Utah in Real Photos

I cannot say enough how wonderful it was to spend nearly a week with Glendon and Kaytee and Lucy. Leading up to the trip, whenever we talked it, the question we were always asked was "WHY Utah?" Allow me to clear the air and say for one, Utah is a gorgeous state with lots of to offer. Secondly, when you mesh as well with a family like we do with the Butes, it's pretty hard to stay away (as shown by the fact that this was our 3rd trip in 4 years!) Seriously, what we would give to live closer to these friends!

It just so happened that we pulled into town just 45 minutes before the clock struck my birthday. The Butes treated me to an extra special day, beginning with delicious oatmeal pancakes with chocolate chips and granola (made to mimic the ones I adore at Julia's here in Seattle). I got to lay low the entire day after church before I was told it was time to dress up and go out. 

I had a slight suspicion I might have an idea where we were going (mostly because I only know two restaurants in Utah) and I was so excited to realize I was right! The Butes booked us a babysitter so we could all go out to La Caille for dinner. The setting was incredible (as was the magnitude of the tantrum Emma decided to throw as we were trying to leave but we won't talk about that part...)

Glendon and his ladies (when in Utah...)

Seriously, this place was amazing! They even brought me a baked alaska dessert complete with a literal firework spouting out the top!

The sunset as we made our way back home was gorgeous!

I didn't take a lot of photos with our "real" camera but I did manage to document a bit more of our morning walking historic 25th Street in Ogden. The street was lined with painted ponies that the girls loved. Isla wanted a picture with each one and Kaytee suggested we make a calendar entitled "Isla and her horses." I literally think we have enough shots to have a different horse for each month!

Graham took full advantage of the random upright pianos placed along the street and treated the rest of us to some free entertainment.

The girls were mesmerized. 

Back at the house, the girls enjoying cooling off on a couple of occasions in the Bute's splash pad and sprinkler. 

I love this series of Emma and Graham. There might have been a bit of "forced" fun initially but then she really warmed up to the sprinkler and was asking to do it again.

One afternoon we also took a trip to a local splash park and the kids had a blast swimming and sliding. Both Isla and Emma even went of the big waterslide (accompanied of course). Of course we didn't take any pictures that day...

Our last night there, we bravely took the kids out to dinner at a yummy pizza place. There was live music and the kids had a chance to break out their dance moves at the end. Kaytee did Emma's hair that night in this sweet braid and I haven't been able to replicate it since! She gave us a lot of hair advice for curlies that I've done my best to put into practice since we arrived home. We need all the help we can get over here!!

Our lovely hosts

Many thanks again to the Butes for having us! We miss you already!

Utah via Instagram

Last week we did the crazy and drove ourselves to Utah in one day WITH two kiddos and a pregnant Mrs. I don't really care to speak much of the trip down there but once we arrived, we had an absolute blast relaxing with our good friends the Butes. Man how we miss them! Lucy and Emma are 10 days apart and all 3 girls really took a shining to one another and had an absolute ball. I love how my phone (though poorer quality) captured the highlights of the trip:

Rest stop in the-middle-of-no-where, Oregon

Lounging on the porch because it's my birthday

French dinner at La Caille, a Thomas Kinkade-like paradise

Street musicians on 25th St in downtown Ogden

Good conversations and time spent lounging with this guy

Almost daily pickleball for the boys across the street

Walks to a local neighborhood coffee shop (x3 to be exact) 

Splash park fun followed by frozen custard

Crazy Utah hair over dominos and ice cream in the evenings

New running routes for me

Sweet girls becoming good friends

Did I mention I enjoyed spending a low-key week with this guy?

Baker City, Oregon lunch break enroute home

And finally, finally, the end of a long day together

Jelly Sticks and Stuff

I think it's safe to say that the pregnancy hormones are raging. Maybe I'm also suffering from a slight case of post-16-hour-road-trip-coming-home-to-a-dead-car-and-two-straight-days-of-work-followed-by-a-Sunday-night-meeting-that-I-was-partially-in-charge-of exhaustion. It probably didn't help that we kept the kids out too late this afternoon which resulted in a rapid toy store exit with two screaming and thrashing little ladies who proceeded to yell at the top of their lungs the entire 20 minute drive home. At some point during the process, I got a couple of clocks to the head by the youngest and there is something so belittling about being hit by your children. Ugg.

Needless to say, I came home and crawled into bed and had a refreshingly good cry and word vomit session before Graham came and banished me to a coffee shop alone. I love that man. There is nothing quite like having someone validate you by saying "What we are doing right now is really hard." I feel a bit like I'm drowning, constantly overwhelmed and feeling incredibly under-prepared for this 3rd baby. At least I can now say I've ordered the car seat!! 

We are in a stage of waiting and it sort of feels like our life is on pause. Except that nothing is really pausing. Graham finally heard some long-awaited news about a couple of job opportunities so now it's time to return to square one and start again. There are a lot of decisions hanging on the future location of said job and so until we know where he will be working, we're trying to wait patiently. We have played a lot this summer (mostly in the form of travel) and now that we are home, I'm hoping we can slow down and re-prioritize and hammer some things out.

As Graham reminded me today, Isla won't care whether her new room is Pinterest-approved. She probably doesn't even know to ask for new curtains or a bed spread at this age. She also won't care if our birthday gift to her comes primarily in the form of some good, focused, you-are-special attention. I mean really, all she tells us she really wants is a jelly stick anyway (what the heck is that!!?)    

Sigh. I'm feeling better already, not to mention a lot more realistic. As much as I'd love for everything to be ready, decided, figured out, finished, I know that the process is just as (if not more) important than the final product. I'm really excited to see what's coming down the pipe and the last thing I want is to be closed off to an opportunity for growth. Prayers for wisdom appreciated!

Day at the Museum

We had grand hopes of kicking off our Wilson family camping trip with a little pre-cation in sunny Seattle. Graham had visions of beaching and stand up paddle boarding and such but alas the weather did not agree. But since it was the first Thursday of the month, all the museums in Seattle were free! So we finally made it to the Museum of History and Industry down in South Lake Union. I am normally not one for museums but this one was really cool and worth a stop. I found myself wanting to return 1) not pregnant 2) not hungry and 3) kidless so I could stop and read all the exhibits. I was, however, able to educate myself of the prohibition period in WA which proved helpful in correctly answering a trivia question in our rousing round of Wits and Wagers later on the the evening (the one and only question I knew...) The girls had a blast at the museum and even got to make some little boats to sail outside in the pond afterwards. We closed the evening with "some of the best sandwiches you'll ever eat" (Graham's promise to my parents) from Paseo, picnic-style at the Seattle Civic Rose Garden. Thankfully only Ben thought he may have had a sandwich that was just as good (but he didn't claim it was better!) Enjoy the pictures! 

Emma 23 Months

A total sweetheart

Gaining independence

Started saying 3-word sentences (first one: "Olona going potty") :)

Talking like crazy and always shocks me with what she knows

Love how she says "coffeecake" and "firetruck" in particular

And "nack" when she wants a snack

Enthralled by nature - dandelions, leaves, flowers

LOVES watermelon (almost invaded a nearby picnic to get her hands on some)

Thought she'd died and gone to heaven in the raspberry field

Struggles to nap longer than 40 minutes

First real ponytail!!

Isla's little shadow

Climbing on play structures and totally self sufficient on the slide 

Puts her hands in the hair and yells "Woooo" when we drive down hills

Totally warmed up to dogs

Painted for the first time (found her blue hands rather disturbing)

My little snuggler 

Always picks Isla's bed when its her turn to choose where we do bedtime prayers

Two new teeth (has all 4 bottom front now!)
The best car traveler

Thinks her uncles are something else

Finally eats cheese!!!!!

Looks for Daddy in the morning

Doesn't like getting splashed

Obsessed with pushing the doll stroller or shopping cart

Loves buses and calls it out when she sees one

A total joy and total goof in one great almost-two-year-old package!