Baby Johnson: Oregon fun

My parents flew out to Big Sky to spend a few days here with us and to visit my Uncle Carle, my dad's brother, in Billings. It was great to have them out here for a bit! Went out to eat, they took the Lone Peak Expedition tour to the top of the mountain on a beautiful clear day, we went to the local free concert, and just had fun hanging out at home. Then the four of us jumped in the car and drove for 2 days back to Oregon through Idaho and Washington, staying the night in Pasco, WA, which was kind of like staying in Mexico for the night. We had some delicious Mexican food for dinner though! The second day of travel got us into Portland around lunch time, just in time to meet up with my good college girlfriend, Joanna, and her 5 month old baby girl, Francie. It was SO good to see them and catch up a bit. I got to hold and snuggle the baby a bit until my dad scared her, but she gave us lots of smiles once her mom was holding her. Unfortunately in my haste to eat the delicious sandwich and absorb as much chatting and catching up with Jo I completely forgot to snap a photo with them. :(

We then headed down I-5 to Eugene and got to see another close college girlfriend, Amy, and her 1 month old baby boy, Peter. So many babies, so much fun! Here are a couple photos from our visit with Amy, Jake, and baby Peter. We're practicing for January!!

After the visit with Amy we had dinner with my Aunt Marianne, Uncle Stan and cousin Kevin at a delicious Thai restaurant in Eugene before finally making it to my parents house outside of Roseburg late that night.

We then had 4 days with the Hadley family...my parents, my mom's mom (Grandma Eleanor), my dad's mom and dad (Grandpa Mark and Grandma Margie), and my Aunt Jan (my dad's sister) who came down from Seattle. All 3 90 year olds are living next to or with my parents, so we had nice mornings of breakfasts together, reading the paper, sitting around chatting and laughing...it was good to just spend time with them. My Grandpa Mark has some stage of Alzheimers and can't remember short term details, but is amazingly good with older details and memories. He is still funny and the same joker that he always was and I hate to say it but it is even funnier that he repeats himself and asks the same questions. "Who let the dog in the house? What's this dog doing in the house?" We would come up with some response and a while later when he sees the dog begging for food again he'd ask the same thing. Of course once he finishes his food and has a little left over he puts it down for the dog to eat. No wonder she always goes to hime! At one point he said to my grandma, "There's George's wife out there (looking out the window)." I was thinking, what is he talking about? Then he said, "Rose Bush." And we all laughed as we saw the rose bush out the window. Of course I'm curious which George Bush he was thinking of. And I wonder what age he thinks I am. He asked me what I was doing these days and if I was in school. Nope. And when he asked how long I've been in Big Sky he was surprised that I said 7 years. Ah, well, at least I got to spend time with him and give him lots of hugs. I sure do love that guy! And it makes me wish I could have known my grandparents when they were my age...what amazing people.

Anyways, it was great to spend time with them and ask my grandmas questions about being pregnant, etc. We all went to the coast one day and then to Crater Lake another day. I also saw my sister and nieces and an old elementary school friend. And one night my mom had invited some of their old friend's over for a BBQ, the Cavagnaro's and the Herzstein's. Our families used to go backpacking together every summer and their kids are some of my best childhood friends. It was so fun to see them and hear the stories from before the kids were born and imagine them being in our 30s like we are now. It brought back lots of great memories and it made me smile to think about all of my friends having babies now and what it might be like when we are in our 60s with our own kids grown. Ah, the circle of life.

Here's Grandpa Mark, Aunt Jan, dad, and Grandma Margie with me and Neil.