STAYcation Day #2

Day Two of our STAYcation started off with a surprise for Emma and Samantha.  Uncle Matt and Aunt Julie came for a visit from California.  It's been a couple of years since we have seen them so we were excited to have them join us for a few days.  Today was our "Catherine Creek Day."  We loaded up the van and drove to Catherine Creek State Park about 20 minutes away and enjoyed the outdoors.  The weather was gorgeous and for the most part, we had the park to ourselves.  Mark cooked a nice BBQ for us and Uncle Matt took the girls on a little hike and also played with them along the creek which was very high and running very fast!

This picture shows just how pretty it was.  Normally at this time of year we can do a little swimming or wading in the creek but there was just too much water.  We'll try again later in the summer.

Uncle Matt attempted to teach Emma how to skip rocks on the creek.  It's pretty hard to do.  On a side note - Samantha lost her flip flops in the water while she was wading on the edge.  Mark ended up jumping in the creek to save the flip flops and got soaked!  Hooray for Daddy!

The girls have had a great time with their aunt and uncle and we wish that they could stay longer with us.

STAYcation Day #1

Because Mom is in her third trimester of pregnancy this summer, we thought it best to stay close to home with our activities instead of going on a long vacation like we normally do.  This year, the girls and I decided to plan a "STAYcation" which would enable us to have fun activities to do closer to home.  Today was Day #1 and we called it Getting to Know Your City Day.  We have lived in La Grande for five years but we have never really taken advantage of some of the local shops or restaurants.  Our first stop this morning was "The Potter's House."  (Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture there).  The Potter's House is a gift shop where local artists can sell their crafts.  Plus, the owner does his own pottery which is beautiful.  We came out with some Wild Huckleberry muffin mix and a couple of new cookie cutters that the girls picked out.  Our second stop was to a local book store called "Sunflower Books."  Emma and Sam both love reading and couldn't get enough of the children's area.  If they had their way, we would have bought out the whole store.  They really enjoyed sitting and reading some lovely books.  Unfortunately for them, Mom is a big believer in utilizing the local library instead of buying brand new books.

Next we walked downtown a bit and we decided it was time for a mid-morning snack.  We stopped at a cafe called "Joe & Sugar's."  It was a cute place to sit and relax and fill up on some yummy goodies - a cinnamon roll for Emma, a muffin for Mom, and a giant cookie for Samantha.

Well, it just so happened that right across the street from the cafe was another local bookstore - "Looking Glass Books."  This was a very large bookstore that also sells used books and the children's area was great fun.  Here is a picture of Emma playing with a train set.

After we left the second bookstore we headed on over to the library.  Now we are frequent patrons of our local library and this summer the girls are participating in the summer reading program.  This week is week #2 so we needed to go and exchange our books for new ones.  Sam read 13 books last week and Emma read five.  They filled up their book bags and we even picked up a free pass to the Children's Museum in Pendleton that we can use later in the week!  After the library we knew it was time for a good lunch so we walked across the street to "Mamacitas."  This is actually a personal favorite of ours and since it wasn't very busy, they let us pick where we wanted to sit.  The girls decided they wanted to sit downstairs where all the art work is and it is much quieter.  We really enjoyed ourselves and lunch was delicious!  (Samantha is always hamming it up for the camera.....)

After lunch we headed home for a short break.  We were very tired and needed to check the time for when the trolly was going to be running.  We stayed home for about 45 minutes and then headed out again.  Here are the girls waiting at the trolly stop.  Unfortunately the trolly was about 15 minutes late and ended up ignoring us at the stop.  We were too hot to keep waiting so we packed it in for our next stop.

Our final destination was "Faerie Beads."  It is a bead shop where you can go and pick from thousands of different beads or charms to make your own jewelry.  The girls had such a hard time deciding between all of the beautiful beads that were there.  We finally came up with a simple plan, thanks to the owner of the shop, and came on home.  We haven't had a chance to make our necklaces yet, but we will definitely do it later in the week.

It was a great day and I especially just loved spending time with my girls.  Hopefully they enjoyed themselves as much as I did.  Tomorrow for Day #2 we are heading to Catherine Creek and Daddy is even taking the day off of work to join us - WOOHOOOO!

New Van!

Well, with the arrival of a third child coming up we knew it was time to be on the lookout for a new vehicle.  We have had our trusty Saturn for nearly eight years and it was a great car for us.  Unfortunately it just wasn't big enough for our family of five.  A couple of months ago we started scouring the internet for a new van.  We found a few that ended up not working out but we took a chance on a van that we saw this week at a dealership a couple of hours away.  So yesterday we piled into the car and took off, hoping and praying that we would come home with something new.

As you can see, we found a van that is perfect for us and we were most grateful to drive it off the lot!  It was a bit tragic for Samantha who broke down in tears trying to say good-bye to the Saturn.  So, we talked about our favorite memories of the car and had a moment of reflection. :)  It was too cute!  Thankfully, within about five minutes of leaving town, she had completely forgotten about our old car and was grateful to be in a comfy new van.  (Of course, the DVD player that came with it helped out with that!)

Here's to many more road trips to come!  Well....maybe not too many....at least until after the baby is born!

Water Fun!

So far we haven't had that many warm days yet this summer but when it's warm, the girls have enjoyed taking advantage of it and spending time playing in the water.  They made up this little game a couple of weeks ago and decided it would be great fun to spray each other with the sprinkler while playing on the swingset.  Such creativity!

We have also kept really busy doing swimming lessons each morning.  They did so good in their lessons!  Both girls really love the water and would spend all day in the pool if we had time.  Emma is struggling a little bit with being in the deep water but I'm sure she will conquer her fears in the near future!  Samantha loves swimming so much that it was a little difficult for her to pay attention to her teacher and not play around.  Fortunately, she tried very hard and was a good student.  They have completed their first session and we'll try to do one more session before the summer is through.  It's just a bit uncomfortable for mom to sit in the hot pool on the bleachers at this point in the pregnancy.  We'll see how it goes!

Summer Vacation Begins!

Last week school officially let out for the summer.....FINALLY!  Our district had a late start this past year so we went longer into June.  I'm glad to have my girls home with me but it's been quite the challenge to worry each day about how to keep them entertained.  I had very high hopes that we would find ways to not be bored, but I am proven wrong each day.  So far they have spent lots of time outside on their bikes and scooters.....

Made a trip to the library......

And worked on some arts and crafts.  This is a little basket that Emma made out of some scrapbook paper.

The exciting news is that Samantha has removed the training wheels off of her bike and is learning to ride with just two wheels.  She is doing so great and picked it up immediately.

The only struggle she has had has been with making turns.  So we decided that taking her to the track at the elementary school would be beneficial because of the natural turns.  The first time we went she rode a mile and a half!  We went last night for Family Home Evening and she did another mile.  Hooray!

The girls were pretty dramatic in this picture....they were a bit overheated from lots of riding.

Here are a couple of videos that we took of Samantha:

Only about nine more weeks of summer to go!

Daddy Daughter Dance

Now that Emma is eight years old she is able to attend Activity Days at church every other week.  It's something she looks forward to doing and all the girls get to help plan which activities they would like to do.  There are 13 little girls in her group and the one thing they all really wanted to do was hold a Daddy Daughter dance.  Officially it was called the Daddy Daughter Dessert Date Dance!  This dance was something that Emma was highly anticipating for weeks!  The only glitch was that Daddy had to be out of town all week for work at the Police Academy.  This was very disappointing for Emma and Mark.  We thought about having Emma's Grampa or one of her uncles come and take her as an "adopted" daddy, but that really didn't feel the same.  So, on a whim, Mark called ahead of time to the Director of the Academy and explained our predicament.  Fortunately, the Director is a family man himself and had no problem with allowing Mark to leave a day early in order to be back in time to accompany his daughter to the dance.  Hooray!  The day before all the girls got together and made banana cream and chocolate cream pies to serve and also helped out getting the decorations organized.  Emma got all dressed up the night of and looked absolutely adorable!

Daddy made it home in time to go with Emma.  There was no way he was going to miss his first Daddy Daughter dance.  They had a wonderful time together dancing and being with friends.  Hooray for all the daddys who brought their daughters.  It was a very special night for everyone.

Easter and Birthday Weekend!

This year Samantha's birthday fell on Easter Sunday!  What a double treat for her.  So, we decided to get together with all the family in Hermiston for an Easter egg hunt and birthday celebrations.  We really had a wonderful time with everyone and thankfully it was spectacular weather!  We started off our day with a hike at the butte in town.  Even the little kids came along.  This was our group before starting off!

We all made it to the top and the cousins were VERY proud of themselves!  It was a really neat view overlooking the city.  Even Jordan and Eliza made it to the top, even though they aren't pictured here.  Jordan is three and his mama is extremely pregnant so it took them a little longer than the rest.

Here is Daddy with his best girls feeling very confidant on their accomplishment!

I love this picture - we found a spot for all the kiddos to sit and they all saw Gramma and Grampa at the bottom waving to them.  The kids yelled and hollered lots of "YAHOOS!" since it is a favorite saying of Gramma's.

Even Miss Lillie enjoyed herself and was very well behaved on Mommy's back!

Here is aunt Hollie posing with the kids.  We had so much fun making it to the top that nobody wanted to go back down.

However, the good part about making it back down the mountain was that we could all go back to Uncle Jon's house for a fabulous Easter egg hunt!  There were so many eggs to find - Emma was quick to get going!

Lillian took her time.  She found one egg and was quite content to play with that one egg - especially because it was in the dirt and rocks.  Who doesn't love playing in the dirt?

Here is all the kids filled up on sugar and fun and having a great time!  We are only missing Luke and Katie in Arizona.  Wish that they could have been there with us to join in on the festivities.

Of course, it was also Sam's birthday but the week before also included Kennidy's 9th birthday and Aunt Hollie's birthday.  (We won't share with everyone how old she is).  There was TONS of yummy desserts and all the birthday girls blew out their candles perfectly.

Happy 6th Birthday Sammy!  We can't believe how much you have grown!

We came home that night and colored Easter eggs for the Easter bunny to come and hide for us the next morning.  The girls were very creative.

Unfortunately, Mom forgot to take pictures on Easter.  I suppose I was too caught up in the festivities.  The Easter Bunny brought them new scooters which they absolutely adore!  They have spent so much time outside getting exercise and enjoying themselves.  We also had a birthday dinner for Samantha and opened presents.  Of course she was spoiled rotten from everybody.  It really was a perfect weekend and we loved being with our family!

Weekend Update

It was a really nice weekend for our family and we have lots to share with you!  We were super busy but we also had some wonderful time together and we are grateful.  Our weekend started off with our big ultrasound that we have waited and waited for.  The news came back that we are expecting our third daughter!  Everything looked really good and we just couldn't be happier.  I thought the girls were going to be disappointed to not be getting a little brother, but they are just as tickled to have a little sister.  We got some really fantastic pictures so kudos to the nice ultrasound tech who help us.

Isn't this little hand just the most perfect hand you have ever seen?  I feel like she was waving to us. :)

We were fortune to have Gramma and Grampa come to La Grande for the day.  They accompanied us to the hospital for the ultrasound and kept the girls company while we were busy in Radiology.  They spent the entire day with us and we had so much fun visiting, doing Easter crafts, and making cookies.  My mom even brought lunch and dinner for us so what a relief to not have to worry about cooking for a day!!!!

On Saturday we started off by heading to the local "Arts for All" in town.  Each year the Arts Commission has a day where you can come and do all kinds of arts and crafts for free.  We missed it last spring so the girls have been waiting and waiting for it to come around again.  They were able to get their faces painted which were super cute.  Sam had a shooting star and Emma had a butterfly.

They each did about five or six crafts but one of their favorites was the tin art craft.  They used the little hammers and nails to make their own pretty pictures on some tin board.  Their Dad would have been proud of their ability to use a hammer and the pictures turned out great.

Afterwards we went to lunch to a local pizza and games restaurant.  It is one of the girls' favorite places to eat.  Unfortunately I didn't think to bring the camera with me to catch a picture.  After being home for a while and resting our full tummies, we went through baby stuff!  Mark and I thought that we had donated all of our baby things last year when we didn't think we would have any more children but we came across a large tub that was just full of baby clothes!  What a relief!  The girls were anxious to help sort through the different sizes and decide which things we could keep and which things were just a little too used.  Mark did three loads of laundry that night to get everything washed up and ready to be put away in the baby's room.  We had clothes all over the living room!

It was so fun being together and being able to spend some quality time with one another.  We feel so blessed that we have another child coming to our beautiful family but also very blessed to have the two daughters that we have as well as our extended family who are so supportive.  We love and miss you all and hope that you feel involved with us even though you are far away!

Baby Update

I realized this morning that I haven't included much about my pregnancy on our blog so I thought I would give an update to everyone.  As of today, I am 19 weeks along and the past couple of weeks have been pretty stressful for our family.  Two weeks ago I went in for my four month check up and happened to have very high blood pressure.  The doctor took it several times and each time it was high.  So.... this meant that some lab work needed to be done (which I am NOT a fan of) and that I needed to have my blood pressure checked each day so that it could be monitored and recorded.   Of course, I followed the doctor's orders and completed my lab orders and went to Safeway each day to check my blood pressure.  This became exhausting after a few days and so I decided that I would go out and purchase my own blood pressure machine.  I thought it was going to be a great investment but when I returned to the doctor a week later, turns out that my machine wasn't callaborated as closely to the doctor's blood pressure cuff so my readings were off.  Darn!

In the meantime, Dr. Whitaker also suggested that I have an appointment with the chiropractor to help with some headaches that I had been having.  I went to my appointment and then had an enjoyable conference weekend.  Unfortunately by Sunday afternoon I began having difficulty keeping food down and by Monday morning had a MIGRAINE!  The migraine was accompanied by vomiting and although I went to see the chiropractor again that afternoon, it did little to alleviate my severe headache and I was still unable to keep food down.  Tuesday was a bit better for the headache but was still throwing up.  I saw my OB that day and because I hadn't had any nourishment for three days, she diagnosed me as being very dehydrated.  So..... this meant that I needed to spend a few hours up at Labor and Delivery having an IV with some good fluids given to me.  Although my headache was somewhat better, I was still pretty miserable on Tuesday night and unable to sleep but by Wednesday morning I was much better.  I saw the chiropractor two more times during the week and as of today I am feeling pretty good which makes me grateful.  The other good thing is that my blood pressure seems to have calmed down a bit for the time being and doesn't need to be treated.

Pregnancy has never been easy for me.  I have been ill with all three of my children but this particular pregnancy has been especially difficult and I find myself having a hard time being positive and excited about the coming months.  I keep hoping that each day will bring added energy and less pain.  I know that I am driving my husband looney with my endless complaining but thankfully he is a trooper and does so much for me.  On a lighter note, last night I could really feel this little one kicking away and moving around - even Mark could feel it when he put his hand on my tummy. 

We have a milestone coming this Friday - we will have our ultrasound to find out what we are having and we just can't wait!  The girls are hoping for a little brother so badly but will be very happy with a little sister, too.  We'll let you all know just as soon as we can!  Thanks to a wonderful family and great friends who have been so supportive and added extra prayers on our behalf!

A New 'Do

This morning Emma went to the salon to have her hair cut.  That in and of itself isn't very exciting but today we were cutting it short - something new and a little more grown up.  Emma has had long hair for most of her life but we were looking for a style that would allow for a little more independence and a lot less tangles!  She was pretty nervous when we arrived at the salon.  BEFORE:

and AFTER!

Her wonderful stylist, Emily, thought that there was enough hair to put into a ponytail and have it cut off to be donated to "Locks of Love" which we were very happy to do.  The new style is adorable and a great improvement!

Happy Birthday Mark!

Mark celebrated his 42nd birthday on the 3rd of this month.  We tried to make it a special day for him but he had to work and I wasn't feeling well with my morning sickness so I'm afraid it didn't have the feeling of excitement that we were hoping for.  But we did have a surprise birthday breakfast and then went out to his favorite restaurant for dinner.  We came home for some yummy dessert and gifts.  So even though it wasn't a grand and exciting day, we did have a little fun and were able to show how much we love him and how thankful we are for all that he does for our family!  Here's to a great year ahead!

Mini Mounties

On Valentine's weekend, Samantha was able to participate in a little dance camp put on by the dance team at the University here in La Grande.  They were called the "Mini Mounties."  She spent three hours learning how to dance and do cheers and then at the university basketball game that night, she performed with the rest of the little girls!  She had so much fun!  Unfortunately, Emma came down with a flu bug the night before and wasn't able to participate which was very upsetting.  Mark took a couple of videos - Samantha is in the middle with thet long brown hair.  Good job Sam!!!!

Our News

I realize that it has been since January 1st since I last blogged about the Perry Family.  It's been a long couple of months for us.  Mark was gone to Minnesota for two weeks after his dad passed away.  The girls and I were at home by ourselves and not really doing very much.  Then Mark had to be gone for another week for some work business.  The weather has been cold, we had some colds and flu bugs, and I have been feeling a little depressed about turning 34 in January!   Needless to say, things have been rather quiet in our household and we haven't had much to blog about.  However, spring is around the corner and we are anxious to get out and do things and enjoy being with each other.  Plus.....we are expecting our third baby!  After Christmas we were completely shocked to discover that we were pregnant!  We tried for a few years and had very prayerfully come to accept that Heavenly Father had blessed us with two beautiful daughters and that was enough.  There were a lot of tears but eventually we felt peace with our happy family of four.  What we have learned is that our plan was not THE plan for us and we have been blessed yet again!  Unfortunately, the morning sickness has been hard to overcome and I am feeling ill almost 24 hours a day.  I have missed a lot of church, a lot of playdates and other activities which I hate to do.  I am optimistic, though, and hoping that things will be back to normal in a few short weeks!  So, here's to more blogging and more updates from our family to yours!