August - A New School Year

The school year always seems to come so quickly in our house. This year school began on August 1st. Which meant that we had 8 weeks to get all of our summer fun in. I will be the first to say that we packed in a TON in that 8 weeks. We started with Alaska, off to Bentonville, then Hawaii, and finally ending with Portland! It was an eventful 8 weeks for sure. We celebrated mile stones, enjoyed time with family and loved ones, and tried new things. It was a summer none of us will forget. Now it's time to take a look into a much more subdued August. 

Here we go! Heading into the new year with a fifth, fourth, and third grader! I still cannot believe that we have a kid within three grade years. I can't think about High School or it makes me emotional. To think that I will lose a kid each year once Jack is a Senior is crazy! 

Ice cream date with Dad.

Pres took the boys with him to Young Men's one night. They had a blast playing ball with the older kids. Beckham's little heaven.

The kids went back to school and I organized the house :) Grateful to have a sister that does this for a living and own's her own organizing business. Thanks to A Proper Place for teaching me all of the things.

My back took a turn for the worse and I decided it was time for an MRI. Turns out it was a good thing I did, because we found out that my L5 had broken off and was pushing into my nerve root. The MRI was extremely painful. They had me lay on my back in a tiny machine for 90 minutes as they took pics of my lower spine and tailbone. Grateful to finally have answers. Now on to recovery. I was told by multiple doctors that this break can only be fixed with back surgery. I reached out to a surgeon and she said, "Not yet." So, I will be receiving two epidural steroids. One in between my broken vertebrae and the other directly into my nerve root. I will also begin physical therapy as soon as I can. Pres was my cheerleader along the way. 

He treated me to Nick the Greek after my MRI. 

Some days I just needed to lay on my side for awhile because of the pain. I can take ibuprofen and Tylenol to manage pain along the way. I'd learned to just stay still until it kicked in. I actually broke my back in April, so I was used to certain remedies at this point. I also now know why it was never getting better and at times worse depending on the activity of the day.

Picture day for these three!

Pres was going for a run and the kids wanted to join. Quinnie's outfit melts my heart.

There they go!

A trip around the block with Dad...success.

I am so excited to start work on a brand new website for my business! Cannot wait to get this up and running. It should be ready to go mid January....crossed fingers. 

Quinn and I were feeling the Christmas spirit so we started a Christmas puzzle :)

Found these two in my bed sleeping when they were supposed to be in theirs, haha.

I was tired of constantly grounding people from screens or doing early bedtimes. That's when I talked to my Mom and asked what she did when we misbehaved. Added chores was the answer I needed. It's a win-win. They hate it, so they think twice before acting out, and my house looks great! 

Beckham's face, haha. I think they love the new consequences, haha.

Haircuts for these two cute boys.

Saying goodbye to my girls! These two girls are going to change the world! Mark my words. 

Best of luck Alex and Abby. 

Found this in the gravel when I took the garbage outside. It warmed my heart ;-)

This kid is his Dad in so many ways. Love them both oh so much.

Quinn and I did it!

Date with my Beckham boy.

We shot guns and got slushies. Thanks Bass Pro for a fun spot to hang.

Time for a change.                                                   Much better!

August was a month that we were ready for and not ready for at the same time. My back had been having issues for months and I couldn't figure out why. I finally received the answers I had been looking for. On the flip side, the kids were eager to get back to school with friends. They are enjoying their new class years. I look forward to September when I will receive my epidural steroid shots and can begin physical therapy. Here's to recovery!

Portland! Preston's Bday and One Last Family Hurrah!

We took one last hurrah to Portland, Oregon for Preston's birthday. We had SO much fun! Portland is one of our favorite cities to visit. They have incredible food, great hikes, and the largest independent new and used bookstore in the world! Here's a look at a memorable trip for sure.

Birthday boy hug from his little princess.

Our first adventure was a hike in Washington called Beacon Rock. 

King of the mountain!

Jack and I went a little ahead. He found this cute nature made chair to rest on.

Checking out a cave.

We met up with the rest of the crew to enjoy this view.

The views were gorgeous!

Lots of switchbacks along the trail.

Quinnie taking in her surroundings.

Cuties

Gorgeous!

Check out these switchbacks!

A view from the top.

Who brought that guy?! Haha.

Perspective :)

The photographer took a quick selfie. 

Can't take photographers anywhere according to my kiddos. They stop too much, haha.

My cute Q with her twin trees.

The next day we hit the city. We wanted to check out the markets.

Bracelets for everyone!

         

A pretzel that was claimed to the best by these two cuties. I think they were just hungry, haha. It was pretty dang good though.

Market fun!

We love you Portland!

Love these two!

After the markets we hit downtown for some shopping. After a little bit, Preston took the kids to grab lunch while I shopped. I loved having a little me time. It was so fun exploring the different boutiques and shops. I may have had a little too much fun. Luckily, we brought an extra suitcase just in case ;) 

A fun birthday surprise for Pres. I introduced him to Powell Books! The kids all found a place to settle into and read and read and read :) We had so much fun exploring the 6 levels of books! Spending hours here was by far one of our favorite stops on the trip. 

The size of this place is deceiving. It legit just goes on forever! I found books that I couldn't find anywhere else. They have everything!

We went from the largest bookstore in the world to the smallest park in the world, haha. It is only two feet across and 452 square inches! You blink you miss it! It's where the little Christmas tree is :)

  

You can't go to Portland without checking out Voodoo donuts. We grabbed lots and lots to sample. They did not disappoint. 

On our last day in Portland we checked out the Oregon Museum of Science & Industry, or as they call it OMSI. Jackson, Beckham, and Quinn were super stoked for this day. They loved every minute of it. Pres and I really enjoyed our time as well.

My little astronauts.

Checking out the discovery zones.

Jack was on a mission to change all of these little dials to black, haha. He enlisted some helpers to try and get it done quickly. 

A doorway from a submarine.  Yeesh!

Checking out the gift shop.

After the OMSI we headed to a little Chinese Tea Garden. It was really pretty.

Taking in their surroundings.

After the Tea Gardens we sped off to grab a bite.

This was by far our favorite food place we stopped at on our trip. Apizza Scholl's is legit one of the best pizza places we have ever eaten at. If you are ever in Portland you have to stop by and give this wood fired brick oven pizza with sourdough crust a shot. We also ordered the caesar salad and it was so good. This place turned Jack around to liking salad. He now eats caesar salad every time we have it. 

Can't wait to come back again!

While we were visiting Portland we stayed in Vancouver, WA.

One final stop was Salt & Straw for some ice cream. Again, Portland did not disappoint. You'll have some of the best ice cream from what these four tell me. Everyone loved the scoop they got.

We took a walk down by the water. Jack clearly loved his ice cream cone, haha.

Awww.

We left the following morning. Thank you Portland for spoiling all of us. Pres had an amazing birthday!

When we got home we celebrated this guys birthday with a chocolate chocolate cake!

This last hurrah as a family was just what we needed. It was great to get out and explore right before the school year started. We had such a fun time adventuring all around Portland and Vancouver.