Vancouver Visit

We loaded up the family (including Grandma!) into the Camry and headed to The 'Couve (Vancouver, Washington) to visit family and celebrate a couple of birthdays. Another reason I really wanted to go is because two of my cousins have had babies that we had never met!

Carson & Ellie with Grandma Betty Lou and Papa Doug (their GREAT-grandparents)

The drive was interesting to say the very least. As we approached The Dalles, Oregon we decided it was time to stop for lunch. And probably because the car was so packed, and people were in need of a break, we decided against the "road-trip norm" fast food stop and chose a "Cousins" restaurant where we could sit for a little while, eat, and re-coop. And, as we were leaving, Tayler insisted on the following photo opportunity for her and Grandma Shanna:

Carson with Grandma Betty Lou

In Vancouver we had such a good time. Brian, Carson and I stayed with my cousin David, his beautiful wife Khristina, and their adorable daughter Ellie. They were such great hosts. Not only were there fresh baked (delicious!) cookies for us to snack on, but in the morning, a scrumptious breakfast was made for us! Carson had a great time getting to know his cousin. They played with toys, with each others feet, with their own feet, and giggled at each other. It was seriously so precious. Brian, David, Khristina and I also got to have a really nice visit while we were there, which we need to do more often! Growing up I got to see my cousins quite a bit, and I want Tayler and Carson to have that same opportunity. Khrisitina and I kept talking about the fact that we needed to make sure to get these kids together frequently! Hopefully there can be a few more trips that way this summer.

Ellie Grace

Ellie and Carson both shared their toys so well. They were so sweet to each other!

Seeing these two together seriously made my week!

Me with Carson & David with Ellie
Tayler was given a choice on where she would stay the night. She decided that she'd like to stay at Aunt Susan's house with Lindsey (my cousin). Lindsey not only has really cool stuff in her room, she also let's Tayler play dress up in her old formal dance dresses and some of her clothes. Tayler was in pure heaven. Aunt Susan also gave Tayler a pair of leopard print slippers (Lindsey has matching ones), took her to another cousins soccer game, but she also let Tayler have a wonderful time with her digital camera! When we came to get my mom (she stayed with her parents) and Tayler from my Grandparents house, Tayler had quite a collection of candid photos on Susan's camera. One included a photo of Grandma Shanna with a towel on her head, post shower! But, sadly, I'm fairly certain I'd be removed from the will if that photo made blogger....so, you'll just have to trust me....it was funny!

We headed home in the afternoon on Sunday. We stopped at the Outlet Stores in Troutdale and got a couple of things at the Gap. Then, we made the drive....which I'm fairly certain got longer than I'd remembered on the way up. But, after a very, "snug" car ride, we made it home sweet home.

I'm really so happy that we were able to go over to Vancouver. My husband was a good sport.......visiting with all of my family can some time be overwhelming. And although he might not beg to make that drive again, I'm pretty sure he enjoyed himself while we were there.

Grandma Betty Lou and Papa Doug with their newest GREAT - grandchildren.

Ellie Grace (6mo)

Carson Lawrence(5 mo)

Ethan Gentry (7 weeks)

Birthday Lunch

Me, with my little sweeties

My wonderful mother and I

Daddy and Tot

Carson, taking it all in

Grandma and Tayler

On Monday my mom took me, Brian and the kids to lunch at Anthony's for my birthday. I love Anthony's so much. They're food is always so beautiful and delicious. It was so nice to spend the afternoon with so many people I love! We started with the cocoanut prawns, which were so, so good. They have this awesome dipping sauce that they serve with them. YUM! Then, although I think I really should try some of the other menu items at Anthony's, I went with an old favorite (so did my mom!), the Hawaiian Cobb. PURE. BLISS. Gosh, I love birthdays!

Hubby Tag

My BEAUTIFUL cousin Courtney tagged me.....so here goes!

What is your husband's name? Brian Schienbein

How long have you been married? one year, 4 months

Who eats sweets? ME! I have a sweet tooth that will not quit.

Who said 'I love you' first? Funny story actually. We were having a serious discussion once....and I was telling Brian about something that he was doing that I couldn't believe he'd want to do for me....and he said "Well, that's what you do when you love someone." It was very, very sweet. Then our cell phones cut out, and disconnected our call. So, I texted him "Um, did you just tell me you love me?" I was on cloud 9.

Who's taller? Him. WAAAY. Like a whole head and shoulders taller.

Who can sing best? I'm fairly certain Brian has never sang loud enough for me to determine...so, judging by volume alone, ME.

Who's smarter? Depends on the topic. We balance eachother pretty well.

Who does the laundry? We both do

Who pays the bills? We both do

Who sleeps on the right side? him

Who mows the lawn? him. and he does a fantastic job!

Who cooks dinner? another joint effort!

Who drives? mostly he does. he hates the way I drive.

Who's the first to admit they're wrong? I think we're pretty even on this too...he might disagree

Who kissed who first? He kissed me. In the driveway of my good friend Colleen's house, after a BBQ, when he was walking me to my car. Sooo exciting! Gives me chills just thinking about it! Nerdy, I know.

Who asked who out first? He asked me out.

Who wears the pants? We share the pants. Each of us wear a leg. =)

I tag Kami and Lisa!

Pink Rollers

You may have noticed in my post from yesterday, Tayler with some foam curlers in her hair. My mom bought these for her the other day after she saw them and remembered using them on Ashlee and I when we were little. The ones my mom bought for Tayler are multi-colored, but when Ashlee and I were little, ours were all pink. Hence the name we've used for them for years, "pink rollers". So, last night we decided to give them a try. Tayler took a shower (yes, she's mostly showering these days....far too grown up for a bath!) and we let her hair air dry. Then, I got to curling. I told her that if the curlers started to bother her during the night, to come let me know. My best friend once cut a pink roller from her hair during the night when she was a child. I didn't want the same thing to happen here!
After all of the curls were in, Tayler was pretty amused with her hairdo. She said to me "Ahh! I look like Grandma Goldie!" Which, if you know who Grandma Goldie is, you'll know that #1 She was my greatgrandmother who passed away before Tayler was even born, and #2 I'm pretty sure I've never seen her with curlers in her hair. But, I guess Tayler's heard us talking about her, and must figure that a head full of curlers would be a good look for someone named Goldie. She never ceases to crack me up!

Tayler said the curlers didn't really bother her during the night...but there were one or two that were a little bit loose this morning, which had Tayler quite concerned. But, after taking them out, doing a little curl-separating, I think it turned out just adorable! Tayler likes it too.....and I'm pretty sure Carson thinks his sister is one of the prettiest girls around!

The BIG 0-5!

Today, our little baby boy is 5 months old. I know I've said it several times, but it blows my mind that he's already this old! This morning when I went to get him out of bed, I just looked down at him for a minute, and I swear, he'd gotten bigger overnight! Like turning 5 months old brought on a look of "maturity"! As much as I love having a little snuggly baby, his growth amazes and excites me to no end! Here are some of his newest accomplishments:

* he blows rasberries with his mouth all of the time

* he "talks" a ton. None of it understandable yet, but talks none the less

* he can ALMOST sit up unattended

* he transfers toys from one hand to the other

* he's discovered his toes and finds them quite amusing

* he eats baby food like crazy and LOVES it!

* he belly laughs at his sister in the car

Tayler is SO GOOD with her brother. I honestly appriciate her so much. From getting his binky for him in the car, to grabbing me a burp cloth when the one I have gets covered with spit-up....she's forever helping me out. Carson has a wonderful big sister. She's very loving and gentle with her brother, and you can tell that they adore eachother!

Also, in the Tayler amazement area....she is spelling and reading wonderfully!!!!! At night, when I read her books, I'll stop at words that I think she'll be able to sound out. And she sounds them out and tells me what they are within a matter of seconds. It seems like just yesterday she was coming up to me, holding her baby saying "Me sit wap you?" (Tayler for "Can I sit on your lap?") I miss that sweet baby girl, but I am so thankful for the beautiful, responsible, smart and caring little lady I get to spend every day with!

I'm such a lucky mom!

Home Sweet Home

The Happiest Baby Around!
It's taking awhile for us to completely get back into the swing of things here at home. Although the kids had a great time with their grandmas, and we had a great time on our vacation, for some reason, it's be a little crazy here at our house. Carson's sleep has been a little off, and Tayler's been just a little bit out of sorts as well. But, slowly we're working back into our system. It did NOT help that Brian and I both came down with a bug on Saturday that really didn't completely let up for me until yesterday, and for Brian is still kind of hanging on. So, to say the least, it's been a little bit challenging.

On our last night in San Fran, Brian and I started talking about resolutions. We decided that instead of making a few year long resolutions, we're going to make 1 or two resolutions a month, and slowly work our way into being a better "US". Both of decided on "health" themed resolutions this month, and so far (six days in) things are going well. We'll keep ya posted. =)

It might be a couple of days before I get a quality post up, but I just wanted to let everyone know that we're alive and well! Happy 2009!

SF Day Four

Today marks our final full day here in San Francisco. My feelings at this point are quite mixed. I absolutely love this city and have thoroughly enjoyed our time here, but in the same breath, I miss our kids terribly and can't wait to hug and kiss them both.

Alcatraz was on the agenda for today. We got up early, and for the first time since we've been here, we went to Starbucks! It was delightful! We then walked down the waterfront to Pier 33 where the Alcatraz tour boats depart. After a short boat ride, we arrived at the island. There are a couple of different options when you get to the island. You can pay $1 and get a self guided tour guide manual.

Brian outside of a general population cell

This manual is full of facts about the history of the island. We ended up buying one of these and referring to it several times during our day. Another available activitiy on the island is an audio tour . They give you a headset and player, and through voices of actual former guards and former prisoners from the island, you're walked through the prison. You're told about different happenings in several areas.

Me, in a solitary confinement cell

This was so worth the time. We learned so many interesting things about the prison. One thing that really touched me during the tour was when one of the former inmates was talking about how one of the worst things about being on "the rock" was that you can so clearly see San Francisco from Alcatraz. He said it was terribly becuase you could see everything that you were missing. Being in the prison was very interesting, but there was also an erie feeling throughout. One part that was particularly sad for me was seeing the visiting area. During this portion of the audio tour, a former prisioner and his sister talk about the first time she came to visit her brother on the island. His first visitor in 7 years of incarceration. It pulled at my heart strings a little bit.

This sign is posted as you approach the island on the ferry

Some other interesting things I learned about Alcatraz that I didn't know were that some employees of the prison and their families actually lived on the island. I also didn't know that the food served at Alcatraz had a reputation of actually being quite good. And lastly, I learned that there are many gardens on the island. And that the island originally was just a large peice of sandstone with no dirt. But, large amounts of dirt were brought over via ferry boats. The beautiful gardens are still kept up on the island and really do add to the beauty of the area.

This is one of the cells. In the bed is a "dummy head". Heads like these were used in one of the sucessful escapes from Alcatraz.

This is a corridor of cells. It's amazing how many there were.
All in all, this has been one of the best vacations I have ever been on. I've gotten to see several things I'd been wanting to see for a long time, and got to experience several things I'd only heard about. I certainly hope this is not our last time here. My only wish for next time is that we can bring two little Schienbein's along with us!

"San Francisco has only one drawback. 'Tis hard to leave."

- Rudyard Kipling

(WE HAVE SEVERAL MORE PHOTOS FROM OUR ADVENTURES HERE, BUT THE INTERNET IN OUR HOTEL IS HORRIBLY SLOW....SO, WE WILL POST MORE PICTURES ONCE WE'RE HOME.)