Last weekend Kristin and Gary gave us the weekend at their house in Sunriver. We LOVE our time in CO. Matt took a half day and we hit the road for three nights over there!
We went straight to dinner Friday night and then had a low key early to bed night once we got settled in.
Great way to start the trip! Naps all around
The views on the drive over never disappoint
B & mama at Sunriver Brewery for dinner Friday night
On Saturday morning we went into Bend to take a Barre3 class together while the kids hung out with some other littles their age in the child care. Then we went to breakfast at the Mckay house which I had read amazing reviews on.
Saturday morning. So thrilled to be in the SNOW
Matt's first Barre3 class :)
It was single handedly the best dining out experience we've ever had with the kids. They had coffee and heat lamps all set up on the porch for the wait, as well as this great patio spot where we warmed our hands.
Then the kids shared a breakfast which came with two of these adorable bunny pancakes. They brought out a fresh fruit platter for each kid the second we sat down, along with crayons and these things called silly swirls to shape into all sorts of fun things. Then as we were leaving they brought the kids up to the front desk to give them a "present" which was a bag of their home made granola. Seriously awesome!
This pretty much sums up the whole weekend. Lots of silliness! :)
Then we headed to the park and played and then off to our wonderful friends, the Vlach's house for some fun visit time.
The boys were having a ball blowing out a candle together (we quickly discovered they both shared a love for flames...yikes ;)
Brooklyn, Ben and Canon
On Sunday we packed up and headed toward Bachelor to go sledding. Kelly, Travis and Canon joined us. The kids (and adults too) had a fantastic time. The weather was wonderful and the kids were troopers. We had a great lunch and then headed home for some quiet time.
Kelly, Canon, Brooklyn & I
Sunday night we stayed in, made dinner and went walking. The kids favorite was of course the horeses that live three houses down. Brooklyn decided to make names up for them since we had no way of actually knowing their names. I think this time they were Shimmer, Bella and Lucy. All girls, of course.
It was a perfect weekend. Exactly what our souls needed. My favorite memory however is not one I took a picture of. It was when I walked into the room the kids were sharing to find Matt on the floor reading to them. Such a look of ease on his face. No preoccupied thought floating in the back of his mind of what paper was due the following week or prefacing his time with them with "ok, I can read for 20 min and then daddy needs to go study". It made me smile and sigh*
Ben hurried into the bathroom, naked, his little buns clenched together saying "I need to go POOPY!"
I pop him up on the toilet, he grabs my hands in his like he always does to balance. He then pulls his forehead to mine and says "mama, you my beeeeessssst fwiend".
I started crying I was so touched.
Other funny benny-ism's as of lately:
He pushed the crusts of his pbj across the table to me and declared "I don't yik my chan-chinch!"
He loves to make "jokes" like his sister does. A few nights back at the dinner table he said something we couldn't quite catch like this "I going to go get mine...CHEESE!!! Ahhhahahahah" He thought it was the funniest thing he'd ever said OR heard so he repeated it over and over and we were all in hysterics because each time he'd say it he'd get a little louder and then laugh a little harder.
He was running in circles in our living room and tripped, he almost landed in the corner of the table. Thank God he didn't. He picked himself up and said "dat was pwetty cwose!!"
My favorite things he says lately are: "fanks" (with that precious lisp) and "oh, sowwy bout dat"
Brooklyn had a "make up" class for ballet a few weeks back. So we were there in the afternoon instead of the morning. As we were leaving we passed a room where a teenage girl was doing a solo dance performance for her class. Brooklyn and Ben stood outside the door to watch. I look down at the doorway to see Ben has laid himself down on his belly, head resting in his hands watching this girl in awe. It was hilarious. For a total dudes dude, he sure loves to be one of the girls.
celebrating grams birthday
Brooklyn continues to love school, anything having to do with dance, clothes and animals. Here are a few outfits she's picked for herself over the past few months. I have to be sneakier about getting the picture because I don't ever want her to think I'm taking it to make fun of her, actually, it's quite the opposite. I adore that she LOVES and owns her sense of style. I know people from time to time question why I let her decide entirely what she wants to wear daily, it's simple: she loves doing it. To her it really is a way to express the mood she's in or what she feels like embodying that day. Yes, I would love to have a little more say just because that's one of the fun parts of having a daughter, but who am I to tell her what looks good and what doesn't at age 4? I look back on pictures now or at friends who have daughters that are 2 and realize she wanted to dress herself then! She is a strong willed little one.
love this girl
Choice for a rainy Tuesday: neon green socks, sparkly open toed sandals, pink sweat pants, Rapunzel night gown, grey blazer
A chill Friday night at home in the Feenstra house consists of a little cross dressing fashion show :) Yes, that is Ben's hat, polo, cord pants made into capris, and his kicks that are too big.
Trying on her Easter dress that Mimi bought her. Such a poser.
Trying on clothes in the brass plum at our mall mother daughter date last weekend.
This one I picked for her the other day. she HATES jeans, so this was a one time only sighting.
Here was a song she was singing for Ben and I at lunch after school on Monday. I love this precious girls heart and the love she has for our heavenly Father. What a treasure.
Here are some other pics I have been meaning to post for a few months
valentines day visit with Mimi and papa
all boy- he loved playing with worms
sweet girl showing off her dinosaur hat she made at school for dino week
love this, she was reading her "cook book" while lounging in the sun on the sidewalk
bff's
I watched my friend Christie and Jinger's kiddos after school last Friday: Brooklyn, Ben, Noah, Noah, Natalie and Elsa. We had a blast!!
whip cream hits in the mouth
Brooklyn and Kali playing dress up :)
diva...DI-VA!
Blessed: divinely or supremely favored. That is the one word that comes to mind when I scroll through these pictues. I don't remember life prior to my children, or my amazing husband for that matter. I crave authenticity, it's part of my dna, and if you've read my blog for any length of time you know that. Marriage and parenthood is hard work (I actually can't stand talking to people who claim other wise), but it's the best kind of work that exists. I am so humbled that God gave me these people, all of them, husband, babies, grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, the whole chebang.
Matt's symposium was this morning at the main George Fox. I feel like I can't even write this post without posting the actual video of his speech. I can't possibly do it justice in my own words.
So, as soon as I get that in my hands I will upload it.
In the meantime, my cliffs notes will have to do.
Here was the quote he wrote to focus his speech around. He had this effortless way of bringing humor, heart and wisdom into every word he spoke. His topic was essentially talking about having the courage to follow something with such persistence and perseverance that you inspire others to have or find their dream. His main character...me. To say I am humbled...well, I'm beyond. He shared our story, but made it mainly from his vantage point. Holding my hand in the delivery room with Luke, letting me lead us down the road to healing after each loss, me giving myself the blood thinner injections after taking 9 different supplements in *hope* of having a healthy child at the end. He gave me all the glory, and left the entire audience with warm tears streaming down their cheeks. If you have never had the chance to listen to Matt speak or read something he has written as personal as our losses are, or his journey to going back to school or his parents divorce, then you cannot truly understand what an articulate and passionate person he is. He is the most amazing person I've ever know. Ever. But I digress, he used the story about me in our trial to have a family, as the example of what having a vision and following no matter what the cost looks like. His delivery was effortless, he looked at ease, confident, yet extremely in touch with the audience and himself. I was beaming through tear stained eyes the whole time.
At the end, he put down his notes and looked out across the stage to where I was sitting and spoke right to me, as though no one else was in the room. Expressing his love, adoration and respect for the fight I put up for our two children, for us. I truly had no idea this was what he was talking about, which made it that much more incredible to hear.
Matt, I would compare how I felt in that moment, to how you must have felt when you watched me birth our two perfect children. Wow, just wow. You are amazing my love. God has given you gifts which He is certainly going to use for His glory, just as he already has in the story He has given US. I love you!
