Sister's Weekend:
It will be hard to top this birthday, ever.
My Spidey senses started tingling when, bored the night before my birthday, Lehi suggested that I go tidy up/clean something, like the guest bedroom. I am pretty sure my eyes flashed a menacing, 'you just blew it" look when I immediately said, "Bobo is coming to surprise me, isn't she!?" He started a pretty pathetic, backpaddling talk, but I knew something was up.
The boys surprised me by writing "I <3 U" in the lawn...using the rocks they had collected from the garden beds. Thank goodness we didn't need to mow soon. ;) They were so excited to show me and made sure I didn't peek while they were at work. It was the cutest darn thing.
Ronnie and I planned on going out to dinner, shop, and get some ice cream. I was on edge all night, anticipating something was going to happen. But as time passed, it was a normal evening, so I decided maybe Lehi was just being an idiot, in his suggesting that I clean the guest bedroom (which for the record was clean, just needed the sheets washed) the day before when I was bored.
Ronnie and I were in a fairly long line at Handels' when I hear people behind me yelling, "Happy Birthday, Chewy!" I turned to see not only Bobo, but also Kristina, Natalie, and Mom. Call it pregnancy hormones, or maybe (call it utter happiness), I started crying. Not full-on water works, but I certainly shed more than a couple tears. Bobo or course had coordinated everything, and I would be spending the weekend partying it up with my sisters and mom. Lehi absolutely gets a shout out, because he took a day off work and was tending to kiddos so it could happen.
Ronnie wasn't sure if she blew it because she usually isn't on her phone as much when we go out together. But she made up an excuse of someone coming to pick up something she was selling and trying to help Richael find it/coordinate time for the pick-up (which, if you know Ronnie, is 110% believable). While she was coordinating a time, it was with Bobo and the rest of the McDonald girls, on their path of interception.
While still getting over my shock, we ate our ice cream and plotted what we were going to do for the rest of the weekend. Kristina & Natalie were able to stay at Krista's (she & Pat were out of town), and Bobo & Mom crashed my house. Krista's ended up being the late nigh Nertz house, because there were no sleeping children to bother waking.... not that that stops us from being loud when Nertz is involved anyways. 😉
We visited Uncle Mickey, Aunt Rhonda, Grandpa McDonald, and Grandma McDonald in Heber, along with a lot more McDonald family. It was a beautiful day, quiet. It took us some time to find them, but after a call to Lynnae, we found them nearby the tall tree in the cemetery. I had flashbacks to Mikah with his motorcycle, on the walkway, a bit away from the tree and the burial ceremony of Mickey and Rhonda. The headstones were well maintained and clearly visited often.
We also hit up the Burger Bar and visited Grandpa and Grandma Heiner. We all cried a bit and made sure to bring flowers. It was a tender moment, being there with Mom. She misses her parents dearly, it was almost palpable. We talked about how grateful we are for the sealing powers and how much we love our family, here and waiting for us in heaven.
Pocahontas' stirring number, "Just Around the Riverbend' somehow became our theme song this trip, if that is even a thing. I just typed it in my family history blog, so I pretty much just made it official.
After a few Parade of Homes, we were talking to Ronnie, who we were dropping off at her van, in a parking lot. She was in her van and then rolled down her windows, gave a quick honk to get our attention and yelled out the window, "Are my sunglasses in your van? I can't find them." ...they were on top of her head.
We drove to Mapleton for a Parade of Homes, walked through two beautiful houses, but don't find the mansion! We knew it had to be close. Eventually we did find it...about 10 minutes after walk throughs ended. I have no idea how we missed it driving in!
A few Parade of Home Pics worth sharing here:
And a few more pictures from the weekend. Clearly, we needed to be better about taking pictures together (come on, Bobo, we all know that is your job).
WA Trip
The boys took to the driveway and scooters like peanut butter to jelly. Rain or shine, they were out playing. They loved walking around the property and looking for deer. And almost every night we were there, we went out to the water fountains to go "frog hunting." Man, they sang at night! Maverick came downstairs the first night we were there and exclaimed, "Mom! I can't sleep! The frogs are too loud!" When the promise of frog hunting was made, he somehow managed to find his way to sleep. 😉
Grandpa asked the boys, "do you like donuts?" To which Maverick replied, "What kid doesn't like donuts?" Off to Winco they went with Grandpa, to get donuts and a few other groceries.
I wanted to let the boys experience as much of my childhood as I could in those few days we visited. Letting them run wild in the yard/scootering in the driveway was absolutely part of that plan. It was a total bummer the forest above us had been purchased a few years prior, so we were not able to go on those overgrown paths that were a staple of my child adventures. (They had a dog that patrolled the land, so it wasn't worth risking a quick sneak on/sneak off). But they played in the yard, swung for hours in the swing, looked (and found) deer, helped with some yard work, played with toys I played with at their ages, and of course we did nightly frog hunts in the fountain. They even got to meet Zane Parker, who told them a story about how his ear got the way it did (wrestling with an Indian who bit a piece of it off). He asked the boys if they believed him and they enthusiastically said, "Yes!" He then told them it wasn't true, but it sounded like a good story!
We went on a hike...mainly to replace playing in the backwoods. We went on a path Mom went with her 4th graders for a field trip....we failed to realize that the hike was not miles total, it was 2 miles each way. It ended up taking a bit longer than we anticipated, as you might imagine. Washington weather was upon us, gray with light rain. Our hike(paved most of the way) included a lot of "almost there" comments, "look at that flower," "do you see the river?" and a lot more steps between the next promise of "almost there." We talked up the waterfall that was at the end (I had never actually hiked this before). Then we saw the bridge and "waterfall." Disappointing might be an understatement. I guess the water levels were really low, so it was more like 'river flows quickly over these rocks'. Mav and Linc complained they were tired a lot towards the end, but Brielle was willing to walk, and they took over the stroller, with either myself, Grandma, or each other pushing. Lincoln's pants were a little too big, and there was more than one occasion when he was pushing Brielle or Maverick, at a jog, and his pants ended up down well below a comfortable underwear line. 🤣 We identified wildflowers and the boys learned the beauty of the plant that grows like ground cover and tastes like sour apples. (Danika introduced this to me on our 3rd grade nature walk at school). They used it for "fuel" and put some in their pockets to share with Lehi (although it was just a wilted mess by the time we got home, and I knew it wasn't going to last 4 days). While the end destination might not have been as extravagant and wonderful as we expected, it was still a fun hike that wore them out (and me, being preggo tired). We ended the day with Burgerville shakes--a Washington must.
Grandpa made shrimp (when at Winco, Maverick told him it was one of his favorite things ever). He taught the boys how to cut it into smaller pieces and eat it with the zucchini (they were not fans of). When you ate it together, it helped the zucchini taste better!
We went to Hockinson Market to get a treat. (True tradition would have included a movie, but since movie rentals are non-existent with our digitalized world, we settled for a treat). The boys took forever to pick something. I took them towards the back and had them each get a Jones soda--Bobo and I loved getting those. I took a video of each of them trying their sodas at the house. Their eyes got wide and lit up, the corners of their mouths turned upright, and they shook their heads in delight. Then we snuggled in for a movie night before bed.
One must-go destination was Lake Merwin. Tubing, skiing, and long days at the lake was a staple--and it is beautiful. While we weren't boating, I knew the kids would have fun playing at the swimming area. I THOUGHT Mom would know the way, since she had made the trek approximately a million times, but I was wrong. We ended up getting totally lost, in the middle of backwoods Washington, with no cell service. After about a 45-minute detour, we saw some people relaxing in their yard and asked them for directions. One wrong turn had us going in completely the opposite direction (imagine that! Hahaha) We finally made it to the Lake, unloaded/sun screened/life vested all the kids and sat on the sand. The water was pretty darn cold, but the boys had fun throwing sticks/driftwood and eventually warmed up to the sand and playing in the water. Brielle stayed close to Mom and I, but we had fun playing with her and teasing the boys. The boys even started a water fight with Mom--which she threatened them, "Just remember, I always finish a water fight!!" I am happy to report the drive back was uneventful! (Minus a stop for ice cream)
...and then I got sick. I don't know where I picked up a stomach bug, but I stayed in the basement as much as I could, buy the toilet. Throwing up is never fun but doing it on vacation is the pits. Luckily, the boys were content playing outside or jamming out on the N64 (Mario or Mario Cart)--which I might also say is part of my childhood. 😉 Luckily, it only lasted a day, but man it was a bummer to be out of commission when you just want to play with your kiddos and soak up your childhood home.
We ran some errands the next day (including cashing in all the coins in "Kristina's mission fund" jars...it was about $140), helped with some packing, and went to Hockinson park. Lehi would fly in that night, so we could drive back the next day. It is hard to put into words how much it meant to have my children play where I played and have similar adventures that I had throughout my growing up. It was a special trip I hope the boys remember. And for Brielle and the baby in my stomach, the stories and pictures here don't do it justice, but hopefully give a glimpse.
Lehi Scuba
Drywall Disaster
More Pictures:
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