EWALD

As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, this fall has been beautiful. Seriously, beautiful. It has allowed for us to enjoy regular afternoon/early evening walks that almost always include the same route to a nearby park.

I enjoy these walks for several reasons, but here's one of them:

Ewald.

It might be my favorite street in Salem. Okay, I don't know if I can say that for sure, but it's definitely my favorite street in our surrounding neighborhood...especially this time of year. The trees go on forever and you almost don't notice the houses beyond them (or the fact that it was garbage pick-up day when I took this photo).

Within the next few days, these trees will be all shades of red, orange and yellow and absolutely breathtaking. I told Brett on our last walk that I wanted to take family pictures in the middle of Ewald, that's how much I love it. Unfortunately, he didn't quite understand my desire to stand in the middle of some random street just to get a beautiful picture...but I'm pretty sure it has more to do with the fact that he just doesn't enjoy being in pictures, period. You win some, you lose some.

So even though I probably will never get family pictures on this street, I know I'll enjoy family walks down this street for years to come.

And just because a post wouldn't be complete for certain grandparents without a picture of the main man, here's how most of our walks end up: Wyatt sick of being in the stroller, wanting to get out and walk, and then wanting to push the stroller... all by himself.

(since these pictures, Wyatt has received a fresh new do. These pics made me realize just how long I'd let his hair grow. Yikes!)

Thankful for these clear fall days. I know they're coming to an end, but I'll take them while they last.

FALL so far

I used to be a summer kind of girl. I've always loved the sun and the heat, and I'm not going to lie...I enjoy being tan. But things have changed. It's called working. I think one of the reasons I loved summer so much is because during the first 20 years of my life, it meant I had 3 months of freedom! I guess I should have become a teacher, but instead, I married one. Nothing like leaving your hubby and child at home on a beautiful sunny day while you go in to work...for 3 months in a row! No, I'm not bitter. ;)

So I had a a change of heart. I decided that Fall is my new favorite season. And so far, this fall is confirming that decision. It's been beautiful. The weather has been fair, the rain has held off, and the pumpkin spice lattes have been at their finest. Plus, I recently purchased an awesome sweater that I've worn almost every day for the last month. It's been the first thing I put on in the morning as I go grab my cup of coffee and then crawl back in to bed to read until Wyatt wakes up.

I have some posts in the works with what we've been up to this month, but for now, here's a little peek at fall so far...

More to come...

best. weekend. EVER

I was tempted to just post this picture and leave it at that, but there was just too much good to share...

We had an amazing weekend. Everyone was able to be together, including Grandma Oda, and it honestly couldn't have been better. As I mentioned in my previous post, we've had a lot of people show their love and support, but last weekend, we were absolutely blown away by a particular family's generosity. They went away for the weekend & offered up their AMAZING home for us to stay at. And when I say "amazing", I mean "should be in a magazine or on MTV cribs or something to that nature" sort of amazing. I wish I would've taken pictures of all the rooms (7 bedrooms,8 bathrooms, play room, living room, dining room, entertainment room, kitchen, craft room...and i'm pretty sure i'm missing a couple more rooms). But here's a picture of the beautiful outside.

Sara was feeling good all weekend, which was a HUGE answer to prayer. We were able to enjoy each other's company, eat A LOT of food, play games, play in the snow, take nice, long showers in a shower bigger than our entire master bathroom, watch movies, and celebrate Sara receiving her college diploma!

One of the greatest parts of the whole weekend (besides Sara getting her diploma) was the Swenson Family Trivia game. Sara was the hostess and all the in-law spouses were the participants. Kim, Brady & Brett were required to answer questions (asked by Sara) about the Swenson family. The winner, who ended up being Brady, received a cash prize from Sara. No joke. :) It was pretty hilarious seeing how much our spouses did, or in some cases, didn't know about our family. This is what Brett would hold up whenever he didn't know the answer. Apparently, he felt as though I was not a good coach.

My face is saying, "if only you would've listened." Ah well...we tried.

Wyatt received quite a bit of attention (imagine that) and spent some good quality time with his Aunt Sara. They have such a special bond that I am so thankful for.

None of us wanted to leave. We kept talking about how great it would be if we could all just quit our lives and move into this house together. As I've said many times, I am so thankful for my family and the love that abounds for each other.

These will be memories that last a life time.

free weekend

Free weekends during the year are few and far between since I coach soccer in the fall and Brett coaches baseball in the spring. So when we do have one, we like to take advantage of it. Whether that means just relaxing at home or traveling to visit friends for a couple days, we soak it up when we can. This was one of those weekends - we went to Astoria to visit our good friends, Scott and Sage, who we don't get to see too often. This picture is from a few years ago at Scott and Brett's graduation. It was the most recent pic I could find of us all.



It was a short visit, but totally worth it. We spent the morning on the beach where Sage was nice enough to take some family pictures of us. Then the boys stayed home to watch football and nap, while Sage and I went out to some antique stores with coffee in hand. . . perfect fall day. We ended the day with a yummy dinner of salmon and steak followed by apple pie and ice cream. It was nice to get out as a family and see some friends at the same time. Hope you all had a great weekend as well!

it was a long week . . .

. . . and I couldn't decide.

Triple Chocolate or Champagne Raspberry?

or both? Yes, please!!

don't worry. . . i did NOT eat both pieces in one sitting. i couldn't even eat one piece in one sitting. these pieces are HUGE... and rich!! a couple bites of each is all i need, and that way, they'll last me a few days!!

also, Brett was out of town. otherwise, these wouldn't have lasted longer than 1 night.

she's back

YAY! Sara's back in Salem and I couldn't be more excited...for her and for me. :) A year ago, none of us would have ever imagined this possible, but in true Sara fashion, she has impressed us all with her determination. She's been back for almost 2 weeks now and I can already tell that she is going to do just fine, more than fine actually. I'm so proud of all she has accomplished and can't wait to see what this year has in store for her.

Obviously, I'm super excited to have one of my sister's around, and I'm pretty sure Wyatt is pumped to have an aunt to play with too. Sara's going to be doing me a HUGE favor by watching Wyatt 3 mornings a week so I can teach a class at Corban. So nice of her and so nice for me. In addition, date nights will be making a come back for me and Brett. First one: Thursday night. Woo to the hoo!! :)

LOVE YOU, SARA! Thanks for being such a wonderful auntie, sister and friend.

an enjoyable saturday

This past Saturday, Brett and I decided to head up to Portland for the afternoon. Things have been sort of a whirlwind since the holidays, so it was nice to get some time with one another...just the two of us...with no distractions.

We went here:

where we purchased this for the baby's room:

Then we went here for a yummy lunch, courtesy of a Christmas gift card from Brett's sister (thanks, Risa):

After lunch, we walked around here:

where I picked up these for a book club/finer things club I'm a part of:

and last but not least, we got some of this to finish the day off right.

mmmm....phish food. my new favorite, thanks to pregnancy.

It was such an enjoyable day and it got me to thinking about how different life is going to be in just 2 short months. I envisioned us doing all these same things, but with a baby in tow. And while I'm sure you other mothers can agree with the fact that getting out and about with a baby is definitely a little more complicated, I can't help but look forward to our future outings as a family.

...and now on to 2010

We're back... and although it's good to be home, I miss my family already. We had a great time celebrating the holidays and were blessed to spend time some time in Medford with Brett's parents, as well as in Fallon with my WHOLE family.

I'm a little upset I didn't manage to get a family pic, but I was able to capture all the lovely couples, including a new one some of you may be unaware of and an update on an existing one :)

Dad & Mom

Brett & Me

Heidi & Brady

Sam and his......FIANCE, Kim! :)

and last, but definitely not least - Sara and Jacob ;)

We definitely enjoyed our time together and are looking forward to it happening again soon!

And now, on to the new year! I can't believe how quickly this year went by, but I'm definitely glad it's over. 2009 will be a year I remember for the rest of my life, I'm sure of it. With Sara's cancer diagnosis and the news of our little one on the way, we were hit with some of the worst news and best news within one month's time. Needless to say, it has been quite the emotional rollercoaster for this highly hormonal preggo woman. Through it all, I've been learning A LOT about who I am as a person and who I should be as a woman of God. It's not always easy, but I'm learning how to be thankful for all the blessings, whether big or small, despite the trials and hardships that might come with them.

So....even though the last 7 months have quite possibly been the most difficult 7 months of our lives, we are hopeful and excited about what God has in store for our growing family in this new year (twenty ten or two thousand and ten...whichever you prefer).

and it begins...

I LOVE this show

:)

Tough Guy

Brett thinks he's tough

But really -

he's just participating in Goofy Hair Day at school.

(he loves it - which scares me a little)

Lazy days

Oh how I love lazy days. You know - the ones where there is absolutely nothing on the schedule - you get to relax and do whatever your little heart desires. Well, if I'm lucky, I get one every couple weeks, which isn't too bad. That one day is something I look forward to more than a lot of other things. Don't get me wrong, my personality is one that requires the go-go-go lifestyle, and I enjoy those things that keep us ever so busy. However, I can't deny how nice it is and very much needed to have a day here and there when you can just "aaahhhhh" - breathe! So what do I do on days such as these? Like I said - whatever I want.

Here is what a perfect lazy day for me might look like - minus the hubby. (It's a snapshot of a day when Brett is busy with work, baseball or golf. If he's around, this day looks completely different, and even more wonderful, because not only would it be a lazy day, but a lazy day with my husband. It couldn't be much better than that).

* When I wake up, it's not to my alarm, but rather because I've gotten all the sleep I need and I'm simply not tired any more. Preferrably, the clock would read somewhere between 8:30 and 9:30am. (oh and the sun is out - not a cloud in the sky).

* Time to curl up on the couch (still in my pajamas) with a nice hot cup of coffee, a blanket, and a good book. Here's what I'm currently reading

* An extra long shower, no rush to get my hair and make-up done, and plenty of time to pick out a comfy, but super cute outfit.

* A little outing that might include stops at Craft Warehouse, Tuesday Morning, Goodwill (maybe I'll find a treasure or two), Ross and of course Target - don't worry, I won't go crazy. I just get a few things that are super on sale and are a great addition to my home or wardrobe. Some of my previous finds include a $7 mirror, $2 candle and $4 candlestick all from Ross, and $4 frames from Tuesday Morning, all pictured below.

* Back home for some lunch and maybe even a little cat nap while watching HGTV - something that isn't really "allowed" when Brett is home.

* Blog surfing (particularly on blogs that have to do with crafting or decorating) so I can get some good inspiration - and satisfy my guilty pleasure of blog stalking. While surfing, I found this adorable idea. We don't have a family yet, so therefore no "Family Rules," but this little gem of an idea is something I will definitely keep in mind for the future. Such a fun and creative idea for a kids play room or even a family room.

and last, but not least - because it's just a part of who I am,

*straightening and cleaning up the house until Brett gets home. Mainly using this bad boy of a dustbuster. I love this thing and Brett will confirm that it was by far my favorite wedding gift. I know, I know - I'm SO cool.

lazy day . . . I await you!