Catching Up

Darling,

Someday you'll probably see this huge gap in time on the blog and ask me what happened. Goodness gracious. Summer happened! It has been The. Busiest. couple of months, ever. We have traveled more, played more, and worked more than ever before. I was realizing that last summer you and I were at the pool pretty frequently and even had a punch card. We haven't gone one time this whole summer, it's been crazy! So I've decided to stay up tonight and stop the cycle of feeling bad about neglecting the blog and write a few thoughts down. Just to mention a FEW things we have been busy with...

Camping!!! We took you camping in Oregon for the first time about a month ago. Our besties were driving through from Idaho so we drove down to meet them. It was your first camping trip and I was curious to see how you would do. First off, we stayed at a KOA that backed up to a horse pasture with the nicest horses ever. Unobstructed Mount Jefferson was our view when we opened the back of the tent and I was in camping heaven. Then, as if the horses and view were not enough, they have a pool and fun playset! With the best company we could ask for, we had a blast catching up with our friends, cooking, swimming, playing, and enjoying life. The weather was perfect and although it was a little tough for you to fall asleep, you did, and I was so proud of you. Since it is almost exactly half way from our Southern Oregon roots, and Daddy is at a conference in Chicago this weekend, you and I met Papa half way and did another camping night at the same KOA! It was much hotter this time but you still did great and slept from about 11-6am. We swam a ton and you wanted to be pushed on the swings constantly. You played while Papa and I shot baskets and enjoyed the most dramatic pink sunset I think I've ever seen. I'm thrilled we were able to fit two camping trips in this summer and have high hopes of maybe getting one more in (although maybe to a new place). After camping in 95 degrees, I'm leaning towards doing some cooler-weather camping and seeing how it goes!

You and I also met up with Papa at the beginning of the summer in Portland. He had a work conference that is designed for your family to attend. We got to stay in one of the nicest hotels in Portland which is quite old but has been re-done and is lovely. We were there two nights and while he was working we walked around the market, went along the river, had lunch, and got ice cream at the famous Salt and Straw. I've wanted to try their dessert forever, I think after reading about them in a magazine article a long time ago, but the line has always been wrapped around the building and previously we didn't have that kind of time. This trip, you and I were only one solitary block away and we made sure we made good use of that short distance! They had a dairy free roasted strawberry coconut ice cream I just about died over. You were thrilled to sit in your stroller and determine direction and speed. We swam, stayed up too late, and had the most incredible continental breakfast I surely will ever have. I hope someday we can go back!

Mama has been taking full advantage of the bounties of living in our area. The fruit here is incredible and when it's ripe, it's ripe now. You have indulged me by going out to the various farms after work sometimes even 3-4 times a week. We have picked pounds and pounds and pounds of raspberries (4 red varieties, black, 3 yellow golden varieties, orange), blackberries, marrionberries, strawberries, apples, pluots, apricots, and peaches. I canned peaches with a friend and did 80lbs with my cut being around 60lbs. Next week is salsa. We've also done 5? types of jam with all the fruit and frozen quite a bit more. You are the cutest, sweetest little girl. I am so lucky to have you. I mean it- after a long day of work and school and you're tired and hungry you still say ok, Mommy, when I want to run over and pick/buy/gather fruit. You know you get to eat whatever you pick yourself so you have some pretty good motivation but still I am consistently impressed with your stamina and desire to work together and help. The joy I feel when I open a can of peaches we picked and processed together or a jar of your favorite strawberry-rhubarb jam for your pb&j is hard to put into words. I did not grow up canning or even picking fruits and vegetables but I can see that you are loving the experience as much as I am. It is absolutely something we are going to work hard to incorporate into our next situation post-residency, whether that's here or in a new place.

We have made two trips all the way to Southern Oregon and we have another trip in a couple of weeks! That's a ton considering we didn't make it down even once last summer. In fact, when we were there in June that was the first time we had been home since October of 2014. We are pretty blessed and have both family and friends that have come our way, but even so, it was way past time. We spent the week catching up with family, friends, and then we dashed off to the coast for a quick trip with our other halves. The coast is exactly what we needed and it.was.fabulous. Sunny, warm, explored a new beach (which we had ALL to ourselves), pictures with Ev, then off to the redwoods and our favorite spot on the Smith River. You were the most exhausted I've ever seen you, but also the happiest. Running on the beach collecting sand-dollars with your best friend and enjoying the summer to your hearts content. It was a fabulous week!

If all our weeknight fruit picking/processing wasn't busy enough, as well as the trips, we threw swim lessons into the mix just to be extra crazy haha! We missed a couple of the lessons (once you didn't feel good and once because canning that many peaches took wayyyyy longer than I expected) but even so, I've been pleased with your progress. The pool at these new lessons is designed only for learning to swim so it was very shallow and you could touch with your tippy toes. I enjoyed being in the water with you and we will continue to lesson together until you can get your head under water without panicking or taking in a lot of water. You smile and laugh so much while you are in the pool you tend to drink A LOT of water haha, poor girl. You sure are cute, though! It's a good problem to have :) You have gotten super brave about jumping off the side to me and we reinforced the new skills this weekend when we were at the KOA. You are getting consistent about kicking your legs and "scooping" with your arms. I'm **really** excited for next summer when I pray pray pray your ear tubes will be out and you will finish up learning to swim. I have lots of water activities on my hopeful list for next summer! With tubes in your ears we are allowed to get you wet in the bathtub or pool (and I think saltwater is okay? Not sure on that, but it's too cold here anyway) but NO lakes or rivers since the water could have bad bacteria in it. So hopefully next summer we will do some river floating and a few other things I'd like to expose you to. I was mentioning to Papa today I think you would be awesome at water skiing!

I can't believe how...I don't know the words. Just how tender you have become. When we were in Oregon a few weeks ago for a reunion, Grandma and Grandpa and just come back from Disneyland and had gotten you gifts, one of which was some super cute Minnie Mouse pj's. We were sitting in your room a few days ago and you said, Mommy, can we go to the Minnie Mouse store someday? I said, "well, sure, hunny...I hope we can go to Disneyland someday. What would you like to buy there?". I was totally expecting you to come up with something you would like to buy for yourself, maybe a toy, but you melted my heart when you said, "Um, well, I think you need some Minnie Mouse jammies, too! Then we can match!". Yup, melted. You also insist you can't have dairy, like me. It kind of cracks me up because you'll be sitting there drinking your milk before bed and matter-of-fact exclaim that "us girls, we can't have dairy. Nope. No dairy for us" lol! If I try to tell you well, milk is dairy or goldfish or macaroni and cheese, you actually cry and say No it's not!!! I'm like you, I can't have dairy! It's totally adorable that you have no idea what dairy is or why I can't have it you just know you want to be just like me. Being a Mom is a big job with the most important audience ever!

A couple of weeks ago we celebrated your Amelia Day together. It was the perfect day! For the first time ever you slept in until 8:40am, which was so incredible. Then we got up, made breakfast all together, and drove to the temple about 1.5 hours away. I feel such peace there. You looked lovely in the dress your birthmother sent you with matching purple sequin shoes. I felt her less far away with you in the dress she picked out for you. I have been missing my friend a lot lately and the dress and being at the temple helped my achy heart. Your birthfamily is never far from my thoughts but on your special day I especially longed to tell them individually how much they mean to me and how much love and respect I have for them. It was perfect to just walk around the grounds and see the "princess" getting married and to talk about coming to the temple in Oregon as a family three years ago. Then it was lunch and going to see Finding Dory! Finding Nemo was Daddy and I's first date movie and it's been significant for us ever since. We have been anticipating the sequel for a long time and were eager to see it together on your special day. After the movie, you slept on the way home (which was much needed) and then we quickly switched clothes and went to your friends baptism. It was just such a spiritual day with the temple and the baptism together, I loved it and you did too. It's been two weeks and you still talk about Sage's baptism most days. You ask about the Holy Ghost and about what promises you make when you are baptized. Listening to and answering your questions constantly makes me dig deeper into my heart and testimony as I try to answer you in not just a cerebral/factual way but in a way that is spiritual. Daddy and I feel blessed beyond measure that you come to us with your thoughts and questions as we grow together as a family.

I know that I am the luckiest Mommy in the whole world. Thank you for being my sweet darling and challenging me to be a better person every single day. You teach me more than I ever knew I needed to learn, and I'm so grateful for it. Today you told me that I am your best friend and it made my day in one sentence. Never does a day go by that I don't thank my Heavenly Father for the honor of being a part of His plan for you. I don't know the whole plan, and sometimes that's scary for me, but I have felt His love and trust and encouragement and know it is wonderful. I love you, my darling.

oxoxoxoxoxox,
Mommy