Settling in...

Ross has gone through this phase of making this face - like he's exploring what his mouth and lips can do.  Haha!

So my father-in-law asked me if we felt more comfortable yet here in Oregon, and I didn't even realize I could be uncomfortable here.  While I still am completely lost here in Forest Grove, other than knowing how to drive to Steve's school in Hillsboro to drop him off and pick him up, get to Walmart, and Winco, I find that I feel like I fit right in.  I was talking to my good friend, Maren, a while back as well and we were talking about how a place once it's emptied of all your pictures, keepsakes, and furniture - it really doesn't feel like your house anymore.  I was sad to leave Provo, but once we set up our apartment here I felt like I had a home again.  I still have yet to feel like Oregon is HOME, but I definitely feel comfortable here - other than backtracking on my walks with Ross since none of the roads ever loop around or connect back to another one!

Steve is in his second week of school and the late nights of him studying are fast approaching. This scares me....I hear all the wives of grad students talking in the mother's room at church on how their husbands are gone on their internships for 1-3 months and they are just at home alone with their kids....yikes - NOT looking forward to those times.  I was spoiled rotten with Steve home for a whole month.  He's fairly interested in all his classes.  Today, as I type, Steve is observing my posture at a computer desk and will tell me how to sit properly so as to prevent any problems in the future.  I have a feeling I'm going to be a guinea pig here.  Over the weekend my blood pressure was taken quite a bit.  Luckily I have nice, low blood pressure in case you were wondering!  

Ross is rolling over like crazy.  I went on craigslist and tracked down a little johnny jump up and a high chair all for only $30!  When I went to pick them up - it was in a ritzy part of town.  I found out the high chair was a peg perego which is a pretty penny usually if you know what I mean!  Anyway - I'm quite pleased with my purchases and Ross is quite pleased with his little jumper.  He's getting pretty unsatisfied with his usual milk intake so we are about to delve into the land of fruits and vegetables!  I'm sure this will lead to many more messes and baths and a lot of cutie patootie pictures.  He likes to roll over from his belly all the time now and open and close his mouth like he's clicking his tongue.  We call him our little shark - The Great White Shark.  Haha.  He weighs over 18 1/2 lbs now and still has the cutest smile in the world.  We love him more every day.  I'm still trying to keep up with our apartment and Ross.  I have been sneaking in reading time at night with the book The Help which is terrible to have to put down and leads to sleepy mornings!  I have a real binge problem when it comes to reading.  Anyway - there is us and our little family just trekking on.

Here are some family pictures we had taken:

Ross's first rice cereal!

Yum!

Steve was blowing raspberries and I got this great shot of his lips! 

Workin' hard doing some homework and tummy time.

My cute boy out for a walk.

So we went to this place called Pat's Corner which had a restaurant outside this big lodge.  We found it on our walk.  We decided to sit down and split something for dinner...but when our waiter still hadn't even shown his face yet for about 15 minutes we decided to leave since it was getting late anyway and Ross tends to get hungry sooner rather than later. :)

Inspecting his first vegetable - sweet potato

And it's a winner!  He loves it!

  

Rolley Polley Ross

Hanging out outside.  Ross rolls over all the time now!

 

Exploring

So it's been a week of Oregonianing and I'm pleased to report I am now recycling like a native, living with one air conditioner in our back room (since we aren't allowed to have one at the front of our apartment due to apartment regulations - did you know they have laws on air conditioners here???), and feeling more at home with our pictures put up on our walls.  Ross is adjusting well too.  He wasn't sleeping so well at first, but now with the air conditioner in he's doing much better.  Would you believe it still hasn't rained here yet or been overcast?  I'm starting to wonder if this is really Oregon!  Neighbors have told us that Portland, Oregon is only number 30 on the most rainy places in the US.  It's just overcast all the time which makes it seem like it's always rainy.  I am looking forward to cooler weather but not frozen ice in the winter!  We'll see how it goes.  

Steve went to his orientation for school and starts tomorrow.  Tomorrow also starts my first day of being an alone stay at home mom!  Time to get organized and get a routine going for Ross and me.  I'm actually looking forward to having a house of order more, but not being alone with just Ross and me.  It has been so nice having Steve home for this last month.  It would be nice to be paid to stay at home and raise your kids together!  

We did some exploring these last couple days and ventured out to the coast to see what the beaches are like.  We stopped at one just outside of Tillamook which was gorgeous and extremely windy.  People had kites around and there was a great sand bar in the ocean that you could walk out in.  We roamed around a bit while Ross would bury his face in my shoulder blocking out the wind.  Then we went to the lighthouse there followed by a visit to the cheese factory where we went through the sampling line twice because the cheese was so good!  We also got some ice cream which was delish.  I love the berry kinds of specialized ice cream.  We got some wild mountain black berry and Oregon strawberry.  Yum!  It was a great day and a very pretty drive.  I want to say it's like a mix of Fort Bragg, CA and Rochester, NY.  Rolling golden hills and tall evergreens.  It's been fun exploring.  We've had two families over for dinner so far from our ward.  We're shopping for friends.  ;)  Everyone is so nice here.  Our ward is huge - twice the size of our old one in Utah - and lots of graduate students.  It's easy to get lost in a ward this size - but we're settling in.  We'll see how it goes this week when real life for the next 3 years begins.  Cheers to progression!

Saying good-bye to Grandpa Stan at the airport! 

Making our first stop to IKEA ever - we saw Arthur from the Biggest Loser there!!

Ross enjoying and inspecting his rice cereal.

More feeding

Steve's first day of school!  All ready to go. :)

The beach at Tillamook.  Lots of people enjoying the sunshine.

Trying to be responsible for the skin in the sun.

We had to bundle Ross up because the wind was so cold and strong!  Cute boy.

The Meares Lighthouse with a gorgeous view!

The cheese factory!  Yum!

Sampling the cheese.  Squeeky Cheese was my favorite.  Steve's was the garlic cheddar.

Super cute PJs!

With a monkey on the bum.  Ross still is sporting his bald spot where he keeps rubbing off his hair!

Oregonians

Well we have officially moved from Utah and become Oregonians.  I suppose we need to start recycling more...and scrub away mold...and vote Democratic...and hug some trees! :)  Actually we love Oregon.  It is so beautiful where we have moved.  I would like to say it is a mix of Rochester/Palmyra New York and Fort Bragg California.  So any of you who come to visit - you will love the scenery for sure!  We feel really good about being here.  The move went quite smoothly thanks to helping hands and family letting us mooch a few nights with them.  I was quite sad to leave my Utah mountains and memories.  Ross and I had gone to Brick Oven for a last family dinner.  I took the old highway route and reminisced all the times I drove that road to BYU while getting my bachelors.  I thought of all the hikes I went on in the mountains and all the memories I've created there.  It feels so right to be here which is reassuring.  I fell in love with our ward the minute we stepped into the building.  I forgot what a big ward feels like!  It's quite busy.  Our bishop looks like a replica of Michael Scott from the Office too!  Hilarious.  I've found the mother's room is a great place to make friends quick.  I met five other mothers in there too!  While Steve is going to be attending Physical Therapy school - just about every other young family there is going to Optometry school.  I'm not sure if there are any other LDS people going to PT school.  The flight taking Ross on an airplane went surprisingly well.  I was quite nervous seeing how he'd never been on one before!  I usually get a little nervous on the take off and landings, but I was so distracted making sure Ross was sucking on his binky, I missed being scared!  Steve's dad and mine both drove up with him and have helped us to get settled.  I have loved having them here.  It's not so scary being new when you have some family along!  Don left two days ago which was sad and my dad is leaving this evening.  Steve starts school on Monday and then I'm by myself with Ross for 3 years!!  AHHHHH.  Let's hope the transition isn't terrible!  I've enjoyed having Steve all to myself with Ross this last month.  But I guess it's back to real life!  Anyway - here are a few pics:

Addison and Ross having a reminiscing chat about all the good memories they had together as neighbors.

Addi rolls around everywhere!  Ross is still working on his swimming motions.  He's rolled over twice, but still seems to be content hanging out his back yelling at the ceiling.

We've found that Ross is about a good 3 lbs heavier than Addison while she's a month older.  I think Ross might have a little extra weight to carry over as he rolls. 

Happy Shark Week!  We were pretty addicted to watching the Discovery channel during the week.  Ross shows his enthusiasm for it!

Grandpa Stan and baby Ross enjoying the arrival to Oregon!

Saying good-bye to the old apartment!  #6 you were good to us!

Taking Grandpa Don to the airport after helping us move.

Enjoying some Voodoo doughnuts - it was a ghetto part of town with some interesting looking doughnuts

We only had to wait in line for 15 minutes.  This place has been on the food network - a very popular place open 24 hours a day!

The new apartment!  We're on the bottom.  Lots more space actually.

And a dishwasher!!

Laughing Ross

So sometimes Ross just finds the most random things funny.  And then when you're trying to get him to laugh he just stares at you.  I caught him finding me funny today though!  :)  Here he is!

He also looked so stinkin' cute with his white shirt and tie for church!

Doesn't he just look like a mischief making deacon in the making?

My handsome boys

My Sweet, Hilarious Husband Steve

So Steve is a one in a million kind of guy.  I couldn't believe how well he fit me like a glove when I first met him.  He was tall, dark, and handsome.  He could play the movie quote game really well, he loved trying new things, he liked BYU football games AND going to a good musical or play (the best of both worlds!) and those big, brown eyes could melt a Popsicle in the Antarctic.  I was pretty set on marrying him within about 2 months of dating him.  I just had to wait around for him to realize he wanted to marry me too.  It worked out quite well I must say.  He squelches out any drama that could possibly be forming with his complete openness about everything, and he is extremely patient whenever I'm impatient, or frustrated, or overwhelmed, or tired, or hot - especially when I'm hot.  If I am overheated in any way - I become a moaning banshee that can't be pleased with anything until I've been cooled down.  Usually he just laughs to himself while he tries to get me some ice water or the fan blowing on me the right way.  He truly is the perfect husband.  He is hard working, sincere, sympathetic, hilarious, thorough, thoughtful, sensitive, masculine (I had to include that too so I don't get in trouble for calling him sensitive), loving, and just about every other kind word you could think of.  He brings out the better in me which has saved me a lot of time trying to become it by myself.  One of my favorite things about Steve is the crazy analogies he comes up with which is a skill he inherited from his dad.  I would love to share a few with you at this moment. :)  

From the mouth of Steve:

"But remember you should take that with a grain of rice."

"That is negative progression!"

"I'm going to crush you like a dog!"

"Stace, you're playing with eggshells!"
"I feel like crap on a stick"
"He got gooched"

Hahahaha - I'm sure you can figure out the correct uses of the phrases, but they are so much better with a little spice like Steve gives them.  He keeps the spark and humor in our marriage so well.  He is the most amazing father I could ever have imagined.  That was the part of him I had no idea was so wonderful until our little Ross was born.  He is so involved and helpful.  

 I love how he enjoys reading to Ross or playing with him on the floor. 

When I'm not looking he likes to watch a soccer or football game with Ross too...there's no hope for Ross - he's going to love soccer whether he likes it or not!

Ross loves him so much.  I'm so glad that Steve takes the time to be a dad and husband.  I know our family is going to be amazing and so strong because we the head of our family knows his job and does it well!  I thank my Heavenly Father every day that I was blessed enough to find and marry Steve.  He is incredible.

I love my sweet, hilarious husband!