this is a long one
(with a few pictures
so if you have dial up
just go watch an episode of friends
& come back
& it should be just about loaded...)
but i find if i don’t just write everything i want to
i end up putting it off
& then it’s too late
example:
who has just been waiting on pins & needles to hear about our 4th of july?
exactly!
but now it just feels too late to write about it
maybe on a cold & wet november day…
anyway…
saturday brian’s mom, rona & brian’s brother’s daughter (aka our niece), rachel
came down & we went to amazon pool
a super awesome pool with
baby pools
& shower/waterfall thingies
& slides
it was just great
Q LOVES rachel
so they just had a great time
& even better
they slept so hard
worn out , they were!
especially after we heard the ice cream truck
& then ran all over the neighborhood
trying to find it
in 102 degree heat
ah what one will do for a popsicle
nevermind that we have a box in the freezer
they taste so much better
after you find the truck;)
sunday we dedicated miss m at church
it was really special
practically our whole family was there
actually almost everyone who lives in oregon was there:)
my dad (pop)
tam (grammy)
rona (grandma ro or grandma norma depending on Q’s mood:)
kate (auntie)
ryan (soon to be uncle)
lilli (auntie)
great grandma betty
Rachel (cousin)
at one point Q whispered in my ear
‘lot’s of people mommy’
translation:
‘all of my relatives are here
what the heck is going on?’
it was so neat
miss m wore the dress
that my mom wore
when she was dedicated 57 years ago
hello can you say
‘my mommy is a nervous wreck?’
the dress has been hanging on a tack on miss m’s wall
for about 3 months
just sitting there
taunting me really
saying
‘hi I’m a family heirloom
your great grandma made me by hand
& you have to put me on your daughter
your daughter who spits up
A LOT’
i finally tried it on her 2 days before the dedication…
believe me there were a lot of prayers being sent up
in front of the changing table
of course it fit perfectly
& she looked like the sweet little angel she is
she even sat on great grandma’s lap for the whole service
just hanging out with ggma!
so adorably cute (both of them:)
we went up to pray for her
& it was just so neat
different generations
different families
all there to make one big family
i can’t say it wasn’t sad either
especially because pastor gordon kept saying
‘merra susan’
so for anyone who knew
it was very obvious that susan was not there
boy do I miss that lady:)
can’t wait to tell miss m & Q all about her…
in fact Q kept saying
’merra susan, merra susan’
then he said
‘there’s merra
where is susan?’
(insert teary eyes here)
i told him susan is his grandma who lives in heaven
thankfully he didn’t ask what heaven was
or I would have become a puddle in the middle of the street
anyway
it was great to have everyone there
loving on our little girlie
she is a little piece of heaven
so sweet
& smiley
even as she’s spitting up all over your new black shirt
:)
monday i met with a bride
whose i wedding i will be coordinating
she is having her reception at the art museum on UofO campus…
can you believe that?
if only i had known 8 years ago….
monday noonish brian & i drove to bend
for our anniversary
(actually on the 1st)
we stayed at a mcmenimen’s hotel/pub/movie theater/soaking pool
down town
it’s called st. frances school
& we stayed in a classroom
it was so great
if you don’t know about mcmenimen’s
they are brothers who buy old buildings
& make them into restaurants/hotels/pubs
but still call them whatever they were
& try to keep the décor & names of parts of the building the same
so this one had a nunnery & things like that
it was so nice
we just hung out
& did whatever the heck we wanted to
including
but not limited to
sleeping
watching cable
going to 2 movies
walking around downtown
walking in to a shop that, had i been with my children
10 things would have broken
if we had so much as looked in the window
but it was just us
adults
so we went in
& ooed & ahed at lots of breakable things:)
picnicing by the river
strolling around & stopping in for dessert at 10pm at a wonderful little restaurant
drinking alcohol (more than once)
reading
& generally having a lovely time
I love my husband
& not just because he put up with my roller coaster like mood swings
(i stopped nursing & got my period on the same weekend…lovely timing:)
he is just the funniest person i know
& such a great dad
& is always doing such nice things for me
& he loves me
how that happened I’ll never know
but boy am I thankful
:)
(more on this on august 1st)
we also saw our friends
chris & nishka
& their adorable twins
emma & bella
so nice to see them all
the girls are a few months older than Q
but they are so tiny
& they have little mice-in-cinderella voices
i picture Q meeting them
looking down
in a jolly green giant voice
'HELLO GIRLS!'
wednesday
we got back & picked up the kiddos
from my dad & tam’s house
(by the by
they are the reason we got to go on this lovely few days
they gave us a gift certificate for christmas
for hotel & babysitting
we were supposed to use it before miss m came
but ha ha
we fooled them
we waited until after she came & they had to take care of 2 kiddos!
kidding
we messed up & didn’t make reservations
so we had to wait to go
however they are so great
they had fun with both kids
& are going to watch them again on friday
hello grandparents of the year…)
anyway
we picked up the sweeties
went home for nap
then headed to Hayward field
a big track on Uof O campus
a track where steve prefontaine ran
a track where the Olympic trials have been run
a track where world records have been made
a track where a debut was made
wednesday july 26
introducing…
Quinn Gulka!
they have this all comers meet
6 weeks in the summer
(of course we went to the last one)
starting at age 1
yes you read that right
we are already a year behind
but if enthusiasm counts for anything
we will more than make up for lost time
Q L-O-V-E-D it
no really
insanely loved it!
the kids get to do 3 events
long jump
softball throw
& 60 meter dash
he did the long jump like 40 times
it combines two of his favorite things
strike that THREE
running
sand
& falling
they get ribbons of participation
so cute!
then he practiced running before the race
before he starts…
‘ready set go’
& he gets this determined look on his face
does this little half twist at the waist
& he’s off
swinging his arms like crazy
smiling like someone just said
‘it’s raining matchbox cars’
he was in the 2 year old boys heat
smart people i say
if they combined 2 year old boys & girls
i picture a lot of crying, pushing & a bit of blood
& that’s just the parents
(duh-dum-dum...thank you i’ll be here all week)
8 two year old boys running straight at me down the track
(with dads in tow)
what a total joy to watch
we will be doing this event for many years to come…
whew!
what a week!
now on to the next…
:)
