Libbie's Baptism

We had another busy Saturday while Matt took Gracie to her soccer game. Hallie, Emery, and I went to Libbie's baptism. It was a fun to have Hallie be able to attend one now that her baptism is getting closer.

Afterwards we ran to Ashley's to say hey, have Hallie change her clothes, and grab some food before we ran off to Hallie's soccer game

Gracie's Preschool Graduation

What a crazy week it had been in Oregon and we rounded it off by making it to Gracie's preschool graduation just in time. We went straight from the airport to graduation so everyone was exhausted but Gracie was so excited. She loved going to preschool with Ms. Syrina. Although they didn't cover a lot about ABCs & 123s they covered more in creative stuff which was different but Gracie was already good with the basics so this was really just fun for her. 

They did a bunch of songs and poems to show what they had learned.

Gracie was recognized as the performing arts scholar and as the best helper/leader in the class. Ms. Syrina said she was the first one to help or to organize the other kids. She loves to sing and is always encouraging others to participate

So proud of this little lady! She is definitely ready for kindergarten and will do so great. Her love and compassion for others in undeniable. She is a great helper and particularly loves to cook

This is all the art that was used as decor at the graduation. So many fun mediums and ideas. We are currently using them to decorate the play room.

Oregon Coast Day 7-Headed Home

Thursday morning we got up and moving a little earlier than normal to make sure we had plenty of time to eat breakfast and get to the airport in time. It was a fun but exhausting trip and we were ready for our own beds

Matt was able to take some pics with his drone of the Portland temple. I love the view the drone gives that you otherwise wouldn't see

The first leg of our flight was pretty full. Hallie had to sit on the other side of the isle by herself since Matt stayed to work in Portland. I was a little nervous since this was my first flight with the kids by myself any where other than Vegas. The flight attendant was so great and got her a few extra snacks and talked to her. She was so great and I appreciated her help. Hallie read the whole time and Gracie & Em watched Mickey Clubhouse. 

We had about 90 minutes in between flights so we got some tacos and the girls tried dippin dots for the first time...they loved them

Not even 10 minutes into our 2nd leg Em was out. I think the trip had totally caught up to her.

Lucky for me...Em stayed asleep the entire flight. Partly because the flight was mostly empty and she could lay across all the entire row. I hardly even noticed Hallie and Gracie they also sat on their own row and played games, colored, and did their activities

When we got off the flight we hurried to get our baggage and then to the shuttle so we could get home in time for graduation. 

All in all it was a fun trip. We saw quite a few really cool things and it was a fun experience. But in reality it was exhausting. It was a bunch of driving and it was hard moving hotels everyday. I felt like we were constantly on the run and at times felt rushed. If we do it again we will just pick a couple cities and stay there for 2-3 days a piece and explore more. I am grateful for the time with Matt and the girls.

Griffin Wayne Graham

While out and about on our hike the last day of our trip Nic text me about having contractions and if I thought she should go in. I responded with a handful of questions and we went back and forth a couple times ultimately telling her to trust her gut to decide. When we got back to the car I texted her again for an update to find that she and Kyle were just getting checked in at the hospital! I was slightly disappointed since I really wanted to come when he was born to be the baby nurse. But knowing her due date and that it overlapped with our trip I had come to terms with the fact I would probably miss it. Luckily Kyle kept us in the loop and only a couple hours latter he was born. All went well and they made it safely thru. When I got the picture I immediately thought he looked like Rigs. I was so excited to meet him and snuggle him

They named him Griffin Wayne Graham

He weighed 7lbs 3 oz and was 21 in

It took a couple days for me to get to see him with Matt being out of town and us flying home but on day 2 of his life I finally got to see him. He had already changed so much. Nic was doing great and they were enjoying time as a new family of five!

Its funny how in love you fall so quickly with a sweet baby. I love the bond I have with my sister's kids. The best way to describe it is it's probably as close to loving your own kids as it comes. Thanks Nic for making me an aunt again

Oregon Coast Day 6

Our final day in Oregon was our "hiking day" there were several waterfalls pretty close together so we decided to do them all in one day. I woke up feeling much better and ready to actually move. Matt took the kids down to grab breakfast and then we headed out. It wasn't long before we realized that I wasn't at the top of my game I had forgotten my coat and a few other things. But we made do and luckily Matt had 2 coats so I got to use one. Our first stop was the famous Multinomah Falls. It was slightly raining just enough that we all wore our rain jackets and hoods.

We hiked up the 2 levels to take pictures and explore the trail. Hallie loved the wildflowers and had to be reminded many times not to pick them

We got wet off the spray from the falls alone after a while we couldn't tell if it was raining anymore or just the falls

It looked just like the pictures and the pictures don't quite do it justice

Next was Latourelle Falls. I was the most excited about this one. From all the pictures we had seen it was my favorite and looked like a waterfall in the middle of no where. But when we got there the trail had washed out so we had to go back down. I was super disappointed but we found this cute water tank so we decided to get our pic there to remember the experience

We didn't realize until after we took this how cool this picture really was. Did you notice the water pouring into Gracie's head?

When we got back to the car I remembered we had brought the drown. With that Matt got the drown out and with google maps Matt was able to find the waterfall and we saw it that way and Matt got some pictures. It was beautiful and made me wish even more that we could have seen it in person.

Next was Horsetail Falls. It wasn't on the original list to visit but it was right next to the road. This one was cool because of the large pool of water at the bottom and when the water is lower you can actually walk down into it 

Then it was time to actually hike. We got all prepped in case the weather turned bad while we were hiking. And off we went to Oneonta Falls. We followed the trail and the signs but once again found the way we had gone was closed because the trail was washed out! IN order to get there we have to hike all the way around. By this point everyone was hungry and we had to hike all the way back to the car. We had passed a few lower falls and took some picks to show we at least went somewhere for our hiking. 

By the time we got back to the car Em was out and then we jumped in the car and headed to find food. Everything was so green and beautiful

On our way home we took the long way to see the St. Johns Bridge...and it was just another bridge. Now don't get me wrong the bridges were cool but they all kinda look the same

That night we grabbed dinner at our hotel and ate the rest of our food in the hotel knowing that we flew out in the morning. Em was so tired but wouldn't go to bed she finally was willing to lay by Matt and then she was out in less than 5 minutes

Matt and I stayed up and talked thru our plans for the following day since Matt was staying while I flew home with the girls. Then we watched a movie and did most of the packing. Then off to bed for our last night in Portland