Girl Scout Getaway

McKenzie and I had a wonderful time with the Girl Scouts and the moms at Cannon Beach. The weather was absolutely amazing, so the girls played on the beach for hours. We spent lots of time swimming, painting nails, going to my favorite bakery, going on long walks, having talks about parenting, eating great food, and sleeping very little. This morning we woke up early and explored some of the tide pools, which I had never done before. The starfish were beautiful!

Special Time with Kelsey

Kelsey and I spent some special time yesterday afternoon. We both got pedicures, and then we went out for lunch. Kelsey's face lit up with a huge smile when she sat in the massage chair. She has been playing in a soccer tournament this weekend, so the massage felt especially good to her!

Baby Elie is Here!

My cousin had a beautiful baby girl yesterday morning. She was two weeks early and is doing great. It was fun visiting everyone in the hospital and getting to hold such a sweet baby! We had her baby shower about 12 hours before she was born - how is that for timing? Jack is now a big brother!

Surgery

Conner had surgery today, and he was quite brave about the whole experience. The only thing he was nervous about was getting the IV. We left our house around 5:15 so that we could check in to the hospital by 6:00. We went up to the 8th floor, and the beautiful sunrise was our view from the waiting room windows. He went into surgery at 7:30, and the whole surgery lasted only 50 minutes. He was in recovery for awhile but did great. They shaved away the growth plates on the tibia and fibula below the knee on his left leg. He has to stay on the couch for 1-2 days and then gets to move around as he feels a little better.

Trying to find a new hobby...

McKenzie is trying to find a new hobby that she enjoys. She tried a little photography yesterday, and here is what caught her eye... She even made a dandelion look beautiful!

A Very Fun Father' s Day

We had such a great day celebrating Father's Day. We started off the day with a delicious breakfast at the Ladybug Cafe and enjoyed playing Crazy 8's while waiting for our food. Peter then went on a little drive by himself - he loves to drive around and have some peace and quiet while admiring the scenery :) Mom and Dad came over for a glass of wine and ice cream sundaes. We had a sing-a-long, inspired by Conner who played his guitar for us. We sang "Chasing Blue Cars" by Snow Patrol (a song that Peter and McKenzie have been singing together) - it was SO fun and funny!! Peter and I ended the evening with a nice walk around the neighborhood. We had to make sure that we got in our steps after all we ate today!

Happy Father's Day, Dad!

"You can work miracles by having faith in others. To inspire the best in people, choose to think and believe the best about them." (B. Moawad)

This quote reminds me of who my dad is...I had the great fortune of being raised by an amazing dad. When I was growing up I never knew what an incredible blessing it was to go to bed every night knowing that my parents loved each other, that my dad was a hard worker, knowing that my dad would be there every day for me, and knowing that my dad would only say things that showed his belief in me. I never knew how amazingly fortunate I was to have a dad who taught me how to drive, who bought me my first car, who attended every extracurricular event that I was involved in, who drove me downtown to school every day, who paid a lot of money to put me through college, who believed in me and supported me in everything that I have ever attempted. Now that I am much older, I can appreciate that I was raised by a dad who worked hard at being a dad. As I have met many other people in my life, I know now that everyone has not been raised by a dad like mine. So thanks, Dad, for working hard at being the kind of dad that you never got to have. This is what truly makes your parenting even more amazing. I love you.