Washington and Finals

Ryan had finals last week so he hasn't been home much lately. When I mentioned to my mom how little we would be seeing him, she suggested Nathan and I come up to Washington for a visit. It sounded like a good idea, but we weren't sure how it was going to work since driving alone with the baby (can I still call him a baby for a little bit longer?) didn't appeal to me and I really didn't want to take a 5 1/2 hour train ride. After a lot of planning and replanning, we finally decided that my Dad would come down and pick us up. The day he was planning to arrive my mom called and informed me that the nasty flu they thought they were over had struck again. More planning, more thinking. This trip was starting to feel like it wasn't meant to happen. I really didn't want Nathan to get sick, but the thought of spending the whole week at home with Ryan gone all day, instead of with my family, was a horrible idea too. We decided Dad should come anyway. Well, about half way here, he got sick too! So he turned around and went home. This was on Friday the 5th. We had been planning for weeks and I still sat at home. Saturday night my parents called and said,"What about flying?" Everyone was well again and they had some free miles. So Sunday morning, Nathan and I boarded a plane at the Eugene airport. It was only an hour flight and Nathan was an angel. He ate graham crackers and sat on my lap so nicely. I didn't even have to get out any toys. Also, the flight attendant was so nice and made sure Nathan and I had a row to ourselves and extra snacks. I thought, "I could fly with him all the time." (Remember that thought when I tell you about our flight home).


In the airport

When my Dad and Leslie came to pick us up at the airport, they casually mentioned that Jesse had thrown up 18 times since I had talked with them the night before. By the way, they said, you guys are going to go stay with Natalie instead. Natalie is a dear friend of our family and someone who was a great second mom to me growing up. So Nathan and I spent our first two nights at Natalie's house.

Despite our attempts to stay away from all the sickies, I still got the flu that week. I can say for sure, a winter will never go by when my kids don't get a flu shot. Nathan is the only one who didn't get sick at all. I'm shocked that he didn't with all the kisses he gets.


Nathan loved Nana and Papa's big front window

Besides all the sickness, we had a lot of fun. We spent a lot of time just hanging out. Nathan got all sorts of fun new toys, including his first balloon! He also got to try his first popsicle and he discovered the piano! He loves standing and playing a tune.


Popsicles are yummy and cold!

Our trip home was a bit more eventful. It was dinner time nad Nathan had missed his nap. Then, after we boarded the plane, we had to get back off because of mechanical problems. We waited for a new plane and boarded again. I was really pleased with how kind people were to me. I can't count how many times I was asked if I needed help. We ended up being an hour late. When the flight is only an hour long, that makes a big difference. We sat next to the funniest man. He was so kind to Nathan but he was one of the most awkward people ever! He played with Nathan and gave him high fives (actually, he let Nathan slap his hand over and over) and he let Nathan put his sippy cup on his (the man's) tray table. He would touch Nathan's foot and say, oh so awkwardly, "What is that foot?" Imagine this in an excessively monotone voice. Nathan loved it! That guy and the sweet grandma behind us saved my life!

Anyway, our actual vacation was pretty uneventful. We just had a few funny moments that make for a REALLY long story. Most importantly, Ryan got a lot of studying done while we were gone and he passed all his finals. Hooray! We loved seeing family and we can't wait to see them again next week (and Ryan's family too) for Nathan's BIRTHDAY!!