Spring Break in Oregon

We just got home last night from Corvallis. We had such a fun, fun time with my mom and dad. Jasper has been kind of sad all day and when I asked him if he was sad because he missed his Tutu and Gumpa, he burst into tears! My dad took two of the days off while we were there and we got a whole bunch of things done around the Chipmunk and Crescent Valley houses. It felt great to be able to help my parents get ready for their big move in two months. We went to the Oregon Coast with my mom- visited the aquarium, played in the ocean, and ate at Mo's. On Saturday, the Corvallis Public Library was having a model train show. Jasper has been in love with trains for about 5 months or so, so this was probably the best thing Jasper could have ever imagined. We played Scrabble with my parents every night we were there. Everyone won at least once.

The house my parents are building is beautiful. It was so fun to see everything coming together. I am really going to miss the Chipmunk house. This is the only house I can really remember as a child (we moved from Salem when I was three) and all my memories of my childhood are there. The poly swing, the tree fort, the rings, the slip 'n slide hill, canoeing in the pond, getting poison oak in our backyard forest, the lego room, riding bikes around the cauldesac, the creek. The list goes on. At the same time, I am thrilled for my parents. What a blessing to be able to build your dream house! I certainly want and hope to be able to do this a some point in my life. My mom really has classy taste and I love the colors and designs she has chosen. I'm also really excited that there will be room for my siblings and me and our families when we visit my parents. The upstairs will have this dorm-like room with bunkbeds for all the cousins to sleep together. It's going to be so fun when we all get together next!

Jasper and the red barn:





Gideon with his Great-Grandmother Dorthea who is 100 years old:



Here are some pictures from Jasper's 2nd birthday:











Here are some photos from the aquarium and beach:











Jasper and the barbie house:



The train show:







Jasper in the canoe:





Jasper with Thomas:



The Lego room:



Tutu and Gideon:





Papa Rob with Gid:

Happy Birthday Jasper

Jasper turned two on Wednesday! I can't believe he's two. It seems like these past two years have flown by. I woke up on Tuesday thinking about my long, long labor with him. I had already labored that whole night and checked into the hospital on Tuesday morning to find out I was dilated to only a 2! I still had another 24 hours of labor ahead of me, and I was already so exhausted and tired. Wow, I'm so glad that is two years behind me with the memory of Gideon's labor fresh in my mind. It was all so worth it, though. I'd birth Jasper 100 more times if I had to in order to get to have him as my dear little boy. What a blessing it is to be a mother and have the sweetest little two year old on the planet look at me and say "luv you, mama."

We had such a fun little birthday party here with Tutu and Gumpa. We had the Sherry clan over for dinner and cake- Annie and Tom, and Caroline, Seth and Thomas. Jasper and Thomas are very cute little friends together. We all hope they grow up to be as close as brothers would be. Jasper got a few too many gifts... I think Rob and I kind of went over board. It's so hard not to pick something up here and there with his birthday approaching. Tutu and Gumpa gave him this playmobile tractor. Jasper is addicted to it.

We've been having such a fun time down in Oregon- staying up WAY too late to play scrabble and talk, taking runs and walks, going to Wildcat park, eating American Dream pizza. All the good old Corvallis favorite.

Jasper is such a big kid now! It seems like in the past couple of weeks his talking has really started to take off. It's so much fun to be able to communicate with him and know that he understands so much of what we are telling him. Two really, really big milestones- Jasper no longer uses pacifiers and no more bottles of warmed up milk!! Last week, we told him that when he turned two in a few days there would be no more pacifiers. That very night he didn't ask for one. He has since asked for a pacifier a few times, but as soon as we say that they are gone, he's fine with it! What a relief to know that he's not going to be going to his first day of preschool crying for a pacifier. That's all for now- pictures to follow later.

Rob's iPhone pictures I never get to see...

These first few are from last summer:





Jasper climbing on an excavator out at the building site of my parent's new home


Jasper's first ice cream cone back in August


Practicing being a big brother last August


Pike's Market in December


Discovery Park


Rob missing us while in LA this past January


Last month at the Northwest Flower and Garden show. We need to do something about his hair...

12 weeks old today

Gideon is 12 weeks old today. He's such a happy, jolly little babe. He giggled so hard this afternoon that we gave himself the hiccups. Here are some photos:





And here's Jasper swinging in the back yard:

Zoo with Thor

We went to the zoo with Thor yesterday. Jasper had such a good time with his 2nd cousin in-law. Here are some pictures:










They did this for about 30 minutes










Then they wanted to play camouflage in the bushes

Funny Faces