dungeness Wildlife Refuge, home to the longest, natural sand spit in the world...5 1/2 miles! And at the end of the Spit is a beautiful lighthouse! As much as we would've liked to, we didn't have time to make the 11 mile roundtrip hike, so we just hung out at the beach for a while before we had to return to the hotel to get ready for the wedding.

That evening, we headed up to the "Hill above the Bay" for the wedding of one of Jordan's high school buddies. It was a BEAUTIFUL location and a beautiful wedding! We had alot of fun watching everyone enjoy the open bar, and really let loose! Unfortunately, we had to leave a bit earlier than everyone else because Henry had had it, and we had another EARLY flight to catch the next day to Portland!

We LOVED the Olympic Peninsula and are already talking about going back one day! It truly is one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen!

30, FLiRtY & Thriving!!!

Believe it, or not, I am now 30 years old! That's a TRIP!

Remember when you were in high school and imagining where your life would take you and what you would be doing at different stages of your life? Well, I never would've guessed that where I am now is where I would be! But, I think my life is AWESOME! I LOVE my husband! I LOVE my baby! I LOVE my family and friends! And I LOVE my Job (and I LOVE that I only have one week left)!

It's odd that I'm now OLD compared to not only the High School Kids but also the College crowds! In my normal, everyday life, I still feel "fresh out of high school", but get me around a group of high schoolers or on a college campus, and I feel like I stick out like a sore thumb! Weird!

To celebrate the conclusion of my third decade, Jordan and I went to a fancy dinner {thanks to the great deal we got on City Deals} and then had a homemade Costa Vida dinner the next day with the Alders and Fortunes. And a couple days after that, I met my Mom & sisters at the Cheesecake Factory for another birthday celebration!

It's kinda interesting how the older I get, the less important "Gifts" become on these occassions and the more I value the time I spend with those I LOVE! So, {although I'm THRILLED about the gifts I got} I REALLY enjoyed the time I got to spend getting together with family and friends to celebrate!

To quote the great Tim McGraw, "The next 30 years will be the Best years of my life! Raise a little family and hang out with my (husband)...Maybe now I've conquered all my adolescent fears, and I'll do it better in my next 30 years!"

My First {official} Mother's Day

May is a BIG month for me, especially THIS May! I got to celebrate my first {official} Mother's Day, because, as opposed to last year when Henry was still "cooking", this year I actually had a "baby in arms"! It was wonderful!
Because we're living at the Alders, we got to celebrate together with a yummy dinner (cooked by me and cleaned-up by the husbands)! I think that arrangement is PERFECT, because I love to cook, but not to clean! And to cap off our lovely dinner...a DIVINE chocolate cake with chocolate frosting! What more could a Mom ask for?!

Easter

We spent Easter at the Stones house and had lots of fun eating, chatting, and watching the kids get so excited about the egg hunt!
Henry had his first Egg Hunt and, let me tell you, he was beyond thrilled about it! Ha, ha...NOT! He was thrilled with the first egg he grabbed! We showed him his first egg, and that's all he needed! It was pretty easy to satisfy him for a change!
My family tells me all the time how Henry looks "Exactly like Jordan!" And every once in a while I snap a picture of the two of them that confirms it! Like this one, for example! The rest of the time, however, I don't see it!
All the cousins, except Tayli, were there, and it was so fun to watch them all interact. Henry LOVES being around little kids, and can be entertained by them much better than he is by us!

His big cousin, Michael (4 1/2) LOVES Henry! And is so sweet every time they get together. It reminds me of his Blessing Sunday, when we were all eating, Henry was in the pack and play, and Michael was over telling him, "I love you, Baby Henry!" So sweet! I hope they're good buddies when they're older!

April showers...

What a busy month April has been for us!

The offer on our house that has been in since October was finally accepted and we closed on the 17th. It's a huge relief to finally be done with that part of this house. I'm constantly saying, "What OTHER lessons can we learn from this house experience?" It seems, at times, we've learned them all!
We've been busy going through our stuff (incrediably, we've managed to fill a 2500 square foot house in the short amount of time we've lived here), getting rid of a bunch of it, and packing the rest. Last Saturday Jordan and a bunch of our friends were able to move most of our furniture into the basement of our AWESOME friends house, who are letting us store it there until we move to Idaho! It's very odd being in our house after 4 1/2 years and seeing bare walls and empty rooms. I got pretty sad when we packed up Henry's room! We'll be packing up the rest and moving out the end of the month. Since Jordan has a 6 week class at BYU he has to take before he can start at ISU, we get to be "Roomies" with the Alders! And we're sooo...thanksful that they're letting us come and stay! We're crossing our fingers that we don't bug them too bad!

In other news...Henry is now 7 months old. He LOVES to roll all over the floor, and has gotten quite efficient at getting to where he wants to go! He's even started scooting forward while sitting straight up!
If you read my last post, you know that we instituted the "cry it out" method during March, and I'm beyond thrilled to report, that we are no longer getting up with Henry in the night! He still wakes almost every night around midnight to cry for a few minutes, but has learned how to soothe himself back to sleep! We now put him to bed between 7:00 and 8:00 PM and he sleeps until 7:00 or 8:00 AM!!! Needless to say, everyone is much happier in our house these days!

I bought Henry his first Sippy Cup and filled it with his first taste of dilluted apple juice. However, it wasn't enough to entice him to drink from it...He's less than thrilled with the cup, and prefers, instead, to bang it on his highchair tray or the floor!


Oh well, maybe in another month or two we'll try again.
He also had his first experience with bubbles tonight, and was totally confused by them! He kept trying to grab them off the floor and couldn't understand where they went! We got a good laugh out of it!
Jordan is wrapping up his last semester ever at SLCC, and couldn't be any happier! He's so ready to be done with that school, and tells me so quite frequently!
I've still been working part-time, and was super excited to give my "two week notice" a couple months early! I'm really excited, but also a bit nervous, to be a full time stay at home mommy! I openly admit that going to work is a "break" and staying home with Henry is HARD work!!! It's definately going to be an adjustment to be home full time, but it will be one I'm certainly looking forward to!

March in the Bartlett House

At the end of March, Henry turned 6 months old!!! I can't believe this sweet baby has been in our family for half a year already! Everyone told us, "They grow up WAY too fast!" And I'm starting to realize how right they were!
During March Henry graduated from the pink Bumbo (thanks Alders!) to his cute highchair (thanks Stones!). He loves sitting in his highchair and banging his spoons and hands on the tray!
During his sixth month, he continued expanding his exposure to different foods, and has now conquered all of the baby food that is not a "mix"! This boy LOVES to eat! (Wonder where he gets that from?!?) Henry's personality continues to come out, and we're already convinced he's going to give us a run for our money!
Here's an example of Henry's stubborness...after a couple months of Henry waking up screaming SEVERAL times a night, we decided we were going to try the "cry it out" method. The first night, he SCREAMED from 2:00 AM until 3:00 AM, the second night he SCREAMED from 2:00 AM to 3:30 AM, and I was nearly convinced he would NEVER sleep through the night. You'll have to read my "April" post to find out how he's doing now.
During March I got to go to lunch with some of my great friends from our Ward who I'm really going to miss after we move! They're some really wonderful women!
Jordan got to visit his family in California during his Spring Break, and was BUSY with school the rest of the month! Henry looks more and more like Jordan every month!
The ladies better watch-out in another 16 years, he's gonna be a little heart-breaker (Henry...not Jordan)!!!

Pocatello, here we come!!!

Jordan was accepted into the ISU PharmD program and we couldn't be happier!!! He starts the end of August, and we'll be moving up there sometime this summer!

Thanks, all, for the prayers and support in our behalf!

I may be biased...

...but I think he's the CUTEST little boy, EVER!!!

5 Months & Counting

My precious baby is actually closer to six months old than he is to five months, but like most things in my life, I'm a little behind on my blog posts! So here's a summary of our Henry boys fifth month... Henry's becoming quite the "foody"! He got to start eating green beans, peas, carrots, bananas, peaches & prunes! With all that new food going through his system, his dirty diapers got significantly more stinky! Jordan thought he needed the nose plug before...he doesn't even attempt a diaper change without it now! All this new food is really helping him to bulk up! I LOVE his little rolly-polly thighs! If there was ever any question before...he's definately a binky baby! And we love that he can now grab it and put it back in himself.