Frozen falls...

I have been loving this sunny weather... quite a change from the snow of two weeks ago...

I was on a walk in the Murray Hills area the other day, and it was so beautiful, I decided I wanted to go hike at Multnomah Falls this weekend. We ended up driving out with Dorsey and Charles on Saturday, with a picnic packed, to do some hiking. The wind was blowing so hard that our little car was being pushed around on the road.I guess that should have been our first indication of how cold it was going to be up there. Well, we toughed it out, and even though it was chilly in the wind, the hike was great. It was fun to see the frozen edges of the waterfall - it looked almost like Alaskan glaciers. We didn't spend a lot of time at the top, just enough to look over the edge and take a few pictures, before headed back down to find food and warmth.

We sat in the parking lot and enjoyed an in-the-car picnic before heading home. We crashed at my folk's house for the rest of the afternoon - taking turns in front of the space heater to defrost our noses and ears. My face is still a little red from the wind, but it was well worth it!

Thanks Hannah! The pics are adorable. I'll be sure to post pictures of myself (once we have some and I am showing a little more than now).

The world's longest beach...

This weekend I went to the beach with some of the old "Hancock Street House" girls. We stayed at Shannon's in-law's house in Long Beach, Washington. It was a much needed, relaxing weekend. We played Dr. Mario all afternoon on Saturday, but did manage to squeeze in a quick photo shoot on the beach just before sunset. It was beautiful at the beach this weekend, so we were glad to spend some time outside. Not only was this Sydney's first girl's weekend, it was also her first time at the beach!

One of the highlights of the evening was Tori playing peek-a-boo with Syd. She didn't seem to get tired of the game, and would giggle every time. It was so cute!

It was a quick trip, but a much needed day away with friends. I had so much fun spending time with the girls just sitting, talking, and laughing until I cried. I came home rejuvenated (I know, that sounds cheesy, but it is true), and all ready looking forward to our next weekend get-away!

I can't forget to mention the amazing breakfast we had at Camp 18 in Elsie, Oregon on our way home from the coast. Shanon took a picture of the cinnamon roll I ordered - thank goodness the rest of them helped me eat this.

Thanks Shannon, for the great pictures and for arranging the trip. It was a blast!

A plea to a friend...

Dear Hannah N,

We (well, Shannon and I) believe that it is vital that you post pictures of yourself on your blog so that we, and the rest of the world, can see how cute you look pregnant. We check every day hoping that there are new pictures of you, and are sad to only find the pictures of baby stuff. Please, please, please put up just one picture...

Thanks!

Your friends,
Hannah (& Shannon too)

One down, two to go...

Well, today I officially enter the second trimester of my pregnancy! I was hoping that I would wake up today and somehow the morning sickness would magically be gone... maybe tomorrow. And whoever decided to call it "morning sickness" is seriously mistaken. If I was in charge, I would call it "all-day sickness."

Other than the nausea, fatigue, and strange abdominal pains, I would say being pregnant is fairly pleasant. Granted, I am not working and have the luxury of just laying around when I don't feel good. I might not feel the same way if I was barfing at the office all day long.

I have known I am pregnant for 2 and 1/2 months, and it is still hard for me to fathom that there is a person living inside of me that is as big as an apple. (It is no wonder my pants don't fit anymore.) Yep, I am showing... well, I can tell, but not really enough that strangers would know. They would probably just think "man, that girl should really lay off the oreos."

I don't want to be one of those pregnant people that does nothing but talk about being pregnant, but I wanted to give a quick update. So far all looks good. I have another appointment in two weeks. Can't wait to hear that little heart beat again!

Life in a snow globe...

Well, living in Oregon doesn't often give you weather like we have had for the past few weeks. On the 11th we woke up to a dusting of snow all over the neighborhood, nothing much, just an inch or so. The strange part was that it has been so cold for the past two weeks, that the snow never went away.

On Tuesday we again woke up to snow, but this time there was a lot of it (by our "normal" standards anyway). There were 4 or so inches all around, so places had a little more. We were definitely snowed in, but didn't really care. Merrick took two days to work from home, and we had a good time watching movies, playing games, and just hanging out.

The saddest part of my day was when we decided to go for a walk... I dug out my ski pants to bundle up... and they would snap over my big pregnant belly.

Now the snow is melting and the rain is back. The good news is that it is now safe to travel and I get to go to the beach with some college roommates this weekend!