4 adults, 2 kids, a van & a wedding in Emerald City!

Since planning this trip we have been on pins & needles to get going. It had all the promise of a fantastic trip. Great friends, family, site seeing, great big gorgeous city, road trip in a minivan and of course the wedding. We had no idea that it would exceed our expectations. If there was a challenge to decide who had the best friends EVER...we would totally win, hands down.

We flew into Spokane and picked up our sweet Ride at the airport. She was a white minivan with just over 300 miles on it, a shame we never got around to naming her. Anyway, our first stop was lunch at the Elk with the Benvidez and Dentler families. Yummy corn pasta and good company, nice way to start our adventure, wish we could have spent more time with the Benz. Rowe is looking handsome, he and Pres were having so much fun. We hugged, kissed and said our first goodbye, grabbed the Dentler gear and hit the road!
Liz had lined up Owen and Pres with Buzz & Woody t-shirts, they were too cute and it was pretty funny that they started answering to nicknames. "Buzz & Woody get in the van..come on Buzz stop running in circles, good job Woody!" The drive went well and we made great time. Figured that we would make loads of potty stops with Pres in underpants but I was the weak link in the bladder category. The van was full of aroma: beef jerky, sour patch kids, coffee, strawberry licorice and alleged stinky feet. After a small hitch trying to figure out where to park downtown, the cool fresh air of Seattle was welcomed.

The hotel location was perfect! Liz had put together an itinerary for all our meals and site seeing. We were able to walk or take the monorail to everything! The boys loved the aquarium, Space Needle, Children's Museum and train ride. We got to enjoy seafood, walking Pike Street Market and loads of shopping. The weather was great for us, nice sunny days! During nap time Liz and I took advantage of the lounge while the man folk took in some football. Worked out well that the boys were on the same schedule.

Brett and Liz had us all over for a BBQ at their gorgeous home. Situated on a beautiful piece of land that is surrounded by lush evergreens and an amazing view. So glad they shared with us. Also still can't get over how clean and organized their house is. They win the prize for spotless home. Zero clutter! They have 2 dogs and a cat, you would have no idea until they all came to give you some love. The boys thought it was great to run and play. Brett and Liz don't have any kids yet but seemed completely at ease while O & Pres instigated a circus in their living room. Calm, clean folks...we are gonna keep em.
The wedding...awww...the wedding. Oriana looked stunning, she picked out the perfect dress. Preston thought she looked like a princess. Her brother presided over the ceremony, he was ordained for them. Their vows were quite moving and our whole table was weepy. We were all so excited for Adam, couldn't have picked a better match, excellent cause for celebration. A little weepy just thinking of it. Impressive to have over a hundred folks there and still have it feel like an intimate gathering. Could be because most of our oldest and closest friends were all in the same room; Brown, Matt, Brett & Liz, Kevin, Liz & Owen, Nikki, Mandy & Cammie and their families, Jessica, Lindsey, McKenzie, Yvonne, Bella & Azaria, McVay Family...just a great time with great people. Thanks Adam & Oriana!! Special thanks for whoever is responsible for placing my baby pic in the album, glad it is no longer on the McVay mantle ;-)

Our trip back to Spokane included a stop along the Columbia River to hike up to the Wild Horses. We were afforded nice views thanks to the spectacular weather. Hard to believe it was pouring on us earlier in the day. Dropping off the Dentlers was tough, didn't want to have to say goodbye again. Pres talks about Owen daily, a sure indicator of a great time. We scooted off to the Village to spend an evening (also far too short) with the Halsteds and the SSs. Sean was flying out at 0'dark thirty so that visit was quite limited. Hilarious to see all the monkeys play together. Keelie is walking now! Ethan and grandpa tried to teach Pres a little cribbage. Riles is as pretty and smart as ever. Really missing everyone, nice reminder of all we have to be thankful for.
Back in SoDak we got word that the med board made a decision on Regan's career. They have recommended that he be temporarily retired, for up to five years, until he is fit for duty. Based on the limited information provided to the board Reg has elected to appeal the decision. This process should be finalized within 30 days, will provide updates as I get them. Cross your fingers, the hope is that he can be returned to duty immediately. On the treatment front, Reg started Radiation on Tuesday. He is doing great with it and has a couple small tattoos to show for it. The radiation blast only takes about 10 minutes that he does at the end of his work day. He will do this 5 days a week for 5 weeks and then all done. No glowing yet but we have high hopes! He will still be under surveillance but to a lesser degree. Visits every 4-6 months until we hit the 5 year mark and then annually. The scans taken this week show that he is still all clear! Also he is back to doing push ups so he has healed nicely. Yahoo!

Pres is doing spectacular. He is tackling potty training and making it very easy for us. He handled all the traveling with only one accident. Truthfully that was the parents fault for taking the only restroom in the hotel room without asking the little man if he needed it. We did have a near accident on the plane ride home that had Reg sprinting to the restroom with Pres the second the seatbelt light turned off. Just before they got to the bathroom one of the flight attendants jumped in the bathroom. The other flight attendant saw Reg coming and lured the other out just in the nick of time. All went well and thanks to Pres announcing to the whole plane he "went potty" he was awarded with applause. Too funny. He moves up to the preschool room next week...such a big boy. I need things to slow down!

Preston's 3rd birthday party is next weekend and should be a great time. All the grandparents will be in town, as well as Sean, Sarah and the kiddos. We are so excited! Dual bounce houses...come on you know you want to come!

Verklempt

Not sure if neurotic is the term but it does seem that the strangest things result in a lump to form in my throat, eyes to get misty and a bit of a sob to escape. Here are a few examples:

Yesterday Pres started big boy gymnastics. Previously the parents were part of the action, now we are just the audience. When class first started he lined up on the "green line" as directed and they headed for the floor to do some exercises. He trotted off (on his own!!) with a band of other 2.5-3.5 year olds while following the direction of his coach. They look like a momma duck and her ducklings. Right when he walked away I was in tears. Reg and I both thought he would be leery of this independence...he fooled us. So amazing that he can move on without a hitch. While I was blubbering Reg was also working out his emotions. He likened it to the feeling that we get when we go out without Pres...like something is missing, felt like he had a bubble in his chest. Both of us were both just full of pride. There are certain emotions that I wish I could bottle...this is one I would like to be able to revisit.

Monday we were on day 7 of potty training. We have had a few accidents and I am fearful of getting too ahead of myself knowing that any second I could be mopping up Pres-processed juice or lunch. We are just getting the hang of going out in public without a diaper bag, not carrying dipes and wipes to the bathroom and questioning Pres regularly about his relief needs. We made a trip to the mall to grab a quick bite and get Reg a haircut. Pres and I went to the playground and I explained that if he had to go use the potty just to let me know. Sure enough after about 30 min of play he informed me he needed to go to the restroom. We headed to the bathroom and took care of business. I was standing in the stall with him and just started crying...so thrilled he is getting the hang of it but sad he is growing up so quick. Even writing this now I am a little weepy. Anyway after that momentous occasion of Preston prompting his own potty break I talked Regan into a trip to Chuck E Cheese to celebrate. To say Reg hates Chuck E Cheese is an understatement. We actually had a good time playing games, collecting tickets and buying a "purple throwing thing" (read:Frisbee).

Bittersweet to see this monster grow up...

Trifecta

We have had short, boring work weeks sandwiched between 3 action-packed, fun-filled weekends! By the numbers:

5,114 miles clocked by air, rail & roads
52 minutes spent in Old Time Photo after being promised only 20
50+ animals spotted, both wild and captive
23 hours spent on camping trip
20+ number of bugs eaten by Gator in 5 min visit
10 sights seen
7 days of Preston being diaper free (only 3 accidents so far...woohoo Bubbroo!)
5 hours of layover in Chicago
4 planes needed by Adam to get to & from Seattle to Rapid
2 bags of marshmallows not toasted
1 baptized nephew
1 year logged in by Keelie. Happy Birthday!

The plan was to fly out Friday night, suffer through a red-eye with Preston and get to South Carolina Saturday morning. United Airlines had other plans....first leg of 3 canceled. We were pushed to the next available which left at 6 am the next day and included a 5 hour layover in Chicago. Pres handled it all like a champ, especially made easier by there being a playground in O'hare. We got to Dan, Laura & Grayson only 7 hours late but were sad to miss out on some family time. That was really only a minor setback and the rest of the weekend was fantastic! We stayed in their beautiful home which only fueled our porch envy. They have awesome porches which provide great views to their gorgeous neighborhood. The main reason for the trip was Grayson's Baptism. Reg was honored to take part as God Father and the event went well. Very intimate gathering of 4 families. Grayson was a champ, not a peep during the baptism and then once his portion of the ceremony passed he promptly napped. Very efficient use of his time. Pres acted as photographer and we couldn't be more pleased with how well he behaved at church. Other highlights of the trip included the zoo, delicious grub and family time. We had such a great time and wished it would have been a longer trip. Grayson is a great baby who couldn't be cuter. Thanks for the fun Halsteds!

Next up was a visit from Adam McVay. We had so much fun! Much like us he loves to see new places. He arrived on Thursday, had time for a quick bite, meet and greet at Karl's work and then got to enjoy a trolley ride through Rapid City. That night we partook in Summer Nights festival which included bounce house, kiddie train, bands and a stroll through down town. Friday included a very informative trip to Mt. Rushmore, train ride, dinner at the Alpine Inn in Hill City and movie night for the adults. 1880 train is a steam locomotive that we have been anxious to take Pres on, having Adam the train-lover in town made this activity a must! Pretty neat and included loads of deer, turkey, horse and cow spotting. Karl got to lengthen her train experience when she hitched a ride with the train engineer, Mr Grimm. Having a car at each end of the train ride is only helpful when you have both sets of keys...whoops. Saturday we tackled Wall drug, got an Old Time photo and then ventured through the Badlands. We rounded out Saturday with some video games. The grown-up trio have a long legacy of video game playing that was resurrected into the wee hours of the morn. Sunday weather was perfect for a quick hike in Spearfish Canyon up to Roughlock Falls, long drive through the Black Hills and finally to see Crazy Horse Memorial. Very full weekend that we loved. So nice to have Adam around. Wish we could see him more often but was very easy to say goodbye knowing we would see him in a few short weeks for his wedding.

Finally, the end of summer in the Black Hills is punctuated by Labor Day. This area is ruled by tourism and weather, most of the places have the long weekend as their last hurrah before shutting down for the season. Everyone wants to get out and take advantage of this so we should not have been surprised when the campground we & the Pritchards chose was full to bursting with people. The topography of the site was not conducive to setting up camp but we managed. We wanted to take advantage of hiking, fishing and general camping fun since it was Preston's first camping experience that he would remember. We did a little fishing (in Preston's case is was casting and reeling a weight), some walking, wading in the lake. Things went horribly awry while Pres and I were at the lake. Back at camp Boris the Great Dane, knocked Lily the five year old into the camp fire. A trip to the ER revealed that she had 2nd degree burns to her right thumb and other burns to her hand and shin. So thankful as it could have been so much worse. Needless to say the Pritchard's packed up, Reg helped with some transport to the hospital and Pres, Coulee and myself hung back. We made some dinner and then the 3 of us settled into the tent. Reg made it back to camp in time to convince Pres to sleep and then he and I listened to the weekend revelers for most of the night. Once Pres woke up we made camp breakfast of pancakes and bacon, then loaded up for home. It wasn't what we had planned but Pres thought it was pretty great. We learned some lessons and will plan accordingly for the future. Mostly sad that poor Lil became our casualty for the weekend.

Pres is doing great and I think has moved past the terrible 2s and is onto the trying 3s. He would really like to be more independent which means he butts heads with us often. I am glad he is smart of enough to negotiate and challenge us, but at the same time, we would really enjoy it if he would just mind. We'll get there. He is incredibly funny, outgoing and enjoys the new sights and sounds so that more than makes up for the trials. Pretty cool to see him march into the potty, take care of business on his own and navigate the pulling on and off of his big boy underpants and shorts. He is getting big so fast. Speaking of... he will be turning 3 next month (holy smokes!) and we are celebrating on Oct. 2nd. We think the grandparents may all make it and you are all more than welcome!

The weather has indeed turned toward fallish and today will probably be a dodge the rain & wind kind of day. Have got some finger paints and games to entertain the fam. Will be nice to lay low until our next adventure.

xoxo
Sodak Halsteds

p.s. Reg is doing well and is set to visit oncologist for check up, updates to come.