We decided to break up our month long states visit by spending a week in Saint George Utah, a week in Washington, then head back to Saint Gerge where we hopefully will meet up with Kyle after his TDY. So off to Washinton state we went. The kids were amazing on the flight (thanks to the new toys I got them from Target. Hallelujah for Target!) Hands down I will take a 1.5 hour flight from Vegas to Portland vs. a 10 hour flight from Japan to the states.
We enjoyed taking walks and going to the dog park with our family dog, Tippy. Mom just got a new position as the Principal of a elementary school in Ridgefield (just 3 minutes from house door to school door!) so she was busy trying to get things ready for the upcoming school year, but my dad was able to take off a couple days from work to hang out with the kids and myself. We all enjoyed spending some extra time with Pappie. The day's that both parents had to work the kids and I would drive out to visit them during their lunch breaks.
We were fortunate enough that our visit overlapped with my dad's birthday. We got to join in on the birthday celebration at his work, and picked up his favorite banana cream cake at Larsons bakery for our own little celebration back at home that night. We even went to Burger King to let the kids play on the indoor playset while mom, dad, and myself got to talk and catch up with the birthday boy. It was a fun birthday, we sure love our Pappie.
There were a couple spots I wanted to visit while back visiting my old stomping grounds. 1) I wanted a seasonal shake from Burgerville. We were lucky enough that the seasonal shake was their marionberry milkshake. It was delicious! I think I only got a sip or two cause the kids loved it just as much as I did, but I enjoyed sharing with them. And 2) I also wanted to stop by our old home in Hockinson. It was the home I was raised in. I lived there from the time I was three till I left home. My parents just sold the house and moved two years ago, so it's still a little sad for us that it's no longer our family home. After driving by I saw that my dad's perfectly manicured two and a half acres had been let go, and now there were weeds everywhere. The trees and bushes were very over grown and it just didn't look as clean and well kept as I remember my parents keeping it. It was sad for me to see our home that way, but in some sense it helped me let go as well. It was apparent that that was no longer our home. If there is anything I have learned from living this Air Force life it's that home is where your family is. My home is now in Ridgedield Washington where my parents live, and my kids grandparents live. I will always cherish the memories made at our home in Hockinson, but I look forward to the new memories we will all make in Ridgefield.
Doug and Taylor came while we were there as well because it was during the time of their Washington state wedding open house. It was fun to see the newly weds again and spend more time with my newest sister. As fun as it was to be with them I couldn't help but laugh inside as well. I realized that this summer marks Kyle's and my 7 year anniversary and here they were just starting their lives together. I am much older than my 20 year old newlywed self, a mother to two almost three, have gained a couple more pounds and wrinkles as well as experiences. With every ache and pain I have with this pregnancy or how frustrating being a mother might be I wouldn't trade it for the world. I love my life, family, and husband more now then I did seven years ago. Bring on the bigger pant sizes, being on the extra makeup to hide my tired puffy eyes, I am enjoying this stage of life as difficult as it is. I hope Doug and Taylor have a wonderful life together just like Kyle and I have had so far. May it be filled with lots of high highs and low lows, with some speed bumps and twisty roads along their journey together.
We played at almost every park we came across and tried to enjoy the beautiful summer weather. We even went into Portland for a day to get some Voodoo doughnuts and walk along the waterfront. It was fun being back in Portland since I practically lived there when I was dancing with Oregon Ballet Theatre back in the day. I forgot how weird Portland truly is. We ran into our fair share of grungy hippies, organic lovers, and straight up homeless people. We even got to enjoy the Saturday market as well. I know city life really isn't my parents favorite (hence they live out in the country), but I appreciate them coming along with us. I just love city life! I love people watching, all the different food to try as well as activities going on. It was a fun yet tiring outing.
For the remainder of our time in Washington we tried to relax and soak up as much family time as possible. Even though my mom had to work during the day, as soon as she came home she was in full Nonna mode and loved on my kids, and vice versa. One evening we took the kids to the river for some kayaking. I have only been kayaking on a lake before so it was nice and peaceful. This time I had to fight against the current and was more of a workout than a peaceful ride on the water. Abby was a scaredy cat of course, but Connor enjoyed it. It was a perfect Washington activity to end our Washington trip on.
On our last day we enjoyed our selves one last time at a fun park. I enjoyed watching my dad okay with the kids before taking us to the airport. It will be sad to leave, but that also means we are that much closer to seeing Kyle again. I loved spending sometime with my parents, and more importantly for my kids to spend time with their Nonna and Pappie. I will miss the fun late nights of watching the Olympics or just chatting with my parents, but I can't wait for our little family to be reunited again with Babbo. One more week and we get to see Kyle!!!!
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