3 part anniversary!

We celebrated our anniversary in 3 parts because that's what you do when it falls on a Wednesday and you barely see your husband. So for Part 1: Wednesday May 2nd. Max left for work early, I got Charlie to school and took Miles to swimming! It was his last day and he got to do the water slide so that was exciting!

Then we went out to the middle of nowhere to buy pig food because apparently they don't have local pig food shops, and pig's gotta eat. We were going to continue on our way to Max's work and meet him for lunch but he let us know he would be downtown (closer to home) so we could meet there. So that is what we did, with two little kids in tow! We found a nice little amazing restaurant called Teote. (Sidenote, it was all gluten free, if that's your kind of thing) Lunch was delicious and also wild and distracting with little kids and Max needing to be on the phone to finish a couple projects.

Miles wanted me to take his photo a lot in the red shade.

After lunch We dropped Max back off at his car then made our way to get Charlie.  
In the evening we had a brief moment for dinner and playtime before Max had to leave for a big event he was in charge of for the youth in the church. We scarfed down our dinner then went to play in the nearby field and let our kids take our picture to document our 9th anniversary. 

 They get super excited about taking pictures, here are some of the best one.

 

And there you have it! Maybe this will be another tradition, who knows, but I like that my kids are excited to take photos of us for now. Also, just know there were a lot of photos that looked like this, blurry faces! But I know that is painful to look at so I'll spare you.

Max had to run off to his youth activity so the boys and I stayed and played in the field for awhile.

and they took more photos of me. haha!

Max was gone for a long time with this event but eventually he came home and we got to have some hammock time and eat chocolate covered strawberries and spend a couple moments without interruptions. So that was a peaceful way to end our anniversary day.

But with that busy day we had to plan a date for just the two of us. So for Part 2 We planned on a bike ride and Heather so kindly offered to watch all three of our kids along with her 3! The day of, Miles helped me prep the bikes.

 

On that same day (yes, this is turning into a photo dump) we played with Nelly and rubbed her belly because we had just arranged for her to be moved to another family. 

So then Max got home from work and and we loaded the bikes and dropped off the kids. The weather was perfect. We planned a bike ride from Sellwood to downtown Portland and to attend the Cinco de Mayo festival on the waterfront. Once we got there Max realized he forgot the bike lock key (and he had locked the bikes to the rack) We didn't have time to go home and get it because there was traffic and we wanted all the daylight we could get for our bike ride. So he just hacked off the lock and we decided we would find a place to buy a new lock somewhere downtown.

 

We were off on our bikes shortly after. We were only a mile in and I was dying (the ride was about 9 miles, round trip...9 miles for 9 years...get it?...yeah that wasn't really planned but I'll go with it.) Anyway, the path was pretty flat but my bike wouldn't let me coast at all, so eventually we pulled over for a break..and to take this selfie...

 

Max checked my bike and realized that my rear brakes were not coming all the way off my tire so I was essentially riding my bike with the brakes on and creating a whole lot more resistance for myself. We started laughing so hard. In the past I had done 3 sprint triathlons and I had only used this bike on the last one where I was the most fit (and not pregnant or breastfeeding) but that bike ride was the absolute hardest out of all of the triathlons....so now I know what to blame...and Max is already telling the boys the story of when  "mom did a triathlon with her brakes on her bike." anyway, Max disconnected my back brakes and after a little test run, I realized I could use my bike with just the front brakes and we set off on our way. It was so much easier to ride after that. 

We rode along the river and it was beautiful .  We crossed the new bike/MAX bridge and saw the hotel where we stayed on our wedding night. (Max drives by it everyday but we figured we should point it out on our anniversary, also I realize it looks like I'm pointing at a bridge, but the hotel is behind the bridge)  haha!

Anyway, we made it to the waterfront and asked around for a bike shop or somewhere to buy a bike lock. We were directed to go to target 10 blocks away. So we were able to ride through the city with all the traffic and it was a fun experience. I ran in while Max stayed with the bikes. Once I found one we were finally able to go to the Cinco de Mayo festival. We were able to see some live music and eat some Mexican food, which I never really photographed. We ate our food together on the grass while looking at the river with the sun getting lower in the sky. We walked around and checked out some of the booths. Then decided it was time to ride back while we still had some daylight. 

It's kind of funny to think that we spent very little time at the festival which would appear as the main outing for our anniversary but I feel like this date was so symbolic of marriage. Setbacks like the missing bike lock key or my brakes on my bike were unexpected and could have been frustrating but that is pretty much what happens in marriage. It doesn't go how you expect and you have to find a way to roll with the punches while still loving each other and having fun. We loved this date and we were happy to have some time together.  

And I think I'll save part 3-Our family beach trip, for the next blog post since that will require more photo organization and I've already made this one pretty long. You're welcome!

Smelly Nelly Belly-The story of why we have a pig in our living room

So, we've been thinking of adding a pet to our family for awhile, I wanted chickens, and the boys want a dog. I think Max was leaning more towards chickens too. But I'm scared to commit to a pet since life is already crazy! I just know there a lot of benefits of having a pet and having my kids care for and play with that pet. Max had his own dog that he cared for throughout his teenage years and it has always had a huge impact on him. So, then I see a friend posting something about a rescue looking for foster homes for pigs. I thought about it for a couple seconds and then got over it, because I didn't think it was very realistic. Then I casually mentioned it to Max at dinner time and he got super excited about the idea and started looking at mini pig you tube videos with the boys. So I basically replied to the woman and said I may be interested in fostering a pig. Then one thing led to another and we had a pig join our family. 

I got to take her glamour shots and write a bio for her for the animal rescue to put on their adoption site. She is pretty popular around here.

She has also been quite a bit of work. She is litter trained and as of now she will hold all her poop until we take her outside in the afternoon. She also misses the litter box sometimes when she pees so that's gross and apparently needed to be said on our blog.

 She also hates being picked up but she cant do stairs and the only way for us to take her to the grass is by carrying her. So it's not always fun to catch her and hear her high pitched squeals when we need to take her in or out of the house. But she really does love being outside in the grass and the weather has been amazing for her to do that.

 I'm realizing now that I haven't taken a proper rump picture yet, haha. When you see her from behind she has very narrow hips and the way her legs bend with her hooves make it like she's wearing high heels. So when you see her from behind she looks so dainty but then she turns and shocks you with that impressive gut and chin!

 She impresses me with her snout strength, she digs with her nose, hence the muddy nose, and she lifts up her gate.

Edwin is the cutest with her. I think he is my most animal loving child which is why I may have been considering a pet lately. He gets so interested and giddy when he sees her. 

When she first came here, she shook and shuddered whenever we came close but it only took a day before she started eating from our hands and coming to us when we were close. She loves belly rubs and she will plop down next to us if she is getting a good belly rub.

I love that I can give her scraps from our meals, especailly when my children are always leaving scraps or dropping food on the floor. And here are some videos...

We don't know how long she will be with us. But it's been a fun experience for our family. So, now it's proof that we once had a pig.