Wedding Rehersal

As you already know, Caleb is a big fan of music.  He stuck with tradition and as soon as he heard someone playing the piano, he got excited to go and try it himself.  Kevin, Cindy's pianist, was super nice and tried to help him out...

 ....of course Caleb just wanted to do it by himself. :)  Sabastian, the other ring bearer (Brian's nephew), joined in as well.

 I think the pictures are great since it looks like he's really playing something amazing! Look at those hands!

 Kevin came back and the boys enjoyed listening to him practice.

 Hmm, I think Grandpa is having some fun with his grandson! :)

 The Beautiful Bride to Be!!!

 Wish I could have taken all these pictures DURING the wedding too.  :)  Can't wait to see the professional pictures once they are done!

Bridesmaids! :) I really enjoyed getting to talk with Paulette during the days we were there.  Matt and I both wish we had more time with her and Craig.  It's tough to grow up and move away from each other. 

Everything went well....and we even got a family picture before everyone left.  It was past Caleb's bedtime if you can't tell.  :)  He did a great job the whole weekend with sleeping different places and at different times.  LOVE MY FAMILY!!!

Celebrating Cindy!

We went to a Hawaiian restaurant in Portland to celebrate Cindy getting married!  

 From the left is Kendra (Brian's brother's wife), Mom, Beth (long time friend), Me, Diane (friend and past roomie) and Cindy.  Paulette (our SIL) had a migraine so couldn't make it.

 It was a good time getting to hear how Cindy was doing and just being together.

I LOVE MY SISTER!!!

Grandma Boersma

It was a visit that I wanted and didn't want at the same time.  I know that the Grandma I've known my whole life isn't there anymore, so it was something I was looking forward to in that way.  At the same time, I love her and always will, so really looked forward to seeing her.  She has also given so much to others her whole life, it would be crazy not to give back to her.  

 Caleb was the center of her attention the whole time.  He took a little time to warm up but eventually sat with us and interacted a bit more.

 I really enjoyed seeing her smile. 

 We even got him on her lap for a little bit. I think it was more for her than for him.

 She had the Barney show on, so they watched a bit together.

 Just looking at the pictures makes me cry because the person in the pictures is so different than the Grandma I know.  It's never easy to lose the people you love so deeply. I like this picture since she's laughing.

This one is more clear but I didn't like it.  I tried to get another that was better but then I realized that the empty look in her eyes is reality now.  I held in my tears as it sunk in.  Grandma is still there and yet it's like she's already gone.  It's hard to process this even though I've already gone through it with Grandma Gabbert.  We gave hugs and left for the afternoon.  I can usually control emotions when I need to, but once we were in the car I had to cry.  I already miss her.  At least we can all look forward to reuniting in Heaven someday.

Grandma came to Cindy's wedding and did surprisingly well.  I'm so glad she was there, even though she may not have understood what was going on.  We love you Grandma, forever!

AMAZING FRIENDS

It felt like Christmas or my birthday or something!  In less than a week I got to spend time with 4 of my closest friends...and more!  

 I think it's been years since I got to spend time with Jen.  This time was short but SO SWEET!

 And my friend LaVonne!  We got to hang out with her 2 boys and husband too, and then sit with them at church!  Speaking of church....we also got to connect with some more amazing people that we miss so much!  We were truly overwhelmed by their love!

 I also got to connect with Melissa but didn't get a picture, and Allison, who was doing the pictures for Cindy's wedding!  AND of course Cindy! :)  I am still in awe and feeling so filled by these times!  I love and miss my friends so much!  I'm thankful to God beyond words for the times we get to connect!

 We stopped at Alex and Rebecca's on the way out of town, who are Matt's friends but have become mine as well since getting married.  It was fun to see Caleb play with their kids.

And my dear friend Michelle, who let us stay at her house while in Vancouver.  What a huge blessing!  I could have talked with her for hours on end, but she is also planning her wedding so we at least got to talk for a bit the first night.

I'm SO HAPPY!  I'm a lucky woman to have so many great people in my life.

Crater Lake

We took a day to go see Crater Lake and were so glad that we did!  What an amazing place!  SO many great pictures it's hard to choose.  So here are some. 

 The drive up was even pretty.  Taken through front window.

 Here it is! 

 I love this one!

 And this one! :)

 I think Caleb was more interested in the snow than the lake.

MMMmmmmm, dirt covered snow. 

 I love my baby!

When the wind blew it was quite chilly so I got lots of snuggles. 

 Then he decided it was time to have some fun!  

 Love that smile! 

It was a good couple hours.  Then we headed home to relax for the night.

Trip to Portland

We finally decided that it would be best to take two days instead of one to get to Portland.  

 Matt drives most of the time since he enjoys it and I usually last only an hour before I need a nap.

 Caleb did amazing!  He napped well and was happy most of the time.  All it took was one interesting toy or object at a time and once he was finished, we moved to the next one.  It's amazing how a bead necklace can keep a boy busy for so long.

 Nap Time. 

 We stopped somewhere that had this huge chair.  Caleb cracked up laughing when I would jump out into Matt's arms.  We did it over and over.  He could hardly stand it, and of course that got us laughing pretty hard as well.  So much fun from a chair!

 We had a nice hotel which Caleb enjoyed exploring and playing in the window!

 I finally got the lighting right but then the smile was gone. Oh well.

If you ever see Caleb hold his arms up like this, it means he's about to jump.  We're happy that at least we have the arms up warning.  He'll do it in the most random places.  He's also started suddenly falling like a board flat onto the ground.  He scared me to death the other night when he suddenly did it on the carpet in front of me. He's usually fine, but I sure hope he doesn't do it on cement someday and crack his head. Crazy boy! :)

So overall our trip up was pretty nice.  I'll do a separate post for our day at Crater Lake.