My Loves

I seriously love these two. She with her baby, he with his teddy. It's the life I live... a blessed life of motherhood.

I'm a Big Girl Now

The crib came down, the bed went up. But it wasn't without tears that this huge milestone was reached. She's growing way too fast. "My big girl bed!" she says. The crib made her look huge, the bed makes her look tiny. I suppose she'll always be my baby girl.

Birthday Cake Tradition

I'm not even sure how many years this has been going on but I know it's a tradition we're not about to break. Each year on (or around) my birthday I allow Joe to step into my kitchen and use my beloved tools to create for me a birthday masterpiece. He's an engineer, an artist, a perfectionist, but most of all an incredible husband. Every cake he's ever made has been filled with more love than I could imagine and for that I love him more each time.

My birthday... March 15th... was complicated this year. The kids came down (one subsequently after the other) with a quick stomach virus the weekend preceding which left Joe and me inflicted with the same bug on my lovely birthday Eve. We believed it was possible that we would recover as quickly as the kids and make it on our dinner date the next night (it was my special day after all...) But misery struck and we were left taking shifts with the kids while the other slept it off. Joe was back to work on the 16th but I was still recovering. It wasn't until Friday that we were able to resume our date (a birthday "mulligan" if you will...) And so Saturday was baking day.

The one difference this year (and likely every year from now on) was the two little helpers who were eager to get their hands in on the project. So I sat back and watched as three of the most beloved people in my life put all of their efforts into creating my special day cake. And the end result was fantastic as always. Banana Cake with fresh raspberry filling and lemon cream cheese frosting. Now step away from the kitchen dear husband for I am still the cook of the house and I can't be outdone...

Back it Up: Hawaii for Girls

Or I suppose I should say Hawaii for nurses as this trip was disguised as a "business" endeavor. It took some convincing but Joe finally agreed to let me take off on a girls only vacation to sunny Hawaii. Oh yeah, and of course it was for work... a 5 day trip for a 1 day conference. Absolutely necessary. I felt myself coming close to an anxiety attack as I packed and prepared to leave Joe and the kids for 5 days indulging in what I was trying to consider a much-deserved break. I planned it all out down to the meals in the freezer and who would take care of the kids. I was determined not to let Joe have any regrets.

So, early on the 24th of February I left the 20 degree temps of Central Oregon and boarded a plane for sunny Honolulu. Met up with six other girls from work and packed a ton of adventure into a seemingly short trip. Getting the conference out of the way on Friday, we experienced an afternoon on the beach and a night on the town. Spent Saturday hiking Diamond Head crater, snorkeling in Hanauma Bay and enjoying a fun and relaxing dinner at Duke's Canoe Club. Took the city bus on Sunday to the beautiful Kailua beach where we swam in the calm waters and basked in the warm sun. Rented a minivan and drove to the North Shore on Monday for a change of scenery watching whales and surfers and stopping for a coconut water experience (coconuts sold on the side of the road, chopped open and complete with a straw for drinking your "water.") And then headed home on Tuesday. Back to the real world (and the snow...)

It was the perfect get away trip. Just long enough that I missed my husband and kids, but not too much. I felt slightly guilty getting away but was still able to relax and have fun. The girls I was with made the trip fun and worthwhile... an adventurous beach trip to remember...

Apologies

So first, I want to apologize (as if I really have a following of readers who are saddened and dismayed by the fact that I have fallen behind on blogging...) But hey, to anyone who may be interested, I'm going to try to get back into it. So many updates! Read on to be enlightened by the latest non-adventures of the Bessman family :)