Spring Break Trip - Day 1

This last week we have been on spring break.  Jeremy and I decided to take the two big boys on a trip to the Oregon coast.  We went there on our honeymoon and absolutely loved it.  I have traveled all over the United States.  I have been to Europe and Hawaii.  I love those places and hope to be able to visit again, but I must say, the Oregon coast is my favorite destination.

We decided just to take Dallin and Thomas for a few reasons.  We initially were going to go by ourselves, but as we got thinking about it we realized the hotel and rental car would cost the same, so it would only be the cost of plane tickets and a little bit of food. When I found a good price on airfare, I just couldn't resist and booked tickets for them.  Secondly, I want my boys to see as much of this country as I can show them.  Dallin and Thomas are old enough now to remember this trip and to appreciate the beauty of the Oregon coast.  Finally, I find that when you are raising a big family, sometimes the big kids don't seem to get as much attention as the little ones.  My littlest two are still with me all day and the three littlest require and demand a lot more attention than my oldest two, so it was nice to spend some time with my big boys and be able to focus on them for a few days, without any interruptions from the little ones.

I took a million pictures on this trip and in an effort to keep the pictures at a somewhat manageable amount I am breaking up this trip into days.  Each day will have a separate post.

Day 1

We dropped off  Jack, Drake, and Tad with Jeremy's sister, Emma, and headed to the airport.  We flew into Portland and then drove to the coast.

This is some of the pretty countryside on our drive to the coast.

I love how green Oregon is, even before the deciduous trees are in leaves.

This was a little stop we took just north of Depoe Bay.  We saw a few whales off the coast here.  It was pretty cool.

This was a pretty bridge on the Otter Crest Loop.  We also saw a bunch of whales here.  Thomas says he saw a group of dolphins here too.  I am bummed I missed that.

We stopped at Cape Foulweather.  This is one of the prettiest views you will ever see.

More Cape Foulweather.

Thomas at Cape Foulweather.

Dallin at Cape Foulweather.

I think I took this picture at Devil's Punch bowl on the Otter Crest Loop.

All of us at Yaquina Head lighthouse.

One of the views from the lighthouse stop.

A final look at the beautiful Yaquina Head lighthouse.

We said goodbye to day one with a gorgeous sunset.  It was a fabulous day!!

Week 3

Week Three of construction on the house was so boring that I don't even have any pictures to share.  They just grouted the stemwall and it was inspected.

I will leave you with a few pictures of the highlight of the week, which was Thomas's third grade spring sing.  They did a great job!

They sang a bunch of awesome songs.

They had some bagpipers come and play - which made Jeremy's whole month!!

Thomas did a great job!!

Week 2 Progress

This is the progress made at the lot this week.

This is how things looked on Tuesday night.  The footings had been poured and the stemwall had been started.

Another shot of things on Tuesday.

This is how things looked tonight.  The stemwalls are almost complete.  We will be ready to prepare it for the slab next week.  

I am sooo excited that things are finally progressing.  Every time I look at this, I can't believe that all those rooms are going to fit within these walls.  I have been told that this is totally normal, and most people have the same problem when looking at the footprint of their house before walls are up.  The concrete contractor and the plumber have both mentioned how big the house is several times.  They see this stuff all the time, so I guess I will trust them.  (The house is a good size - but not a mansion.  Just big enough for a family of seven)

And finally - just in case you are interested - - See that cute duplex in the background of the last picture?  That is the rental property that we own and where we are currently living.  Our entire family of seven is living in one side. Yup.  It is pretty squishy. We have two sets of sister missionaries in the other side, so at least we have good neighbors. :)

Picture Dump

Just popping in to share a few pictures from the last week.

Tad insisted that I take a picture of him and his friends.

Jack had his class program and it was very well done.

Plus he looked totally cute!!

We are on day three of excavation.  The first day they just scraped off some grass and then it got so windy, rainy, and cold that they left.  The second day they measured, measured, measured. Today they spent the day digging trenches and doing more measuring.  It doesn't look like much, but this is a beautiful sight to me.  Finally - we have started!!!

The Lot

After a bunch of unforeseen delays, it looks like we are finally going to break ground on our new house.  It should happen next week, or the week after next at the very latest.

I want to document the build as well as I can, for my own family's memories and records, but I also thought that some of my friends and family that live far away would be interested in the progress.  So - - I am planning to post regular updates on the blog.  Starting with a rather boring picture today of the lot that will soon become the site of our home.

The horses will be fenced out, of course, so you probably won't see them again.

We are soooooo looking forward to finally getting started.  Now, we are just praying that something else doesn't come up to delay us again.  Our fingers (and toes) are crossed!!

A Completely Random Post

Just putting up a couple of pictures of some of the snow we received a few weeks ago.

The view from the backyard

Thomas playing out front.

See - just because I live in Arizona, I do not get to enjoy year round warmth.  (I probably shouldn't mention that all this snow is now gone and our temperatures have been in the 70's all week.)

I finally took the pictures off my phone and found one that I thought I should post.

Dallin was a finalist in his school's spelling bee and got to go to the District competition.  That is pretty good for a kid that did not even study one word.  In fact, he didn't even tell me that he had made it to the school spelling bee.  I wouldn't have known except they had to postpone it for a day since we had a snow delay.  The school called to let us know that it had been moved to the next day.  Dallin is pretty low-key, and just doesn't need to toot his own horn.  I love that about him.  He is good at almost everything, but you would never know it to talk to him.  He is one of those lucky few that just has a quiet confidence.

I also found a couple of videos on my phone (really poor quality) from our trip to Disneyland several months ago.  As I watched them, they actually made me tear up a little.  They are a couple little snippets from the parade and of Drake waving at all the Disney characters.  These parades are really well done and Drake loved them.  While I was there obviously I thought it was so cute that Drake was waving at all the characters, that is why I filmed it.  But something about watching it after the fact when all the stress about money and crowds and keeping track of five kids in Disneyland is gone, I was just so glad that we provided him that experience.  Disneyland was just magic for him.  I think that five is the perfect age for kids to experience Disneyland for the first time.  So, I am including the video so you can see what I mean - just try to ignore my poor little phone's really bad video capabilities.

I have had several random posts on this blog through the years, but I think this one just may take the cake!

Thomas is Nine!!

Thomas had his ninth birthday a few days ago.  This kid is growing up way too fast.  Sometimes I can't believe that my sweet little Thomas is no longer so little.

Thomas is my reader.  When I was young, my mom would often come into my room when everyone else was asleep and find me reading a book.  She would get after me and tell me to put the book away and go to sleep.  Now, I often find Thomas doing the same thing.  It warms my heart that he loves books and reading like I do.

Thomas is a good student and he is dedicated to school.  I don't think I have ever had to push him out the door to go to school.  In fact, one day he was sick and throwing up.  I told him he had to stay home and he was mad at me.  The kid loves to go to school.

Thomas has a lot of friends, and they are good boys.  I am so grateful that he has made such good choices in his friends.

Thomas loves to laugh and can always be counted on for a joke or a funny story.  (At least they are funny to him and his brothers - I am not always a fan of the boy humor.)

I love my Thomas and I am so grateful that our family was blessed with him.  Happy Birthday Tom!!