Husker Girls Weekend

Remember this? And this? Oh, and how could anyone forget this? Well, it was that time of year again--the annual Husker roommate reunion. However, due to a certain someone (ahem, me) who had travel restrictions due to a certain other someone (ahem, Baby H.), we decided that this year would be a girls-only trip and that they would come to Portland. It. Was. So. Great.

Jody, Gwen and Liz flew in last Thursday night and quickly proceeded to forget that they had children and husbands. Yeah, yeah, they remembered to call home and of-course we talked about them, but when it came time to deciding how we would spend our three short days, no one had any trouble coming up with ideas. Gwen's request? "Let's just go to a store and stay in there as long as we want, and then maybe try some clothes on. That sounds awesome."

After that, I knew exactly what to do. Shopping, lunch out, pedicures, a movie in a theatre, dinner out, a drive to the coast, more shopping, dinner at home, relaxing. We covered it all and managed to get in some great girl time in the process.

Love these girls!

Freshly Showered

It really is a good thing that pregnancy is nine months long. You need ALL of that time to prepare for this little life to invade yours. Where is this child going to sleep? What will she wear? How will she eat? Not only do babies need a lot of love, but apparently, lots of stuff too.

Luckily, I have great friends and they have stepped in to help. Linda, Sarah and the ladies at work threw a shower for me over the weekend and it could not have been sweeter.

At least Baby Hoybook now has something to wear. :)

This onesie says "My daddy is my PAPA-razzi!" True story.

All of the lovely ladies from work. Thank you for such a nice shower!

33 weeks

Birthday Girls

Our favorite little twins, Eden and Haley, turned one on Saturday and celebrated with cupcakes in their backyard. Have you ever seen such cuteness?

The bump does trail work

Happy National Trails Day!

Cape Horn scenic overlook trail, WA

Check it out!

New logo, new website updates.

Bryan Hoybook Photography Co.

www.bryanhoybook.com

Love it!

Meemaw and Pop Pop

As we focus on the very important task of naming our little one, we also have a take long, hard look at what we will call the future Grandparents. Lots to decide. Will we let baby decide? Should we pick a name and then just start using it? Who knows how it will unfold.

We do know, however, that Meemaw and Pop Pop are no longer in the running. We tried it out over the weekend, as my parents were in town for a pre-baby, pre-wedding visit. We spent Saturday working on some sewing projects for the nursery, they headed to Corvallis on Sunday for a wedding update and then we all did errands in Portland on Monday. Lots of big events in the next couple of months for the Olson parents--they are gaining a grandchild and a new daughter-in-law. Such happiness.

They left before the official naming could happen, but we'll get it figured out. Nana? Granddad? Gigi? Popo? The possibilities are endless.

What the cuss?

B, still obsessed with the moles, attacks a hill in progress with the most sophisticated of mole deterrent equipment: an ice axe.

Thoughts on pregnancy

As we enter our 30th week of pregnancy, I've been reflecting a bit on the experience and some of the interesting encounters I've had in the past seven months.

Honestly, and I probably shouldn't say this because some women 'round the world might hate me, but it has been a piece of cake. No morning sickness--just that "I drank too much last night" hung-over nauseous feeling for the first few months. I can still tell the difference between my ankles and my calf muscles. No back pain to speak of yet. Three pillows seem to be the magic equation to get a night of sleep. Of-course I've had all of the other normal symptoms, but the majorly annoying ones? Not so much. It's been fun to watch this belly expand and to think about what this little one is going to look, sound and be like. We are so excited!

The most interesting and fascinating part of pregnancy for me has been dealing with the general public. For some reason, having a huge belly signals to other people that it is OK to just say and ask you whatever they want.

For example, I'm standing in line at the grocery store. Complete stranger in front of me turns around and says, "When is your baby due?" (This question is completely normal and I'm happy to answer it.)

I say, "In August."

She fires back with, "do you know if it is a boy or a girl?"

Me, getting shifty and annoyed, "we decided not to find out."

Her: "Oh, then you must have a long list of names, what are the options?"

Me: "We're keeping it a secret."

Her: "Oh, good idea. My sister just had a baby seven months ago and they..."

I quit listening and politely smiled as it was then time for her to pay and be on her way.

Or this sampling of gems:

"I didn't know anything about this! How long had you been trying?" Hmm, I hardly know you, that's not something I was sharing with the world.

"Was this planned?" Hmm, I'm 31 and have been married for five years. You do the math. But, really, how is this an appropriate question for any pregnant woman?

"You're huge. Does your skin hurt?" Hmm, thanks for calling me fat and no, my skin does not hurt.

I love talking with my friends and family about these things, but the complete strangers with their barrage of questions is so weird to me. And what is even stranger is that other pregnant women do not do this. I've been around other pregnant women at work and not once have we compared due dates or swapped baby names. It's just weird, awkward and weird, and that's all I can say about that.

Pregnancy is amazing and I've been so fortunate to feel great for the duration so far. I'm still hauling tents and tables to events at work, still swimming and working out, would love to be hiking if it would ever stop raining. I hope the last two months fly by smoothly and we can get started on our life together as not two, but three.

Me at the Cape Horn Lookout after a debris removal project. Just another day at the office.

Sun Seekers

That was it, I'd had enough. Enough of this rain and cloudiness and ick. B and I had Sunday off so in honor of my first Mother's Day, we drove east and found it. The sun.

Spring's Hottest Fashion Trend

This year's spring trends are surprisingly, very wearable. 60's coats, high-waisted flare jeans, mix-match prints, preppy accessories, citrus colors and (yay!) comfy clothes. But I happen to think that spring's hottest fashion trend is: the bump. It is the perfect accessory for any outfit or any occasion. I've put a couple of outfits together below.

Pool-party bump. Just toss a bump on with that bikini, grab your virgin strawberry spritzer and get your butt in the pool!

Tennis bump. The perfect add-on to a Nike tennis outfit for time on the courts during the first sunny day in months.

Wetland Restoration bump. When one is volunteering in the Tualatin wetland, one should always wear comfy, breathable shirts and durable jeans. And of-course, a bump.

College bump. What's the perfect accessory for a Easter Day walk around campus to see the nuclear reactor building? Why, a bump!

A fond farewell

So long toes, have a great summer. I'll see you all again in August.

The signs of spring

Blooming flowers, sunshine, warmer temps, the pasty white legs of Portlanders. All sure signs of spring.

What is the number one sign of spring at the Hoybook house? B, watching a mole hill form in the yard from the kitchen window. This is followed by him running out of the garage with a rake in the hopes that he will catch the little bugger. He doesn't and the mole lives to dig another hole, another day, but it had to be the funniest thing I've seen in a very long time. Thanks for the laugh honey. I'm sure the neighbors don't think you're crazy at all.

The bump goes to Seattle

We were in Seattle last weekend for the wedding of our friends, Mike and Suzanne. We also managed to squeeze in some face time with Jen and baby Addison, who flew in from St. Louis and also Alyson, who drove up from Portland.

We lucked out and got a beautiful weekend--sunny skies both days. Pair that with the spring flowers at Pike's Place Market and you have yourself the first day of Spring my friends!

Portland's biggest fear: weather

Tuesday was an unsettled day, weather-wise, in the Portland area. Heavy rains at times, light showers at times, lots of wind. But the news-making weather didn't happen until around 9pm. B and I watched the opening segment on the 11 o'clock news to find out the details:

Opening broadcaster: "It's been a wild day in the Portland area and we have our chief meteorologist standing by for the latest, but first, let's head out to Megan who is live, on location. Megan, what can you tell us?"

On-location reporter, on the street outside the studio: "Well Steve, you're right, it's been a crazy day. Just about two hours ago, around 9 o'clock, we witnessed a bright flash followed by two loud booms. We're not exactly sure what the booms were, but we did visit with the Colby family awhile ago who will tell us about what they heard."

(Colby family proceeds to talk about how the loud booms rattled the windows at their house.)

About this time, B and I looked at each other, speechless, and turned it off. Hmmm, bright light followed by loud booms. This town is crazy.

I also witnessed the bright light as I pulled in the driveway from work. I came in the house and said to B, "I think I just saw lightning." He said, "Yeah, maybe, I think I just heard some thunder." We did not say, "OMG! What was that? We better call the news!" If Portland experienced just one, mild, mid-west thunderstorm, I think people would freak out and probably call 911. We tend to not experience "extreme" weather in these here parts so when it does happen, look out. Chaos.

Snowpocalypse 2011!

This was the scene on Thursday morning on our street around 8:30am.

This scene caused all the early morning news shows to go on "extended team coverage" with several reporters "live, on location".

This scene also caused every school district in the area to shut down for the day.

Everything melted by 10am.

I will never understand this town.

Brother!

If Mindy wasn't enough of a distraction last weekend, I got another one on Thursday when Scott flew in for 5 days. He had just spent time in Orlando at a golf course conference, time with Ma and Pa in Nebraska and we were the last leg of his trip. He was pretty sick when he arrived so we didn't do too much, but B and I got he and Craig out on cross-country skis on Saturday, Craig and Bridget took him to the coast on Sunday and then Bridget made us all a delicious dinner on Monday night in Corvallis. The rest of the time was spent just hanging out which was actually pretty perfect.

I just love those Olson brothers, they're a pretty good time.

The ski trail at Bennett Pass.

Craig showing excellent "I'm standing perfectly still" form.

The boys try to look epic with Mt. Hood in the background. Only Scott succeeds.

B rips the skins and drops in one of the snowy glades.

The Olson kids.

Sharing the load

Who knew that being pregnant was hard work? Did you know? Oh, you did? Well, I just figured it out. It apparently takes a lot out of a girl to grow a human and I think I've only begun to realize the severity of it. Sure, the first two months were a bit of a hint: December and January flew by in a haze of nausea, lack of motivation and yawns from the couch in front of the TV. (I think the only really active thing I managed to pull off was going skiing and I only managed to do that for 2 hours before I was completely exhausted. Boy, I'm a weenie.) But, I just wasn't prepared for how tired I would feel at 8pm or how I always seemed to want to take a nap at 3pm everyday. Hard work, I tell you. Hard. Work.

But, February has arrived and with it, the second trimester. The glorious second trimester that I've been hearing so much about. "You'll have so much energy! You'll feel great!" Well, I'm still waiting for that to kick in, but while I wait, I had a wonderful little distraction named Mindy come visit for the weekend.

Mindy is also pregnant, about a month farther along, so we definitely lived it up for the weekend. Two pregnant girls on the loose, watch out Portland! We shopped, watched the food network, snacked, got pedicures, went to a movie, commiserated together about how tired we were. It was positively "girls gone wild".

No, actually, it was better than that. It was time spent with one of my best girls. I'm so lucky we get to go through this together.

This may come as a shock...

Baby Hoybook is due to arrive on August 5th.

"Where the hot girls wear glasses."

Finally, someone is making fun of Portland.