Josh and I finished up celebrating our 12th wedding anniversary on October 30th with a day out on our own! My sweet sister came up to stay with our kids so we took the day to zip line, eat out a few times and go see a movie (Bridge of Spies - great movie and we highly recommend it!). We very much enjoyed the day together just playing and talking about our future.
We went up to Mountain Springs Lodge near Plain, WA and did eight zip lines. There is usually a group of eight people, but it was just Josh and I that day. So the two of us and our two guides zipped through the trees. It was beautiful, even though it was a rainy and cloudy day. Normally you can see pretty far and the guides can point out which mountain peaks you see, but we could just see across the valley. It reminded me of those "Man From Snowy River" shots with clouds all in and around the mountains ~ so pretty!
Before we started - all decked out in our rain gear and zip lining gear.
It's been a great 12 years and we are looking forward to many more together!!!
Gosh, we all just love this kid! From his growling as he hugs you tight, to his thumb-sucking blanket-carrying Linus side ~ he is awesome! Here's some fun facts about Jared:
Height: 33" (68%)
Weight: 25lb 7oz (67%)
Head: 48.9cm (87%)
He has 16 teeth (four of those are just now poking through)
He doesn't say much - just momma and sometimes daddy. He can also say "nana" for banana
He loves to hug his sisters in the morning when he sees them.
He likes hugging Mommy and Daddy a lot.
When he's tired he likes to suck his thumb and have his blanket with him.
He is very attentive to noises, so he stops everything if he hears an airplane or helicopter or loud truck/motorcycle. He waves as it passes by.
He loves to wrestle! He will crawl all over you, jump up and down on you and just flat out wrestle with you.
He's got some moves whenever music is turned on and he likes to clap.
He likes to hold hands when we pray and he claps anytime he hears the word "Amen".
Thanks to the girls ~ he likes to crawl around and act like a dog or a horse.
He knows "please" in sign language and says/motions it with the sweetest sound.
He likes throwing things in the trash.
He likes to wipe his highchair tray, which is good because it is destroyed by the time he is done feeding himself! :) (See pictures below)
When he is hungry or it's time to eat he will go to the highchair and pull it to you.
He's pretty cute when he "exercises"!
He understands just about everything we say to him.
He likes jumping in his crib. He loves jumping on the bed with Vivian. He likes playing with his sisters and is keeping up with them pretty well!
He is trying to give up naps. Yikes! :( I still try to lay him down every day.
He has no interest in the potty.
He loves bathtime.
He likes to give high-5's.
Taught by his sisters, he can pound-it with a "bah-la-la" afterwards (reference to Baymax on the Big Hero 6 movie).
He does very well going up and down stairs by himself.
He likes to eat cooked veggies, cheese, plain Brown Cow yogurt, applesauce, bananas!, avocado, bread, apples, oranges, strawberries & cottage cheese, granola, cream of wheat, cheerios, and more.
He loves piggy rides from Shelby!
He just had to be in the diaper box with Vivian. :)
We had great plans for celebrating our 12th Anniversary! My sister was going to come up for the weekend to watch the kids while Josh and I went to a football game Friday night, then zip lining Saturday morning up near Leavenworth ~ dessert and coffee and maybe a nice walk mixed into all of that. Then Tuesday the 6th happened. Jared got sick, followed by me getting sick Thursday around 5pm, then Vivian Thursday around 11pm, then Shelby on Friday around 5am. It ended up being a rough few days of not straying far from a bowl and lots of laundry. No football game and no zip lines. Instead we had: the flu, the store was out of the ice cream we had planned to have, and the power went out for 2 hours Saturday from 6:15 to 8:15pm. Through all this, we laughed and made the best of it. The amazing part is that Josh never got sick! :)
Vivian by her bowl.
Since they didn't have our ice cream we made pumpkin bars Saturday afternoon. Then the power went out before we made the frosting, so Josh whipped it up by hand by the light of a lantern.
By Sunday morning we were all feeling much better! We took the day to hike up Icicle Creek outside of Leavenworth. It was a beautiful drive up there with the Fall colors and it was a wonderful hike!
Here's how we started the hike (and I'm just carrying a backpack)
Snack time!
The river was so pretty and we loved listening to it rush by.
At our turn around point (about 2 miles) ~ Jared was very happy to get out and walk around a bit.
And here's how we ended the hike! Josh carried Vivian and I carried Jared and the backpack.
After carrying Jared out I had an even bigger respect for Josh and how hard he works every time we go on a hike. :) Love that man!
We ended the day in Leavenworth eating dinner and some ice cream. The girls had a blast rolling down the hill over and over again.
Blessed with 12 years of marriage and looking forward to many, many more!
We've had some fun times lately and I have taken a few pictures. In no particular order ~ here you go!
There's something special about those grandparents!!! (Vivian sharing Grandpa's ice cream.) My mom and dad flew up to Richland to see Kim and Adam's new house and we met them there for the weekend. We had a great time of hanging out in their beautiful backyard, grilling, visiting a local farm, celebrating with Reliance Fellowship and so much more. Thank you, Mom and Dad for coming to see us!!! We all love you so much!!!!
Movie time!
...and that's all the pictures I took of our time in Richland. :)
Jared still fits in a diaper box. Those silly kiddos.
Handsome boy ready for church, with his hands in his (newly found) pockets.
Sometimes we call him Linus!
He loved this!
The girls are doing AWANA for the first time this year and they are loving it! Well, Shelby loves it. Vivian is a little scared of the "loud" game-time leader; but, she does enjoy the rest of the Cubbies. Last week was Crazy Hat Night.
Jared can swing a bit on his own swing, but he loves to spider-swing with Shelby! We all get some good laughs in as he lets go with one hand often and scares us all. He hasn't fallen off yet!
Kiddos sharing some oatmeal for breakfast.
Shelby is doing very well at reading and we decided it was time for her to have her very own Bible! There were lots to choose from, but we settled on this one and had her name put on it. She is very glad to have her own Bible. She has read the story of David and Goliath, and she is underlining the Bible verses she has memorized. {Makes our hearts so happy that she loves Jesus!}
Today we were able to take an evening bike ride. Had a great time again and remembered to take a few pictures. :) We rode on the East Wenatchee side this time which has a few more hilly sections - Shelby didn't care for the uphill but she did great anyway.
Synchronized Cheerio eating going on in the bike trailer.
We've started celebrating my 36th birthday! Today we went for a bike ride ~ Vivian and Jared in a bike trailer (thanks Johnston's!) attached to Josh's bike, Shelby and I rode our bikes. It was a perfect day for a bike ride with cool temperatures, cloud cover and a slight breeze. Wish we had taken some pictures.
Tonight we had fun at Brian's in Cashmere with pizza (YUM!!!) and bowling.
Vivian sure loves her sister!!! They had so much fun bowling ~ we all did!
Bowlers list: Vivian
Shelby
Sharon
Josh
...yes, I (Sharon) won!!! Happy Birthday to me! hehe
