My Birthday

Yesterday was such a fun and special day! Josh asked me what I wanted to do for my birthday and I said I wanted to go for a family bike ride! And be taken to dinner and coffee. :) It was all that and more!

It was such a beautiful day. We originally just planned to bike bald hill and then go home and shower and get ready for dinner. But after biking it the kids asked to keep going. So we biked to the white covered bridge on OSU's campus and they asked to keep going. So we biked into campus and played around the MU and these amazing tree hut things!! Then we biked to Monroe St. and ate dinner at Chipotle. It was so wonderful to sit out in the shade and eat together after working up an appetite! Then we biked just down the way to frozen yogurt where my extended family showed up to surprise me for my birthday and have frozen yogurt with me! It was so much fun! We all sat out in the grass together on campus. Then they all went to McMennamins there while we biked back to our car at Bald Hill as the sun went down. It was so, so beautiful and such a peaceful ride. I was so amazed by our kids! They never got tired. They just asked to keep on going!! Even when we got back to the car they asked if we could just bike a little more. It was 8:30pm by that point!
6 hours after we had started our adventure!! We told them we'd for sure do it again. After quick baths, everyone was asleep in no time!! ;) I love spontaneous days and going "wherever the wind takes you", so this day filled my tank! Here are some photos of our little adventure. I'm already looking forward to doing it again!

(This photo above was my favorite. It captures how it felt all day... the joy of being together, sunshine, beauty everywhere, and lots of smiling {which I guess you can't see in this pic :) })

I think I heard Selah say a dozen times yesterday, "This is the best day of my life!" :) Haha! Too cute! She's so easy to please. She just loved being out in the open, seeing butterflies and cows and sheep and biking around town. The weather was so beautiful and there were many times I just loved taking it all in... the sun on my skin, the soft breeze, their little voices, and the sweet smelling flowers. Man, I looovveee summer! :) And I love these years with our kids!!

A kind stranger snapped this pic for us (Jude was up ahead)... it was almost in focus, but good enough! :)

We biked up to the Bald Hill Barn and played up there for a bit...

My other favorite pic of the day. I posed with Josh's bike because Ben was sleeping in the back. :) He's too cute! We loved riding through the covered bridge. 

And through campus. It was so quiet with all of the students gone for the summer, which made it really nice for riding around.. 

I've always loved the look of the women's building and how it's framed out with the trees...

Birthday jump... ;)

We loved exploring the tree hut things!!

Then to grab a bite to eat... Selah laughing at Jude, who was being silly and trying to make her laugh. :)

I hung out in the grass with all of our bikes while they grabbed us all some frozen yogurt.

I didn't even notice Josh's parents when they parked and went inside (all part of the birthday surprise). Then later Ben said to me, "Mom, that's Grandma Chris's car and she went inside to get yogurt." I knew something was up and looked at Josh and said, "Who all is coming?" ;) Lots of family showed up! So sweet! I love them all! 

Aunt Bonnie is here visiting for a month! We all love seeing her!!

I LOVE Eric's beard in this pic!! You're awesome, Eric!

Caleb & Jen holding niece Nora. Caleb & Jen are getting married in less than 2 weeks!

Heading home as the sun went down...

So grateful for all of God's good gifts in my life! xo