Zebras and Elephants and Ephraim.... Oh, My!

We carried the Oregon raindrops with us to Wyoming, but arrived safely and without calamity from our journey. :) The girls did wonderfully - Elisa walked miles in the huge Denver Airport 'B' terminal, slept uncomfortably but well on the puddle jumper flight to JH, and kept our Norwegian seatmate thoroughly entertained. We had a great time in Oregon. It is so lush there! Mom's gardens are beautiful, and in spite of cold weather, we managed to fit in several fun outings and lots of time with friends and family.

Amy and Ephraim spent most of the week with us. He is so cute, and his little facial expressions are hilarious! He is contented and sweet and amazing. He's also tiny! Amy and I realized after a couple of kind of crazy afternoons, that having three babies on different schedules and with different temperaments makes organizing activities difficult! But we had a great time! We also took photos of the cousins at the mall -- they did really well with the posing and smiling.










One of the things Elisa was most looking forward to about our visit to Oregon was a trip to the Portland Zoo. We went on Friday... the warmest and sunniest day of our week trip. My little napless wonder wandered a little sleepily through the exhibits. She liked the great big sea lions, the hippopotamus, elephants, and especially the zebras. Nanny bought her a stuffed zebra to take home, and Elisa immediately fell asleep in her carseat snuggled with "Zoe the Zebra."

We enjoyed hanging out with Syndey Coleman and Gracie Brownlee and their mommies.... Elisa tried to potty train Sydney (9 months younger) and the two of them devoured almost two entire peppers. I wish we lived closer to these sweet mamas and their beautiful girls.

Elisa loves Emily, Ryan and Belle, too. She will miss all of her buddies, and so will I!

We also visited Daddy at the Willamette National Cemetery. That was a tough visit. We continue to miss him so much, and even seeing his gravestone doesn't make his loss feel real. I still expect him to come home. There is such a void.... even in the joy of being together, in the coos of our little ones, in the laughter... you look around and wonder what is missing. And then you realize, it's Daddy. It is unfamiliar and empty to be together without him. Our being together as family will never be the same, at least on this Earth. I find myself eager for Heaven.