The fair, part three...

From July 31:
We ended up taking three trips to our little Washington County fair this year. I guess that's one advantage of living three miles from the fair grounds. And, when the entrance is free for everyone, it doesn't matter if you only spend a few minutes wandering around before heading home.

On Friday night we met the Diefenbaughs there. Since it was our third trip, we didn't spend a lot of time dinking around the barns or the booths, but it was fun to see a little of everything again.
The sheriffs had the real motorcycle out. On Thursday there was a life size cutout, but you couldn't sit on that and turn the lights on and off.

On the way to the fairgrounds Gracie was saying "go piggies, go!" So, we had to sit and watch the racing pigs again.
Here they are in the starting area.
And they're off!
Watching intently (check out the Sheriff tat that she's sporting).
"My piggy won!"

We then headed over to the carnival area to check out the rides and games. The Dief kids each got to ride on one ride. I think that might have been their highlight of the evening. Since I had just taken Gracie to Oaks Park, we decided that she would sit this round out. She would point and say "I ride that one." But when we told her no, she did okay. On the way home she talked about getting to go back to Oaks Park, so we'll do that in the next few weeks before their summer promotion ends.
Kyler chose the roller coaster.
Ella and Brennan rode the spinning space ships.

It was a fun, free night out. The best part... when we got home, Gracie slept like a rock!

The fair...

From July 30:

On Thursday we met friends at the Washington County Fair. Well, actually we met for breakfast at IHOP before hitting the fair. The weather was a little cooler. I think the high was only 100, but there were some clouds in the sky, and a lot of the fair is undercover or in the shade, so we were able to stay pretty cool.
The first barn was the bunnies, guinea pigs, chickens, ducks and other birds. Gracie loved the ducks.
We met a very friendly lady who was bringing her horse, Danny, out and let us all pet her.
The little silver cow named "Periwinkle." She was so soft.
Grace, Sophia, Hailey & Caden nose-to-nose with a pig.
Watching a sheep show.
The goat barn was another favorite. Gracie leaned close to a little white one who stuck its nose out and kissed her. It was cute, but I don't think any of our cameras were fast enough to catch it.
Another horse that came over for a visit.
Hannah and Grace together - the horses and us. Too funny. These horses are some of my favorites from each year... probably because they are named after us. =) Here's a quick look back at Grace at the fair.

July 2007 - one month old.

July 2008 - 13 months old.

July 2009 - 2 years old.

Preschool days...

From July 28:
On Tuesday we braved the heat (it was almost 90 by 9:00 that morning) and met some friends from my Bible study at Oaks Park. It has been years since I have been down there, and I'm pretty sure nothing has changed. When I told her than we were going to get to go on rides Gracie was thrilled. She has no fear and loves all things amusement park related. Throughout the summer Oaks Park has preschool days on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. For $6 kids under six can ride all the rides they want and the adults with them are free.
We started our morning on the barf-o-wheel... I mean tilt-a-whirl. My motion sickness was only worsened by the fact that some poor child panicked half way through the ride so they operator shut it off, let the girl (who was way older than the kids I was with) off the ride, and then redid our whole ride. Needless to say, I didn't ride that one again.
It has been a while since we've seen Sophia and Shannon, but these two, being such good buddies, had a great day together.
Gracie loves carousels of all sizes and speeds.
Riding in the front of the car on the Lewis and Clark ride.
By our third ride of the morning (about 20 minutes after we had gotten there) all of the kids were dripping with sweat. I don't think I've ever seen kids drip like they were. It was scorching hot!
The purple sparkly car was a big hit for these two.
Gracie took the driving very seriously... Sophia was practicing for when she becomes a parade princess.
This might have been my favorite to send the girls on. They looked so tiny getting on, and their eyes got so big when they shot up to the top of the ride, but they were both so brave.
They were too little to even see over the safety bar.

Charlie was sweet enough to take our girls on a few other rides that would have made Shannon and me sick. Gracie loved the roller coaster, and would have done that one over and over again, but we were running out of time. So many of the rides were little ones that the girls could do alone so Shannon and I got to take pictures and have fun watching them. This was such a great way to spend the morning and for only $6, we will definitely do this again before summer is over.

Before heading home we spent some time in the misting sprinklers to cool off. Not sure where the dirt came from, but Gracie was wet and dirty by the time we left. At least she was a little cooler.

Grace and I spent the rest of the afternoon at my parent's house finishing up some sewing projects, resting, and soaking in the pool. I can't believe the heat wave we are having - I think it topped off around 106 today. I'm looking forward to a cool off this weekend!

At the river...

From July 26:

On Sunday we met Forrest, Amy and Ephraim at Barb's house on the Willamette River. She is always so gracious opening her home to us when her kids are in town... and it is a great place to spend time (especially on these 100+ degree days).
Swimming in the river with daddy. I was in too, but got out to snap some pictures.

Ephraim loved the water. If Amy got in without him, he'd grunt and reach for her until someone would lower him in.
The kiddos with mouths stuffed full of pretzels.

Gracie's little yellow life jacket is the best $20 we've spent. They carry them at Costco every summer, and it is perfect for the afternoons we've spent on Barb's dock. She was able to use it all last summer, and quite a few times this summer already. There is an unwritten rule that when the kids are on the dock they have to keep those on. It's crazy to think that next year we will have a different child in that little yellow jacket (and we'll have to buy Gracie a new one!).
In the kayak with daddy. When Merrick asked if she wanted to be in the boat or go back to the dock she said "in the boat... that one!" and pointed to the big ski boat. Amy's brother, Ryan, obliged and took us out on a quick tour of the river. The neatest part of the ride was right about the point we were getting ready to turn around and head home a bald eagle swooped over the river and back up into some nearby trees. Gracie saw the whole thing, and as we sat and watched, she was pointing straight to the bird hidden among the bare branches. I was so excited for her to witness such a cool thing.

Thanks Forbes and Arnolds for always including us in the fun. We had a great time and can't wait to do it again!

For aunt Laurie...

Once again I've been slacking on the blog front. I don't even know why I say that every time, because you all know it. We have had a couple crazy weeks, so I have lots to catch up on. A trip to the children's museum, a last minute trip to Dallas to see my grandpa, lots more berry picking (and the best berry cobbler recipe ever!), Craig's been doing some more projects for us, Gracie is almost potty trained! I haven't been good about taking pictures lately, but I have a few to share, so hopefully I'll get that going soon.

For now, he are some belly pics and a baby update:
*You should be able to click on the picture to enlarge it.
I think I had mentioned a while back that this baby doesn't seem to move as much as Gracie did. Well, when I was sitting around in Texas for four days this baby moved the ENTIRE time. So, now I know that this baby does move all day long, but I'm too busy chasing Grace to notice. Baby has a pretty normal schedule already - movement around 6 am, 9 am, 2 pm, 6 pm, and 10 pm. It is strong enough now that I can see it moving under my clothing. That's just a little creepy. Baby also has a little stage fright - if Merrick gets too close while it is dancing, movement will stop immediately. It is amazing.

We had an appointment with my midwife today and all looks good. My only complaint is sciatic nerve pain. Sitting on the floor is really comfortable for me, but sometimes it takes me three or four minutes to get up off the floor. This is a totally normal, and completely annoying part of pregnancy. So Helen is sending me off to physical therapy to see if that will help at all. Some people also find relief from a chiropractor, but we'll see if I end up needing to go that route or not. I had this pain with Gracie too, but it either wasn't this bad, or didn't matter because I didn't have a reason to move quickly. Now, I have a 2-year-old who spends her days doing things that require quick mommy reactions... spilling the water color water all over herself, trying to empty the pee from her little potty herself, etc.

As far as baby goes Helen said, "everything is boring and perfect." I think that was a compliment. My belly growth (well, uterus growth) is right on track for my due date. Baby seems happy and healthy and we know he/she is getting stronger every day. Today the heart rate was a little faster, but still just about the same as what Gracie's was the whole time.

Questions we've been getting lately:

1. Are you both on board with not finding out the sex? Absolutely! If we weren't, I think the "weak" one would have changed the other one's mind. There are times that I really wish we knew (like when we are searching baby name books), but for the most part the unknown is really exciting.

2. Names? Nope, still nothing. We've talked about it a little, but nothing really serious. We are still open for suggestions.

One of those days...

From July 22:
Today was just one of those days. It started off perfectly good - in fact, I was excited for the day. We finally decided on a color and Craig came over and started painting the baby room! I was getting little things done around the house and trying my hardest to keep Gracie downstairs and out of Craig's way. Because of these limitations I was putting on her, she quickly became naughty and her I'm-going-to-do-what-I-want no-matter-what-you-say personality started peeking its ugly head out. After lunch I realized that I desperately needed a nap. Since the upstairs smelled like paint, and since she can open all the doors in the house, I didn't want her in her room where she could have escaped to do damage in the baby room. So, we brought down the little mattress and set her up in the office. Three hours into my attempt to make her sleep, after trying all the tricks I have, and bursting into tears saying, "please sleep, mommy really needs a nap," I finally heard quiet. I came into the office to find this...
The only problem is that she fell asleep late enough that there was no chance of me getting a nap too. When she woke up, happy as can be, she came to me and very sweetly asked, "you have a good sleep too, mommy?" Maybe my tearful plea is what finally convinced her to sleep. Whatever it was, I was glad to have a well rested, pleasant two-year-old for the rest of the afternoon. Boy, what a difference sleep makes.

Drive to Jesus...

From July 18:

In the days since I came home from Texas Gracie and I have had some cute conversations about her "big papa," Jesus, and Heaven. She has unwillingly brought laughter and tears - usually simultaneously.

So, here are my latest "what Gracie said" stories...

The day that grandpa passed away, I sat down with her and was trying to explain (in two-year-old language) that pretty soon big papa was going to go live with Jesus. She thought for a minute and then said, "probably we drive to Texas and see Jesus." Logically if big papa lives in Texas, and now he was going to live with Jesus, I guess that means that Jesus must live in Texas. We read her Bible every night and talk about Jesus, but apparently she hasn't picked up the small details such as Jesus is living in Heaven. We'll work on that.

The day after grandpa died Gracie was playing with a calculator and pretending it was a phone. I didn't catch all of the conversation, but I did pick up the fact that she was talking to big papa and then would say "hi Jesus." She handed the calculator to me and said, "it's grandpa." I asked which one and she said, "big papa with Jesus."

The night before grandpa's service we were laying in bed together and I asked Gracie what she wanted to pray for and she said big papa. Every night for the past three months we've been praying for him, so I don't expect this to just go away, but I tried to explain that we didn't need to pray for him because Jesus took him to Heaven and he is all better now. She thought for a second and then asked, "big papa singing?" Yeah baby, I bet that's exactly what he's doing.

That same night, as she was praying I heard, "Dear Jesus, thank you for day, NOT for big papa." I guess when I told her that she didn't need to pray for him I forgot to mention that we also didn't need to anti-pray for him.

So, for me this period of grief has been easier than some because looking at life and death through the eyes of a two-year-old is pretty great. I know she doesn't understand what it all means, and though she knows who her great-grandpa was, she won't remember the few days that they were able to spend together. For me, that is the hardest part.

Texas, family and farewells...

From July 10-14:

A few memories from my time in Texas. These days were long and draining. Full of tears, but also full of laughter. It was wonderful to reconnect with family and friends, and to be repeatedly reminded at just how lucky grandpa was for finding such a wonderful family to marry into. We will be forever linked with them... my "Texas family."

Friday

Most of Friday was spent traveling... or that's what it felt like at least. My flight left Portland at 5:20 am. I checked in, got through security, walked to my gate and walked on the airplane. I didn't have to wait anywhere. The flights (from Portland to Phoenix and then on to Dallas) were uneventful. I tried to sleep, but was a bit too anxious. When I landed in Phoenix at 7:30 it was already 107 degrees there. Dallas wasn't really any better... just more humid.

My flight into Dallas was a bit early, so I had some time to kill in the rental car terminal while waiting for dad and Craig. When they showed up, we hopped in our car and drove straight toward Sherman (about 75 miles north of Dallas). We stopped for food on the way, but we really just wanted to get to the hospital as fast as possible, so we just ate our burgers in the car.

We were greeted at the hospital by grandpa's wife, Joan, and her son Charles. Since we were only there for a short period of time there were special orders given by the doctors to let us back to see grandpa whenever we got there. I think the initial shock of seeing him in the ICU covered with tubes, a mask, IV's, etc. was the hardest. He looked so small to me. So different than the last time I had seen him. He was still deep in a coma, but we stood around talking to him and letting him know we were there.

The rest of that evening was pretty uneventful. We were able to eat dinner with Lloyd and Kathy - another of Joan's sons and his wife. After checking back in to say goodnight to grandpa we found our hotel and got settled. We were all exhausted, so sleep came pretty easily.

Saturday

With nothing on our agenda other than waiting, we headed back to the hospital early. There was really no improvement in grandpa's condition other than the toxin levels continuing to drop. The hospital was pretty tiny, but the waiting room wasn't bad. There was a big TV (with cable), and room to fit our growing group. We read books and magazines, played cards, and danced. Yep, we danced. Not necessarily out of our own free will (me) but because Charles and Jamie are going on a cruise and needed the lessons from dad. Since I know the very basics, I got to be the partner.

Throughout the day more and more people came and went. Mostly family - Joan's kids, grand kids, and one of her great granddaughters. There were many friends and people from church coming and going. It was fun to see all of the people that loved my grandpa so dearly. To see how many people he had touched and connected with in the few years that he had lived in Texas.

We ate dinner that night all together - a big group of us at Cracker Barrel. We laughed a lot throughout the meal. It was extremely therapeutic.

The one totally random thing we did while we were there was a quick trip to Oklahoma. The three of us had never been, and we were only about 8 miles from the boarder. Our plan was to drive up, cross the line, and drive back. Pretty basic... until we saw signs for the Chocktaw reservation. You see my grandma (Dad's mom) was from Oklahoma and her dad was Chocktaw. These are our real roots. Well, the reservation was only another 15 miles further, so we kept on driving.

We drove around for a bit and then decided to head into the Chocktaw casino. I was shocked by the amount of smoke lingering in the air. You could literally see it. There was a non-smoking area outside where people could escape the clouds over their heads. Funny since we come from a state that is just the opposite.

Since we were there we thought it would be a good idea to play the slots. Well, we each had exactly one one-dollar bill. We sat down at the penny machines and played until it was gone. It was a good thing Craig was there to show us what we were doing.At one point Craig was up $0.25, but then he lost it all.

Since the smoke was so thick, we didn't stay long, but it was fun to explore our "roots."

Sunday

Just another day in the waiting room. Pretty much same story as Saturday as far as visitors and friends coming and going. There was some improvement with grandpa and he seemed to be sort of coming out of his deep coma. He was still mostly asleep, but would open his eyes when spoken to and even started nodding in response to some questions. He still looked very sick, but it was nice to feel like our voices were being recognized and maybe, just maybe, he would wake up and remember us being there.

As the day wore on the realization of needing to say goodbye became more and more daunting. We had to go home the next day, and this time we were really saying "goodbye" not "see you next time." Though it will not be in this life, there is comfort knowing that I will see my grandpa again when we get to Heaven.

That afternoon my dad's aunt Laurie and her daughters arrived. We were able to spend some time with them, eating dinner together and catching up on our lives. It has been years since I've seen them, and so much has changed since that time.

Monday

It worked out so the last visiting hours were right before it was time for us to head back to the airport. We were able to go back and see him one last time and say goodbye. That wasn't the easiest thing I've ever done. Though he mostly seemed to be asleep, he opened his eyes when we said "I love you" to him. For some reason it was extremely comforting for me that he knew we had been there.

We then had to say goodbye to our Texas family... and most of them were there. There were lots of hugs, and tears, and "see you soons." As hard as it was to walk away from grandpa, I felt so much peace knowing that he was surrounded by really good people who would take care of him until the end.

We left the little hospital in Sherman, TX and drove straight back to the airport. There wasn't any traffic and the trip went quickly. Since we were on different flights, we had to go through the ticketing and security areas in different parts of the airport. We met up again and ate lunch before dad and Craig had to get on their plane. Since their tickets were bought with FF miles, they had to go to Salt Lake, then to San Francisco where they would spend the night before making it to Portland on Tuesday morning. I had the route on the way home... Dallas to Phoenix to Portland. After they got on the plane, I had about an hour to kill, so I shopped for a souvenir for Gracie and got some frozen yogurt. My flights were smooth and felt quick. I landed in Portland a little early and was on the curb waiting as Merrick and Gracie drove up to get me. It was so great to be home with them. I think since the nature of this trip was so different than others, I missed them extra. I couldn't help myself and had to wake Gracie up once I was in the car. She was a little confused, but seemed happy to see me and was very happy to have the little long horned cow I had gotten for her.

By the time we pulled into our driveway I had been awake for over 21 hours. The time change on the way home is a killer. It was great to be home, and I slept like a rock all night long.

Tuesday

Dad and Craig made it home by 8:30 am, and immediately dad was on the phone with the family in Texas. There was no significant improvement with Grandpa and the decision was made to ease him off the medication and let him go home to Jesus. We began praying that he would remain comfortable, and go quickly. From the sound of things, his afternoon was peaceful and the majority of the family was near by. Sometime around six that evening the call came that grandpa was gone. I think my prayers from the entire weekend had been answered. I was able to go and say goodbye. He knew I had been there. He was never uncomfortable or in any sort of pain. And in the end, he went home quickly.

That night was rough, and there have been waves of sadness ever since, but for the most part we are rejoicing in the fact that 57 years ago he made the decision to follow God. We know that for the first time in a very long time grandpa is fully restored, fully healthy, and kneeling at the feet of our Heavenly Father.

Here are a few pictures I have on my computer of my grandpa...

At my first birthday party (August 1981).

In Vegas at the Venetian Hotel (March 2002) .

Grandpa and Joan at my wedding (October 2003).

Being introduced to Gracie for the first time (May 2008).

Same trip to Texas - the four generations outside grandpa's house (May 2008).

Our last visit with grandpa when he came to Oregon (August 2008).

Pickin' berries...

From July 14:

The day after I got home from Texas we met Shannon and Sophia for another adventure in berry picking. I didn't really "need" berries, but I did need to be out of the house doing something fun.
Gracie and Sophia hadn't seen each other in over a week, so it was fun to watch them interact. As always, they picked up right where they left off.
Neither of the girls were too interested in actually picking... maybe next year they will be better helpers. Sophia took about 100 pictures on Shannon's camera - mostly of the grass or Gracie's shoes, but she stayed happy the whole time we were out there.
Gracie ate, and ate, and ate, and ate... then inspected the damage.
I'm pretty sure that there is a picture of me at about this age looking about this berry-dirty.
Our loot. Yum! I made a fantastic berry cobbler (recipe below) and 4 pints of raspberry jam. I will be back soon to pick some more. The blackberries are fantastic right now!

"Mixed Fruit Cobbler"

- adapted from Cooking Light magazine

Ingredients

• FILLING:
• 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
• 4 cups blackberries
• 4 cups raspberries
• 1/2 - 1 cup sugar (depending on how sweet you like it)
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• Cooking spray
• 
  TOPPING: *Next time I think I'll double the topping, or halve the berry mixture.
• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
• 2/3 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 2 teaspoons sugar

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°.

To prepare filling, lightly spoon 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour into a dry measuring cup, and level with a knife. Combine 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour and the next 4 ingredients (1/4 cup whole-wheat flour through juice) in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Let stand 10 minutes.

To prepare topping, lightly spoon all-purpose flour and 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk, stirring just until moist. Drop dough onto fruit mixture to form 12 mounds; sprinkle with 2 teaspoons sugar.

Bake at 400° for 35 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.