Baby #5
It's official. Our 5th child is on the way. We're tentatively going to name him Everest. Based on the ultrasound and other tests that were run, he appears to be healthy, so we feel very blessed. Both Tara and I thought we were done having kids, but when we were in the temple several months back, Tara asked me what I thought about having another child. I was hesitant, but open to the idea. I only thought we'd have 4 kids, so 5 put me out of my comfort zone. But she'd received a spiritual prompting saying "you won't regret it." Despite that, we still had the impression after praying about it that there was no pressure from above to have another. After months of discussions about it, we decided to move ahead. Hopefully all goes well!
Zade turns 10
Before the governor of Oregon announced the strict stay at home order, we were able to get a small group of friends to come celebrate with Zade: Ben, Josh, and Porter.
And yes, there was a pinata.
Hiking Drift Creek
We went an hiked near Lincoln City. There was a pretty waterfall and a cool suspension bridge.
We also went and played at the beach
During Spring break, Tara's got some puzzles and games for the kids. Zade also decided to do some baking (e.g., pumpkin bread).
The bread didn't last long... it was so good.
Cousin time
Right before the governor announced the stay at home order, we invited the kids cousins over for a couple days. They had lots of fun playing together.
Lock down
With the lock down in effect to reduce the spread of the coronavirus, Tara's had to get creative to keep the kids busy. They've been doing lots of art projects.
Lomet
Recently our Muscovey duck Lomet has been right outside our kitchen window in the mornings. She taps on the glass with her bill, which is fun to watch.
Tara got a couple great shots of her right before she took flight. Now that all of our original 4 ducks have been eaten by coyotes, she's the only duck we have left. None of the other ducks could fly, so her special aerial gift is probably what's helped her outlive the rest.
Alsea Falls
One of the few things that we're still allowed to go out of the house and do is hiking (due to the shelter in place order of the governor). So we headed out to Alsea Falls. It was a beautiful hike through moss covered trees.
Swinging
Nova loves to be pushed on the swings in our backyard. Just about every day she asks to go back there and play. It's fun to see that big smile on her face.
Biking in the wetlands
We've also taken the time to go for some long bike rides by our house.
Guinea Pigs
Aria has decided she wants to train her guinea pigs to do tricks. This is one of the two baby guinea pigs she got from her friend Juliet.
It seems like she always has one in her arms. She loves playing with them.
17th Anniversary
We celebrated our anniversary with take-out Thai curry from Manolas, which we ate under a tree. It was delicious.
Since Aria's dance studio has been temporarily closed, she's spent a lot of time dancing at home. She's even managed to help Nova. :)
Made some cinimon rolls.
And dabbled with paper mache.
Racing boats
Tara had the kids make some boats out of egg cartons, which they raced down the stream in our backyard.
Early gardening
We also decided to get a jump start on gardening. We planted seeds in doors and the plants are starting to grow fast.
Chickens
Since we loved having fresh duck eggs last year, this year we've decided to try raising a few chickens. We picked up some Welsummers, a Cream legbar, and a Sussex speckled. We'll do our best to protect them from the coyotes.
Tara turns another year younger
We weren't able to do much to celebrate Tara's 38th trip around the sun, but we did built a cake out of little doughnuts and sing to her. :)
Trampoline Fun
Aria is still trying to dance... on her own terms.
Hiking Sweet Creek
I had to work, but Tara took the kids to Sweet Creek and loved the hike. She said it was beautiful. From the pictures, I'd agree.
Wiffle Ball
Ryzen came up to me one day and asked me to pitch to him. I was pleasantly surprised, since he and Zade haven't shown much interest in the past in playing baseball. Once Ryzen started hitting, then Zade wanted to as well. They've been having a lot of fun with it recently.
Aria's 12 Trip around the sun
Unfortunately Aria wasn't able to have a party to celebrate her big day, but her friend Emma dropped by and gave her a face mask she can wear during the coronavirus pandemic.
She was however able to get her favorite drink from Dutch Bros.
And she opted for a small cake, like Tara.
More trees
I decided to add a few more fruit trees to our garden, so I went and picked up some semi-dwarf trees. We got 2 quad apples trees, and a peach tree. Zade helped me pick them out and Ryzen helped me plant them. It was fun to work together.
