evan, lindsay, nina, elena and esther

Sarah and Evan put up with A LOT to hang out with us. Baby pukes (one at night at home, another one on the floor of the maltby cafe. Poor little Elena doesn't just pit up, she heaves until she is empty. Not a pretty sight.), heavy raining, traffic, carrying our kids for us, waiting for us multiple times, etc. They are troopers! We're grateful for friends who take us for what we are. :)

They posted some pictures from our adventures here. We had such a good time!

Here are some of our own pictures. if you click the link above you can see more of the actual hike, which was really beautiful. Lush green and very very very wet.


Nina under the rain shell of her hiking carrier.

there's lightning bolts in my chest (M. Ward anyone?)

I thought that I would always scoff at the irony of having spent nearly 1/4 of my life in rexburg. I truly truly miss it. Crappy winters and a staggering lack of dining options don't dampen the memory of a place where I acquired almost a decade of experiences, sounds, sights, smells, songs, etc etc etc. In Rexburg I went from aimless dorm girl to returned missionary to eager student to married to graduate to mother. As time passed and I changed the town improved as well. There are a few bonus chapters stuck in there - semesters at home, full time mission in provo, and an internship in ethiopia. I can't forget a few other high lights - dating adventures, paying dues at an idaho based trucking company, teaching a one credit class.

Our last month there was possibly one of my favorite months of ever. Family, friends, sunsets, mild warm weather, peace. In that time Evan graduated, we had Elena the following week, and in the next three weeks we enjoyed each others company like we've never had the time to before. I wonder if we'll ever spend a month together like that ever again. It won't be long before Nina won't remember all her little friends from Rexburg, it was soo hard for us to leave that life behind. Her life is going to be (and already is) so different here. It's probably harder on us than it is on her.

We've been back in Kenmore for almost three weeks now. We're sooo excited for Kyle to come home from his mission in two weeks, and finally meet Nina and Elena! Evan is loving his job at Tether. It is pretty much his dream job. Even though I've been at this for a while it now feels completely official that I'm a stay at home mom. Of not just one but two!

Since we came back I've been wanting us to spend a night just brainstorming and writing down both memories and things we learned in Rexburg that aren't likely lessons to learn here in Seattle or to be repeated in our lives again. Things we don't want to forget. All those years in Rexburg amount to a longing to be near to God and to each other. I hope we get a chance to write down some of those ideas - the types of things that ten or fifteen years down the road will fill us with a feeling that we may not have felt in a while - ideas from a simpler time and place in our beginning.

It's undecided whether Nina is betrothed to Soren, Vaughn, Nibs, or Clark. Clark might be too much of a younger man. I might have to talk to Lea about Rion as a possibility. :)

Here are some awesome pictures taken by Melissa of Nina and Soren the last time they played together in Rexburg. Maybe the pictures will help us make that decision.

Check them out!

Welcome to the world Emmett James! We can't wait to meet you!

Congratulations Micaela, Ammon & Addy!