.washington part two. priebe family arrive.chuck e cheese.

.i should be packing to head home tomorrow.

.but i am sick and tired of looking at 25+ pictures in my email to blog.

.so i figured i would crank out 2 blog posts and do the rest when i get home.

.so i had worked the whole last week at see's and seen some awesome people. sunday was a pretty chill day...my sister, natalie, drove up from coeur d'alene (YES i had to google how to spell that), anyways my sister came to visit for the week with her 2 boys. i had never met grayson and the last time i saw dax was almost a year ago.

.b and dax have had a blast. i am sorry in advance to jeff and natalie for my crazy-sassy-stink of a child for rubbing off on daxon. it was fun to see them interact. overall, they got along really well and would let each other know when they were sick of each other. daxon in a much nicer way then brooklynn.

.grayson is a tank. he is not fat, just SOLID. he is 8.5 months and parker turns one in a couple weeks (yes, i just wrote that, i am in complete shock, more than i was when b turned one). anyways he is as tall as parker, and weighs much more than parker. i guess thats what happens when you marry i guy who is 6'7" (yes, natalies hubby is that tall).

.daxson is hilarious. he is SUCH a boy and has SO much energy, but also is VERY VERY VERY smart. he is a singer. he sings the song "some nights" by fun...and its hilarious. he facial expressions and he just breaks out in dance. he can hold a conversation and understand what your saying and discipline. he makes me anxious for b is turn 3 and hopefully get out of her "attitude funk" and also start communicating more.

.well, we have had a blast with these guys. its fun to watch the kids, as well as natalie and i and how different we parent. i think we are both ready to get home to our hubbies however. its been a great trip, and we are thankful natalie would drive to come see us. 

.so when the cousins first met each other it was hilarious. b would follow dax around like a puppy dog and they were best friends (day one..as the days moved on, they were still best friends but fought more too). anyways. i have pictures and videos of the first half of the adventures with these guys. we went to the outlet malls in troutdale, we went to chuck e cheese. we hung out at home and let them play (it rained like every day we have been here except maybe 2). chuck e cheese we got 100 tokens and just played. the kids ran out of energy about half way through. so we played too. it was TONS of fun to shoot hoops, throw footballs/baseballs and play the kids games to score a bunch of tickets too.

.so here are pictures from half of our adventures. i would write more, but i REALLY need to go pack, run errands, see friends, and get to bed at a decent hour to wake up and get out the door and head to the airport by 5:30am tomorrow morning.

 .b got ahold of gma's reading classes...what a crack up.

 .all the kids fell alseep in the car...this is dax drooling.

 .parker boy.

 .parker and grayson playing.

 .b and those glasses.

 .another trip and parker sleeping.

 .b girl.

 .grayson and parker meeting for the first time.

 .daxson.

 .all this playing wears a girl out.

 .b girl.

 .how quickly she can change.

 .gma and parker.(my mom looks AWESOME for her age)

 .the boys playing.

 .b sleeping.

.grayson fell alseep like this.

 .the princess and prince.

 .parker boy.

 .grayson.

 .grayson.

 .the first evening together...adorable.

.dax and b playing.

VIDEOS:

.b and dax dancing.
(this is the first evening together, dax had his church shirt off and b INSISTED she have her shirt off too.

.dax at chuck e cheese.

.gma at chuck e cheese.

.dax singing some nights.

i think the band fun has a new singer in their future.

more blog posts to come!!!

.wa part one.

.my goodness I have a lot to catch up on. 

.my washington trip is only 1 more day. CraZy. 

.so I'm going to do my best in not writing too much, but I also have to make sure I write enough for me to remember. 

.so continue reading, or scroll to the pictures. 

.the plane ride was great. I was shocked to be honest. We looked like a circus act coming into the airport. We had 3 suitcases, 2 duffel bags,  2 cars eats, 2 carry ons, 2 kids and 2 of us. We made it...barely. We told Andrew goodbye and he left an hour earlier than us for Texas and we ran the halls of the airport and watched the airplanes land and take off for an hour. The flight was completely loaded. Not one seat empty greeeeaaatttt. So I sat us in the back of the plane. A few rows up from the very very back but still close enough to bathrooms and flight attendants in case we had a breakdown again. Parker sat in his carseat by the window, and me and Brooklynn in the middle. Next to us sat down a sweet little old lady, who quickly pulled out he general conference ensign (church magazine)...I knew we were golden :)

.the first week I worked at sees about 25 hours. No I did not HAVE to, I wanted to. I have been having a hard time feeling self worth lately,sure a stay at home mom is hard, but I was lacking still with the whole self worth issue. Anyways.....I needed a bit of a break from my kids, and being able to keep all the money I earned was a little nice too :) after working those 25 hours I cried on my drive home. I felt horrible leaving my kids, and can't imagine having to ever leave them at daycare. I understand some situations you have to do so...and that's fine,I am not judging, but for me...I felt like a horrible mother. So fulfilling my self worth through working was not the solution. But I did enjoy working at sees and eating samples in the back :)

.b is learning that gpa McDonald teases to show he loves you. It's just what he does. Some days she will take it like a champ, other days...she cries. But Parker...he loves it. He laughs and laughs and thinks its the best thing ever.....and gpa McDonald thinks so too. They are buddies and its quite fun to watch. 

.i did get to sneak over and see Chelsie and meet chase however. Ad my goodness is he a cute kid. My kids ran around acting like wild animals that should of been on a leash. I also made my way over to my gloom friend Megan's house and enjoyed seeing her cute little family and our old old old friend crysta and her adorable little girl. I failed to get pictures, and regret that!

.while we are on the topic of regret, I also saw Tammy Schwanz, Trevor and Megan all at lunch, and AGAIN forgot to take pictures. My kids again were crazy everywhere and I was so embarrassed. 

.i snuck over and saw my Kirby family. I LOVE this family and enjoy spending time with them every time we get together. It's crazy that it has been over 3 years since I was their nanny....and how big h and k are. B fell in LOVE with holly....and the dog. H was amazing with b and followed her around and even took b outside to swing. Soon, we look outside and h had b all bundled up in a jacket she use to wear. It was adorable. At one point she brought Parker out too. I laughed when. Peeked outside to see Parker sitting on a chair watching h push b. adorable. I will have to steal the pictures Tammy took on her camera and out it on my Washington roundup post of everything I forgot :).

.anyways,  here are picture of this part of the trip. I have about 4-5 more to write and post pictures. But this will make my friends and family happy for now.

.these are not in any organized order....i dont feel like ME, MYSELF is in any organized order lately.

 .parker boy playing.

 .this girl has it figured out. holding one, pushing another.

 .tammy with parker.

 .the first couple of nights without daddy, b held onto her baby doll and cuddled it.

 .first day of 16 without daddy.

 .day1 of 16 without daddy.

 .all bundled up swinging in the rain...got to love pnw....love her blue eyes.

 .just swinging in the rain.

 .holly girl pushing b.

 .this picture makes me laugh out loud. not only because parker is checking us out over his chair, but how he is sitting so still and actually staying on the chair watching h push b.

 .can you tell how THRILLED she was to take this picture. she sure missed daddy.

 .oh, just rocking on a horse watching a movie with gpa.

 .another cuddling with her baby....she is going to be SO thrilled to see daddy tomorrow.

VIDEO:
gpa vs brooklynn
(when i took this video they had already been going at it for about 20 minutes)

.see ya in two.

.today we dropped off elder Westensee.

.or better known as uncle Evan.

.it was a hard day. I didn't cry like I thought I would, but I did get choked up and my eyes watered.

.its hard for someone you love so dearly, leave. Believe me. It's hard to say goodbye after vacation, stil for me. Just because you know the next time you see them won't be for a while. I go through this everytime saying bye to my family, especially when we moved to Texas.

.but this is Evan. Uncle Evan.

.evan who b grew so fond of and so close to while we lived to Rexburg. He watched Brooklynn more times than my sister that semester. B has such a love for her uncle Evan, and having to tell her, "give Evan a big hug and say goodbye cause he's going on a mission for two years" is hard knowing she is going to continually ask about him and "where'd Evan go"

(I am totally crying writing this)

.all morning b followed Evan around. And I am so grateful he let her. He hugged her, carried her, made her laugh and just cherished the morning with her. It was adorable and something I will always be grateful for Evan to take the time and do with his little side kick.

.we headed down to Provo to have pizza pie cafe as a family lunch before dropping Evan off. Than headed off to the mtc to send off our elder. We literally dropped him off at the curb. I do like the system more than going inside and making it total formal, but I also felt very rushed. But we got pictures and hugs.

As we were walking up to Evan from our car a lump formed in my throat, and my eyes filled with tears as b yelled, "bye Evan! Bye Evan" and reaching out for him to get a hug. I was so emotional and honored to be there to send off such an awesome young man. Although we miss him already we know the people in Argentina will be blessed by Elder Westensee.

.see ya in two Evan. I can't wait to see brooklynns reaction to have her buddy back!

.utah trip part three-aunt Ronnie's house.

.i already wrote about part of our adventures with Ronnie in Utah part two... But here is a little summary and than some, with pictures!

.thursday Ronnie and I ran a few errands here in town, and hit up in and out for lunch. Ronnie than headed to Parker's doctors apt with me and dealt with b while I dealt with p. She than so kindly watched my kids at Debbie's house while  Andrew and I headed to Verizon. Once we got back I packed up the car, loaded the kids up, and we headed to Ronnie's house to stay until Saturday evening. 

.we let the kids play and unwind until Bre got there from Rexburg. Than we headed over to Zupas to meet my aunt up for dinner. It was great food, with great company and just a great time. It was great to catch up with everyone... And a nuts about berries salad may have been a highlight too :) 

.we headed home to quickly change and leave again. At this point I realize I forgot my balk shoes at Andrews parents house and call him and beg him to meet up with me to grab them. Debbie and him so kindly met us along the way. We headed off to slc to play ball. Luckily this nice couple dealt with my kids on the stage do I could play. Dare devil b tried many times to jump off the stage as well as run onto the court. Cry baby Parker cried in the pack and play and wanted to be held the entire time. It was hard but worth it to get a chance to play basketball, let alone with both of my sisters. We got home late.

.friday- we got up, had breakfast, got ready and headed off to run errands. I'm going to list a few of my favorite things that happened this day while running errands... Hilarious. 

.we went to the distribution center to get garments... The sweet ladies were busy measuring other people and so we decided to measure each other. We were suppose to measure our hips and waist, we did so and we fell under the 32A sizing (it was new sizing). I figured I would buy one and we could try it on. I stood in line to purchase them and when I got to the counter the lady said this, "umm did you get measured? Me:"we measured ourselves" and you were a 32?" Me:"yes"  "are you sure? This is a 32 WAIST" me: "yea, I know" (looking at me up and down) "okay, most people don't go THIS small" .... Ahh, okay so now your calling me faT. We headed off to the fitting room and tried it on. Hilarious. It was a little snug, but I still fit in it... Take that lady!

.we decided before we purchased more we would properly get measured. The lady measures our waist, and than measures our "hips" (around your butt).. As she is measuring my sister, and moves the tape measure around my sisters butt, we all immediately start to laugh. She looks at us weird and I said, "we'll if that's where your suppose to measure her hip than that explains why the 32 was snug, measuring around her butt instantly adds 3 sizes." We all laughed. We may have been 2 sizes wrong from a 32. Lol

.while we were all getting measured, Bre took b to get a balloon from the front counter. She comes in screaming with excitement as she is chasing her balloon. At this point everyone is watching her because she comes in screaming with excitement and its a quiet environment. I quickly "shhhh" at her and she chases her balloon and "pop!" Brooklynns face was priceless as a confused look takes over as she wonders what just happened. Lol. The balloon lasted 45 seconds... World record for sure. 

.bre and Ronnie may have to comment if they think of more. It's 6am and I have been up for an hour already cause I can't skeep. We headed back to Ronnie's house and hung out until Andrew came and picked me up. I hear that b got to go to the park, go to sees candies and get chocolate. Stay up until 11:30 and learned how to "peacock" someone. 

. B fell asleep with aunt cheesy sunglasses on. 

.b spotted this dog 100 feet away in the store. As it was wagging its ears I laughed at how much b's hair matched the dogs ears. 

.can you see it?!

 

.utah part two-getaway.

Andrew and I needed a getaway before we are separated for 2.5 weeks. So I set up for my sister to watch the kids overnight, and for us to get dinner and head up to my aunts cabin up by park city. Andrew had NO clue. 

Thursday- My sister headed over to pick me and the kids up. We stuck around Herriman because Parker had ANOTHER doctors apt at 1. Tuesday and Wednesday he ate nothing (not like Parker) and what he did eat (bottle) he threw up. It was awful. Poor baby didnt know what we happening. I still dont lniw what he had, because non of us got it. his poor rash is STILL there (poor kid) but looking TONS better than it did). 

After the doc apt Andrew and I headed to verizon to put me on his parents plan and take over Evan's line. He spoiled me with an iphone. I guess this makes me part of the cool club now?!

I stayed at my sisters house with the kids and my little sister drove up from Rexburg. We went to dinner at one of my favorite places ever zupas with my aunt Nae. It was great to catch up and eat great food. Afterwards, my sisters and I headed up to basketball. It was a blast. We got home late, and went to bed late. 

Friday- we planned to run errands and than I was going to tell Andrew to come get me so we could go to "the temple." Little did he know I had an overnight bag packed and other plans for us. Than I got the dreaded text from Andrew "I'm awake and feel like death." Gggggrrrrrreeeeeeaaaaatttt!! So I ran errands with my sister and told Andrew if he was still feeling up for it, than I was up for going to dinner.  He agreed, and picked me up around 5:45.

Off we headed to dinner. And than up to my aunts cabin. We stopped at Walmart to grab a few snacks and breakfast for the morning. We arrived to my aunts cabin and turned on a movie and ate dessert. I turned on the movie "up" because we attempted to watch it on the plane ride to our honeymoon and failed.

4am rolls around and Andrew sits up in bed whining and complaining that he feels like he is getting stabbed in the ear. I was about ready to take him in right than because he had already been tossing and turning all night long. Luckily, 3 ibprophen did the trick and took the pain off allowing him to sleep. We slept till 830 than got up, showered, ate breakfast, cleaned up and headed back down the canyon. 

Andrew headed to his parents cabin with Debbie and Roger and Ty and I headed back to Ronnies.

.this is the only picture I got. But this was our view from the loft at my aunts cabin. It was beautiful to wake up surrounded by nature. This is the kitchen and family room (part of it). It was so nice to getaway, even if it was only for 16 hours or so.