Portland Zoo

The drive over to Portland was nice, Kent and I talked alot and Owen was thoroughly entertained by all the loops up and down, under and over the freeway. We went over the water and through a tunnel and he kept saying "Weeee! This is fun! Watch out, Mom, here we go! Weee! Whoa!" He sits up higher in the SUV and he loved looking out the windows more than the DVD player. He would also watch for Gpa's mint green suburban and tell Kent that Gpa was winning and we were not winning. Or that we were getting close to thier car and that we could win, we just had to go faster. Love him.

 

 Owen was very excited "to go to the new kind of zoo." He talked about it all week and would ask me what do they have there? We had hear about the new baby elephant and we were in luck!

 Very cool as I hardly remember Hoogle Zoo in Utah and the Boise and IF Zoos do not have many of the larger animals. It was a nice, cool day and all the animals were out. Owen told me later that his favoirte animals were the alligators and the giraffes.

 The two Stringham grandkids had fun running around and on ocassion took a shoulder ride. All of the lions, zebras, giraffes, hippos, and bears were out walking around, Owen got so excited but would move on real quick to see what else there was and he lead the pack through the zoo it seemed.

 Grandma and Grandpa Stringham, hey, three generations right there! Owen loves the Stringhams and he really warmed up to "Joyce, Grandma."

 I don't know why but the hippo was one of my favorite animals to see, not my favorite animal, just my favorite to see because they are HUGE and have huge faces, whoa!

Some people were able to feed the giraffes on the other side of the enclosure but then the two came right on over up close to us; very tall, very pretty animals.

I swiped this and a couple of other pics from Beck. It was so fun to catch up with her and to hang out. Her Lily is an absolute doll! So gorgeous and smiley and sassy :)

After the zoo we went to dinner with my mother-in-law's side of the family and then back at the hotel all the guys told stories and Beck and I talked pregnancy. We kindof wanted to sneak in on Kami's girl party next door but I felt too old, haha. Kami came over and said they talked about babies anyway because two of her four friends that came have new babies. Kami is the third child and one of two girls in Kent's family. She met her fiance, Danny, in the singles stake up in Tri-Cities, Washington. So of the four kid's spouses, I'm the only one from out of the area, haha. They are all great though and we get along really good, we are happy for Kami and to have Danny in the fam.

Kami and Danny - Portland, OR Temple, March 29th, 2013

 These awesome pictures are all from Beck. They turned out amazing. Wish Kent's youngest sister, Katy, could have been there, but she was in the final weeks of her nursing clinicals and not allowed to leave. Kami looked gorgeous and it wasn't just on the outside. She was radiant and you just know she had prepared herself for this day and kept her standards, thoughts and goals high. The sealer actually talked a little about that and she teared up and I am so proud of her. She deserves all the blessings of the temple and family and it made me grateful for my own blessings from the temple and to strive harder to do good.

 The Portland Temple is close to the busy city but secluded by beautiful tall trees and peaceful grounds. As we drove up to it, Owen called it a temple castle and he thought it was pretty neat. I was floored by how extremely tall and white the Portland Temple is; very breathtaking and majestic. Plus the feeling on the grounds alone is comparable to inside the temple in a way. Again, I loved the cool, shady, just-afte-a-rain weather. Owen ran around the water pond and refused to stand for pictures but thats just how little boys are, no more cutsie smiles and hugs for the relatives, haha.

 Kent is always telling me stories of how he picked on and teased Kami. He still does but Kami can dish it right back! It has been fun to get to see her everytime she travels from Utah to Washington and makes a stop at our house. She always has a story to tell us and time for Owen.

The reception the next day was fun with lights and music and a really cool slide show of the two, made by Beck. Katy was able to come up to the reception and be her smiley self as one of the bridesmaids and Kami's best friend. I admire thier friendship and was so glad Katy could come. All of Kent's aunts and uncles are great and chatted with me. I kind of volunteered to keep the refreshment table going to give the aunts time to catch up with each other. It was fun and everyone was so appreciative and would stop in the kitchen and tell me random stories. Owen ran around with the little kids and Kent would pull me over to talk with families from the ward.

Easter on Saturday

 Owen loves holidays. He is already asking which one is next. He gets so excited that when the day passes he fights it and says it will happen again tomorrow, so I end up telling him the next holiday that is coming, even though its far off. He had his eye on this pirate bubble ship for a while and couldn't wait to enjoy it.

 With such nice weather the littles played outside for a good part of the day. Chasing bubbles, jumping on the trampoline and Owen went swimming with the older cousins.

 Lily was in her element outside, running, jumping and giggling. Such a cute girl!

We colored easter eggs with Grandma, which Owen had never done before. Then I did a little candy egg hunt inside the house and Owen was a happy kid. He ran around so much this weekend that it got his asthma going again. He wheezes but there is no crackling in his chest, so we just used an albuterol inhaler for him. I hope it doesn't get worse becuase his allergies sure have. He used to be able to play with Grandma's little dachshund and only get a few red dots on his face but this time around he had red welts on his cheeks and puffy eyes within minutes. Bummer. He loves that dog and is very aware of his allergic reactions after the cashew episode. So he had to restrain himself from hugging his face against the dog, Draco and kept reminding me that he had to be careful or he would get all itchy. Owen is such a smart kid and it is so easy to reason with him and teach him things. He throws his fits and makes his really sad face but it doesn't last long. He is very optimistic and always looking forward to the fun things in life, whether its time at the park with just me or a trip to see all the great family that loves him.

Snapshots of Life Lately

This is my yippee for the third trimester photo! And Owen being a boy even though I portray him as a crafty goo goo doll.

I saw my new Doctor yesterday and he was so great and I feel happy to put him in charge.

Seriously feel this babe kicking all the time!

Heartburn after eating the slightest thing.

Feeling large but able to move and get around just fine.

Out of breath at times from the pressure on my ribs.

All of a sudden, time is flying by! Is it really mid-March?!

Owen just as excited as ever. He told me the other day that he wants "two beds tower and I will sleep on the top and Joel with sleep on the bottom."

"My brother will sleep in my room and when its dark I will hug him"

Owen really wanted a photo of him and his friends. He is dying for playmates and gets so excited over the prospect of people in general.

 "The neighbor will play with me and Clyde."

"Remember Oliver and I threw legos down the stairs. "

"That girl was playing with me at the slide".

"Kami and Danny were here for firty-eight days."

"I'm so happy to see Jaeger."

He needs a play group or preschool because it is going to be a while before Joel will be "fun." But I still think he will enjoy helping out with the baby.

We bought some newborn clothes for fun! Owen is always wanting to pick out toys for Joel and I told him to wait till he is here, but then these cute, TINY outfits were clearanced so we took them home and Owen keeps touching them and talking about them :) He also said we should buy watermelon shoes like Lily's, for Joel. haha. 



Last weekend we got sick of the routine of work, work, work so we headed out for a drive and hike. There was a 3D target shoot near Weiser and it was fun to be outside and see what "animal" we would encounter. Owen's favorites were the T-Rex and Big Foot. Fairly cold but no wind so it was refreshing.

Thank you!

You are all so nice! It helps to write things out, that's for sure. Joel is the baby boy we are having and get to meet in three short months :) sorry I haven't kept you up to date on the info, it's hard with 9 sisters, Kaycee didn't know it was a boy for a while, oops.

Happy Now

Sometimes I get mad that all I do is breathe, eat, and sleep work. But then, all I have to do is look at Owen and he tells me that I'm his best friend and he gets this big smile and tells me we should go shopping. Or he asks if its light outside and can we go to the park?
Sometimes I get discouraged when a nasty customer complains or leaves negative feedback in my shop; Can't you see I'm trying people! I will fix it. But then, Kent comes home and gives Owen a big hug and kiss and smiles at me. Then I get my own hug and kiss and forget about work for an hour or two as we make dinner, talk about Owen and Joel, and help each other around the house.
Most the time I get embarrassed that I wear old scroungy clothes, chipped nail polish, glasses and don't answer the door when someone knocks. Hey, its probably a sales person or a girl scout or visiting teachers or someone else from church. Oops. But then, all I have to do is remind myself that this is just my season to work and contribute to my family. That I don't need to spend money on myself or wear cute clothes at home when they will just get paint and dust on them. I can smile when I hear the cha-ching sound of a sale and how I have made something that is a little too successful and one day I can slow down and do it part-time.
Sometimes I get sad when I go to a Relief Society planning meeting (they rope me in because I never go to the activities voluntarily) and the ladies are all chummy with each other in their clean house and shared experiences. Or when I force myself to ask if the chair is taken by one of the ladies in RS and they smile but share thier hymn book with the lady to the right of them. But then, I get to go pick up Owen and the teacher tells me how adorable he is and as he tells her thank you, she puts her hand on her heart and says: How precious! I smile inside and out and make sure I tell Kent two times, because those two boys are my best friends and they like to sit by me and we have shared many wonderful experiences together.
Sometimes I am humbled when I think about what great health and love we share as a family and extended family. I am humbled when I think about the good times I share with Owen and Kent and the Barnes and Stringham families. And then I get excited to think about holidays, weddings, summer and new babies! Then, I can be happy even though things aren't perfect. Then I can be happy for what is accomplished each day and I can look forward, but not pine, for new seasons and new oppourtunities to experience trials and joys.