July random days of fun, and Jojo is 17 months old

July has just flown by!! With us deciding to possibly move to Portland, we have been busy going through our things, trying to weed out what we no longer need and what we could donate. We have had a couple of days were we went swimming at Seven Peaks or visited Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake. 

This is Addie during one of those exhausting days of fun! I couldn't help myself, so cute!

We went to visit my family another time. I had a feeling that things would probably work out in Portland, so I wanted to have one last visit with the kids before we moved away. It is about a 10 1/2 hr drive between Arimo and Portland....doable but not as easy as the 1 1/2 hr drive we've enjoyed living in Kaysville.

Grandpa snuggling with Addie. He also did the same with Jojo, but I think I got a video instead of a picture. Both kids have really enjoyed my parents. They have spent a lot of time with them and feel pretty familiar with them.

Grandma Hebdon has let us borrow Great Great Grandpa Joseph Francis Belnap's rocking horse he made for her children. Both kids really enjoy it, so much that they often fight over it. This is one of those days when Jojo had it all to himself. He loved it!

This is one of our trips to Seven Peaks. Both kiddos are super cute in the swim attire! They enjoyed our pass to this park, but their favorite places to go is in the natural water. I'm not sure if it's because of the chlorine or not. And the cold doesn't scare them either. 

Steven Hebdon Family Reunion and Trip to Portland

I decided to enjoy the Fourth of July with the kids in Idaho with my family. Joe had to work and be on call. But we enjoyed ourselves and the small parade. I really enjoy Arimo and the small town friendliness and feel. They are always doing fun activities for families. Kevin had caught crawdads with his boys and boiled us up a fantastic dinner. 

Stephanie's family and Joe came up Wednesday and we enjoyed time together. We reserved Alexander Reservoir near Soda Springs. We used to go water skiing there growing up. I had almost forgotten how nice it was up there with the trees, and the grass they have by the dam house. It was such a fun experience!! Addie rode the tube with her cousin Jared and giggled most of the time. I decided to give it a run and go with her as well. She is a brave little girl that has a lot of fun with the water. Jojo was having a rough time sleeping at my parent's home and didn't take a nap so he wasn't up for it. But he did have fun playing at the small beach there. I am so glad our kids enjoy the water, even if it's cold. 

Jared Bare

Adam Hebdon 

Brothers Caleb and Benjamin Hebdon

Aimee Bare

Alyssa Bare

Cousins: Jojo and Adam 

Siblings : Alyssa and Jared

Cousins: Jared and Addie

Four Generations: Great Grandma Norma, Jojo, Great Grandpa Clyde, Grandma Linda, Mommy Krystell

G & G Neibaur's boat

Sisters: Alyssa, Jenna, and Aimee

Jojo enjoying his pool time

Cousins: Jared and Adam

Addie enjoying beach time

Jenna Bare

Grandma with her grandkids

After the day, Kevin and his boys gathered up his crawdad traps and we had a boil. So yummy, my favorite is the sausage.

Caleb tasting the crawdad....

Aimee being brave

Addie didn't want to hold the crawdads this year. Haha!

The next day was so cold they decided to wait til afternoon to go to Lava. The Bare's, Hebdon's and grandma went tubed down the Portneuf River. Our family stayed at home so our kids could nap. Too many days in a row with no napping and rough sleeping is hard for our kids. But we went again another weekend with the kids. It was fun!!

Saturday our little family  continued north and visited Portland for the first time. We were excited to see the trees and beauty the area had to offer. Joe kept saying, "It feels like home! I love it, I love the evergreens, it's incredible!" and it really was. I was blown away! I think it's greener and more wild then Seattle. 

We decided to visit Portland because Joe had an interview for an radiology technologist full time weekday position, and I had an interview for an ultrasound 2 day weekday position. The details to our decision will be in another post. 

We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves! We loved the various parks the city offers. We feel in love with the city, the surrounding areas, the overcast, and green! 

Cathedral Park under St. John's Bridge, it was one of my favorites.

Jojo really enjoyed walking around the paved pathways. It is so hard to believe he had only really been walking for a week or two.

Multnomah Falls, right off of I-84

A letter to my children when they have children of their own...

I want to write this to my children....hopefully they will get some smiles, laughs, and reassurance that we all go through it. I get intimidated being a mother. I do! It's hard not to when I have my mom, that was pretty darn as perfect as they come! And my sister Stephanie, I don't know how she does it all and seems to enjoy every minute of it! And my sister Rachel, who is so patient and mellow about everything. And so I just want to express some of my thoughts and feelings so that my children will hopefully feel like I understand!

**So I would just like to note that the first paragraph was in January!  Lol and I was interrupted and never finished it. **

I have put the kids down for "naptime" and wanted to put updates on the kids, and I realized I never finished this post. And I remember wanting to be positive, funny , and uplifting....but let's be honest....I'm exhausted and envy neighbors and friends who had family close by they could visit and help out, go on dates once a week! Without paying so much for babysitting that you can't afford it.

I am totally being a brat, I know! We spoiled ourselves and we're naughty for going on a Caribbean Cruise in April, and my mom and brother and everyone with them watched both kids for us while we enjoyed ourselves. And not to mention just a couple of days after my dad was hospitalized due to retaining too much fluid! I am incredibly grateful to ALL of my family! They do so much for us. I can't even tell you how much they help us in BIG ways during times of distress such as watching Addie while I was in the hospital recovering from having Joey at the end of February. Assisting me with both kids the first few weeks after having Joey and I had to watch my lifting when Addie was too heavy. Watching both kids in May when I had to train f or a couple of days at the hospital. Watching both kids in October when I had my thyroid cancer removed and recovering from that. The list keeps going, and so I guess one huge lesson I have learned is to not compare ourselves to others. I read somewhere that we are all a hot mess, some just hide it better than others! And to not take things for granted, such as our families. They are the ones the see us at our weakest, ugliest and lowest moments and still love us despite ourselves.

Things seemed so much simpler with just the two of us. But then again, everything has more meaning and depth with children. The plan of happiness, was never easy, but always worth it.