oregon...days 3 & 4

Saturday morning we got ready and went to get gas before heading to the outlet mall to go shopping.

The boys thought it was completely crazy (and weird) that we couldn't pump our own gas.

The outlet mall was fun.  The boys were troopers, and we got a lot done. 

We hung out at the hotel while we waited for my sisters and their kids to arrive.  Once they did, we headed out to the pool for a couple of hours.  We were the only ones out there, and the kids had a great time doing cannon balls, playing zombie games, and swimming.

Then, it was off to The Original Taco House (another family favorite).  The picture doesn't do it justice.  I could eat gallons of their salsa, and dinner was pretty fantastic too.

We timed it right, so that when dinner was done we could head to the airport to pick up Kyle.  It was pretty fun to go in and look around, and watch for Daddy's plane.

Sunday morning we checked out of the hotel, and headed back to Motown.  We drove through town, our old houses, the store, etc. again so that Kyle could see.  We went to sacrament meeting in my home ward.  It was so good to be home and feel loved.  I got to see some of the people that I completely adore.

Finally, we were off to the beach!  We spent the rest of the evening hanging out, chatting, playing, and eat.  What else is there?!

The kids got nice and dirty playing in the dirt pile.  It was seriously the best fun, and they were happy for hours.

Picnic outside

The boys told me that this was the best vacation ever, and we hadn't even been to the beach yet.

oregon...days 1 & 2

We just got home from 9 days in Oregon.  It was a really fun trip, and it was nice to go home.

Last Thursday morning, me and the boys jumped in the van (along with a mountain of our stuff) and drove with my parents.  

We passed this on the road, which was super exciting for the boys:

We were happy to get to the hotel and swim in the pool.

We went to Pizza Hut for dinner, and the boys were really happy to get to order their own (little) pizza.

Bosten chose pineapple and cheese, Kaden chose pepperoni.

We crashed when we got back to the hotel.  Kaden was pretty excited to get his own bed.

The next morning, we got back on the road.  We have been dreaming about Burgerville for months and years (seriously), and so we stopped for lunch in The Dalles.  Walla Walla onion rings were in season, along with blackberries for a smoothie, and it did not disappoint.

 We decided to stop at the Portland Temple on our way through.  Its beautiful this time of year with all of the flowers (and trees!), and I wanted Kaden to have a chance to remember that we were sealed to him there.

We walked the grounds and visited the new visitors center.  Next, we headed down to Wilsonville to visit Peter and Joy.  Technically, they aren't related, but have always been an extra set of grandparents.  Peter celebrated his 90th birthday this past March.

Finally, we went to Motown.  I drove the boys by all of the houses we'd lived in.

 

-"This was our first house.  We sold it (in 3 days) so that we'd have money for a new baby."

-"We built this house.  This is the house we brought baby Kaden home to."

-"We built this house.  We loved it, but then we sold it and moved to Utah."

We drove by my parents grocery store, which they sold when they retired (and now has closed).  It was a little sad to see the big, empty building.  It was a big part of our family for a long time.

We visited a couple of people, tried to visit a few more, and then realized the boys were done.  We headed to the hotel to swim, eat, and crash.

instagram

Here's some of my random Instagram pictures from recently:

We ran into the Tillamook cheese van at the grocery store.  We were all excited for cheese samples and treats from the Tillamook people.  A fun reminder of home.

Kaden finished up baseball season.  He loved every minute, and had a great time. 

 

Bosten and I grabbed ice cream on the way home from shopping one afternoon.  It was really good, as you can see.

Best little buddies at Bountiful's parade.

 

 Bike ride with the cousins at Bear Lake.

One of my favorite pictures of the boys...at Bear Lake.

Impromptu pizza party with some of our cousins.

 Waiting for the train at the zoo.

 Love these little monkeys!

Waiting in line at the drive thru at Chick Fil A.

 Popcorn at Target is always a treat (and no, it wasn't in his nose!)

Went on a date with one of my adoption friends to Red Iguana the other night.  Had a great time with the fabulous Kenna, and the food was great too.

We spilled some water and got the floor wet.  I ran for a towel, and Kaden ran for this to let everyone know the floor was wet.  Funny.  Love that kid.

zoo

We went to the zoo this week, to check out the new Rocky Shores exhibit.

We didn't go until the afternoon, which made it really hot.  But, we still had a great time and I even ran into someone I went to high school with (who now lives in Utah too).

We loved checking out our favorite spots at the zoo:  the train, carousel, elephants, monkeys.  We loved the new exhibit too.  We need to go back again soon.