Welcome home

{Pineapple is the "welcome fruit" in Hawaii}

Well, we made it back to Washington. And I promptly got sick. I can't tell if it's actually allergies (I do tend to have spring time allergies) or if it's a cold, but I am somewhat miserable.

I have to say that I am not surprised about being sick now that all the stress is over. That's what I do. My honeymoon, I was sick as a dog.  When I know I have to hold it together for something, I can do it. But only for so long.

Other than a runny nose and mild exhaustion, things have been great. Our house is amazing.  Three bedrooms, two bath, a two-car garage and a HUGE backyard.  It's one house away from my sister and right in the middle of town, just where we wanted to be.

Reuniting at the airport was awesome. I was so excited to see my sister and her little boys, and show my parents how big our boys had gotten.  As a surprise, Josh's sister was able to come, and I was super happy to see her and finally give her a big hug.

The night we got back, after we got the kids down for the night, my mom and sister accompanied me for what has to be the biggest shopping trip I have ever been on.  $400 later we had everything we needed for our stay here, and I was exhausted.

There were so many choices and my list was so long, that there were many points at which I felt a bit lost.  My mom and sister were really helpful with decision making and they bagged and loaded ALL my groceries for me!  I felt very blessed to have them there with me.

Mostly I have to say I was shocked by the prices.  A pound of Tillamook cheese for $5! We pay $13 to $16 for a pound of cheese in Marshall.  A 12 pack of Coke was $3.98 at Winco. In Marshall we pay $14.99 for a 12 pack!  And chips are only $3 or $4 a bag, whereas the smallest size bag is at least $9 in Marshall.  It was like a breath of fresh air to pay reasonable prices for those items!

 I am happy to report I managed to get my Alaska Driver's License despite my lack of studying.

I am also happy to report  our flight from ANC to PDX was uneventful.  

We had awesome seat neighbors, and

Logan & Wyatt even napped for almost two hours each!!!

This afternoon is the twins' pool party for their FIFTH (!!!) birthday.  They are beyond excited and I am hopeful to make it through in one piece despite feeling pretty crummy!

I am hopeful to not be too cold in the pool.  I feel like a wimp, but the cold, rainy weather we were welcomed home to has kept me freezing all week! It's true what they say about the difference between a dry cold and a wet cold. The wet cold here in the Pacific Northwest gets you COLD down to your BONES!  I am looking forward to some warmer days spent outside in the sunshine!

I hope to do a little catch-up blogging soon as I start feeling better and get settled in.

We are all so happy to be home!!!