Voodoo Donut!

After dinner on our 1st night in Portland, we walked to the famous Voodoo Donuts for some dessert. We were so stuffed we ended up saving them for breakfast the next morning. They had flavors there I've never even heard of: bacon maple bar, blueberry cake glazed, icing and oreos, captain crunch, and peach fritter to name a few.

*jelly filled voodoo doll donut

The Nines

Ryan and I splurged a little on our awesome hotel. We stayed at The Nines. It has an art gallery and a roof top restaraunt. The decor is to die for (lots of my favorite color, light turquoise) and. fun fact: Clark Gable used to work there before he became an actor. 

  

*last 3 photos from google images

*chocolates made by the in house chocolatier just for us

Our view was rad, in the middle of downtown, Pioneer Square, and right across from the old courthouse.

As soon as we checked in and checked out our room, we hit the town.  Our friend Abi Bowden, who grew up near Portland, gave us a great list of things to do and see, so we scoped out the location of all the sites we wanted to see in reference to our hotel (ALL within walking distance). Since it was our ACTUAL anniversary, we decided to go to a nice restaurant that evening. 

We went to the Portland City Grill, on the 30th floor of the tallest building in Portland (as a mandatory recommendation from our friend Abi). The view was breathtaking and only got better as the sun went down. The city has a river running through the middle of it (just like Paris) with beautiful bridges crossing over the water. The food was... I can't even tell you. SO SO good. SO. GOOD.

DAY 1 in Portlandia

Ryan and I have a tradition. For our anniversary every year, we pick a city (preferably one we've never been to) and spend a couple days exploring and relaxing in it. This year, March 19th 2013, marked our 9 year anniversary. NEXT year is the big one, but we knew I'd either have a newborn or be big and pregnant at that point, therefore unable to really travel. So we decided to chose a destination for year 9 that was far enough away that we'd have to get on a plane, but not SO far away that we'd break the bank. It came down to Seattle or Portland. We decided we want to do Seattle later with Ryan's best friend Sam who served a missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints there. So Portland it was!

The very first thing I noticed about Portland, before even leaving the airport, was how environmentally conscious they were. Two flushers on every toilet, reminder posters to love the earth all over, and to top it off, our rental car was a prius... so we fit right it. The second thing I noticed about Portland were the trees. Millions of christmas trees on either side of the freeway and everywhere. We learned that Portland is also known as "The Evergreen District."

We thought it was a funny coincidence and SO APPROPRIATE that we would be driving a Prius around Oregon. We fit right in with all the Portlandians helping save the environment. (It was either a Prius or a minivan, and I got nothin' against minivans, but we were looking to spend a couple days AWAY from life, not trying to feel even more like the middle aged parents we are).

 

It's a....

For convenience sake I've gone to all my doctors appointments alone during pregnancy number 3 (accept for the first ultrasound which Ryan came to, but still, SO different from pregnancy number 1). It's just easier to schedule my appointments super early in the morning and go before Ryan leaves for work so he can stay home with Harvey. 

As I headed to my 21 week ultrasound appointment, I fully intended to find out the sex of our third child by myself, then maybe tell Ryan in a fun way. My heart was pumping with excitement when I laid back on the table. The ultrasound technician asked me if I'd like to know the sex and I told her I did. She asked if I wanted to know right then and there or if I wanted her to right it down and seal it in an envelope so I could open it with my family. "Oh... just tell me. I don't want to wait." I told her. But as I laid back and watched the screen while she took measurements of my baby's little head, arms, legs and heart I thought, "What am I doing? I need to make this special." So I told her, on second thought, maybe I would like her to put it in an envelope. 

On my way home from the appointment I decide to take the envelope to Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor in Brea and tell the waitress to bring us a banana split with pink strawberry ice cream if it's a girl and a combo of chocolate and vanilla ice cream if it's a boy (because I don't think there is a blue ice cream flavor other than the bubble gum ice cream that I've only ever seen at Grandma's Ice Cream Shop on Main Street in Seal Beach). To be honest, Ryan and I both kinda hate Farrell's,  too crowded, WAY too loud, the wait is too long and the food isn't that great. But I know they're really good at making an occasion feel important and exciting. I also feel it would be fun to let the kids be a part of it. 

So, that evening we go to Farrells and wait in famous line outside that is there every waking hour (it's kinda genius- they make everyone waiting for a table wait in a standing only line outside on the corner of a busy intersection. It makes the place look bumpin, and nothing attracts a crowd like a crowd.) It was a nice night so we told the hostess we'd sit outside. It turned out to be perfect because the noise and crowds aren't so crazy out there either. 

When we told the waitress what we were doing, she was so giddy for us. She thanked us for letting her be a part of something so intimate and special. She asked us what we wanted/thought it was. Ryan and I both felt it was a boy in the earlier stages of the pregnancy, then switched to feeling like it was a girl. With the first two, I just knew. I don't know how but I did. Not true with this one. We explained that we'd be happy either way, but Wendy really wanted a sister so it would be fun if it was a girl. (I was a little worried she'd be bummed if it was a boy because she wanted a sister SO bad. I told her it might be a boy and asked her how she would feel, she said "I would still love the baby if it was a boy. Baby Zeke and baby Gray are boys and I love them... but I still really really really want a sister.")

Our waitress was great! My heart started pumping faster and harder waiting for her to come back. Then I saw a group of waitresses making their way through the crowded restaurant. I strained to see what color the ice cream was, but she had covered the ice cream with whipped cream so we had to take a bite to find out - such a good idea. None of the waitresses had ever done this before so they all wanted to see. They wanted to sing us a song, but didn't have one memorized for this kind of occasion. They put a candle on top and lit it and sang an impromptu song, I think it was the first one they could think of with the word "baby" in it. "Ooooh, baby I love your ways, every day-ay-eee-ay..." they sang and snapped in unison. Wendy and I took a bite together. PINK!! I screamed. Ryan said, "I knew it!" Wendy grinned from ear to ear. Harvey said, "Hey! I want some!" It was so much better than being told by a stranger while I laid there alone. I was elated that Wendy could have the little sister she wanted so badly and suddenly it felt as if I'd always known it was a girl. 

*just look at that little face! can't you feel how excited she was? not to mention the outfit channeling her inner desire of "please let it be pink!"

Pregnancy #3: BOY or GIRL?

This was the first pregnancy that Ryan was not able to be with me at the ultrasound to find out the sex of our child. Baby #3 is still special and exciting and deserves more than an anticlimactic moment by myself with the ultrasound technician. SO, to make the reveal special and include the kids, I had the technician turn the screen away from me, print the sonogram picture revealing the sex & seal it in an envelope for our family to open together. 

We took the envelope to Farrell's and gave it to our waitress. We told her to bring us a banana split with all strawberry ice cream if it was a girl, and chocolate & vanilla ice cream if it was a boy. Our hearts were pumping as we waited for her to return. She came back with a large group of waitresses who were so cute and giddy for us, telling us they'd never been a part of something like this before. She had covered the ice cream with whipped cream so we had to take a bite to see what it was, she also put a candle in it - nice touches, she deserves a raise. They wanted to sing us a song, but didn't have one for the occasion, so they sang, "Oooooh, BABY I love your ways..." Wendy blew out the candle and took the first bite...

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It came back PINK! Wendy squealed & Ryan said, "I knew it!" We are all very excited. Except for Harvey, who was just excited for some ice cream and has no idea what's going on.

And then there were three...

Remember how we had those four birds? Remember that one time when Whitish escaped the cage and spent the day canoodling with beautiful blonde babes in the barbie dream mansion? Well, he finally did it. He busted out of the cage, chewed up half the screens in the sunroom/patio/playroom, and made a hole large enough to make his great escape. 

Ryan says he isn't that bummed. Isn't bummed at all actually. If I would have known he wouldn't care, maybe they all would have "escaped" a long time ago... Or not. I'm not brave enough to open that cage door and try to usher free flying birds out of the room. 

Farewell Whitish.

April means birthdays.

In our house, April means birthdays. All three of the loves in my life were not only born in April, but born in the SECOND HALF of April. That's a lot of pressure folks. Making the 3 most important people in my life feel the most special special all within 10 days of each other every year is not easy. So this year I actually pulled off the "low key" birthday trifecta. All three of them got to blow out candles in front of our closest family memebers and open a couple presents. That's all a kid really needs, right? I made a pretty amazing cake and dinner was great. From now on, the kids only get parties on the "big years." That means 1, 5, 8, 12, and 16yrs. (Accept for Wendy who had full blown themed parties for years 1, 2, 3, 4 AND 5 - hence the fact that I'm a little burned out). I think it was a big success!

Some of Harvey's adorable 2 year old vocabulary that I always want to remember:

• ah-moat - oatmeal
• wa-wot - water
• yesth - yes
• ah-man - superman, spiderman, any super hero man really
• meh-meh - talking like a baby / talking like a monkey
• Ay-na holg you - pick me up
• apunz  - rapunzle