Right now my boys are down for their afternoon nap. We are supposed to be leaving for a family vacation in Bend, Oregon right now. This nap time was supposed to happen in the car on our way down. But I’m a good friend of “delay” by now and we are delayed! Owen threw up yesterday morning and we thought he had perked back up by bedtime. Then he threw up again at 2:00am… so not quite the bounce back we had hoped for. Instead of going down today, we hope to hit the road tomorrow morning. Even yesterday, we had to cancel plans to go to a family birthday party because of the illness. It’s all good though. I never like to see my little man feeling sick, but having two full days at home is unheard of for me right now in this go-go-go season. I was able to clean the house, do laundry and pack yesterday without feeling stressed or rushed. It was nice to be home with my hubby and my boys. Jeremy has been gone for a week at kids camp. It’s nice to be together again withpout an agenda or schedule. I’m looking forward to hitting the road tomorrow and rediscovering Bend. I went there with my parents as a kid, but a long time has passed since that childhood trip. Hopefully, Lord willing, this stomach bug will be over and won’t transfer to anyone beyond Owen. We feel bad that we are missing time with the family today, but I am positive they are thankful we kept our germs at home for the time being.
What have we been up to? While Jeremy was a kid’s camp, my sister and I took the boys to Long Beach for a couple of days. My forever friend, Maggie, has a darling 1950’s trailer at the beach and offered to let us use it for a few days. We settled into the beach quite nicely and had many fun adventures. The only downside is traveling with my kids means sleepless nights. The first night was rough with Graham waking up crying throughout the night. The second night Graham slept well as long as I held him in my arms. Owen, Graham and I all shared a queen bed and since Owen had space to move, he discovered that he liked to sleep diagonal and take up a good portion of the bed. For two tiny humans, they have an enormous presence while sleeping. Our beach time included playing in the sand, walking on the boardwalk, watching movies, getting ice cream (multiple times), going to breakfast at Pig’n Pancake, visiting Fort Stevens, playing at a huge McDonald’s play place, and checking out some local stores and bakery. Overall, it was a very successful trip. This was my first overnight trip with the boys without Jeremy. April was a super auntie and helped me so much. I’m still probably too chicken to travel alone with them… so I’m glad I didn’t have to! April was a super vacation buddy!
On Thursday, we were supposed to visit Jeremy at camp, but the temps here in the PNW have been super hot. I couldn’t see my kids enjoying 6 hours at camp in 95+ weather. Also, we have smoke from the BC fires making our air hazy and the air quality poor. Instead of visiting Jeremy, we went down to Rainier and played with Auntie April and Grandma at one of our favorite parks early before it got too hot then we did some shopping at Target and lunch at Burger King (Owen’s favorite place to eat). At Target, I found some back to school decorations that I used as the inspiration for Owen’s bedroom wall. Ever since Christmas, Owen’s wall as been decorated seasonally. He had Christmas, Valentine’s Day and then Spring… I could never find the right motivation to move away from Spring until I saw these ABCs, numbers and apples. Perfect for a little boy who is about to start preschool.
Friday, we went down to a local creek with a friend and splashed around the shallow water to keep cool. The park we went to is little known and totally quiet despite the fact that it was in the low 80’s by 11:00am. We had the place to ourselves. The boys had a great time. We always love exploring new places and the creek was perfect fun. There were rocks to throw, sticks to float down stream, minnows to go “fishing” for. The kids had a blast. However, while Owen played happily in the water, Graham sat a picnic table and ate goldfish crackers. Totally different kids.
We did officially hand the building process over to Adair. We were informed that it would be 3-4 weeks until our foundation can be poured because they are so busy. That was a week ago, so now we are in the 2-3 week range. Really praying that we are closer to that 2 week mark now. I’m so excited to see things moving along and I can’t wait to watch my dream house get built before my eyes. At times, I daydream of life in the new house. I can see myself in the kitchen or walking the halls to a bedroom. I can picture the way I want to set up the furniture and I see myself there, living in those walls, finally at home! It’s a weird feelings. Like shadows of something yet to come. A hope, a dream, a desire. I try not to stay in this shadowy land too long. It makes me anxious and fills me with longing while at the same time bringing a sense of peace and belonging. The process of selling our home, packing up our stuff, living with Bill & Debbie and waiting for our house to be built has been a deeper, more emotional experience than I could have ever imagined. I never fancied myself all that into my “things”. I never realized how much a home gives you roots and stability. It’s a part of you. It’s something you create and love and maintain. I am looking forward to being a homeowner once again. I will have a deeper appreciation of what a blessing it is.
And that’s the update for now! MOPS is going well! We did all our shopping for decor items a few weeks ago. I’m glad to have that checked off the list. I got t-shirts made and ordered for our steering team. I learned that the opinions of 12 women when it comes to fashion are challenging! We have registrations coming in already! Just a little over a month until our kick off! Finally, Usborne books has been a bit slower for me. I have one party next week and two days that I’ll be at the fair doing a booth. I have two more parties the following week. After a couple slower weeks, I am grateful for the business but I am also okay when things get slower. It’s nice to have a change of pace and not be a busy book lady 24/7. The fall is the busiest season for books with Christmas approaching. I know that my quiet July/August will most likely give way to a busier September/October/November. The good news is I decide how much I want to do. My personality wants to do it all, but now that I’ve experienced the blessing of a slightly slower season, I’m inclined to put more boundaries on my business so I don’t burn out.
Okay. Now I’m officially done! Until next time!
Dream house under construction!
MOPS shopping at Hobby Lobby! So much fun!
Our theme this year for MOPS is Free Indeed and the graphic has birds on it. Each table will have a different bird cage as the center piece!
We were gifted tickets to the Steam Train. Jeremy had to work, but the boys and my parents and I enjoyed a summer train ride.
Settled in at the beach
So many buddies joined us at Owen’s request…
Facials!
Movie night!
The newly decorated bedroom wall!
Amy Scott's Thoughts 