Life to the Fullest

We headed East on Friday for our traditional Mother's Day weekend camping trip. This is clearly not my family's tradition, but my very adventurous husband's. Who else would go tent camping in the mountains in May? The idea of sleeping outside in the cold isn't at the top of my list for Mother's Day activities, but it far exceeded my expectations.

We had fantastic weather and I think this was the best camping trip ever. Jeff thinks that I am only saying that because we only spent one night. The nights are the hardest as the temperature dips below freezing and a pregnant lady HAS to go to the bathroom 50 zillion times. I am quite sure there is nothing louder in the whole world than a tent zipper in the dead of night.

We made it through the night and woke up to a clear and beautiful day at the Lake (Twin Lakes near LaPine). Our site was right on the lake and the fire felt fantastic as the sun slowly warmed us. Breakfast by the fire was my favorite part. Why are eggs and sausage so much better when served on paper plates outside?

Emma has been talking about this camping trip for weeks. I bought her the special cereal in the little boxes and you would have thought she won a trip to Disney Land.

The family camping group was small this year as a few stayed in Redmond at the Eagle Crest timeshare with cable tv and microwaves. The diehards at the lake had a great time and we were so thankful for sunny  weather!

Mandy and Grandma warming by the fire.

Emma with her very own fishing pole. She loved the experience, but didn't catch any fish... there is always next year.

Jeff's brother John and 2 older boys were also there to supervise the fun and to fish. The boys each caught fish, but I think most of the fun is in the anticipation.

Hey, there is a picture of me! I was the one taking the pictures for the most part, having a love affair with my new camera. The best Mother's Day present ever!

On Saturday afternoon we drove to Eagle Crest to join the rest of the family who was all rested up from sleeping in real beds and not having tent zipper/potty issues in the middle of the night.

It was warm enough to swim outside and both the girls had a blast.

We stayed 2 nights at the resort and enjoyed Jeff's family. It was such a great time! People came and went and came and went, but at one point, all 18 family members were present. We were busy wrangling 8 children under 4 years old, so no adult group picture. Even the picture above is missing a child! Maybe we'll do better next time or maybe we'll just be happy everyone had fun.

Friday's trip took us down through Eugene and then over the Cascades and we drove home via Portland. The whole trip was amazingly beautiful.

...Now on to the news you've all been waiting for: an ultrasound appointment in Portland. We woke up early this morning to eat breakfast and then drive to Portland. We dropped the girls off at our friend's house and went to the Natural Birth Center and Family Clinic in NE Portland (this is the place my midwife recommended because the ultrasound is done by a dr. and it is about $300 cheaper than the places around here. I was convinced).

I've been having dreams for weeks that the ultrasound couldn't give us a definite answer as to the gender of our child. I told the dr. that and he said, "We'll see about that." He amazingly put the wand down right on THE spot and there was no denying it.... he is a boy! Emma has said from the beginning that she is having a brother. She was right.

Ultrasounds never cease to amaze me as we saw our child dance around on the tv screen. Our son is already a very active guy and I've been feeling him move for about 4 weeks. On the ultrasound we saw him flip and turn and put his arms above his head. Once again I am overwhelmed with God's goodness. All the measurements that are done on the baby came out perfect.

So, all in all it was a fun and full weekend with the beautiful outdoors, good family, and exciting news. Now.... on to do the laundry.