12 days left to LOVE oregon

When we found out we were pregnant with Lily, I thought, "oh.no." 19 months apart seemed close. But what did I know? Yes it was a little rough at first, but now these two have so much fun together! (excluding 3rd pic) built in buddies! One silly thing they LOVE to do together is lay next to each other and kick their legs as fast as they can. It really doesn't matter WHERE they do this, though some of their favorite locations are on the dryer (it makes a cool noise) and the pack-n-play (mesh sides are bouncy). My heart just melts whenever I see them sharing toys or reading together. Granted, the other 40% of the time my heart is racing because of the screaming and crying...but hey, I'm just grateful for the good times!
So the other day I saw some beautiful spring flowers and bulbs at the store. I had a little pitty party for myself because even though this is one of my favorite things to do "pre-spring"...I couldn't justify the time and expense considering we're shipping off in 12 days. It got me pretty bummed about doing this whole transition thing again. I was all worked up, so much so that I even teared up when I saw the MILK had an expiration date that was longer than we were going to be around. It takes so LOOOONG to feel "normal" after a big move, and its so LOOOONG before you can restart your traditions like planting pretty pots of flowers. Boo Hoo right? Well, later on my doorbell rang. Much to my surprise sat this little tub of sunshine, along with a note from my visiting teachers! Coincidence? I think not. I am grateful for a Heavenly Father who is aware of even the smallest disappointments...and I am thankful for the committed ladies who come to see me and the wonderful Visiting Teaching program!

A Baseball Saturday

Saturday was exactly the kind of day that I didn't know I needed. We spent it at the baseball field watching BYU (namely, my brother) open their season with the University of Portland. What luck to live here and get to see it! GORGEOUS weather! We ate popcorn and pizza and soaked up the warm rays. I settled into my spot on the bleachers and remembered just how much of my life has been spent at baseball games. LOVE THEM! The crack of bats, cheering fans, and the smell of the field (weird I know...but I swear baseball fields have a smell), are all great cures for winter boredom. At the end of the day our hair was windblown, our faces a little sunburned, and our hands dirty. But it felt great! We also got to spend the evening with Kevin. We took him to a little Italian place, and hung out at our house before "curfew"! A PERFECT day!

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I sort of needed one after the loooong week in Houston. I know that what sanity I did leave with was due to the help of my mom (thanks mom). So I am excited. I think I will really like Texas. I put together a little list of "Texas Tips" that I myself became aware of while visiting.

1. When ordering a "big n tasty" burger from McDonald's, call it the "Homestyle Burger"

and crispy chicken sandwich is called, "Southern Style"

2. All Baptist churches are the size of high schools and have a fleet of buses that will deliver people to God.

3. Law Enforcement personnel wear cowboy hats.

4. 75% of radio stations play country music. (even an "oldies" station for country music)

all joking aside...it is a beautiful place, and the people are so friendly and down to earth!

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House hunting. I won't bore you with details, but suffice it to say that the experience can be exciting, scary, disappointing and fulfilling all at once. I thought I would be an "old pro" seeing as this will be our 2nd home purchase. nope. I have a lot to learn about Texas real estate.

Valentine Love

What a perfect little holiday! We had a "card exchange" with Zach and Lily's friends today. SO CUTE! I loved seeing how excited all the kids were as they came to the house with their Valentine cards! We played, ate cupcakes, and exchanged cards. After naps Zach and Lily went to the mailbox to find more love from family! (thanks!) they sat in their room eating treats and looking at their love letters! haha! The last picture is from a few days ago, when Zach and I were filling out his Valentine cards. He was very particular. He choose "nice spiderman" for the little kids and girls because he thought they would be afraid of the "bad spiderman guys". He also wanted to know exactly what he was supposed to write in the "to" and "from" boxes. Even though his scribbles always looked the same, he would ask each time if he was supposed to write HIS name, or his friend's name! :) It got me thinking about my elementary school days and how there was a whole system to deciding WHO got WHAT Valentine card. Heaven forbid you give a boy you didn't like a card that said something like, "STICK WITH ME, this Valentines Day". I can even remember sorting the cards into "best" piles to make sure my closest friends got the coolest cards! HA! Hoping your day was filled with lots of sugar and love! (looking forward to a date with my sugar-love tonight!)

Simplify, Simplify

Today was a blessing. Small break in a never ending week of rain. We woke to dry skies and decided to DO SOMETHING! So we packed up a lunch and headed out with the wagon to Pirate Park. Truly, it was a gorgeous walk. I couldn't help but wonder if it would be the last time I walked the trail to Pirate Park. I am trying hard to just *enjoy* my life right now...just BE in the moment.

I like to research, I like to know as much as I can about whatever I am getting into. I am learning about the housing market, the taxes, the weather. I am searching for apartments, houses, builders. Oh, and we need to go to this bank, talk to that realtor, call this friend. Where did we put those packing supplies, when should we schedule our walk through, oh, and buy those airplane tickets, the sale ends soon! I would classify myself as 'detail oriented'. It can be good, it can be helpful. But it can be heavy too. Whenever I feel the heaviness I try to remember something that Henry David Thoreau said: "Our life is frittered away by detail...simplify, simplify."

So I did. I tried to. And that is why today was a blessing. I feel like I saw, and heard, and touched, and even smelled the things that were most important. A beautiful day worth remembering, in all its simplicity.

Little Big Kid Table

Lovin' their new table...a christmas gift that arrived via mail!!

Zachary and Lily sit here to eat breakfast and lunch. I giggle to see them across from one another looking so proper (they giggle too), and I kinda feel like a waitress bringing them their meals. That is until the food starts flying and I am cleaning up the smeary aftermath WITHOUT a tip!