5 years ago, 2 crazy kids got hitched . . .
Half a decade and 2 kids later, we decided it was a good time to celebrate by taking our first kid-free weekend away since Henry was born. Grandma Debbie & Grandpa Mike were kind enough to take Henry & Owen for the weekend and we slipped away for a nearby getaway - just in case.
As we packed up that morning (seriously, with all the luggage we brought for the boys, you'd think we weren't coming back), Henry & Owen quietly colored together. At least for a few minutes. Coloring soon becomes crayon eating, wiggling off of chairs, ripping of paper and throwing of markers. But for a few moments, it was beautiful. . .
This was the first time I've sat Owen down to color and I was really impressed. I'm a little disappointed that I waited this long! Oh my poor, neglected second child . . .
I love love LOVE watching the brothers play together - have I mentioned this before?
This shows me just how big Henry has grown - (cliche warning!) it seems like just yesterday that his feet were that far off the floor! And I can't believe my baby is big enough to sit in a chair next to big brother.
Henry is getting so protective over Owen - he's trying to get Owen to stop eating the crayon
And with a car full of luggage, we headed off to Grandma's house. (And now that song is stuck in my head. "Over the river and through the woods, to Grandmother's house we go . . . " I just looked this up to give credit to the singer, and apparently it's to grandfather's house we go, but close enough. Oh, and the song was a Thanksgiving song by Lydia Maria Child - At least according to the all-knowing Wikipedia. But I digress, so back to the pictures I go). . .
We called each night to say goodnight to the boys and Henry & Owen did wonderfully. At least that is what we were told. Before I take you on our weekend adventure, I'll show you the brief glimpse of theirs:
Grandma & Grandpa took the boys to the park one day and since Grandma didn't have her camera with her, she borrowed Henry's and snapped a few pictures.
Nate and I opted to stay 2 nights at the Oregon Garden Resort in Silverton.
It wasn't quite what we were expecting, but we still had a great time. I am quite gullible and easily fooled by pictures and descriptions on the websites. So, while it was a perfectly good hotel within walking distance of the gardens (and access anytime via our hotel card), it was not the peaceful garden resort I was imagining. I pictured walking out of our hotel room straight into the garden. With the description, "Our guest rooms are nestled in a series of buildings throughout the grounds behind the main lodge." I figured the buildings would be spread out around the gardens. Not quite. Instead they were just separated a few feet from each other nestled around the parking lot. But, once I wandered around and adjusted my expectations a bit, I decided that it really was the perfect place to go for a quiet weekend away.
We started our weekend off with dressing up for a nice dinner.
I have never been one of those people to photograph food and show it off, but I was determined to do it for our anniversary meal as a reminder. Unfortunately, the popcorn lunch we had during our movie date on the way down (shhh don't tell Grandma & Grandpa, we didn't tell them why we dropped the boys off so early - but The Bourne Legacy was the 2nd movie we've seen in the theater since Owen was born, so it was worth the risk), was not enough and we were starving by the time we checked in to the hotel! So we moved up the reservation, and raced over to the restaurant. About halfway through our entrees, I remembered my idea to take pictures of our fancy meal. But, after quickly deciding that partially eaten food is about the last thing that anyone wants to see, I went on with my dinner.
We followed up dinner with a sunset walk in the gardens.
The next morning we headed out to Mt. Angel to check out Oktoberfest. We realized we'd stumbled into it by accident on our drive in and decided to see what it was all about.
I really had no idea what Oktoberfest was, other than it was German and was all about drinking beer. Being that I am not a beer fan, I wasn't sure I'd enjoy it. But it was super fun.
There were lots of bands playing, people dancing and of course beer. I knew I'd miss the boys while we were away and this is where it really hit me hard. I didn't expect to feel so sad. I was fine when we were doing things they wouldn't have enjoyed as much (like laying around watching TV, reading or walking around the quiet resort), but once I saw all the music and dancing, my heart just broke wishing they were there. I knew they were safe and having a lot of fun with grandma & grandpa, but I could just see them getting on the dance floor and having a good time. I refrained from crying (although I was quite close), and felt better just knowing that we could try and take them there someday. And it really was easier to people watch and snap pictures without worrying about Henry or Owen getting lost in the crowds. Don't get me wrong, I really did have a wonderful time, but they certainly were in my thoughts throughout the day!
I loved all the amazing outfits people wore. And this one older couple was super cute to watch! When I'm that age, I hope I look that happy and am still jumping up to dance!
After we'd had enough of the crowds and heat of the Oktoberfest (it was a gorgeous day!) and seen what we wanted to see, we headed back to the gardens to explore. They have so many different areas and there were all sorts of interesting plants & flowers to look at (and of course photograph).
It was super convenient for them to have flat topped pathway lights around the resort for me set my camera on for self portraits!
These blackberries were HUGE compared to what we picked with the boys - I didn't even know there were different varieties. I refrained from eating them since they were part of the garden displays . . .
My new fascination - photographing bees on flowers - it's like an adreniline rush for a chicken like me to see how close I can get with my lens without getting stung. Daring, I know.
These bird houses were up way high (out of our reach, at least), but they still attracted all types of visitors. Do you see him (or her, I suppose. Let's be honest, I have no idea how to tell the gender of amphibians)? Nate, with his super sharp eyes, found the frog and pointed him (or her) out to me.
Despite missing the boys so much, the weekend away was a perfect and much needed getaway. It was fun exploring without having to worry about snacks, naptimes and whining (at least from the boys, Nate might disagree that he didn't hear any whining on the trip) and I managed to start and finish my book club book in a few days (Bloom by Kelle Hampton - Even though it's one of those books that makes you cry throughout, I loved it. Of course, I was the one that picked it, but still, I highly recommend it). We also were able to catch up on some much needed sleep, listen to live music in the lounge past 8pm (although there was a lot of yawning) and even watch parts of Indiana Jones & The Temple of Doom on TV. I'm telling you, we lived it up in our 48 hours away!
And there's nothing better than the greeting you get after being away so long. The "I can't believe you actually came back for me!" look in Owen's eyes as he ran over to us and the excited "I have so much to tell you about" look on Henry's face.
A big thank you to Grandma & Grandpa for allowing us to escape for a few days and Happy Anniversary Nate! Here's to many more busy and amazing years!
