Lost and Found: Delta Delivered!

They found my camera!
The woman that called me to tell me was so helpful.

Okay, starting from the top:

Here's City Creek. Beautiful and seriously crowded.

 We rode the train to get there.

Seeing the beautiful temple square lights.

 The Bob at Kangaroo Zoo. I had to add this because I knew I had one EXACTLY like it from sometime before.

Here it is. Kangaroo Zoo. December 2010.

Must be a comfy couch:)!

 Went to Boondocks with the Crosland's. The kids got to bowl

Cody had an intense bowling technique

 and play video games.

Ben could have played the hunting game all night.

 Jessi is getting her essential oil regimen applied to her feet.

Love that stuff. 

 The kids decorated gingerbread men. They had so much fun! 

 Cody's favorite part were the hot tomales.

We'll call his the "gingernut man."

It was decorated innocently though.

 Opening presents at grandma Bonnie's and Papa Jeff's house. 

 Mackayla loves this aquadoodle.

 Mackayla took this picture of Grandma Bonnie holding Indie by the tree. Not bad:) (and I think the picture behind her of Christ is beautiful too).

 Macey and Cody got cameras. I love seeing what they take pictures of. Cody must have had 20 pictures of random toys, lots of a toy dinosaur he liked. It's kind of cute to see what is important to them.

 Here it is! The proof of the missing camera beginnings. Lesson to me: Don't take pictures on the plane (the flight attendants get mad too). oops...

And, the same day Delta called the police station also called to tell me they had found a big stack of credit cards and a drivers license of mine while the city was cleaning the streets. So I got those back too!

Be Prepared

School has started and we have started back into a routine. It's probably good for kids.
Today we went to Costco to stock up for the huge earthquake that's going to hit Oregon in the next 200 years (we had a meeting at church about being prepared yesterday). With our luck it could be while we're here (since earthquakes don't happen in Oklahoma either). When we barely got home from Utah and the power went out at our house, we went to get our flashlight and it didn't work. It was a good practice run to realize we really aren't as prepared as we should be.
Eating at Costco goes like this: Cody out of cart with hot dog, Macey out of cart with hot dog, Mackayla almost out of cart already-safe and out, fill drinks, get ketchup on hot dog, split smoothie four ways, get straws, get napkins for spill, split hot dog for Mackayla, help Mackayla stop tilting drink with straw, pick food up off floor. Kids are finishing as I sit down. Perfect, I eat their leftovers:). Conversation at the table:
Cody notices an older gentleman in a wheelchair staring at him 5 feet away. He says loud enough for all people eating to hear, "Why is that man staring at me?"
Me: "Say hi to him."
Cody, Macey and Mackayla wave and say hi. He nonchalantly waves and I hope his hearing is poor because it suddenly sparks their desire to know about the "olden days."
Macey: "Tell us about the olden days."
Cody: "Ya, when there were old cars."
I try to think of something interesting and say "There was no tv."
Macey: "And no FOOD!?"
Me: "There was food."
Macey: "And no DRINKS?! Why are you laughing?" peering at me curiously.
Me: "There were drinks. But no computers."
Macey: "And no BEDS?!!"
Me: "There were beds."
Cody: "What did their beds look like???"
Me: "Like ours. Time to shop!"

We Had a Visitor! :)

The kids and I have been to the aquarium a few times, but Ben has never been able to come.

This weekend he didn't have to work and came with!! 

(So I stand corrected, at 353 days of work this year)

In between our wandering we stopped for a snack:

I asked Mackayla to go say cheese for a picture. She obediently walked over and squatted.

Say cheese!

Nope.

 Humongous sea star

On doing things by myself with kids: I don't care if people think I'm a crazy mom. Really, I don't. I look like one. But amidst the chaos I think doing things out and about with my kids is fun and lets me be a kid again too. That and I don't mind getting lost once in a while...
...But it's more fun with Ben!

We had a wonderful weekend hanging out together. 

Little Baby+Big Coat=Multnomah Falls

When we went to the aquarium a couple were oohing and aahing over Mackayla because they thought she was dancing. I didn't have the heart to tell them that she was just trying to walk in her coat. She eventually toppled over from her dizzying circles. I couldn't get to her quick enough. For some reason it completely throws her off balance and she walks like a drunken sailor.

Yesterday when I went to get her out of bed for the morning she yelled at me in baby language. Normally a happy baby, I was a little weary to get her out. She spent the next two hours whining and complaining so I quickly thought of a way to remedy it. Driving. For four hours. I told the kids to get ready we were going to Multnomah Falls! She can chill out for a bit by force.

Once again, the coat made for difficult walking.

Macey mentioned after two minutes she was ready to go home, it was pretty cold.

But she finally agreed to a picture.

We passed two waterfalls on our way up there. This is wahkeena falls.

And this is Multnomah Falls.

See that bridge?

We walked there. A 5 minute walk for most.

 A 20 minute theatrical walk for us. 

Mackayla was yelling at me to stop carrying her.

Macey was crying and probably wanted me to carry her.

I insisted that Mackayla hold my hand and she grudgingly did or she would fall over.

Macey insisted that I hold her hand.

 Mace is afraid of heights and this bridge is suspended over the falls, so that probably didn't help.

Her head thing fell over her face right at the picture but you can imagine the distress. 

I'm just proud of her for doing it.

The nice lady on the left grabbed Mackayla or she would have tried to run away and it was really slippery with the bit of water spray, wind and cold temps. Those slats in the bridge are bigger than they look.

 I had thought briefly about going all the way to the top, a mile up. But at the bridge we saw people cautiously pulling themselves up over a sheet of ice and I immediately realized that would be IMPOSSIBLE. And that's an understatement. But the view was still awesome.

All along the drive we saw frozen water to the sides of the mountain. 

 This is how you go to the bathroom with three kids in a public restroom.

  

 I snapped a picture of the gift shop/restaurant before we left. I love it and first saw it when we drove past in our moving van. The only thing I'm sad I don't have is a picture of the walls of green in the summer. Literally green walls of moss cover the mountains. I was amazed, but obviously they're not as green this time of year.

Still, there's definitely a unique beauty this time of year with the ice frozen in the falls. I'm so glad we went!!

 After a long drive, it was time for baths. After that, I don't think chilling out is the right word for our trip. (And it's pretty hard to strain-reach food back for two hours.)  She looks pretty wound up to me!:)

HAPPY New Year

Today I'm grateful for Mackayla's easy smile

Macey's giving heart

Cody's contagious enthusiasm

Yesterday

was the perfect day for the start of a new year.

It was sunny! (rare this time of year)

Also cold.

Ben had most of the day off and we biked/stroller to the park on the bike path.

It was filled with other people enjoying the sun too.

I just love this green field along the bike path.
So unexpected for winter.

I probably tipped the girls over into some brambles while taking the picture.

{#parkingbrake}

 One of Mackayla's favorite things is to feed the ducks. Doesn't Ben look cold? He is.

Look at the intensity of this coloring.

 We take a picture together each new years eve. Happy New Year's.

 We took a visit to the aquarium during school break and may have to again. 

Love the Tiger sharks

 This is my favorite part of the drive to the ocean. In the summer all the deciduous trees (that shed their leaves) are in full bloom and make a canopy to drive through. So pretty!

 Someone lost a front tooth!

I'm looking forward to this year. It's going to bring a lot of changes. I can't wait to find out what they are.