We're here... Really.

So, I've been on a blogging sabbatical of sorts. It's been quite nice. Now, of course, it will take me three weeks to catch up from all that we have done in the last month and all that I missed before this little break I took. The kids and I have been traveling the last few weeks. We drove to my parents house for two weeks and then spent a week at the Oregon coast with my parents and as many of my siblings who could make it. We had an amazing vacation. Andrew flew up for the trip to the Ocean and then drove home with us. We are all feeling the effects of being spoiled having so much family around. Quinten thinks he needs to be held all the time, the girls, who played with cousins almost nonstop, want friends here to fill the void, and I miss having my mom in the same house as me to pick up my slack with the kids! We will slowly get back to normal- it will just take some time. We missed the worst of the July heat here in St. George and I think a trip to Washington will become our tradition every July. We nearly froze when we first got there, but loved every minute of the dramatic climate change. I've lived away for long enough that it no longer feels completely comfortable going home. My parent's house is always the same and I love that- it's everything else that feels odd. Some major differences:
1. There are hardly any mini vans. Funny that I would notice, but there are just SO MANY here.
2. I am a young parent- people stared at me if I had all the kids with me. And, a few times I only had Quinten and people would make comments like, "Oh, just wait till he starts crawling, you'll love that stage." Hello. Done that a few times. BTW, hate that stage....
And, I saw people that looked at least fifteen years older than me who had small babies in strollers with no other children... weird.
3. I felt like in any public place I watched my kids like a hawk for fear that someone would try to snatch them away from me. Yes... a little paranoid, I know.
4. Rain doesn't stop anyone from doing anything. You just go along like it wasn't really there and you don't really change plans.
5. People have really pale skin in Washington... even if they think they look tan. :)
6. My parent's ward had the tiniest primary. And, I think my kids were the loudest kids in Sacrament meeting. It was kind of embarrassing.
7. Traffic, traffic, traffic. I am SO not used to it anymore.
8. The produce is incredible there. My kids lived off of fresh raspberries while we were there. I loved it.

I love going home to visit. It's never long enough and I'm always sad to leave, despite all the things that I'm not used to anymore. I'm really just spoiled living where I do right now- I know that. I will consider it a great blessing because you never know when it could change.
So, I will post pictures from our adventures soon- I just need to sort through all of them.