Surprise Surprise

I am proud of myself for not ruining the big surprise! Surprises are not my thing, even though I love surprising others and being surprised myself. I decided to fly to Reno with Addie (of course) and show up at my parents house unexpected. Sherril picked us up at the airport and after a quick stop at the Patagonia Outlet, we headed to the Rentsch residence. My mom was the only one home and she heard me open the door and yelled "Who is here?" She was shocked to see me! Once the shock factor wore off she was in tears to have her girls back home for a week. Of course Grandpa Bill was equally excited and happy to spend time with us.

The weather could be a bit more spring like, but we are making due. We borrowed a slide from cousin Jackson and Addie is thrilled. We took Addie to Scheel's yesterday to ride the ferris wheel, but Addie was not tall enough. She did love the indoor climbing arena and slide. She mastered the playground that was intended for 3 to 12 year olds.

Spring Break Trip

Spring break is here and we were on the road by 5pm on Friday heading towards Idaho. This trip was a combination of fun/business. As always, we love being back in the Wood River valley to see our friends and enjoy the great outdoors. This trip was even shorter than normal (only 2 full days in town), but we managed to cram a lot of activities in. We took Hannah and Addie up to Sun Valley lodge to see the swans, Ryan and Hunter rescued a sweet Suburban for the Churchills from a hoarders dream, hiked Buttercup with Leah, and relaxed! Monday morning we drove to Boise so that Addie and I could fly out to Reno and Ryan could interview with Merril Lynch. More to come about interviews and moving.

One point five

On Monday, Addison will be one and half years old! It seems like every week she is changing and growing up. Some of her favorite things are blueberries, dancing, playing at the park, being outside, and momma and dadda. Her vocabulary is expanding with her newest words being "uh-oh", "whoa" and "mommy and daddy". She knows the sounds to several animals, such as cow, dog, chicken, elephant, bird, and horse. Although she can't always communicate with her words, she has developed her own sign language on top of what we have taught her. When she is thirsty, she sticks out her tongue several times- it is adorable. She slaps the ground or her leg if she wants Callie (or Mommy) to come. Quite clever of her.

Addie hangs out with her buddy Easton during the days when Mommy and Daddy are at work. We have the best nanny, Tiffany that takes wonderful care of our children and entertains them with her beautiful singing voice and guitar skills.

Addie amazes us with her athletic ability (if you will call it that)! She can throw a ball overhand fairly well, play "soccer", and she loves to run up and down hills. She has gone on a few hikes with us and lasted for a long time. She is a little dare devil- she loves to go fast and take risks.

Addison- you have brightened everyday of our life! We love you so much!

One step closer

I really don't want to jinx what we have going with our house, but we are in escrow!! When we were in Oregon last weekend, a couple viewed our house 3 times and then made an offer! After a few counters, we finally agreed upon a price and closing conditions. If the house inspection and apprasial go smoothly, we will be closing on May 20th! We are still in shock that an offer was made on the house within 2 weeks of being listed. This means that we have 2 months to figure out our life- the next step at least.

The Beaver State

Last weekend we made a last minute trip to Oregon- the Beaver State. Ryan has been on the job hunt for quite some time and he landed a few interviews in Bend. Being that his parents live 20 minutes away in Sisters, living in Bend would fulfill part of our dream for the future-- to live closer to friends and family. The McHughs were so kind to buy us plane tickets the morning we were supposed to be heading out for a long road trip. A 4 hour travel time sure beats a 10 hour drive to Portland followed by a 3 hour drive to Sisters! Friday night we went to an excellent dinner at Dragonfish downtown Portland in honor of Grandma Leslie's birthday. Highly recommend this restaurant. We stayed the night in a centrally located condo-style hotel that was very colorful and modern. It was a few steps from the Street car stop, which got us to dinner and shopping in the morning. Leslie, Juli and I took Addison to the Portland Zoo that afternoon before we headed out of town. Overall the Zoo experience was positive and exciting. The highlights were an up close view of a giraffe, sea lions swimming, Asian elephant, bats, monkey show, and the lions. Addison was intrigued by all the animals and the other children running around.

Sunday was a relaxing day in Sisters and Monday was the big day for Ryan in Bend. Ryan looked like a million bucks in his new suit- he was outfitted from head to toe at Nordstrom's in Portland. Although it did seem kinda odd to see Ryan in a suit, he looked amazing!! We are still waiting to hear from the Bend companies, but it gives us time to look for jobs in Idaho!!

I was very pleased with the town of Bend. The community seemed very welcoming, young, and clean. The school districts are excellent, but not hiring at the moment. We talked with some moms at the park and they all had wonderful things to say about Bend. At this point, we can only hope for the best and know that things will work out for us in the end.

We loved spending time with Grandma and Grandad McHugh and Juli (and Macki).