A few weeks after Maddie was born, my Grandpa went to the hospital for necessary heart surgery. We made several trips down to Eugene to visit him and spend time with Grandma, along with multiple extended family members. It is with a heavy heart that I write this and report that Grandpa passed away on July 16th, due to multiple complications. We all miss Grandpa very much, but live with the hope that he is pain free and celebrating life with Jesus in Heaven! Maddie was very fortunate to have met Grandpa just 2 days after she was born. Grandpa was a poet and spent years and years perfecting his hobby in creative writing. He wrote a very special poem just for Maddie that we will cherish forever. I love you, Grandpa, and I miss you very much. I can't wait to see you in Paradise!!
We took a special trip up to Seattle mid-July for most of our dear friends to meet Maddie, and for Maddie to meet our favorite city. It was such a great trip. We really made the most of our time up North, visiting as many people as we possibly could. I was able to visit with some of my good work friends, while Brant was able to do the same. We saw many friends from church, too. All in all, we truly were able to introduce our "Seattle life" to our little Maddie Mae. Our friends, Graham and Kelsie, are expecting their first baby in one month. We stayed at their place and allowed them to experience close-to first hand how their lives are about to drastically change - for the better, of course! :) Maddie was on her best behavior, considering the warm weather Seattle was experiencing. She was a trooper throughout the trip, and was an absolute show-stopper. Would you expect anything less?! My apologies to those of you who I didn't get a picture of. I've been kicking myself ever since we left. I have fond memories of the time we spent together, even without photo documentation. :)
A trip to Seattle isn't complete without a stop at Starbucks! Maddie has now officially become a Seattle-ite!
On the Kirkland waterfront, with Graham and Kelsie, and their little baby-to-be!
Our little family in Seattle!
Hanging out with Lance and Val in the beautiful city.
We arrived home from Seattle Sunday night, and Monday morning, we hit the road again. We headed South this time, to Union Creek, OR, for a fabulous vacation with the Himes crew. We had a great time, fishing, roasting s'mores, floating down the Rogue, visiting Crater Lake, swimming in the pool, eating yummy food, bonding as a family and playing Trivial Pursuit. (Well, I'm not going to mislead you...Brant had a fabulous time playing...I'm not very fond of Trivial Pursuit, but I did my best. :) ) Here are some of the highlights!
Kylia and Adalie playing My Little Ponies, Fairies and Barbies on Tucker's crate. That was the prettiest crate I'd ever seen!
Crater Lake, and all its glory.
The love of my life.
Tucker and Maddie - the joys of our life.
A few more shots...
Union Creek Falls with our little family.
Sleepy baby. :)
Finally, we made it to the Oregon Coast! This past Sunday, we trekked over to Lincoln City with some friends. The weather was dreary and gray. I told you, it was the Oregon Coast...so in other words, the weather was as it should be, which is perfect. :) Can I just say, my daughter is SUPER cute in a hoodie sweatshirt. Love it!!
Maddie and Mommy.
That's my girl - we love our hoodies!
Maddie and Daddy.
One last shot of our little family. :)
We had a great July, spending it in all of our favorite places throughout the NW. This coming week, we head off to Sunriver, OR for a vacation with my family. We are excited to make more memories, before heading out east. I promise to blog about our trip shortly after we return. Stay tuned!
I LOVE that you took a picture of Maddie and Tucker at Crater Lake. HAHAHAHA!!! Too funny! :)
ReplyDeleteI love you and can't wait for next week! I need to hold that little niece of mine. She is growing up too quickly!