Part Duex- Adventures to the Northwest

Well I promised a part 2, OK, there may be several parts to this one.

After leaving Boise, we headed to the finest place on earth, home! Vincent's parents raised 9 kids in one of the most pristine areas in the US. If you ever get a chance to look up, drive through or visit Wallowa county, please do. The Nez Perce Indians spent a good part of their year living there, and Chief Joseph's grave site is available to visit, overlooking Lake Wallowa.

A mixture of pastures, mountains and lakes dot the countryside, and everyone seems to be ready to stop and have coffee and make you a new friend. We always love visiting Mom and Dad, and we truly love the friends we have made in the county on our visits. Truly they all feel as family to us. Everyone says it and it rings true for us as well, if we could make a living there, we would be living there! Unfortunatly its hard to find tech jobs and our line of work in the more remote areas. Still we feel blessed to call Enterprise, Oregon home at least for a few weeks out of the year.

Our kids loved the snow, in fact they ate the snow, a lot. It was pretty sad to see that they took to eating the snow that had been shaken off people's dirty shoes and boots, but there our boys were at the doorway, faces down in the snowy dirt, "Mmm, we like snow."

The boys also took kindly to finding icicles formed underneath the tires of all the vehicles. They called them snow pops and they ate them for quite a while before the last peice of melted ice ran down their little frozen hands.

Tobogganing, or sledding as you yanks call it, was by far the best highlight of our little kiddos days. Therese didn't care for it one bit but the boys had a hoot. James however refused to walk up the hill with his sled so it made a lot of work for Mama after each run to go down and get him and bring him back up the hill each time, but hey he is only 3.

James really showed his delicate child side a lot this trip and Vincent and I have been reflecting a lot on him lately, he seems so tough but he really is still such a little one and in need of a lot more delicacy and cuddling. He has taken to biting us, jumping on us and head bunting us in the rear, as well as all sorts of weird rituals with Mama's pillow as of late. We are stepping up in the holding department lately and he is soaking it up! Everything with balance, and what a delicate balance it is that each couple needs to percieve when reflecting on the needs of the kiddos.

For Christmas day, I the Mama of the clan, gave everyone the best gift I could think of, I showered the household with stomach flu:) Poor family.

We ended up staying a few extra days at Mom and Dad's house to recover the team, and then headed off to Kennewick, Wa to visit Kathleen and Mike and their lovely family of Joseph, Anne Marie, John, Mark, Matthew, Luke, Adrienne, Ambrose and Dominic. Cousins are the best thing for little ones on a road trip. Thanks to the cousins for introducing our boys to motorized racing cars which we have heard endless talk about since returning home! Mama especially enjoyed long hours talking to sweet Kathleen and getting some good sister in law time in, it was a real treat to be together. Not to mention Kathleen rocks as a cook!

Leaving Kennewick for Portland on Jan 30, we were able to see our beloved family there, Christine, Paul and Kids, Paul, Marie and Konrad, and Kathie, Todd and Wieck kiddos. It was so short but truly sweet sweet! Christine hosted us all so beautifully for an evening meal even though she had to pack up her family and go the next day. Thats our sweet sis, always caring for everyone's needs and paying attention to detail, lovely to be the recipient. We were so blessed to stay with Marie and Konrad in their new place, so so comfortable and wonderful to be with them. We enjoyed a wonderful New Years Eve with they and Paul. They are truly wonderul hosts. Konrad brought us coffee to our rooms before we even woke up! Now that's class!

New Years day after Mass Auntie Marie and Uncle Konrad shipped Vincent and I off to the Mall to get Vincent a fe needed items, while they graciously watched our brood. Many thanks!

After that at around 2 on New Years day we hit the road for the long trip home. Relatively uneventful. Stayed that night in Grants Pass and the next day made the rest of the trek, arriving home late Friday night.

Hope you enjoys some of our best pic's from the trip.

Many blessings to you all in this New Year. Many of you are specially in our prayer intentions, those of you who have asked for prayer and have special needs, we have commended you very closely in prayer.