Our Summer Trip to Seattle

I am still feeling like there is so much to cover in the month of August, so I am trying to fly through all the fun things that happened this month before we get into September. One of our "fun" things was going up to Washington to visit family. I used fun in quotations because I have decided to be really blunt and honest with how I felt about our trip. Usually, I try to be positive and look at the good, even in rough situations, but since I know that most of you who read my blog aren't in Washington, and aren't my family, I am going to just tell it like it is. The bottom line is that the "vacation" to Washington was far from a vacation and I am sad to report that each time I have returned to Washington, I have come back more grateful that we moved to Utah.

Before I get into my venting about the trip though, I should at least set the stage and tell you why we headed there in the summer, versus the holiday time. We usually go to see my family either Thanksgiving or Christmas, and we have been swapping holidays each year so that we get to see both families. Well, my cousin, Beth, was getting married in August this year, and my brother was going to be on leave from his deployment to Afghanistan, so we thought we might as well come for the wedding instead of the holidays this year. As we got closer to the trip we got more excited to see my family, but also started talking about when the next trip to see them might be. With baby #2 on the way (aka: Peanut), and our dreams of owning a house, we realized that this might be our last trip for awhile. Peanut is due in January and the earliest we would think about coming back would be next summer, that way we could drive and save a TON of money. I do have to admit that I think my family doesn't realize the sacrifices it takes for us to travel that far and how expensive it can be for us. As Scott and I were talking, we realized that every time we started really saving for a house, we'd go see my family and our savings would get depleted. The idea of driving 16 hours with two children under 2 years old, does not sound appealing. As we got to talking about all of this, I realized this might be my last trip for quite awhile, at least until after we get into a house (which we are hoping to do by the end of next year).

Anyway, as the trip started getting closer, my aunt called and asked if I could come a week earlier than I had planned to help with wedding stuff. I decided that it might be fun and switched my flight. I have to admit, I was a little nervous about traveling with Alexander alone and about dealing with him adjusting to a new place to sleep by myself. I could just envision him crying the whole flight because he wanted to walk around. But I decided to try it, and off we went. Well, I am glad to report that Alexander pleasantly surprised me on the plane! He LOVED it! He stared out the window during take-off and landing and just giggled. He thought it was the best thing ever. He loved it so much that he actually fell asleep on the window, and I was able to move him onto my shoulder to let him get a nice long nap. It was cute. When he was awake he just tried talking to the people and played with my water bottle or his toys. It couldn't have gone any smoother. And my aunt parked the car at the airport so she could help with bags, which was a huge help!

Really, my aunt is great, and it was fun helping with wedding stuff and having the extra time to spend with her, my other family members, and some of my friends in Washington. I would like to say that most of the time was great during that week. Alexander loved the big house and big yard to play in. He got so dirty every day by digging in the dirt to try and find rocks that he could chew on. Silly boy! Plus my aunt had a nice big red wagon that he got to play in. He loved that. I had a great time visiting with my friends Lynda and Marilyn. We were able to go to dinner together and that was great. I even saw Lynda for a second dinner with a family I was close to, the LeFevres. That was a lot of fun. Plus my friend Pam came over with her boy Rio. It was so cute to watch Rio and Alexander play together. They hit it off right away! And Pam and I got to talk about pregnancy since we are due only a month apart. My friend Laura also came for a visit too. It was so great to see everyone and just relax a little. Below are some pictures of Alexander having some fun:

It was also Alexander's real first birthday while we were visiting, so we threw a little mini birthday party for him! We got some cake for him to eat, and Aunt Debbie even got him a cute birthday hat. She invited some of the family over and we were able to open presents and visit. It was really a nice time. Below are some pictures of him on his actual birthday:

Well, those were some fun pictures indeed! So you can tell we had some fun while we were there! The biggest issue I had with the trip had to do with my Uncle Ed. You have to understand that Alexander hasn't seen my family since he was two months old. He also hasn't been away from Scott for more than a night (excluding a work trip in which Scott was gone for a week when Alexander was only a month old). So it was a big adjustment when we got to Washington. I have to admit, it was something I didn't even think about before the trip. I never realized it would be so hard on him. So for the first week, he was basically adjusting to the new place and new people. He was more cranky and a ton more clingy. He had a really hard time if I left the room and would start to follow me and cry. Well, according to my aunt, my uncle doesn't handle crying babies very well. She said he thinks that if they are crying, that means something must be wrong. So for the entire week, he said some kind of rude comment to me when he was in my presence. My uncle tends to be a little blunt, and I am used to that. Honestly, I would have been surprised if he hadn't said some rude comment while I was there, but what made the trip unbearable was that he said a mean comment every single time he saw me that week. He kept telling me that I needed to put Alexander in day care so he could learn to be around other people. He would also try and tell Alexander that he needed to man up and not cry when he fell. I felt guilty every time I picked him up when he was crying, and I really shouldn't have to feel that way. I also felt like he was calling me a failure as a mom because he constantly criticized how I was raising my son. And whenever he said I should take him to daycare, it just felt like a slap in the face, as if he was saying I was failing at my full-time job as a mom. It really was hard. If not for his comments, I probably would have enjoyed the trip. But I seriously cringed every time Alexander cried in his presence (and I was staying with them). Anyway, that was the tough part of the trip. And it was mainly tough because no matter what I did or said, my uncle wouldn't believe that Alexander's behavior was abnormal. The reality of the situation was, that my uncle made it much easier to know that we wont be returning for a long time.

Luckily, Scott arrived into Seattle around my breaking point. It was great to have him there and also nice to stay in the free hotel that his parents and grandparents provided for us. The hotel was nice and I was super grateful for it. My aunt and uncle have pets which is really hard on Scott's allergies, and I even had a hard time coping with it while I was there. And we did end up having to stay with my Mom for one night in the middle of the week because the hotel couldn't fit us in that day. When we stayed with my Mom, we discovered that she had black mold in her bedroom and the smell was so potent! It made me realize why pregnant women have such sensitive noses. It is to help protect you and your baby from bad things. Anyway, we were grateful for the hotel because we could breathe clean air and even had a separate bedroom for Alexander to sleep in (we slept in the bed that came out of the wall in the living room, so we could hang out while Alexander slept). The only downfall of the hotel was that it had no AC. We were really sad about that because it was hot while we were there. On the last day of our trip, my Mom and brother, Robert, came up to visit us at the hotel and have dinner with us. Below are some pictures of us together:

And now, for the wedding fun! It seems like I took a TON of pictures during those two weeks! Anyway, the wedding was great. The wedding was held in Aunt Debbie and Uncle Ed's back yard. It was perfect. The minister said such sweet things. Beth looked beautiful, and Jason looked handsome. They both just seemed so happy. The time leading up to the wedding, I got really nervous about my bridesmaid dress. I was worried that I wouldn't fit into it since I bought it before I knew I was pregnant, and I was going to be five months pregnant at the wedding. It was such a relief to know that I still fit into it (just barely)! I had mine specially made as a modest version of the one the other girls were wearing. I did feel so big and pregnant next to them all though. My sweet husband swears I was the prettiest girl there, but I think he is a little biased. Anyway, here are the pictures of the wedding:

Well, that about covers our Washington trip. It was a ton of pictures and a little venting, so thanks for bearing with me! Overall the trip was a good time, it just wasn't much of a vacation. And if there is one thing the trip taught me, it is to be grateful that I am living in Utah! Well that is all for now. Tune in next time for a Pregnancy update!