Camping with the Friends

A couple weeks ago we went camping with the Springer Fam at Olallie Campground. It was right by the river and the weather was perfect for me. Warm enough for short sleeve until bed and I was pretty warm at night, although that could be pregnancy-related :) We had a lovely drive through the mountains and set up camp. Seoul is always the good helper!

Once we put up the tent and blew up the air mattress Seoul and Randy Jr had fun jumping on the mattress. They bonded :)

Randy made popcorn over the fire and it was Seoul's first time truly eating popcorn. She enjoyed it, I think... although you can't tell from her expression - ha!

Of course when you camp you have to have s'mores! I indulged in THREE of them - oh my delicious goodness! Plus a little visiting around the campfire. So peaceful and fun to catch up with our friends-that-used-to-be-next-door-neighbors! (I miss that!) Seoul loves baby Landin and kept reaching out to him.

Daddy and Seoul having a good time getting down and dirty camping. The view was beautiful and thanks to Brittany we got a couple family photos.

Randy fishes so we tried it for the first time in our married life. Seoul had never been. She does a fishy face, which she did a lot once they started catching fish. Kelley and Seoul caught 2 trout. Randy Jr and Seoul played while waiting for the fish to bite.

In Bend we rented a surrey bike and it was super fun! Seoul hated the helmet at first and cried for the first five minutes of the ride. Who needs a bell when you have a crying baby?! Then she started calling it a hat and we told her it was pretty. The kids were put their arms around each other or hold hands every once in a while - cute! We went off-roading a bit and it was hilarious. My cheeks hurt from laughing so much.

This was a fantastic weekend and I'm so glad we went. It will be the first of many trips with the Springer Fam, I hope! It's so nice to have friends that both couples get along and have kids similar in age. Good times :)

Girls Trip to Utah

Seoul and I took a vacation to Utah in August. I was ready to get away for a bit and super excited to see friends I hadn't seen in a while. I was nervous to take Seoul and the baby gear on a plane by myself but it wasn't so bad. On the plane Seoul watched the men loading the baggage underneath, looked at the other planes, and watched as we rose through the clouds. Then she promptly laid on my chest and went to sleep... for the whole flight. She woke up in time to pass few the brief clouds in Utah and de-plane.

The timing was great. Amy and Kara are both prego (due Sept and Oct respectively) so I got to be there for the baby shower. (Sorry - didn't get a good picture of Kara at the shower).

Seoul and Kerri hit it off... she wears "pretties" and Seoul loved that. Plus, who doesn't love Kerri?! It was so fabulous to see her and catch up. I have to add that the last day we were there Seoul called Kerri "grandma"... maybe because she wore her glasses and looked like her mom...? It was funny!

Of course with kids we have to hit up the playground. Seoul discovered the tunnel and loved it. Amy and Jack looking like the cutest little family holding hands.

It is funny to watch kids interact. Jack was a little hyper for a while but then calmed down once we were there for a while. Seoul is just shy and watches other kids a lot. It was fun to watch Jack and know that Seoul will be at the same stages in a little while - he's such a smart boy!

My dad's brother, Jerry, and his wife Earlene came down to visit. We had some good grub at Marie Callendar's and had a good visit. They got to meet Seoul for the first time. It was great to see them! Seoul called Uncle Jerry "grandpa" a couple times - he and my dad look the same. Hilarious!

I remember when I first moved to Utah I thought it was ugly - so brown. Now when I visit I realize it truly is beautiful. The mountains just right there are breathtaking. We even got to see a moose and the babies on the way down the mountain.

We got to hook up with an old roommate from Corvallis, Kristy, for lunch. She is the nicest person ever and now has this adorable little boy, Owen. It was great to visit with her and meet her little guy.

More reunions :) Marti, Kerri, and I were roommates freshman year at BYU - good ole David John Hall. We missed our other roommate Wendy... maybe one day! Marti has this cutie, Andrew, and is expecting again (obviously!). Babies are so fun!

Of course we had to pay a visit to Temple Square. It's so beautiful and magnificent! Seoul had fun with the flowers. She LOVED the reflection pond once she discovered she could put her hands in it. She identified the Temple every time we asked her and she even said Moroni and pointed.

I love Kerri and I'm so glad we're friends! It was fun to visit and see how well she's doing these days. Thanks for letting us come!

We also had lunch with Jerilee and her cute girls but I didn't get any pictures - oops! She is doing great and I am glad I got to meet up with her... it's been a long while since we visited.

We had some excellent meals... at Cafe Rio and In-N-Out specifically. Yum! It was a busy weekend but great to get away for a bit. Of course we missed Kelley terribly but next time he will get to go with us! We had lunch with Kelley when we got home. Seoul was SO excited to see him.... she literally ran down the hallway into his arms when she saw him coming around the corner.

Kelley's "man-cation"

Kelley took a weekend and went down to San Francisco... he called it his "man-cation." He went on his own and caught a couple Giants vs Dodgers baseball games at AT&T Park. He indulged in some garlic fries during the game, and of course In-N-Out... a couple times. Other than a miscommunication regarding sleeping arrangements he had a good time and came back relaxed and sunburned.

Tim Lincecum (#55) is one of his favorite players. He won the Cy Young award the last couple years.

I was just chastised for not knowing who #9 is - Pat Burrell ("Pat the Bat"). He hit a home run Saturday to win the game.

Look close... ugh! A million seagulls attack the stands as soon as people leave. (I hate birds).

Kelley loves sea lions!

It was good for Kelley to get away. Work is stressful sometimes because he has so much to do and doesn't say no to helping anyone that asks. He's been with Legacy for two years as of August 23rd - can't believe the time has gone so quickly! I appreciate all the hard work Kelley puts in to support our family, and I'm glad he is doing what he enjoys. Love you!

Swim Lessons

Seoul and I did parent/child swim lessons for a couple weeks. Chubby, pregnant me in a swimsuit is not ideal but I will do anything for my girl :) Neither Kelley nor I swim much but I want Seoul to know how and enjoy the water. I've heard of infant classes where it is just them and an instructor and they get thrown in the water to learn quickly. I could never watch that happen to my child, I think.

Day 1 - held on to me tight but enjoyed herself
Day 2 & 3 - cried out loud the whole time and just said "no" over and over
Day 4 - Daddy and the girl cousins came to watch so she was constantly calling out to them and enjoyed herself. She actually wanted to jump off the side and "swim" to the floating fish.
Day 5 - Grandma came to watch so again, she knew someone was watching so she had fun. She even voluntarily put her face in the water a couple times.
Day 6 - Did not want to get out of the pool and wanted to keep jumping and "swimming" - good times!

Splash Park

One of our hotter summer days we checked out the splash park in Wilsonville. After a little hesitancy Seoul finally made it all the way in the water. She literally did one foot at a time, testing it for a few minutes, then one hand at a time, then finally she was in all the way and didn't want to get out.