Halloween 2022

 I am acutely aware that the days of the kids dressing up for Halloween and letting me take a picture are fleeting... so I cherish each yearly costume pic!!

King Bodie... he's obviously thrilled...haha!

My football player and my teenage Sofia the First! 

The boys heading out to get candy

Going thru their loot. Really not sure why the laundry basket is there.... ha!

A fun night full of friends, a little rain, and lots of candy. 

Happy Halloween!

Five Years

Five years ago today.

A quick laparoscopic hysterectomy (due to suspicious findings on my yearly exam) turned into a very involved 5 hour radical hysterectomy, sending me into menopause, unable to use any hormone therapy due to my cancer history. While thankful that all pathology was benign, my body has not been the same since.

The kids and I the day I came home from the hospital...

The past five years have been some of the most difficult years of my life. Depression, insomnia, weight gain, irritability, hot flashes and moodiness have taken hold of my life more than ever before. There. I said it. I rarely, if ever, share this with anyone.

It's hard to admit when you are feeling lost and out of control and nothing seems to help. I am thankful for a husband who loves me no matter what and who has put up with his wife with so much grace. Thankful for my sweet kids, who deserve more than a cranky mom. Thankful for wine... haha.. even tho it makes me hot flashes worse. Most importantly, tho, I am thankful for a God who is faithful and who keeps inviting me to lean into His goodness and grace to find my way.

He put it on my heart today that it was this particular anniversary. I honestly hadn't even realized it. I feel like He is asking me to re-commit to taking care of myself. To put down the wine glass and pick up my Bible. To go for a walk instead of sitting in front of my laptop. To enjoy the abundant life he has given me.

This might not happen quickly as the busiest time of our year is approaching (both kids' birthdays and the holidays) but it is my goal to make my physical and emotional health a priority. I owe that to my husband. I owe it to my kids. I owe it to myself.

Let's do this.... 💓

Homecoming 2022

 

Last night was Southridge's Homecoming. We had a few of Evelyn's friends and their moms over for a pre-dance party and had the best time!

Pizza and friends...

Heading to take pics... her fav...haha!

Our beautiful girl... 💓 She found this dress at a local resale boutique for under $10 and it was perfect!

Love these lovely ladies...

Girls and moms.... love this photos!

One of the mom's took them to the dance, but the girls got the time wrong and were there an hour early...haha! So Lindsay took them downtown to get boba tea and hang out. They had so much fun!

They all had a nice time at the dance, but all of them agreed they had way more fun beforehand! 

Love these memories for Evelyn and so thankful for good friends for her!

First Day of School 2022

 

Not sure how we got here, but we have a SOPHMORE and a 7th GRADER!?!

The kids were both nervous and excited for the year to get started.

Our lovely girl...

I get to chauffer these three to and from school again this year... probably my last since they all will be driving next year. Sigh... love them so much!

Protien pancakes for our special middle schooler

You've got this, kiddo. We love you so very much!

Have a great first day, kids!

Brunch!!

 

It has been almost a year since we have seen my sister and Eric, but that changed today!! 💓 She and Eric flew over for the Oregon State/Boise State football game and stayed with Eric's folks in Albany. We met for bruch this morning before they headed to the airport. 

SO SO good to see them again and have some family time! Love you, Johnson's!!💓💓

Hops Game Fun

 

Our family was gifted free tickets to the Hops game last night, tickets in the hospitality suite section that included free food and drink and amazing seats. It was a beautiful night for some baseball!

Juliet came with us 😃

The kid crew...

....and the grown ups 😂

Great seats behind home plate!

Love this boy!

The girls ran into Heidi at the game and we HAD to take a picture with Barley! 

Matthew got in on the Barley action too!

There was a great fireworks show after the game to top off the fun evening. 

A fun night at the ballpark, indeed!

Girl Beach Trip

 I took Evelyn and Ellie to the beach for a few days to get away and have some fun before school starts. We had such a fun time and I cherished this time with these amazing and fun girls!!

Ready to head out!

My ALL TIME favorite ride is the Tilt-A-Whirl. I loved going on it when I went to Seaside as a kid and still do! The girls had never been on it and so I insisted they go with me. It was hilarious hearing the sqeal and laugh. Ellie loved it... Evelyn, not to much! But it was SO fun to do it with them!

The view from our Gearheart condo. 

We spent the late afternoon at the beach then after dinner went back to watch the sunset. The beach was a 5 minute walk from the condo.

Love these girls!!

The next morning we got up and went for a long walk on the beach (I ended up with 15000+ steps each day of our trip...we walked alot!)

We started collecting sand dollars and found lots of interesting things on the beach as well.

We then headed back into Seaside for a bit...

One more time on the Tilt-A-Whirl... so much laughing! We also had some amazing gelato and shopped.

We came back to Gearheart and watched a movie...

....and went swimming. We had pizza for dinner and chilled for the evening after a full day. 

We got up Friday and went for our last walk on the beach.

We found SO many intact sand dollars, too!

Hot cocoa and treats in downtown Gearheart.

We hit the road for home and stopped at Camp 18 to walk around. 

Such a special few days with these amazing young ladies. Thankful the Evelyn has such great friends who love her well. Grateful for time away with them!