And we spent some time in Corvallis too...

Steve's oldest brother's family lives in Corvallis, just 1.5 hours south of my family. This is a great setup because it allows us some "cousin time" when we are in Oregon and frankly, we wouldn't be able to see them more than our Barlow Reunions every two years. We went down twice, and they came up twice. In Portland (sadly there are not photos), we swam, visited OMSI and swam some more. The day that Robyn came up with Sage to tend my kids, they spend 5 hours (?) in the pool.

Even though our kids only see each other a couple of days a year, it is amazing to see the bond that they have. They know that they are family and that is special.


In no particular order, we went to the "Penny Carnival" in 100+ degrees,


Played in the fountains and had lunch at a local bakery,


Had a last-minute pizza picnic in the front yard with Jamba Juice and the slip 'n slide,

And goodbyes are always the worst part...

R&R in Oregon

Our trip to Portland was all about family. The first few days were just for the siblings. My brother, Arne, who lives with his mom in Ottawa, Canada was at the house for our entire trip. :) My sister, Cristi, had two weeks off and her boyfriend, "Nate the Great" works nights. Steve was also with us for this part of the trip.

The first day, we headed to the Portland Zoo:


My mom and Steve only overlapped for two days. We spent the first day at Saturday Market, Downtown Portland and then we took family portraits (I will post them in a later post).


It was 100+ degrees for 2 weeks, which is rare. We spent A LOT of time in the pool. It was just too hot to do much of anything else. :) My mom found this great slide, but the kids kept pulling it into the pool. We finally figured out how to take the slide apart so they could use the tube!

Papa also treated everyone (Sophia too!) to the ice cream man... twice.


Thanks for Robyn and Sage (who came up to the house in Portland), I was able to go to see my sister during BlazerDancer tryouts! It was 6 hours long and the kids would never have been able to sit quietly the entire time. I hadn't seen her dance professionally.

And after weeks of diets getting ready for these tryouts, this was right after she made the team!

We spent an afternoon at the park. Sophia wanted to eat the grass and Peyton found the only 2 spanish-speaking (out of at least 25) 3 year olds to play with.

And just before we left, we spent the day on the river in the boat. We set up camp on the beach and anchored the boat to enjoy the sun! It was one of the best days of the vacation! The kids had a blast!

R&R in Colorado

We had a great time in the States. We spent the first part of the trip in Colorado helping Steve's parents prepare for a very emotional move. They have now closed on the family home (they have lived there since Steve was 6 months old) and are headed to Arizona to the sun and more permanent grandkids. :)

While we were there, we celebrated the birth of the greatest country on Earth,


took the kids to Casa Bonita,



spent a day at the aquarium,




and took an overnight trip to Colorado Springs which included, Garden of the gods, Manitou Springs, Cave of the Winds and the Summit of Pikes Peak.





We concluded our trip with a visit to the Alpine slides, Slurpees from 7-11 for a "Slide well-done" and emptying out our portion of stored memorabilia. Some of it made it's way to the suitcase, but the majority will be remembered through photos and great memories.

Jos. A. Bank

There is a GREAT SUIT SALE at Jos. A. Banks through Wednesday.

Buy 1, Get 2 free!

Updated Link - The sale is for full-price suits.

She's 11 months old!

I wrote this a few weeks ago, but as her 1st bday is quickly approaching, it is time to post this.

She is the funniest, liveliest, most well-natured baby that we could have been blessed with. She laughs on a dime, is genuinely full of love for each or her siblings and loves the outdoors. She took a few steps of her own last night for the first time. A little gift for Steve in the limited time that he has with her.

She loves to give you a big toothy grin with squinty eyes when you say cheese. There are 7 for now.


She doesn't always sit still or behave during Sacrament, but her smile lights up the room and she'll laugh with anyone who gives her the slightest reason. She is pure joy.

P.S. And just maybe when the rest of her teeth are done breaking through, she'll sleep all night again. :) Update: She has returned to her old ways. If I could get myself to bed earlier, I would be well-rested.

An Investment Rental

After two other failed bids, we might have a four-wall investment...sight unseen. Buying a house has turned into a part-time job. We made an offer on this house just three business days before the auction date and the bank officially postponed it to Oct. 1 due to our offer. They have not yet approved the short sale, but odds are that they would not have changed the auction date unless they planned on accepting it.

THE STATS:
Surprise, AZ
Built in 2003
2387 square feet
9 ft ceilings
3 bedroom/ 2.5 bath
Plus Loft
Plus Game Room
Watering System in front and back (a must-have in the desert)
DIRT CHEAP!

And for those of you wondering if we are moving, the answer in yes - in May. No, not to Arizona.

Writers Block

It. Is. Terrible.

I have a month of photos, but I am just not "feelin' it". Maybe it is the return to the cold or the lack of sleep, but I have a serious case of writers block.

We're Home!

She makes me melt....


even when she has smeared a self-ink stamp all over her face. hands, clothes and couch. I just couldn't help but laugh. She was just so stinkin' cute.

We are home and and I have quite a few photos to post, but really we were having so much fun that I forgot to pull out the camera most of the time. A month in the US was exactly what I needed. Now I feel refreshed and ready to conquer the next 8 months!

It's been a decade...

since our fist kiss (yesterday). We were married exactly one year to the day later.

Happy 9th Anniversary to us!

And if we were to do it all over again, I might plan something like this... I love it! Do you think that Steve would play along? I do.

Beyond Buenos Aires: Tandil Part 5

Our dress rehearsal is tonight and maybe I need to blog a few photos to help me get out the nervous energy!

SUNSET and LA CABANA

We were only in Tandil 2 days, but based on the amount of things that we did, it felt like so much longer. We rented a great cabana right outside the main city. All of the cabanas are located in the same little area (what an Argentine surprise). Before we headed back for the evening, we stopped by the castle on the hill and the the grocery store. I grabbed 13 pesos ($3.50) of steak, chorizos for the kids and fresh bread. I managed to bring so much stuff with us (seriously way too much) for the ride, that we didn't need all of the extras. On our way up to the castle, we obviously had to drive through this entrance a few times. Peyton fell asleep, so she stayed in the car while Abe and I battled on top and shot a few cannons at Dad waiting below. Honestly, it was a bit strange, but what 5 year old boy wouldn't love this?










These bedheads had a wonderful time! We all did. They made smores and had our undivded attention, Steve had to wake up really early to keep the fire going to keep us warm and I was grateful that even though we smelled like a campfire, we didn't really have to sleep outside. :)

With just a few day left until we leave for a our big vacation back to the States (the first time I will have been back in 20 months, not that anyone is counting or anything), I feel like there are so many more photos I want to share from our trip to Tandil. Instead, I have been sicker than sick for 5 days. I can't remember the last time that I felt quite so bad. Flu really has done a number on this family. Abe was the first, then me, Peyton and now Sophia.

I have a big performance this week. All I can do is pray for health.

I might just post a few photos for you before I leave... I mean, you know that you are chomping at the bit to see photos of me dancing/acting in front of hundreds of parents and Kindergartners in a Robot costume. You might even have a little more appreciation for the Jasmine one.

Happy Father's Day

You'd be hard-pressed to find a Father better than this one...


Steve, you are everything that a great father is.

WE LOVE YOU!

Beyond Buenos Aires: Tandil Part 4

EL MONTE CALVARIO

Many Catholics flock to Mount Calvary during the Holy Week of Easter. They make a "pilgramage" through this monument and many have left messages tied to rags on the railing around the base of Christ hung on the cross. In an attempt to share our experiences and record this for our family journal, I am including each of the "Stations" and the journey that Christ made before his death. We talked about the crucifixion with the kids as we walked. Of course, they also played hide in seek in the rocks and Sophia finally took a short nap in the baby backpack.