Marius was 2 weeks old this day. I remember, because we went on a really long walk to Skinner's Butte and a couple older ladies asked me how old he was and they were both shocked that I was out and about. It made me feel really good. With the other two- the first two weeks were always such a sleepless blur. It took me 2 months to even DESIRE to leave the house, let alone do it. Somehow it's just all come together really fast this time. Thank goodness!!

We never made it to the playground because the kids wanted to play on these sculptures. They had a blast. I sat on a bench and nursed Marius as bikers and runners went by (along with a few homeless!) Nursing in public used to give me SO MUCH ANXIETY. Maybe it helps that I'm in Eugene and being topless isn't unheard of here. Not that I was topless!!!

I look at this picture and think I've seriously gained 10 lbs since this day. I ALWAYS gain weight after I have a baby!!! Since I was so thin during my pregnancy, I thought maybe I'd get away with it and I'd lose the weight fast- um . . . NOPE. I weighed myself at the doctor's, yesterday and I was 160. Um . . . that's 25 lbs more than my pre pregnancy weight. With other two- that I DEFINITELY gained more, during pregnancy, I never needed to lose more than 20 lbs. Granted- I never bothered weighing myself or getting to losing it until probably 4 months in, but once again- I've sat on my butt watching endless tv and eating massive amounts of chocolate. That amounts to putting it on pretty dang fast. Blah! Everyday I have the same conversations with myself . . . "I'm not eating like this anymore! Eat healthier! Be healthier! You'll feel better and have more energy and you'll actually get your body back." And then a few hours pass and I eat something REALLY GOOD and I think, "What? You're considering NOT eating this delicious ice cream? You are NOT gonna get this for another YEAR!!!! Why on EARTH would you pass this up! These are the only precious moments you get to experience this good food. This is NOT in Kyrgyzstan! Eat it up while you can!" Sigh. Such an unfortunate dilemma.

Danielle made this cute little onsie- so cute! I can't wait for him to wear it to church. I completely forgot about it last sunday. Hopefully I remember tomorrow.

Pumping. So with Scarlet pumping was a freakin' nightmare. I pumped constantly- had thrush the ENTIRE time I pumped (not realizing I had it)- the whole thing was just so stressful. When Brighton came around, I put off pumping and the ONE TIME I did, I had such anxiety- because all my memories of pumping were SO BAD. And then he didn't even take the bottle. THIS TIME I told myself I'd do it as soon as I could. I couldn't leave Brighton more than 2 hours his first year. Not so convenient or fun. I didn't want to do that this year. I had a LITTLE anxiety and "is this gonna work" thoughts when I first pumped for Marius- but it's working! First of all- pumping once a week is ENTIRELY different than pumping every stinkin' time (including middle of the night feeds). And my milk is just letting down instantly instead of dry pumping 'till it gets around to it. Also, I have it on the lowest setting instead of the HIGHEST. SOOOOO much more comfortable. It's just going so much better and I've only done it 3 times. I think it's gonna be no big deal and LET ME HAVE A LIFE!!! YEA!!!!

It was weird, though, the first time he took a bottle. I felt really far away from him and sad. It was just weird. But the second time was fine. I'm just thrilled I can leave him with a sitter or with Greg. What a relief!

Ah man, so sweet!!!

Such kissable cheeks.

We went on a hike! It was pretty short and more overgrown than we thought it would be. It gave me a little worry about ticks, but we continued on.

 Marius's first hike- first of many.

 It was sooooooo beautiful. Oregon is the most beautiful place.

 What can I say? We just love trailing along with the kids! It's been awhile. Hopefully the winter doesn't come too fast when we go back to Kyrgyzstan and we can do a bit more.

Oh man, I just love him.

Brighton turned 2!!!! We threw a little party. Greg set up the zip line. It was, again, a great success. I love seeing the kids on that thing. They smile so big and it's just so happy.

We were really excited to a have a party for B and just do fun things that we knew he'd love. He had Daddy lighting the candle, below.

Blowing it out.

Licking the frosting, of course!

Oh man, we love this kid. He is just such a bright star. I don't know how else to put it. It's like that song, "I am like a star, shining brightly!" I just feel like B just SHINES. Nobody's smile is brighter. When he's happy- it's just shooting out of him. I've never seen it in anyone else. 

 He is like a constant little tornado. I've never seen so much energy- EVER. He runs SO FAST. He jumps SO BIG and is just constantly going. It's pretty wild to watch. He throws everything. He is constantly fighting pirates and fighting lions and he wants dinosaur everything (shirts, toys and stories). He is just so much fun and we love him!

Grandma and Grandpa came! It was sweet, they got Scarlet a gift too, so she wouldn't feel left out. She was VERY excited about it.

We didn't think B would be getting so many presents! He was surrounded!

 A dinosaur shirt from Grandma Jentzsch! Pretty exciting!

Dinosaurs!!! T-rex and Triceratops. Or in Brighton's words, "Tippy Tops!"

Scarlet's pretty excited.

The big gift . . .

 A pirate sword!!!

It even makes sounds! B is constantly playing with swords. Sticks, foam tubes, bobby pins- if it's that shape, it becomes a sword and we FIGHT!!!

Greg thought it would be fun to get a piñata and it was! Brighton just loves to hit everything, so we knew he'd love it. Notice the 2 kids in the background? They were there the whole time! It was really bugging me, but I didn't want to tell them to leave. I kept thinking their parents would notice and say, "Leave that family alone!" But they didn't. After 20 minutes I finally told them to leave, it was a little uncomfortable.

I LOVEDDDDDD seeing Brighton and Scarlet hit the piñata. It was just so much fun!

Cousin Ari.

Cousin Olivia- just moved here the day before!

Our brother in law Mike came to see us yesterday! It was the best! He happened to come into town for work and was able to steal a day away to come see us. It was so great! It was like a day hadn't passed and it was so comfortable from the start. Mike is just funny and we all seemed to be laughing the whole time. He and Greg went on a hike and to a movie.

 I was a little nervous to be alone with all three, but I knew I'd be in trouble if I didn't go get some food, so I gathered them all up and we went to Cafe Yum and actually sat down to eat! It helped NO ONE else was in the restaurant. Then on a whim I took them to a new park and even breastfed Marius on a bench while they ran around. It was quite a successful outing! It gave me confidence! And I'm really glad. I'd been quite afraid to be on my own with all three, to be honest. I was worried, they'd literally run away and get hit by a car or I'd have to chase after them. Now I know someday some version of this will happen- but it wasn't today and I'm no longer afraid to leave the house and actually have a life, when we return to Kyrgyzstan!

Oh man, still more to come! I can't believe how busy we've been in the last four weeks! No wonder it FEELS that way to me! 

Today we went to the fair! We just looked at the animals and it was so fun! I felt like I was seeing exotic animals, even though it was just chickens and guinea pigs! Some of them looked so crazy with their odd feathers and fur patterns. It was strange!

We caught a dog show before we left and it was fun! Scarlet is sitting on Randy's lap and Brighton is on Greg's.

Alright, I feel like I've barely written a thing. So much more to write, but another day. Maybe.

Click on the older posts link, there is another huge post with the labor story and more pics.