A Time Out

At the latter part of last week I was able to take off a couple days of school and Ken and I were able to go away for the night. My mom was able to come down and watch over the kids, which was fantastic because we knew they would be in good hands.

We ended up staying at the Oregon Garden Resort. It was beautiful. We were able to get a great package and we were really happy with the resort.

The weather was chilly while we were there, but each room had a gas fireplace and it was so nice to come back after a cold day and sit by the fire. While we were there Prince William and Catherine were married and it was kind of fun to watch the wedding and think about Ken and my wedding nearly 14 years prior.

The above view was what we could see from the restaurant. Also through the gate we could have after hours access to the Oregon Gardens with our hotel key. It was wonderful to roam the garden with no one else around.

The gardens are beautiful. We were able to visit 5 years ago and it was fun to see how things are developed even more. The below garden is the pet garden.

One of my favorite parts of the garden is the children's garden.

They have built a hobbit house, which my children would love to have in our back yard.

During the hours the garden is open a train runs through the children's garden.

Our stay at the resort included tickets to the Tulip Festival.

I have always wanted to go and it was beautiful. It was like a little piece of Holland in Oregon.

It was amazing to stand at the end of the muddy fields and then let your eye

graze up and see the rows and rows of tulips.

Ken and I kept commenting how funny it was that we could go so quickly without all the children. The day before we had arrived, and for weeks prior, it has been pouring rain. The fields were full of mud. We laughed that our kids would be covered in mud if we would have brought them. As we were walking back a family we were walking with their small child they had walked only a few steps from the parking lot when the child fell into the mud. When she stood up she was covered in it. The father replied, "You fell already! We just got here." Ken and I looked at each other and laughed because we knew it could have so easily been us.

It was a delightful trip and was so nice to spend time with one another. We were also excited to return home and see our children. Hanging over our house was a rainbow, which we took as a good omen that our kids had been well watched over. When we walked in the door. Baby Huck was at the top of the stairs and I peered around the corner and looked up at him. He got a big grin on his face and yelled out "Ma". He has never said Mama, although he has said Dada numerous times. Of course he hasn't said it since, but it still was really sweet.