Hello there! So much has happened since my last blog that I actually had to go back and re-read it so I didn't miss anything. It's been over 3 weeks, and I have MUCH to report as usual!

Sue took a day off a few weeks ago and she and Grandma Joy took Payton to a show, "Sesame Street Live" in Eugene. We were afraid she would be a little frightened, but Sue said she was glued to it like the TV. When it was over, she said "can we watch it again?" She had a blast!

Payton with Oscar the Grouch

And Zooey!

Weekend before last Lindsey threw me a baby shower at her house. It was wonderful! She did such a great job, and I so appreciated her doing that for me. I got to celebrate my little guy with lots of family and friends, I had a blast. I got a MAJOR surprise too; a bunch of my family drove down for the shower and surprised me! I couldn't believe it, you almost had to scrape my jaw off the floor when I saw them! I was shocked they took so much time to come visit, I felt very special. Thank you to everyone who came to my shower! My mom took some pictures on her camera, but she said she hasn't quite figured out how to get the pictures onto her computer yet. When I get some pics of the baby shower I'll post them! 

 The next day we all got together to celebrate Granny's 80th birthday at Pam's house. Lots of family and good food, and the weather even cooperated with us! There were other kids there too, so Payton got to play. Made me excited for when she gets her own little playmate!

This last weekend was a super busy one! Kyle's friends from college JJ and Richard came on Friday, Richard was visiting from Washington D.C. The boys went golfing, then we all went out to dinner together. They went out again after Payton went to bed, then spent the night. We had a nice relaxing morning on Saturday just hanging out, being entertained by Payton. She loved playing with the boys and wanted their attention all the time! Saturday afternoon we met up with my friend Jamie to do some family maternity pictures. Luckily the weather held out for us! I did her maternity pictures a couple weeks ago, it's so nice to have a friend who's as into photography as I am :) Especially since we're both pregnant, it works out great! When our little boys get here we're going to do newborn pictures too. I can't wait! I never got maternity pictures when I was pregnant with Payton, which I always regretted. Jamie and I did each other's pictures, which is a perfect trade.The pictures turned out amazing, Jamie took almost 300! I actually just got them all downloaded to my computer tonight, so I still need to look through them and edit them. I'll make my next post all about those pictures, I promise!

My parents also came down this Saturday to officially move into the trailer park! My dad starts his new job next week, hard to believe it's already here. Saturday night we went to a BBQ at Sue's house, it was fun to all get to hang out. Makes me look forward to this summer, especially since my parents will be here too! My parents even did some house hunting, and found a house they put an offer in on! Actually, it's a lot. There's a new neighborhood that has sprung up behind my neighborhood, less than a  mile from my house. They are going to build a house, which hopefully should be ready in several months. Very very exciting! 

Sunday morning after church we all went out to breakfast, then Kyle and I packed up to leave town. He had talked about going away for a night, but I was a little hesitant because I knew it was a busy weekend and I was also studying hard for my breast registry (which was today). He reminded me that it was probably the last time that the 3 of us would be able to do anything like that, since our weekends are pretty much booked from here on out until the baby comes. Once I thought about it like that I wanted to give Payton a last little vacation as an only child, where she had all of our attention. So he booked a night at the coast in Newport, which is an easy drive from Albany, about an hour away. We took off Sunday afternoon, hoping that the rain would stay away long enough for us to get some time on the beach. We weren't disappointed! 

Our hotel was right on a cliff overlooking the beach; you just had to walk down the stairs and you're there!

I loved playing in the sand!

On our way into town, we found a kite shop and let Payton pick out her own kite. She picked out one with a fairy on it, really cute. She loved the kite for all of about 5 minutes :)

 Making a sandcastle with daddy!

Posing with the finished product!

Heading out towards the water

Hi mom!

Having so much fun!

I actually got tons of pics on the beach, but I haven't had a chance to edit any of those either... maybe I'll post some extra ones on my next blog :)

We stayed at an amazing hotel called The Inn at Nye Beach. We had a two bedroom suite with an ocean view, it was amazing! It was located in this really cute area that had lots of restaurants and trendy shops. We spotted an Irish pub on our way in, and decided that would be a fun place to eat dinner. After playing at the beach, we walked to the pub (which was delicious), then on the way home found an ice cream shop. Payton got a chocolate peanut butter ice cream cone all to herself, she was in heaven!

After we put Payton to bed, I got down to studying and Kyle read a book. Even though I had to study, it was very relaxing to do it in front of a fireplace overlooking the ocean! The next morning, we took Payton to the aquarium. It had been over a year since we'd been there, and they had made a lot of great changes! Payton had a blast!

Going fishing

Got one!

So fun!

Did you know boats have slides??

Catching animals in my net

I even touched an anemone! 

Waving at my sea otter friend

Big girl!

After the aquarium we went to lunch at Mo's, which is a staple for the Hall's on any coast trip. Then it was already time to head home! I'm so glad we went though, Payton had so much fun and we made lots of memories as a family of three. Hard to believe Payton's time as an only child is coming to an end! 

Speaking of... we have big baby news! After a long conversation with my doctor, Kyle and I have decided to schedule a c-section. She reminded me that although it is safe to try a VBAC, my odds of being successful are another story. Especially since the last time I measured him he was about 2 weeks bigger than my dates, my odds of having a successful VBAC with another large baby are even lower. I decided in the end that it's not worth the risk, and so I officially called and scheduled it. I'm happy with my decision, I just hope it all works out and he stays in until we're ready! I'm scheduled for a c-section on the morning of July 9th. That is 41 days away! Yikes!

As many of you may have heard or seen on the news, Kyle's school has been in the headlines because of a bomb plot that was uncovered at West. Kyle was pretty shaken up for a few days, just thinking about the "what ifs". We are so thankful that God was protecting him and so many of our friends. To think that I could have been welcoming this baby as a widow... I don't even want to think about it, it's disturbing. The boy was one of Kyle's math kids, and it's just hard to believe that something like that could happen here. It really makes you look at life as a gift everyday, and be so thankful for brave kids who are willing to come forward and voice their concerns. He averted what would have been a huge tragedy, and made sure that his school stayed safe, which is how all schools should be. A big thank you to Truman Templeton, you are my hero! 

It is way past my bedtime! I will work on those maternity pics, and hopefully get to blogging again soon. By the way... I passed my breast registry! Woo hoo! It's so nice to have that done and out of the way, so now Kyle and I can focus on finishing (or I guess starting) the baby room. Have a great week! I can't believe it's almost June!