Guests!

Hey-o! We just got off a wonderful weekend spent with my brother Jordan's family who was visiting us here in Washington. They lived in a town about half an hour north of where we live now a few years back so it was fun to show them around Granite Falls, have the best sibling/cousin times, and they got to visit some of their old friends and hangs in Mt. Vernon. They picked an absolutely perfect time to visit--I've been feeling really pretty good for about a week now, my belly is still at a manageable size, and the current Washington temperatures are *chef's kiss*.

The forecast was mostly rainy during their time here, but we did get a sunny day on Saturday that we spent lounging on our own little riverside beach for several hours. When we pulled into the usually-empty parking lot by the river, we were surprised to find the lot overflowing with dozens upon dozens of cars. Apparently there was some kind of church party taking place. Everyone we walked by was speaking Russian, or possibly Ukranian? Maybe it was a refugee gathering? No idea but it was really cool, and in a beautiful spot. Almost felt like we'd stepped into another country for a bit. Luckily the party was in one central space, and after hiking about a quarter mile along the river we found a quiet, expansive beach all to ourselves. Much of it was rock, but there was also a lot of great sand for the kiddos to dig around in. My brother Jordan is the GOAT and carried 2 of our outdoor dining chairs the whole way to the beach so all the adults could have a chair to sit on, since we only had 2 camping chairs. We had a great time digging, throwing rocks, picnicking, and enjoying the perfect weather.   

Only kid pics today because the rest of the pics are on my DSLR (I'll share those next week), or are pictures with me in the center wearing, er, ill-fitting clothing haha. Glad Jordan and Amanda took several family pictures of us so I could catch a minor wardrobe malfunction that's probably been going on for the past 2-3 months of pregnancy bod changes. Didn't realize it, but this homegirl desperately needs to throw away the two bras I've been clinging to since HIGH SCHOOL and are now not only the wrong size, but also curling at the edges and you can see the full outline of them through most of my shirts these days. Yay. Funny how you can go months without catching things like that in a mirror, but then when you see yourself in pictures you're like, "Oh. Yup. Cool." I'm getting PUMPED for summer to start this week so I can live in Jared's shirts and an array of oversized t-shirt dresses instead of having to put on maternity jeans *shudders* for preschool pickup. I've been nervous for 3 months of no preschool, but our backyard and patio are all set for success, and we found a big inflatable splash pad for $19 at Costco today, so bring it on. 

I could keep rambling but I am EXHAUSTED. Jack has always been a terrible sleeper when we travel or have guests over. He's been making improvements in the sleep department since turning 4 so I truly didn't think we'd have any issues with family staying here over the weekend, especially since we have ample room in this house to spread out across 5 bedrooms, and because he's been excited for months to have a sleepover with Asher, but boy was I wrong. He ended up sobbing and sleeping on our bedroom or bathroom floor for all of the four nights, and on one of the nights he was awake from 12:30-4:00 a.m. absolutely inconsolable and absolutely unable to tell us what was wrong. At least he does really great with guests during the days. We've decided that 4 nights is the perfect amount of time to have houseguests staying over (at least during this phase of having a young kid who hates sleep). It was long enough to have some good outings and also some casual days at home. Adrenaline carried us great through 4 days of sleep turbulence, and then about 12 hours after they left, me and Jack crashed and burned. He's currently back in his own room sleeping, so I'm feeling good about getting his sleep back on track quickly. It was worth it for all the laughs, meals, games, and memories shared with family. Jack was immediately sad when Asher and Annie left, so I'm glad he has one last day of preschool this week to play with friends his age before the summer of Jack and Mom begins. Gonna be a good time.