Brake for Spring Break

We were gone for two weeks over spring break, and I took hardly any photos.  Dang it!  I did take some - they're at the end.  Click to see them up close.

We had a really fun trip.  We started off by running in the Medford Pear Blossom 5K.  Hannah, Brynne, and I ran, along with my sister Jenny, her husband John, and her son.  We all finished.  John placed 5th overall.  Yay John!

We visited my parents and sisters in Corvallis (twice).   We went shopping, took the kids to the park, and spent lots of time gabbing.  Very fun.

We broke up our visit by driving to the Tri-Cities to play with my old friend Ju and her family.  Ju and I have been friends since high school.  We met when we were 12, but became really good friends at Girls Camp the summer we were both 16.  It's all thanks to Ju's persistence and her determination that we WOULD be friends that week, or else!  Our husbands and kids had a wonderful time together (she has six awesome, spunky kiddos) and we talked.  Or Ju talked and I agreed.  That's kind of how our friendship goes, right Ju?  :-)  Just teasing.  We had a lovely weekend.  Josh flew up to spend the rest of our trip with us.  It was SO nice to have a second parent around again.  Natalie got sick towards the end, so instead of going to Church with them, we headed back to Corvallis a few hours earlier than planned.

But that was okay...

We had a treat in store!  My mom's aunt and uncle happened to have flown up to Oregon to visit my grandparents, and they visited with all of us on their way back to the airport.  We had a fun dinner together.  Uncle Dennis was a hit with the kids, which is exactly how I remembered him from my childhood.

On Wednesday we started heading south.  We had planned to spend a day in Medford visiting my buddy Katie and her family...but due to my kids being sick, and her having a new baby just recovered from a nasty bout with RSV, I thought we should spare her.  So, Katie, I'm sorry we had to miss you - but I'll see you again soon!

We drove to Josh's parents on Thursday to pick up Josh's car, and made it home a day early.  It was pretty nice to be in our own beds again, but I am so glad that I had the opportunity to visit my parents, good friends, all my sisters and their families, grandparents, aunts, and uncles.

And next time, I plan to take more pictures!

At the Columbia Gorge Hotel in Mt. Hood, Oregon.
Stretching our legs a little and enjoying the gorgeous garden!

The hotel.  I love stopping at this place!

That grass is such a vivid green!

Heading home from Washington, we stopped at the tiny town of Arlington, OR
for a picnic lunch and some stretching.  This park was right off the
freeway and so perfect for a little break.

Do we have to get back in the car?

Mt. Hood in the distance!

Our kid-ful van!

Mom visiting with Uncle Dennis and Aunt Phyllis

My parents, and Heather and Brian

Adorable little sunshine niece!

Hez and her baby...so cute!

Hey mom!

Ahhhh...lovebirds!  Shannon and Bryan.

Hannah and I got haircuts while we were up there.  Go us!

This tiny sprite just turned one

Josh snapped a million pictures of these two.  They are only 6 months
apart.  It was so fun to see them as they start turning into little people!

And that concludes our show for today.   In a few more months I'll have a new little nephew to meet and another good reason to make another trip up north!