Goin' to the Chapel of Love!!

Last weekend we had a semi-family reunion in Portland when my cousin Rebeckah got married in the Portland Temple. If you've never been to that temple and you find yourself in the area, do yourself a favor and just walk around the grounds. It is gorgeous!! My cousins and I picked up right where we left off and that always includes lost of "making fun of Rachel." Oh, well. That's how they show me they love me...I hope.

The newlyweds, Rebeckah and Adam Orton. Aren't they cute? Boy, were Damon and I ever that young? Nope, we were younger...

We had a ball together and even had some grown up time as well. Burgandy, the daughter of my cousin Billy who is 14, who was very generous and patient, watched the little ones while myself, my cousins Daniel, Billy, and Joanna and our spouses went on a hike up to Punch Bowl Falls in the amazing Oregon forests.

These are our "Look Ma!" pictures as we laugh in the face of danger on the edge of the path going up to the falls. Pictured here are Billy and Rhonda, Joanna, Daniel and Heather, Me and Damon. Joanna's husband Steve is standing on the edge of the cliff taking the pictures. Way to take one for the team, Steve!

Here is myself, Daniel, his wife Heather, and Joanna on the opposite side of Punch Bowl Falls. The water is about the same temperature as a glass of ice water. We braved it across the knee deep water, loosing most of the feeling in our limbs about half way across. The smart ones stayed on the other side to take pictures.

Speaking of smart, this is what happens when guys get together and egg eachother on. One guy ends up doing something really crazy while the others look on laughing. Remember, this is ice cold water. I think Steve just wanted to make sure he ended up on my blog. Good thing he and his wife are done having kids...

I wish I could show you all of the fun things we did that weekend. Perhaps one of the most memorable activities was when half of our family (most of whom stayed together at Joanna's house) came down with something called the Norovirus on Saturday night. I later learned from a friend that Noro means "curse" in Japanese. No wonder! It is perhaps the most violent flu I've ever seen. Not to mention a real downer to the trip. It made its way through the family over the next week. We later found out that the PF Changs where we had the wedding lunch had been shut down the day after we ate there because there were so many complaints about people getting sick. It was serious enough that I ended up playing phone tag with the Washington County Department of Health for a couple of days. It was so contaigous that when we came home my mom and my best friend came down with it. Ah the guilt!!

However, it was a dynamite trip. Well worth the drive for sure and we definitely can't wait to do it again...without the crazy Japanese curse of course.

Shoot! I forgot about the 4th of July!!

In all of the excitement about our cruise, I failed to mark the fun 4th of July we had before we left for Mexico! It was one of those days where we actually had too many fun things to do and it was hard to pick which ones we would attend. We started off the day with a fun pancake breakfast at the church. It included a bike parade and Jonah rode his two wheeler for only the second time. As we were going down a slight hill, the bike started to gain some speed and Jonah started to panic a bit. I kept calling to him, "Step back on the pedals!" but he was too scared to hear me. Instead he bailed off the bike. That's right, he actually jumped off the bike and we all watched it go down the road without its rider. Not to mention, Jonah skinned up his knees pretty good, too. Oh, well. It makes for a good story and a good lesson, right?

Next, we went to a rockin' hot party at our friend the Schultz's. They sure know how to throw a party, that's for sure. There is nothing like barbeque and an inflatable water slide to make for Independence Day excitement. Here's Cole taking a little break with, what else? Candy!
Cole was a little bit wary of the water slide, but Jonah as adventurous as ever took to it like a duck to, well, water!!

And there was no way that Damon was going to let the kids have all of the fun. He borrowed some trunks and jumped right on there himself!

Later that evening we hooked up with Buddie and Boppo and went to the city's 4th of July parade. I would stand in the heat and tolerate way too many politician's floats to see the Highlanders play their bag pipes. I always get a little misty when they play "It's a Long Way to Tiperary."

After the parade we went back to Grandpa's house to have our own little fireworks celebration. Here's Boppo showing Jonah that you have to pull really hard on those little champagne poppers. Thanks to Boppo for teaching my 5 year old the finer nuances of explosives.

No matter how loud or how late, the Sutherlands are always up for a party!

Happy late 4th of July everyone!!

Viva Mexico!!

Well, we did it! Damon and I actually took a vacation alone. I couldn't believe it when we were packing. Still didn't believe it when we were on the plane and was just starting to come around by the time we boarded our cruise ship. But boy was it awesome! We went on a cruise to the Mexican Riveria which included stops at Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerto Villarta. I hope you enjoy the pictures. We sure took a lot of them. Everything was beautiful; we just wanted to remember all of it.

One of the first things you have to do when you get on a cruise ship is prove that you can get off of it in a hurry. An alarm is sounded, you go to your cabin, put on your lifejacket and report to a designated area on the main deck. I got to be the "line leader" for my group. It all took me back to the first grade...

The first day of the cruise we were on the ship the whole day. It gave Damon the opportunity to climb the rock wall on the ship. He was like a spider he was so fast and quickly rang the bell at the top.
A triumphant Damon.

Damon on Lover's Beach in Cabo San Lucas. This is the side of the island the guide told us NOT to swim in. This tide coming in is as close as I would let Damon go.
Here's Joanna as beautiful as a supermodel at a cave entrance on Lover's Beach. The guide told us that in this cave, two come in and three come out. Hmmm....
Our guide was brave enough to let me drive the boat. Hang on everyone!!
This is Damon laughing in the face of death as he watches me drive the boat to Lover's Beach.
A view of Lover's Beach from the ship. We took those little boats on the bottom right, called tenders, to the shore.

Me trying to strike a pose on Lover's Beach in Cabo San Lucas. Steve is that guy in the back yelling "Shark!!"

The four of us on the deck of the ship at sunset. After we saw this picture, we noticed the sunset was so perfect, we didn't think anyone would believe it was real! This is the same deck were we saw dolphins and whales swimming alongside the boat. It was absolutely a gift from Heavenly Father to see those beautiful creatures in the wild.
Who are these sexy people?
When we woke up in Mazatlan, the weather was rainy and overcast. However, that has never stopped us in the past. We got off that ship as fast as we could, found someone with a boat and paid him $30 to take us to this island, Deer Island, and loan us a kayak and oars (of course), lifejackets and snorkeling gear. We were alone on this beach for about 2 hours before our fellow tourist found us. The ocean was as warm as a bathtub. Gorgeous!!

Here's Damon being his handsome self in Puerto Villarta. We learned that you never go anywhere without your swimsuit.
I just loved this statue right on the pier in Puerto Villarta. I wish I knew what it was for. This picture doesn't nearly do it justice.
Damon and I went for a walk through some of the residential area in Puerto Villarta. This little gazebo and worn out table were nestled under a beautiful lush canopy of trees. You can see by my bedragled hairstyle that it had been raining quite a bit. That didn't stop us from doing anything!
This hacienda was part of a large ranch where we went horseback riding. They also made tequila here as well. We did not sample, but were very eager to see the different flavors and how they are made.
Here Steve, Joanna and Damon (and myself behind the camera) stand outside our ship as we wait for our bus to get the ranch for our horseback riding lesson. Can you see the fear in Joanna's face? She was very brave on our ride, even when her horse bit Steve's horse in the rear end and Steve's horse kicked Joanna's horse right back.

Damon and I with our Head Waiter Thawnee, from Thailand. He was always sure to stop by after we had dinner and chat with us about our day, what we were doing the next day and of course always willing to bring one or two extra desserts!! The crew of the ship work for 5 months straight before getting two months off to go home and visit their families.
Every night we were greeted by a new towel animal in our cabin. I loved it so much I wanted to take some of the fun home to the kids. I went to a demonstration to learn how to make them myself. Bathtime became a lot more fun at our house.
In Puerto Villarta we went to a fabulous restaraunt called "The Blue Shimp." The four of us ordered the shrimp boat which came with 4 different kinds of shrimp in a flaming pirate ship. Definitely worth the 1,050 pesos!!
Of course we had to have margaritas, virgin style of course. Here is Joanna sipping her coconut margarita. We had a great time ordering them until we discovered that they still charged us $6.50 a piece even though they did not have alcohol in them. Oops...
You can tell I got a little bit of sun, eh? Here is Damon and I in Puerto Villarta goofing around a bit.

This is a fraction of our wonderful 10th Anniversary celebration. We had so much fun and were so glad that my cousin Joanna and her husband Steve tolerated us for 7 whole days. But you know what? None of it was as fun as coming home to our sweet babies that we missed so much.

I'm embarrased to say...

A couple of months ago I explained to my husband why Girls Nights Out are so important. I shared with him that being with other women like me, who love me and are in similar life situations such as myself, make me feel normal. It is very easy to get into the day to day life with your family and spouse and start to feel like maybe you have a few screws loose. Something in the electrical box of your mind has blown a fuse. However, when you get together with others, you realize that no, everything is operational and working according to plan. The strange thoughts you have throughout the day are really not so strange. Quite the opposite, they prove that you actually have a functioning brain with opinions, strengths, weaknesses and the like. The things that I struggle with, others are either currently struggling with as well, while others have defeated the foe and have advice to give. As you see, these nights are vital to the survival of motherhood. Now, given what I have just shared with you about the friendship and the bonds that we share, please do not judge me as you read the following:

As you all know, I am a fairly level headed person. Very few things rile me up. I tend to see both sides of the situation and hesitate to judge lest I also be judged. I'm not one prone to anxiety, or general freakings out. However, this week, I had my first "episode" and for those of you who have had this before or experience them on a regular basis, my deepest and heartfelt sympathies go out to you.

I learned at the beginning of the week that a good friend of mine is unexpectedly pregnant. While I rejoice with my friends who have had babies or are expecting babies, I am secretly glad that I am not them. I have done my bit and brought two beautiful boys into the world. They are relatively well behaved and look good with Damon and I on a Christmas card. I enjoy the fact that I can go places with them and not bring large bags of supplies. They are fun to take on adventures and are likewise eager to experience life. Perhaps you may think I am lazy for not wanting to increase my family, for resting upon my laurels, as it were. Frankly, you can think whatever you like. I firmly believe that there are those who are born to be mothers of large families, and then there are those of us who fight to keep the few we have from killing each other and themselves while maintaining our own sanity. (As I write this, the boys are screaming at each other to "STOP IT!!")

But upon learning that my friend was pregnant, I went home, shared the info with my hubby and went to bed. I woke up later with a racing heart and extreme anxiety. Oh my holy H! What if that happened to me? I reasured myself that this could not be. I have taken appropriate measures and I wasn't even "late." I laid back down only to have the same incident happen repeatedly over the next couple of days. Sudden sweats, racing heart, light headedness and severe anxiety. My hands started to shake yesterday for no reason at all. It got so bad, I went to the Dollar Store last night and bought a pregnancy test (and a box of chocolate cookies). Even in crisis, I am still a cheap-o. Of course I brought it home, took it, and it was NEGATIVE. (Insert sigh of relief here.) While the heart calmed down, the shakes ceased and I got a full night of sleep, I now feel like a moron. However, I am a non-pregnant moron...

So, those of you who feel like I always have it together, put this post in your file of remembrance. And don't laugh; it could happen to you too...

Special Days

Over the last couple of weeks we've had some fun special days. One of them is Jonah's preschood graduation. The last three years have gone by so quickly. They all have for that matter. I just stared at him tonight while he read me a book. Read me a book!!! I wish I could take credit for it. But I have to give all the credit to him. He just decided he wanted to read and did it. I marvel at him and his brother constantly and can't believe that we are responsible for bringing them into the world. I pray that they live outside the box and make a big sweeping mark across the world.

We also had two very special birthdays: Buddie and Grandma Cindy!

We were very lucky to be able to spend the birthdays together, a treat that we get rarely and hopefully never take for granted. We love our Grandma's, even when they load up the kids with sugar right before they send them home to us, buy them obnoxious toys and tell them yes to pretty much everything. We love you and hope it always stays this way!

PS: Make a note: Never give Grandma the candles that re-light on their own. It only makes them angry and/or pass out. This is only fun if you enjoy either one of the above. And if you do, well, you're weird.

Get out of town!

There is a very good reason why I have not blogged in the last couple of weeks: Too busy! Fortunately, it has been fun busy and not drudgery busy. There is a difference, you know. Perhaps one of the funnest things we've done is take a Memorial Day trip to visit some of my family in Oregon. What a gorgeous place! So green, so lush, and they have an IKEA!!

Here is Cole being his absolutely cute self in one of the falls we hiked up during our mini vacation. Who cares that it is May; anytime is a great time to wear a "mummy" shirt!
One of our outings was to visit the Portland Zoo. Jonah was snacking on a bag of Mike and Ikes when he caught this bear's eye. I do believe he was thinking he had found a nice tasty snack, and a bag of candy to boot!
The Portland Zoo had a great lorakeet exhibit. For a small fee you could purchase a cup of juice that the birds like to eat and if you were patient enough, they would come and rest on your hand for a snack. Poor Jonah tried so hard, in vain, to get a bird to sit on his arm. However, Mom doing it was the next best thing.
While the grown ups, and I use that term loosely, went to scout IKEA (it was awesome!) Aunt Jan stayed back to watch the kids. Here she is teaching my children what she is learning in college.
This skill she was born with naturally...
Here is an actual unretouched photograph of Damon and I alone. Dang, are we good lookin' or what? The beautiful Columbia River is behind us. The rain held off for one whole day so our family could have a great day of hiking, playing and being together.
I have trained my children to respond accordingly when I pull out my camera. All I have to do is say "OK, be brothers" and they stop what they are doing, stand together and smile. Now, if I could just get them to put their dirty clothes in the hamper...
Our boys again, being brothers, in front of one of the many falls we visited.
Lots of sights means lots of driving. Here is Cole catching a few Zs in between adventures. There ain't no way he's giving up that box of crackers.

The boys again, nesting at the zoo.

What a great get-away! We couldn't have asked for a better time, better weather or better company.