This past weekend Josh and I went to Sunriver with the high school group from our church. It was our third year going on this trip, and it is always a lot of fun. Our kids stayed with my parents for the weekend. It was our first time being away from Griffin overnight, but he did great and we didn't worry (: Both boys had a really fun time at Memaw and Papa's house. They got to eat at McDonalds, help with yardwork, and go in the hot tub! Ronan was especially excited because he got to sleep in Uncle Erik's old room and use the lava lamp that was left there as a night light (:
OK, back to the retreat...
We arrived at the house on Friday evening and got settled in. It is an amazing house with 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 2 family rooms, and a loft. There were 25 students and 8 leaders. Eric shared some excellent teaching throughout the weekend that challenged us all to think about making wise decisions.
Josh and I really enjoyed getting to hang out with the students and develop stronger connections with them. We also had fun being
free from our responsibilities at home for a few days (:
On Saturday, the snowboarders & skiers woke up early to get to Mt. Bachelor by 8:00 am. The rest of us got to sleep in and take our time getting ready. Jill and I took a group of seven to the tubing park at Bachelor. There are 6 runs and a pulley/lift system that pulls you up the hill on your tube. It was great...we all had a blast!
When we got back to the house, our good friends, Mark and Robin, came to visit. They live in Sisters so it was a short drive for them. It was great to see them...I
so miss having Robin in Eugene!! I joked that she came by just to see
me, but really they are close with all of the leaders and many of the students (: Everyone was excited to see them.
Saturday night was awesome. There was a poker tournament going on in the dining room, Guitar Hero up in the loft, movies, boardgames, and the
hot tub to go in. Josh and I ended up staying in the hot tub with 9 other students for over an hour...we kind of felt like we needed to be there to make sure everyone was making
wise decisions (: But, we also were just having a great time hanging out with them. Someone had put dish soap in the hot tub earlier in the day, so every time the jets went on the bubbles would suds up. It also started snowing on us..it was so cool (:
On Sunday morning we ate breakfast and had one last teaching session, then we all packed up and left Sunriver at noon.
Above: Catherine, me, and Lindsey
Below: The whole group!
We had such a sweet reunion with Ronan and Griffin when we got home! They both were so cuddly and happy (: Griffin even gave us
real kisses--pucker and all! He was only giving "open mouth" kisses before that. It was great to come home to our precious sons.
Singing her solo--it was so beautiful!
Curtain Call
Backstage (:
I was so thrilled to see that my bulbs are beginning to bloom! I haven't really enjoyed the winter this year. It hasn't been too bad weather-wise, but for some reason I have felt extra annoyed that it gets dark so early and it's not easy or comfortable to play outside--and my boys need outside time! I am SO ready for a little more sun and daylight hours...it's coming soon!
Griffin held on to this football and walked all around the front patio. You can see in this picture that he is getting ready to say "ball". He now says "buh ball" for football (:
Josh and I really enjoyed getting to hang out with the students and develop stronger connections with them. We also had fun being free from our responsibilities at home for a few days (:
On Saturday, the snowboarders & skiers woke up early to get to Mt. Bachelor by 8:00 am. The rest of us got to sleep in and take our time getting ready. Jill and I took a group of seven to the tubing park at Bachelor. There are 6 runs and a pulley/lift system that pulls you up the hill on your tube. It was great...we all had a blast! 
When we got back to the house, our good friends, Mark and Robin, came to visit. They live in Sisters so it was a short drive for them. It was great to see them...I so miss having Robin in Eugene!! I joked that she came by just to see me, but really they are close with all of the leaders and many of the students (: Everyone was excited to see them.
Saturday night was awesome. There was a poker tournament going on in the dining room, Guitar Hero up in the loft, movies, boardgames, and the hot tub to go in. Josh and I ended up staying in the hot tub with 9 other students for over an hour...we kind of felt like we needed to be there to make sure everyone was making wise decisions (: But, we also were just having a great time hanging out with them. Someone had put dish soap in the hot tub earlier in the day, so every time the jets went on the bubbles would suds up. It also started snowing on us..it was so cool (:
Above: Catherine, me, and Lindsey
We had such a sweet reunion with Ronan and Griffin when we got home! They both were so cuddly and happy (: Griffin even gave us real kisses--pucker and all! He was only giving "open mouth" kisses before that. It was great to come home to our precious sons.
I used to get really nervous watching Josh do crazy things, but he truly is comfortable with heights and he almost makes it look easy (:
From the inside looking out...
Josh ended up tying a rope to himself and the platform...so he was "safe" (:
Our dads were holding up the window from inside the attic. It was so great that they were both available to help out right then. I'm pretty sure it was a God thing (:
My dad said I was being Elastagirl as I was trying to keep Ronan and Griffin away from the stairs...and the window...and all the places they could fall from! We all wanted to see what was happening, but the guys needed to focus! 
We played outside for a long time because it was sunny and dry. It actually felt pretty warm in the sun! I got out Ronan's Kawasaki power wheel for him to ride around on. Griffin loves to sit on it and he can even push the pedal to drive it a little (on the slowest speed & when I'm right there!). Katrina helped Finn sit behind Griffin and they rode together (:
Josh and Kenton installed two more windows and did some prep for the siding.
My parents came over later in the day, and my dad & Josh were able to start putting up the siding! They put up 4 rows on the east wall, then I got to take over for my dad and I helped put up 5 more rows. It's just the beginning of a very long process, but it was still exciting! I enjoyed getting to be involved & work with Josh (:
For dinner I made Dino Nuggets, Tater Tots, and peas. It was a big hit with all the kids. They all managed to stay at the counter and eat most of their food. Griffin was very entertained by all the big kids...it looks like he's yelling in the background, but I think he was excited (:
After dinner Tyler, Sadie, and Ronan played store while Cohen and Griffin emptied the toy box (: Tyler has been working on math & money at school, so he was calculating the cost of each item and would tell them how much money they needed. It was neat that they were all interested in the same game and they were able to figure things out together. 
We all decided that we need to do the babysitting swap thing more often! The kids all loved having cousin time at each others houses and we enjoyed getting to have a date night! It was definitely a good thing for ALL!