The end of my pregnancy went well. I LOVED being pregnant
and was thankful for no terrible pregnancy symptoms or complications. I headed
home to Portland in early April, which was so bittersweet. Met has really
become our home and I just love my job and the kids that I work with. Leaving
before the school year ended seemed so wrong but at the same time I was anxious
to meet our new baby. Olivia Lynn was born on April 21stand we are
so glad that we came home so that our family and friends could share her birth
with us. She is definitely our biggest adventure yet and we are loving every
moment.
Olivia and I kept pretty low key at my Mom’s house for the
first month while Jason had to go back to Metlakatla for two weeks and finish
out the school year. Before we knew it
he was back to Portland for the summer and we were learning how to be a family
of 3.
Summer was full of visiting family and preparing for our
return to Met. As we became more comfortable with parenting we took a trip to
the Oregon Coast just the 3 of us, then to California to visit Jason’s family,
and a trip to Sun River with my family.
As summer came to a close we started packing and realizing
that we needed more than just a car to get everything home. Babies have a lot
of stuff! Who knew? Jason’s Mom gave us a trailer she no longer needed and then
the fun really began. We got our years worth of Costco supplies and were on our
way!
My Dad and Brother came with us this year on our journey
back to Met. We drove to Bellingham, Washington and then took the Alaska Marine
Highway Ferry System to Ketchikan and on to Metlakatla.
We had a good time showing Dad and Adam around the island
and why we love it so much. They were able to participate in the August 7th
Founder’s Day Celebration which was a lot of fun. We also went on a few hikes
and enjoyed the peace that this place quickly creates.
Now that they have left Jason and I have been busy getting
the house put back together, getting Olivia’s room situated, and preparing for
more company! Jason’s Mom will be here next week to stay and help us get Olivia
on a schedule while we go back to work.
Having two places where we call “home” has been difficult.
It seems impossible to love two places at the same time, but we do. While we
miss our friends and family in Oregon, we missed the people and our life here
in Met. Life slows down here and makes you realize what’s important. As summer
comes to an end we are excited to start our jobs again. It will be very
difficult to leave Olivia during the day, but we are thankful to have found a
fantastic lady to care for her while we are at work.
I’ll end this blog with a few pictures I hope everyone will
enjoy!
Olivia was born 4/21/13 She weighed 8lbs 5oz and was 21 inches long.
Yosemite National Park
Crater Lake
Relaxing with Dad during his morning coffee in Sun River Resort.
Swimming!
Just being cute.
Headed home to Alaska on the Kennicott.
Finally home! And welcomed by sunshine!
Family hike to Yellow Hill - my favorite place.
Look how much she's grown!!! She just keeps getting more and more cute!
