I was talking with Eric a while back about parents, and how you never really realize how much they've done (and do) for you until you're a parent. I can't imagine my parents enjoyed going to soccer games every single saturday all day long year after year, but I never felt that they minded. In fact, they always seemed to enjoy it, just because we were on the field. Even in the rain.

One year my siblings and I told our parents we needed to have a Kids' Day. "You guys both get a Mother and Father's Day, so why don't we?" We asked. Our parents looked at each other and smirked. "Every day is Kids' Day!" They said. But they gave us one anyway, every summer. That's when they would stock us up on new croquet sets, swim gear, you name it.

This is a photo of my mother when she was pregnant with me. She would get sick the whole nine months, being put on an i.v. because she couldn't keep anything down. And she did this four times! I'm so grateful to her for her sacrifice, and for the sacrifice that my dad made as well.

This pregnancy has been a whole lot easier than my last one (so far) and I'm so grateful for that! The time has been flying, and before I know it I'll have another little one in my arms. I'm really trying to enjoy every minute I get with Aspen during the day while it's just the two of us, because I know before long our life will get a bit more complicated!! Anyway, thanks Mom and Dad for your example, and for being such great parents!

The best thing about chocolate pudding...

is this messy little face!

Have a great weekend!

Losing the binky

It's a hard life for a two-year-old and her parents when the binky "disappears" and the withdrawals kick in! I hope she's at the end of it, the poor thing.

Today makes five years that Eric and I have been married. And we always joke that it feels like five years, if not longer. That's because we've done so much in those five years! But it's also because we just feel so right together; it's weird to think that for such a large part of our lives, we weren't.

So to celebrate this year we're going to really let our romance flow and finish our backyard. I mean what's more romantic than curbing and flagstone? Or sweating your heart out while pulling weeds? Let's be serious; it doesn't get much hotter than that.

Our last four anniversaries haven't been exactly exciting: one year I was in the ER because I was pregnant with Aspen and hadn't kept any food down for two days; another year we stayed in a morbidly sketchy inn that was walled with plywood. I wish I could describe to you the horror that was our room. Anyway, we realized that while our actual anniversaries may not have been fantastic, we had a lot of great experiences within that year. When we were in the hospital we were in a hospital in Alaska, of all places! So we can't complain.

One night in a couple weeks or so (with some luck) we'll be in our finished backyard, under the stars, sitting on our kitchen chairs we've pulled out from the house, and we'll think, now this is romantic!

Today at the store Aspen and I ran into some people we've seen at church. I've never officially met them, so the couple and I introduced ourselves. "I can't remember your husband's name," the guy said, "but I know who he is. Doesn't he have big hair?"

It was a funny thing to say. I stopped to think. "No-o-o-o.....not really...." I said. Maybe he was thinking of someone else? Then his wife jumped in, "It's not really big, honey. Just long. He's got long hair."

I just blinked and smiled, but I wanted to laugh, because this is the picture that came to my mind:

(Eric's the guy in the green jacket, for those of you who haven't been blessed to see this photo. I've posted it before). I said something like, "You know, he could use a trim right now, but his hair isn't exactly long."
This is Eric today, ha ha. I wish I could have shown the couple these photos; I'm sure they would have gotten a good laugh!

North Carolina

I've always wanted to go to North Carolina. So ever since my dad got a job out there last summer, I've been itching to go visit. Last week we were finally able to take the trip, and it was all I had hoped!

It's very humid out there, which I love. Most of my favorite places are humid, so being in North Carolina just reminded me of those places: Argentina, Puerto Rico, Massachusetts, Oregon. We did some ferry hopping to visit the outer banks, and fed the seagulls while they followed behind.

Oh it was so green! Green green everywhere. As much as I love Boise, it will never be green enough for me. I just loved all the beautiful Carolina pines, mixed in with the sand that's everywhere. It reminded me a lot of Cape Cod. (As you can tell from this photo above, it's almost impossible for me to sit with my legs together).
And of course we went to the beach.
I just love this shot of Eric in action. He really needed a surf board or something. Surf's up!
Aspen got such a huge kick out of simply sitting in the water and waiting for the waves to push her backward. She laughed hysterically; it was fun to watch her.

Eric and my dad went kayak fishing one day. They always go fishing when they're together. Isn't that marsh beautiful?

We went to Wilmington, which is an old historic town, untouched by the Civil War, and therefore has lots of old buildings and homes to see. It was really hot this day, but we loved Wilmington. (I love this shot of my dad and stepmom, Lisa).

Roo eating continental breakfast. She insisted on wearing her hat and glasses, because she was cold (I'm still trying to figure that one out).
Dad and Lisa were such great hosts, and it was so much fun to see them! Since Dad's move, I don't get to see him or Lisa very often, so this trip was a special treat for me.
Here's some random shots we took. At the bottom there is the house my dad and Lisa are building. They're staying out there for a while, which makes me sad and happy at the same time: sad because they'll be so far away, but happy because we can make another trip (or two or three) out to North Carolina.