The Pipkin Adventure. . .: So Much For New Years Resolutions. . .

Yeah, so that New Years Resolution to keep up the blog has not been going well! In my defense – we have been pretty busy this year! So much so that it all seems like a blur now, but I will do my best to tell you about it.

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 21^stand 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 7^th 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!