Disneyland

Originally this post was titled "My Poor Lonely Abandoned Blog"! I guess it's been a while since I've blogged here. It's been easier to just jot down my thoughts in a sentence or two on Facebook. It's been really busy with two little ones, but summer is coming around and so is sleep! Anna finishes up kindergarten tomorrow, Charlie is 19 months old, and both are like little hurricanes in our tiny little apartment.

The big thing to happen this year was our April trip to Disneyland. We were finally able to return to the Happiest Place on Earth and we had a blast! Every morning, Charlie would climb into the stroller, all ready to go and excited. Anna of course loved it and loved meeting Merida. I was surprised that Charlie loved the characters, even the ones with the big masks and costumes like Minnie Mouse (he cried when we took him away from her so others could meet Minnie). We walked Main Street, saw the water show, rode rides, strolled through shops, ate Disney food, and basically spent a lot more money than hubby thought we would (I warned him about setting aside X amount of money for food, but he thought we'd spend less... I win!). hehe It was wonderful and I can't wait to return again. We skipped a lot of rides that the kids were too short to ride on or the lines were too long for our impatient little ones to sit through. Next time I think we'll hit the Radiator Springs Racers, the California Screemin' and many others.

It's Official! I have a kindergartener!

 Meeting Mrs. Donati

 Anna's Merida backpack

Anna became a kindergartener today. She's so excited! I made her lunch: almond butter and jelly sandwich, strawberries, carrots, a pumpkin cupcake (tastes just like pumpkin pie - thanks Pinterest!), milk and a strawberry straw. Her teacher is Mrs. Donati and she also has a teacher named Mrs. Goin. Paul and I got to stay for story time. We, along with other parents, stood around and snapped pictures! haha :) We love our little girl! She's growing up so fast. I'm nervous about habits she might pick up from other kids. I just hope it goes well.

Sum-sum-summertime!

This is my favorite season of all. Sometimes the heat is too much, but for the most part, it's so much better than winter. Let's just say, I get S.A.D.! And with the Pacific Northwest's perma-gloom, winter can really suck! I love taking pictures of my loved ones this time of year. It's almost always perfect weather, perfect lighting, perfect everything!

Beach Day

Paul and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary and we celebrated by going to our favorite place: Seaside, OR. Charlie put his feet in the ocean sands for the first time, in the same place where his sister did, and at the same age (7 months). We had a blast. I wish we could do that every month.

Easter!

Well, we're in our new home in Washington and on Easter we traveled back to Oregon. The weather was perfect. But I know you don't want to read a weather report. What was reportable was that I never felt so blessed in my life. I'm surrounded by family and church family. I wish I could drag them all back to Washington with me. I love them all so much. But I know God has a plan for us in Washington. For some reason we always make our way back here! Sometimes I sit here wondering why God wants us here. There are things we want to accomplish. I want to get my MA, Paul has this wonderful job that will provide great experience in the computer industry and we've been considering foster parenting. I know there are things we have to get into order first, though, before pursuing that last thing. There are short term goals and long term goals, but I really feel God want us there... in the world of adoption and foster parenting. It's something that's always been close to my heart. Paul is open to it, too. We're open to fostering kids with disabilities as well. I'm looking forward to that new chapter in our lives. It seems that every year brings a new chapter. God always keeps us on our toes. Life is never stagnant!

34 Weeks

(Above: Week 33)

Weight: 144 - It looks like I'm right on with the 1 lb-per-week thing. :)
BP: 112/53 - Still nice and low. I hope it stays that way.

Charlie weighs about 5 lbs and 18 inches this week. That explains the discomfort! I feel so heavy out in front and my back has begun to ache when I walk for long periods of time. I love walking! I love exercise! It's such a bummer for it to be painful or uncomfortable. The other day I was walking and I had such terrible pressure and pain down there! Two days ago, I was watching TV and I had contractions, some painful some not, every 3-7 minutes. They subsided and were never regular, so nothing to worry about quite yet thankfully.

More news. I'm switching providers mid-pregnancy. Fun, fun. That means my next appointment won't be until October 6th. I'll be 37 weeks pregnant and ready to go by then. Argh. Oh, well. At least I can keep an eye on my BP and weight until then. As long as both are steady, there's no need to worry.

32 Weeks - Pictures, Plus Beautiful Anna

(Above: Anna Daisy, age 4 1/2)

(Above: 32 weeks 2 days)

Zoo Day Pics!

We went to the Oregon Zoo after my Glucose test (bad idea on my part, by the way, but a good idea overall). I was tired and didn't have a lot of energy - of course that could just be a pregnancy thing - but Anna had a wonderful time! Above are some of my favorite pictures from that morning. :)