Oh July. All I have to say about July is WOW! SO much happened in July. Tons of smiles and tons of tears. I went back and forth over and over again about whether or not to separate this post, but I just decided to go for it an do it all in one. I seem to be good at crazy long posts lately ha ha! What a month! Trips, events, and life experiences galore. Happy reading!
Little moments like these crack me up. Came in to check on her before getting her dressed and she was hard at it with her farm truck filling it with food :) Little does she know that she was born in Idaho!
Ok so now that we live in Vancouver, we have some serious fun going to the Zoo in Portland. It is huge!! We have been a few times, but every time is just as fun and Adalynn has a ball. We go all day just about and still somehow don't manage to see it all! We kicked off July braving a Saturday at the zoo and it paid off!
All ready to go in the stroller! (not for long, she is all about wanting to walk!)
I am still laughing about this pic! She had this look on her face like look mom, these are my people! Can't you see the resemblance?! ha ha ha!!!
Train Ride around the zoo! It was pretty short, but a real train with steam and everything?! Adalynn just couldn't pass it up!
My world! Seriously these 2 make me that happiest girl <3
Is this not the cutest thing ever?! Always makes me smile to see a big giant holding such a little hand. I love how much they love each other <3
Those curls!! ugh my little sweet curly Sue!
Their wing span is THIS BIG mommy!!
This girl LOVES to ride the carousel! It was so fun, she had to come back later in the day to ride it with daddy again :)
Back at it again! Wheee!!!
It's moments like these that make me grateful that I have my camera in my hand a lot...... She is stoked just to be riding the carousel and he is kissing her, so stoked that his baby girl is happy <3
Pretty sure that by the time the day was over, she had perfected her Miss America wave ha ha!!
He put on quite the show for us! Changing colors and swinging through branches!
This sight was SO frightening! He was right up against the glass with is eye open watching you... YIKES!
Aaaaand thats a wrap! She didn't even make it to the corner before she was gone! She played hard at the zoo! Until next time....
Breakfast anyone? Always wants to be cooking with mom in the kitchen!
The Sunday before the 4th of July.... I was going for patriotic and instead I got the Minnie Mouse look.... Either way, she is a doll <3
Love Sunday Skype sessions with my family! Ugh being so far away isn't fun, but thankful for technology!
We haven't had a ton of extra free time... yet... since we have been here, but we try to get out and take Adalynn out to run and play! We found this fun park called Wintler Park and we took a Sunday stroll :) Usually after church and Adalynn's nap we take her out to a park and just enjoy some family time. Sometimes we take a little picnic too :) This park is right on the river, so you can walk right along the shoreline for a bit and stick your feet in the water. It was so pretty! Sun was shining on the water, beautiful weather, walking paths, and the scenery was gorgeous!
Give her some sunshine and room to run outside and she is in heaven!!
Oh how I love her! That grin keeps me going and her sweetness and sass are the icing on the cake :) She has to stop and sit on the "yittle bench" always!
4th of July and of course, you must have a patriotic outfit!
Holidays are the best excuse to make cute time consuming treats! Had fun with these and they were perfect to take to a BBQ with friends!
So the VanAusdal's are in our ward and they are new like us too! Ruby and Adalynn are in nursery together and we often find ourselves camping in there with them because they won't let us leave. We have got to know them a little bit and love them! We partied with them for the 4th of July with a BBQ, fireworks, and all kinds of fun! By the end of the night, their whole front yard was full with people from our ward coming to watch the fireworks! It was super fun! Adalynn loved doing the snaps, sparklers, and even helping daddy do the roman candles :)
We stretched out on the blanket for the big firework show and Jordan and Adalynn were having a little tickle war. Super cute!
All tuckered out and even snoring! The 4th of July festivities were a hit!
Backpacks. She is OBSESSED with backpacks. Particularly, her Doc McStuffins backpack. She insists on packing it with whatever toys she can find and taking it to every store/place we go to. I just have to remind myself to pick my battles lol She does look pretty dang cute with it on her back, prancing down the aisles :) the life of a 2 year old!
Always got her little bum in the air or sleeping some crazy way! I sure get a good laugh when I check on her before bed!
Yep. Sideways :)
Girls Day trip! I still don't understand how a place as big as Portland doesn't have a Hobby Lobby! So we drove a little over an hour to Olympia and had some fun :) She is my little shopping buddy and quite the best friend! Couldn't ask for a better traveler.
It isn't a happy meal without character glasses ha ha
July 7th marked our 4th wedding anniversary!
Happy 4th Anniversary to this cute surfer boy, my wonderful husband and best friend! These last 4 years have been filled with so much happiness, laughter, and adventure You are such an amazing husband and an even more amazing father! I thought I loved you 4 years ago when we got married, but seeing you everyday with our little girl takes the cake We have a groove between us like no other and I fall more in love with you everyday! Thank you for your patience, understanding, humor, and most of all, love cuz baby, you're my better half!
The struggle is real when you want to read books, but you must take a nap......
Not sure who was more excited for the horsey ride!
On to our next few hundred pics :) We couldn't wait for the weekend so we could celebrate our anniversary! We went and stayed on the Oregon Coast by Cannon Beach and ventured next door to Seaside too :) We got there and of course started taking pictures. The views were so pretty!!
Minnie was thrilled to be at the beach!
Ok so the flowers there! The flowers!! Look at how HUGE they are!! So pretty!!
We ventured to Seaside to see the cute shops, beach, and fun things there. Of course we had to stop and so the carousel with Adalynn a few times. Super fun!!
Best part of vacation is always the hotel swimming pool right?! Well maybe if you are a 2 year old ;)
She was wired and excited, can ya tell?!
Adalynn was mesmerized to be able to warm up by the fire in the lobby after getting in comfy warm jammies. Not gonna lie, it was really cold and rainy!!
We visited Haystack rock the next day which was right down the street from our beachfront hotel. It was a great location! Since it was rainy, cold, and crazy wind, all the tide pools were hard to enjoy. We took a few pictures and decided to come back the next day with hopefully better weather!
So many anemones! Bright green and super cool looking!
All the shells stuck to rock!
yep neon pink anemones! I was in heaven taking pictures, but again, the weather sucked!
Adalynn kept telling Jordan to go back to the car ha ha Poor girl! She is a warm weather, water lovin girl so this was an adjustment!
With the yucky weather, we headed back over to Seaside to have some more fun!
Bumper cars it is! Adalynn had never been on one and didn't really understand why people were running into her lol Her face had a scowl on it the whole time!
Arcades!
Jordan kicked butt on ONE game and won 500 tickets! Made me feel like I was at the fair with my crush <3
Running in the rain and of course splashing in the puddles with dad!
Our view for dinner! The scenery was incredible!
After dinner, we decided to take a stroll down the beach since the weather was clearing up... it looked like! We barely got out onto the beach and it started completely DOWNPOURING! We were drenched!! I stopped long enough to snap the pretty rainbow spanning across the restaurant and our hotel.
Back to swimming. The nightly routine with our little fish!
HILARIOUS!! Leave it to Jordan...
Best beds and snugglers :)
We headed back to Haystack rock on our last day and boy did it pay off! We were there right when it was low tide to be able to see all the cool sea creatures! The weather was amazing and we saw so many cool things!
Yep... How cool is this???! There was TONS of these camouflaged crabs in between all the growth on the rocks! You just had to focus in close to see and find them!
This was the biggest starfish we saw and it was at least the size of a large frisbee, probably bigger.
These two cuties were the best! They wandered around while I walked around snapping pictures like crazy!
This guy was little and partially hiding, but a dark orange color and interesting to see!
Our little picnic area :)
Probably Adalynn's favorite part of the WHOLE trip! Feeding the Seagulls.....
Next up, chasing them!
All I wanted was a cute family pic, so I asked someone if they could take a few of us.. Well they are all really really blurry so here is the best one! Bummed, but it was seriously such a fun trip!
Gotta collect some seashells! She was all over it!
She LOVES building sandcastles, especially with her daddy. After every one he lifted up, she would go WHOA!!!!!
Be still my heart.... Totally crazy about these two! Those big smiles make my heart so happy!
She decided that she was tried of trying to bury jordan on his stomach so she chose to start dumping sand all in his hair....
Lemme tell you, he was less than thrilled and she was in trouble!
And then she did it again... It was time for him to go for a swim, even though it was really cold!
We sure had a blast and were thrilled that we go tat least one day to enjoy the sunshine and play at the beach :) Living this close now, I am sure we will be back several more times!!
Never a dull moment at dinner with this monkey! Look over and all her olives are on her fingers!
They see me rollin... They hatin'.... OH man I was cracking up at her little get up!
Jordan always keeps me laughing...Such a witty comedian!
Due to an unfortunate event, we had to an unexpected trip to Lewiston for a funeral. This one shook me up really good and brought some serious tears. When we lived in Lewiston, I managed a dental office there. It was a small family practice and all the staff and the dentist & his family were all like family! The dentist there, his wife Katie, who was very healthy and active, was very suddenly diagnosed with severe lung cancer. She had had a cold for a few months that never went away and went into the doctor to find cancer that had spread all over her body, mostly in her lungs and brain. I was devastated to hear the news then. I was so upset knowing how healthy and active she was and the sweetest, kindest lady who was such an angel to everyone. During the time working there, they all truly became family and she was such a sweetheart, not to mention, still young! She seriously went downhill in the 3 months after that while undergoing treatment. Toward the end, treatment caused seizures and eventually she slipped into a coma. That day she passed away and was free from pain. My heart hurt pretty bad. I didn't understand how such an amazing active & healthy person like her could be so sick and be taken so soon! It was on my mind non-stop and really made me re-evaluate my priorities. I couldn't wrap my mind around the thought that she was gone. She had young grandkids Adalynn's age and the thought of even losing my mom at that age leaving Adalynn was heartwrenching. I was also close with her daughter, Grace. She oversaw both practices in Lewiston and Joseph, so we worked together a alot. Her and I were pregnant at the same time and are also like family. Even though we now live in Washington, 5.5 hours from Lewiston, I knew I just couldn't miss the funeral and be with my dental office girls during this grieving process. It was truly heartbreaking. Jordan was completely understanding and arranged to make the drive with us so I could go to the funeral and get a little bit of closure.
On the way out of town, Jordan had a call to do in Condon, OR. Such a super tiny dinky little town out in the middle of nowhere! We explored for a bit while he was doing his call. Now we can say we have been to Condon!... And I pray that we never have to go back lol
Because we had to sidetrack and do Jordan's work call, we were in the car for about 10 + hours.... Sufficed to say, ti was a LONG day in the car!! Adalynn did amazing and is always such a good traveler! Jordan was so pooped between working and all the driving, so I swapped him for the tail end and we kept chugging along! As hard as it was to be coming for a funeral, we were excited to get to see our friends and enjoy our fun things from Lewiston :)
We of course ate our favorite Chinese food right when we got there! Can't forget that!
The next morning, I took off in the car for the 1.5 hour drive to Joseph, OR where they lived. Doctor and his wife and daughter would fly to Lewiston every week to see patients. The drive is very scenic with lots of trees, steep mountains, and deer. The whole way there, my heart was so heavy just replaying everything in my mind. I was so happy to see a few of my girls there! I hired Briana to be a hygienist shortly after I started, and I hired Jen to take over for me while I was on Maternity leave. Love these girls and so happy that we are still friends to this day! It helped to squeeze them a little and cry a little together <3 Katie had a mass service for the funeral followed by a celebration of life with dinner.
Doctor and his sweet wife Katie <3
After driving back, I came back to Lewiston to find these 2 goobers completely zonked out! Jordan took her for the day while I was gone and had fun playing in the river!
We stayed with our good friends Jon & Allie. They have a little girl, Oakley and Rylan is older. Oakley and Adalynn were inseparable while we were there! Always holding hands and being best buds. SO cute!!
Allie & Jon have an awesome firepit in the backyard of their house, so of course we had to do some yummy smores!
We had to fit in a fun visit to see my friend Kirby while we were there too! Kirby and I were pregnant at the same time. She worked at the bank across from the dental office I was at, so we saw each other everyday and became good friends! Adalynn and Carter are 1 month apart, so it was fun to catch up and see them again! Doesn't get better than juice boxes and friends!
We spent Saturday night on the river, boating with Jon & Allie! It was a blast and we were laughing so hard by the time the night was over :)
Jordan & Rylan were up first on the tube!
Even the girls went on the tube together!
Jordan kept jumping in, so finally, Oakley joined him for a dip!
Adalynn cheered everyone on on the tube and occasionally snagged a drink of my sonic limeade! What could be better?! ha ha
Jon and Rylan drivin :)
The official flag girl!
Boating is hard work and did a number on Oakley!
With Jon driving and Jordan riding solo, there was bound to be some wipeouts, wild rides, and laughs!
The tables turned and Jordan drove while Jon was on the tube! Talk about funny!
We took a break halfway and docked at Roosters, a favorite restaurant on the water! The view was awesome and of course, yummy food :) How did I get so lucky with these two cuties?!
The sunset was killer and just as I remember! Jordan went on one last ride and we headed into the dock.
We topped off the night with Pinochle with our friends Kim and Greg :) What a trip! We are sure grateful for good friends and even better memories!
Adalynn was obsessed with Oakley's Doc McStuffins check up set AND her sweet rainboots. I had to bribe her take the boots off the WHOLE time we were there! We were getting ready to pack up and head out, but first Adalynn had to play check up and don't forget the rain boots!
Back home we went and the drive wasn't fun!
Jordan had some work to do, so I took Adalynn to the park for a little fun. Talk about a night of smiles! I am so grateful for Adalynn! She always seems to find my smile when I can't and is such a ball of love <3
She doesn't WALK to the park... She RUNS!
Does this diaper make my butt look big mom?! lol
Beautiful night with my princess :)
Jordan took off for the day to Seattle for a Mariners game for work! Hard word day huh?! lol we had some fun and went on a little picnic and swimming :)
A favorite we have found in Vancouver is Klineline park! It has all kinds of toys and trails and a little beach for playing and swimming.
This girl and her stickers...Bedtime story reading at its finest! Of course the best place for them is on her face....
Ok well here is the part where we had some serious heartache this month that brought out some serious RAW emotions...
A few weeks prior, we found out that we were expecting. We were so excited and thrilled! We had decided to expand our family and were blessed right away. We waited a bit, told Adalynn, and called and told our families too. Of course after that, you feel different and are in a different mindset! I had already been having several symptoms and was praying for an easier pregnancy than the first go around. The very next day after we told our families, I woke up to light spotting. We were supposed to be leaving for the coast for the weekend, but I was nervous and wanted to make sure everything was ok. In a nutshell, we spent the better part of the day doing tests and bloodwork at the doctor's office to in turn be told that I was miscarrying. The spotting became heavier throughout the day adn the process began... I was 6 weeks along. When I woke up to that, the thought of miscarrying crossed my mind and how I would feel. I figured I would be upset, but being so early on, I didn't imagine it would be as heartwrenching as it turned out to be.......
We took off for the coast anyways. I cried the whole way there and Jordan was quiet while shedding a few tears as well. Obviously at only 6 weeks along, it is a short time to get attached or anything, but some how, some way, I felt so empty. Hard to describe, but my heart ached deeply. The emotional side of the miscarriage was overwhelming. It brought up a lot of unanswered questions mixed with the peace of knowing that something must have been wrong....
We pulled up and checked into the resort in Ocean Shores. We were staying there for a few days while Jordan worked on selling that account. When we got there, Jordan took Adalynn out to collect sand dollars on the beach because he knew they are my favorite. He was so thoughtful and aware. They managed to find these beauties, as well as my only smile of the day....
Our beach front view for 3 days.... Perfect place to heal my heart and somehow pick up the pieces... I really felt like this beautiful place was meant to be a hug of peace and comfort during this time.
This girl has got dreams bigger than the ocean. The views were breathtaking.
During the miscarriage process, I didn't have to have a D&C because I was still early on. The emotional side of it was overwhelming enough as it was, let alone the physical pain and passing of everything. It was a continuous reminder of what had happened and at times was overwhelming. The amount of questions and thoughts that went through my mind during that time were a million.... It is hard to fully describe it. All I can reiterate is how much I hurt emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually. I was grateful for Jordan's grace and understanding through the whole thing. He was so in tune with my feelings and ways to just make me feel special and whole again.
Adalynn loves playing with a little Main Street Fisher Price set at my mom's house and is always sad to leave it. I found a steal of a deal on a complete set on Ebay so we splurged and got it for her to play with at home. It showed up right before we left for the coast, so we took it with us and surprised her with it. She played with it all night after swimming with Jordan in the pool at the Resort.
The next morning, we hung in the hotel room and lounged around while Jordan met with the management to sell the account. Adalynn didn't mind playing with her Main Street some more and snuggling with her tablet in the big bed :)
It was a beautiful day and we walked together along the beach when Jordan got done. Someone offered to take this picture of us on the boardwalk down, and I absolutely adore it.
Adalynn loved seeing all the crabs! One of my favorite pics from the trip :)
Simple moments like this were such peaceful reassurance that everything would be ok <3 I could watch them play together all day. They sure make my heart smile!
Did I mention how breathtaking the view was? And this was right out our hotel!
She crashes hard after playing hard!
Jordan had to go back later in the day to meet with the management again, so after Adalynn's nap, we headed back out to walk on the beach :)
When Jordan was done with his meeting, he met us out on the beach. Adalynn saw him coming and took off running to meet him! It was so cute!!
We added 5 more whole sand dollars to take home on top of the first 3 that Jordan found!
Seriously gorgeous... every night the sunset was amazing over the water!
We even found a live Sand dollar!
Our last night swim!
Leave it to dad to start a dance party while showering off :)
Such a peaceful weekend! We were sad to leave.....
After we got home, Adalynn wasn't feeling very good and was running a fever. I was hoping it was nothing, but in the middle of Saturday night, she was up crying dripping in sweat! She ended up having a fever for a few days and it wasn't fun :(
This smile only last a moment, but she was trying so hard to feel better!
Still a character even with a fever! She loved to get to run around in her diaper and especially to take her flavored medicine....
Things are looking up! Hoping a bath would help that fever to stay away! It finally broke and she was on her way back to being her normal smiley self!
Now that she was on the mend, we took a trip to the store! She was looking adorable in her lemons!
I actually let her walk in the store for once and she came running up behind me with a straw fedora on! I was cracking up! She had to go check out what she looked like in every mirror and smile :)
Waking up from naps is rough! Snuggling helps, but waking her up early is poking the bear!
<3 <3 <3
What do you do when it's 95 degrees outside? You grab some Panda and go to the beach! We sure love picnics and you can't beat the view!
Collecting rocks and seashells is serious business lol
Daddy showed her how to throw big rocks to splash in the water....
The airport is RIGHT in front of the beach, so it is so fun to watch them take off!
After a wet swimsuit, snuggling in the beanbag with strawberries is the best!
I am still laughing about this! He is always making me laugh!
We officially got rid of the binkin. Holy cow! Not gonna like, it was 3 or 4 days of pure HELL! Can't even begin to describe! It turned her into a screaming crying crazy child! She would scream for hours for it and no matter what we did, she would not calm down. Talk about exhausting! Thankfully we started on a weekend so Jordan and I could tag team. She woke up a lot during the night and the first few were horrible! It was definitely time though.... She would sit in her room and pout because she was mad. It was so cute, yet so heartbreaking all at the same time! It is rough to be 2....
Later in the day, she decided I was an ok mommy again and gave me this cute smile in her ridiculously cute overalls!
Always a fun trip to the Rec Center to play and swim! She is quite the little fishy!
Yep, that is Adalynn going down the slide! Brave little booger!
Sooo dramatic....Poor girl!
If this doesn't scream terrible two's, then I don't know what does......
One of our favorite things about Vancouver is the Farmers Market on Saturday! Yummy food, produce, booths, and of course, playing at the park!
These cutie faces <3 Her fave, the swings!
Me: "Adalynn, climb up on your bed, it's naptime."
Adalynn: "Um, Nope! No thank you mommy!"
(totally dyin' laughing.....)
Ten Min. Later......
During the whole binki weaning process, her way of rebelling was to sleep at the end of her bed instead of the top. If she only knew that I didn't really care where on the bed she slept, as long as she was IN the bed! lol Oh Toddlers.....
A little Sunday exploring in the flower fields behind our house <3
Up all night with a screaming toddler and Jordan brought me breakfast in bed after letting me sleep in! He is the best!!
Well we made it! She is binki free and alive to tell the tale... Us on the other hand, not so much.... lol Glad that is over! Wowzers!
Whew what a month! I am still trying to take it all in.... Time flies by and just like that we are moving into August :) Here is to our last month of Summer!
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