Whidbey island, part one

On Monday morning we headed towards the puget sound to take a ferry boat to whidbey island.

We spent two nights in the cutest little Airbnb in a perfect location for us.

Before checking in to the house, we stopped at the cute town of Langley. We walked the street and along the beach. We ate at a cute pizza place for lunch. 

We took this picture in front of the cute town bookstore, but in reality we bought the children books from the thrift store down the street (much more economical).

We made sure to stop for donuts as soon as we left Langley. 

We ate them at this cute little garden spot, Meerkerk. 

We played at the private beach of our Airbnb that evening. Such spectacular views! The kids built driftwood forts and we soaked up the sunset. It was heavenly. 

It is such a beautiful world we live in!

mill creek, wa

It was so thrilling to step off of the plane and to hop into our rental car and start driving towards home (well, former home that will always have a place in my heart)!

It felt so good to be making that drive along the freeway—the city scape in the distance, the gray skies, the green trees, and the awful traffic (it can’t all be perfect-haha).

But the excitement escalated when we pulled off the freeway here.

I regret not taking more pictures on our first night there. We were staying at the Wright’s house (they are so kind and welcoming) and after dinner the Lublin’s and the Peterson’s stopped by. It was so wonderful to be reunited with some dear friends!

These two boys headed out to the stake dance that night. I know they were so glad to be reunited! And Kyler was not complaining over a chance to meet up with some girls.

We went to church in our old ward the next day. Of course there were a few new faces, but it cracked me up to see so many people still sitting in there same regular pews that they have always say in. Only there kids were much bigger. It was wonderful to catch up with so many amazing people at church.

We headed back to the Wright’s house and the Peterson’s joined us all for dinner. 

Later that night I went next door so Heidi could give me some eyebrow and eyelash tips since I’m losing my hair there now (no!!!!). But I was so grateful for her recommendations.

Then it was time for a girls night! We sure missed Lorane when we watched the first episode of the next season of Poldark! But we had a blast that night and I stayed up way too late. Too bad we can’t get together for every Poldark episode.

It felt so good to be surrounded for the weekend by these good friends again. We all adore our Washington friends so much!

flying with a circus

a bearded man,

a bald lady,

two teenage experts in balancing and pulling multiple suitcases and bags,

a little girl who loves to sing “blackbird” and hates to sit still,

the sweetest fireman Sam theme song humming autistic boy who likes things done a particular way,

and one baby who does tricks (“hi”, blow kisses, and peek-a-boo are her favorites)....

We were quite the 

7 man circus
spectacle 

making our way through the airport 

and then on an airplane

to washington.

With this many people,

and with so many needs,

it is a balancing act

to pack light,

but to make sure you bring everything you might need to entertain, to clean, and to feed.

We kept this one year old happy 

with snacks, 

a few duplos blocks, 

stickers, 

and Layla’s zuru hamster.

Eric and I passed her 

back and forth 

every 30 min 

and that worked well, too.

Oh yes, 

and she loved it 

when Eric held her up 

to press the light button.

The other four kids 

were grateful 

for candy, books and screens 

on the plane.

Kacin took this 

breathtaking 

photo of mount rainier 

as we flew into Seattle! 

We were all so excited 

to be arriving 

in Washington 

(and to be getting off of the plane). 

It was a spectacular and welcoming sight!

We survived the flight

and we were so thrilled

to start our 11 day vacation

in a place that will 

always 

hold a piece of our hearts—

Seattle, Washington.

a few happy little things

A few random happy things before I continue with our fall break trip to Washington...

Let me start by saying I really love Eric. So Brinna used to get cradle cap when she was little and I always took care of it with a little olive oil rubbed on the scalp, scrubbed with a soft brush, and then washed really well. Well, for whatever reason, she got a little bit back on the top of her head. Eric knew I used oil to get rid of it, but he had never seen me do it. He decided to give it a try himself. And then the olive oil poured out in a puddle on her head and baby girl’s scalp was quite oiled up!! When I saw her greasy hair, I explained you had to wash the oil out. So he did. In the sink. With dishwashing soap. Good thing Brinny is so easygoing—she tolerated the whole ordeal just fine. But she had greasy hair the next day, too (even though I washed her hair like 4 times). It was so funny. 

Brinny has a love for peanut butter that’s for sure. She was so excited when I let her eat a spoonful of it for a snack. I love independently eating, messy babies.

Layla is my snuggler. And she kind of has a thing with my bald head. She will rub it at night, especially when she knows I don’t feel great. She, also, tells me all the time just to go places bald! Funny thing—on our trip we were at a museum. I was so sick of having something on my head all day long so I told Kyler to pull my scarf off (knowing very well that he wouldn’t do it). Layla overheard and she encouraged me to take it off. Then she tried to pull it off. Then she told me she would give me a dollar if I went bald. Ha! So I let her take it off and I went bald at the museum for the rest of the time. Though she hasn’t paid up yet! I asked her why she wants me to be bald all the time. She just smiled. So I asked her if she thought it looked pretty or silly. She said it was beautiful. And then she quickly smiled and told me silly, too. I agree with the silly part! But I love that she doesn’t care what I look like.

I got to volunteer in Layla’s classroom for apple day! I loved being in that classroom of first graders with her.

Ok, now we are reading to get to our amazing fall break trip to Washington!

chemo 4 and 5

I had the worst attitude ever about getting chemo number 4. I wanted to run away. I didn’t want to go through it again. Eric stays positive and amazing through all of this, even when I tell him I’m not going (he’s pretty good at ignoring my drama).

Number four was my last “red devil” infusion. I was glad it was my last one, but scared to still have to experience it. Part of me was happy to be halfway done and wanted to celebrate and part of my was like “oh no I’m really only halfway done??—how can I do four more chemo?!”

See, bad attitude.

And there’s my totally fake smile.

That last AC chemo was terrible. I was so sick. Layla is an angel though and always checks on me on my bad days. She brought me water and a bowl of fruit (that she cut up and prepared herself!). And then she played doctor on me (just ignore the fact that she’s mostly looking like a construction worker here). I promise you, she was quite the doctor. She performed surgery (with a saw!) on my knee and by the end of the surgery I had twins! Seriously, she keeps me entertained, comfortable, and feeling loved.

I can still be a mom and live my life just fine without hair, but oh do I have hair envy! I notice everyone’s hair. I never used to, but I really do notice, and admire, all hair—the color, length, texture, style, if I can chop their hair off and make a wig. It’s totally weird I know. Overall, I am handling being bald just fine, but I will be so thrilled to have my hair back someday!

My fifth chemo had to be postponed because I had a cough that would not go away. My doctor did not want the cough to turn into pneumonia. I was pretty excited to have that extra week off, even though I was coughing something awful. A cough is WAY better than chemo. 

Unfortunately though, I was still coughing a week later when it was almost time for my next chemo. My doctor was worried I might have blood clots on my lungs. So while we are at court for Brinna’s adoption, my doctor was calling me and the nurses were calling me to get me in to get a CT scan on my lungs that afternoon. Our celebration was cut short and I ended up spending 5 hours getting my blood work and the CT scan done. It was an awful day. I was so frustrated to be spending so long on these tests when all I wanted to do was be home and celebrate that our baby was officially ours and we were a family of seven. But then the severity of the possibility of blood clots on my lungs hit me and I was terrified that I would be rushed to the hospital. And I still do not do well with needles! My emotions were running high and I started bawling in front of the nurse (it probably didn’t help that they also told me to fast just before we ordered food for lunch so I was going on an empty stomach and that’s never a good idea for me). She was so compassionate towards me and I was so grateful. 

Thankfully, I did not have any blood clots and I was finally able to go home. Our kids had been home for about 5 hours at this point. Sweet Layla had been doing her thing and made my bed, set the table, and cleaned up the loft for me. It was a lovely surprise to come home to.

Since I had the all clear, I had to get Chemo number five the next day. This was my first time with Taxol. They give you a large amount of Benadryl in your pre meds the first time you get Taxol. It knocked me right out.

Most everyone told me how much easier Taxol is compared to AC. They were wrong! The first two days probably were a little bit better, but, oh man, the rest of the week and then some was awful. It was different than AC, but just as bad. I also broke out into a rash so they had to put me on a steroid. My head was clearer, but my body ached bad from head to toe. I felt like an old lady. And I still felt nauseous and had the same gi issues. I also experienced neuropathy in my feet. It was not very fun. But I have now done more chemo treatments than I have left! Maybe there is a light at the end of this nightmare tunnel…

We got the itemized bill for my mastectomy and reconstruction from the hospital. Yikes! Isn’t that a ridiculous number? So glad for insurance!