May in Oregon

As I am starting to think about our upcoming trip to Oregon at the end of July, I am reminded that I never really finished blogging about our Oregon trip in May. Although it was a whirlwind trip full of wedding activities, we managed to smash some fun friend time in here and there.

We started off our trip with a visit to the Rodrigos. These kids take no time picking up where they left off!

The girls tried to have a sleepover. Tried, but failed. Very little sleep transpired . 

The next day we paid a visit to the Oregon Zoo. Such a fun place to spend with  these friends.

We also got some hang time with this cool dude. Steve and Yoppie share an affinity for Key Lime Tillamook yogurt. 

We also share an affinity for froyo! Love our Dorr family.

So we tried to get the "cousins" together for a photo op. This never really goes as planned. 

But look! They're all actually smiling and looking our direction! L-R: Ayeresam, Delaney, Jude, Sam, Jack

And of course, we had some good clean country fun with Grammie and Grandpa. We took a walk to the river and had a little camp out in the orchard. Well, we didn't do any camping, but we did make s'mores. You know, the important stuff.

On our walk to the river. Look at that amazing sky!

Country kids at heart.

Grandpa and J. Billy 

This girl owns it! 

Grammie and her boy

Grandpa and his girl

And this is my guy. Love him.

Jimmy & Jessica's Big Day

My twin brother Jimmy is a very lucky man. On May 18th, Jessica Chipman said "I do" and I gained a new sister. It was a beautiful, beautiful ceremony, and my blurry photos don't do it justice. I do want to admit from the get go that I shamelessly stole wedding pics from Jessica's Facebook page. The non-blurry photos that are to follow are most assuredly not mine. 

But a few days before the wedding was the rehearsal dinner, which I had the privilege of decorating. And my hubby drove 17 hours straight to be with our family that night, which was really wonderful. And did I mention that the rehearsal dinner was at a fancy restaurant with a free steak dinner and red wine at my disposable? And also that my kids were not present at said restaurant but rather with Auntie Beka? That was a good night--and I took photos to prove it!

Some of the pretty centerpieces

More of the decor...

Perhaps the best looking part of the decorations, Mr. Dunlap.

Look at the happy couple!

And then came the big day. The wedding venue was a really cool, refurbished barn called The Green Villa Barn. Jessica's cousin and decorating team did an amazing job making the beautiful barn even more perfect for the day. I was very nervous about how Delaney and Jude would perform. They were selected to be the ring bearers and Jessica's sweet nieces were to be the flower girls. Delaney has been in a few weddings before and she's a performer at heart, so I wasn't too concerned about her. However, her brother Jude is a very unpredictable two-year old, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I am happy to report that the kids performed perfectly. They were seriously perfect. I was almost a little ashamed at how much I doubted them.
 

Uncle Jimmy looking at his adorable niece and nephew. 

Here they come! (So blurry!)

Jimmy and Curtis congratulating the kids for doing so well! 

Big kids! 

Now Jimmy's looking at his beautiful bride.

Isn't she lovely? 

Mr. & Mrs Lee

Much to everyone's surprise, Jimmy didn't smash cake in Jessica's face. Now that's true love!

The farmer and his wife. 

Welcome to the family, Jessica! We love you both so much.

Easter 2013

Easter pictures! Only a month(s) late! 

Well, it was a lovely day nonetheless. We opened Easter baskets in the morning, went to church, then returned home for a family brunch. The weather was sunny-ish, and we had the privilege of hosting everyone in our back yard. All in all, it was a great spring day celebrating Jesus's sacrifice.  

Side note: Steve and Papa were also in attendance, but for some reason I don't have any pictures to prove it. Sorry guys!

On Easter Eve (is that a real thing?), our beloved neighbors Martin and Doug came by with Easter baskets in hand. They're really more like uncles to our kids than neighbors, and they LOVE to spoil our kids! 

Easter morning, rejoicing over a Barbie coloring book from Grammie and Grandpa.

On Easter morning, you get to eat candy!

Nana got the kids to say cheese for a few photo ops...

Golly, they're cute. 

These guys are cute too. Raul, Auntie Beans, and Uncle Monkey.

Why can't we eat crepes with whip cream every day?

Nana, Laney, and Raul

Uncle Monkey and Delaney, with the eggs they dyed together. This is probably the only picture I have of them  smiling nicely instead of their normal zany antics.

The hunt is on! 

And the hunt is over. Jude found a few eggs and sat down to munch on their contents.

She's really into this cheesy face and head tilt smile.

I love these little birdies!

Prayer

Lately, I've found myself uttering the words "I'll pray for you" a bit too much.

I say "too much" because there just seems to be an abundance of situations to be praying for these days. And they're not little things to be praying about, either. They're big, life-affecting things. Death. Sickness. Surgery. Safety. Betrayal. Peace. Healing. My heart is heavy with the grief of the world. My brain is fuzzy with my inability to grasp understanding as to why some things happen.

My very dear friend, Holly Rodriguez, raced in the Boston Marathon yesterday. She is safe, and the sense of relief I felt when I heard that she was OK was immense. I hate that Holly's excitement about her accomplishment was take from her so quickly--taken so quickly from so many. But Holly is a fighter, and I know she will--and is at this very moment--bringing God glory through this experience.

Sometimes I get so bogged down with sadness that I render myself useless to bringing hope and love to others. There is so much darkness lurking around these days, but we can choose to combat that darkness with light. When the people of God go to battle, we arm ourselves with love and good deeds. 

I pray that we would be known by our love. God bless you, my friends.

 Matthew 5: 14-16: 14 "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

John 13:35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples."

Delaney's Birthday Week

Wow, Delaney is a lucky kid. She was seriously spoiled with (almost) an entire week of birthday celebrations. Most of you know that I LOVE birthdays, but even I was exhausted by the end of it all. Please bear with me as I now post a gazillion pictures of said celebrations.

Nana and Papa started out the partying on Thursday with a trip to the newly opened Farrell's. It was yummy, fun, and very loud.

And then came Delaney's Backyard Dance Party. It was scheduled for Friday, March 8th, and rain was in the forecast. I've already mentioned how it all turned out, but yes, Delaney's party was wet and wild. I wish that I had better pictures that captured the zaniness. 

Delaney's ice cream cone cupcakes. Printable by Little Deevas. Sadly, this was really the only picture of decor that I took. 

See what I mean about these kids getting down? Rain or shine, baby!

Birthday Girl Boogie 

We tried to congregate inside to sing and do cupcakes. It. Was. Insane.

We were rosy cheeked and chilly, but still having fun celebrating Miss D.

Delaney and Ruby Cash. These girls are more like sisters than friends!

The next morning the partying continued as we made our way to Disneyland! My Grandparents had never been to Disneyland, so it was a very special day indeed!

Delaney with Gramps and Grams, explaining that they would all be going to Disneyland together! We kept it a surprise until the day before we left. 

The Birthday Girl, as happy as could be!

In line for the "train," also known as the Disneyland Tram. Both my kids think the tram is one of the Disneyland rides. 

Auntie Jessica, Uncle Jimmy, Grams, and Gramps

Grammie and Nana with their "Perfect Granddaughter." I love that Papa is photo bombing this picture! 

And there's Papa! We were all waiting in line for It's a Small World. That's how much we love this kid.

Grandpa and Laney make quite the pair.

Grams and Delaney with their ears. I love this picture!

I was even allowed in a few of the pictures! 

Look at this hat that Grams bought for Jude! Mickey Mouse and Lightening McQueen, all rolled into one obnoxious hat! The boy loves it. 

This is pretty much how we all felt towards the end of the night.

After our Oregon family left on Monday morning, we took a day off from birthday celebrations to recoup. But on Tuesday we partied once again, this time at Delaney's preschool. I made cupcakes again for the millionth time that weekend, and Steve, Jude, and I all got to attend her birthday celebration at school. It was fun being there together, and watching Delaney interact with her school friends. And of course, Marshmallow the bunny was a big hit with both Jude and Delaney.

Our little family at FUMPS

Marshmallow and Delaney

Phew! It was such a fun and zany party week. Remind me next year to do something simple, ok?