The blessing of the twins

While on vacation we had the opportunity to go to church and see our twin niece and nephew be blessed. The day before the blessing my sister-in-law didn't have an outfit for Hudson so I decided to make him one. My mother-in-law got it started and then while driving from Idaho to Utah I sewed it BY HAND by the light of a flashlight! The outfit was finished and ready to go at 3am for church at 11am. I was really happy to be able to help out and be a part of the blessing. My niece and nephew looked DARLING in their outfits and we were very happy to be there for John and Linz.

Cousins!

While in Utah Rosalee got to meet all 8 of her cousins. The oldest is 7 and the youngest are 3 month old twins. Her cousins from left to right (in the first picture) are Rosalee- 8 months, Gavin- 20 months, Lindy- 20 months, Jacob- 7, Hudson- 3 months, Allie- 4, Kaylee- 16 months, Tyler- 5, and Madison- 3 months

Vacation part deux- Washington

After spending slightly over a week in Utah and Idaho we traveled to Washington to spend time with my family. I say we traveled to Washington because we didn't exactly fly there. We ended up flying to Portland and then taking the Amtrak to Tacoma, Washington. At first I was frustrated that we couldn't fly to Seattle, but it ended up working out better. We were able to sit and relax on the train while enjoying the Washington scenery. The train also had a dining car full of all kinds of food. We didn't have to turn our phone off so I was able to call my mom when we were outside of Tacoma so they could meet us at the train station right when we landed. While in Washington we were able to eat at the restaurant my brother's school runs, travel to the ocean, see family and friends, and volunteer at my mom's work. Some of the things we didn't get a picture of are- *visiting our friends Anna and Alex in Seattle *the WONDERFUL food from The Rainer Room at Clover Park Technical College *the surgeries we watched at the vet office *Rosalee "playing" the piano *Rosalee and me picking raspberries. By this I mean I ate three for one put in the bucket and Rosalee smashed the berries in her hands *relaxing at home with my family
Now here are the pictures we DID take, enjoy!

Having lunch with my aunt and Alyssa Chef Brain with Rosalee The Brain family

Jesse with Rosalee and my cousin's husband Dan with Alyssa
Rosalee fell asleep at my mom's work so the only place we had to let her sleep was in one of the kennels!

After eating lunch at The Rainer Room one day we drove to Point Defiance Park and walked around the rose gardens. Rosalee had fun grabbing and smelling the flowers. Jesse also had fun teaching my mom about trees (see the above picture) and she taught him about herbs.

Rosalee hanging out and playing at grandma and grandpa's house

The Washington coast

Jesse, Rosalee, me, my mom, my dad, and my mom's dog Riese spent the weekend out at Grayland and Westport. These small fishing holes are located on South Beach and aren't as touristy so they're FABULOUS! Jesse got to go surf fishing, it was the kite festival weekend, Rosalee tried salmon for the first time, and we had an overall great time being together. Here are the pictures from our vacation within a vacation!

Jesse got to go surf fishing while in Washington with my dad. They had a great time even though Jesse's nose got burnt.

The top two are from our vacation and the third is from the summer of 1986!

L: The ladies @ the beach M: Proof my dad smiles!!! R: The happy couple

L: Alien pirates!? M: Jesse, Rosalee, and Riese (the dog) ready for a walk on the beach R: Love those pirates!

The kite festival! I love the last one with Jesse and Rosalee getting attacked by the giant caterpillar.

Some pictures of us enjoying the beach!

The top two are Jesse waving to the Coast Guard and Jesse spitting on the Westport Spit. The third photo is where the old highway was and is now a sign warning people of erosion and potential death

Some scenery shots from Washaway Beach, just north of Tokeland. Every year several inches of beach are washed into the ocean. The highway was moved once and they're planning on moving it again. My great grandparents had property that I believe is now under the ocean!

L: A tiny crab in one of the tide pools M: Jesse holding the tiny crab... who moments later pinched him rather hard! R: Happy and enjoying life!