34 weeks- Canwell Transitions

Per Jo "Bellies in the Mist", Alta Lake in the background

Johannes, Jamie, Gumby and I are chilling up at my parents place for the long "spring break" weekend. It is very strange to think that in another month or so my parents will be moving from a place that I have thought of as "home" for all of my life. It is not leaving the house that is weird, since this is a new house they have only lived in a couple of years.  The weirdness comes from the thought of Canwells leaving this area after 31 years.  My parents, older brother and I moved to Brewster when I was a few months old.

Jamie moved to Brewster in 1989

Brewster was an incredible place to grow up. There were lots of families with kids our age and we spent our time skiing, hiking, biking, skating and generally having fun on a regular basis. It was an extended family of sorts. Partly because Brewster is a tiny town and naturally everyone knows everything about everyone, but also because the people in Brewster just tend to be open and inclusive and seemed to have the motto "the more, the merrier" on all adventurous outings.  Some of my favorite memories are ski trips to Big White, ANY trips to Canada that Rose planned, skiing/wakeboarding/kneeboarding in the summer on Alta Lake and/or the Columbia River, being forced to hike every Sabbath afternoon even when I "hated hiking", skating/hocky parties on the pond by our house or any other random pond that happened to have good ice, being pulled behind cars on sleds in the winter, repelling off a random cliff with Luwayne when I was too lightweight to effectively repell, learning to ski at LOUP LOUP (who needs a chair lift to have fun?), and the list could go on and on.  I truly would not have wanted to grow up anywhere else. Despite these awesome memories, I am not sad that Mom and Dad are moving. Quite the contrary. Brewster is not the same town that I grew up in. It is still a great place to live for many, but it is different.  What I had in Brewster as a kid was not because of the geographical location as much (though the river, mountains and lakes were a plus), it was about people. Growing up with such fun, amazing people that were dedicated to exposing us kids to all the outdoor adventures available, was such a special thing.
For this reason, Jo and I are committed to providing the same type of adventures for our children.  A lot of people strongly caution us that "you won't be able to do this or that (outdoor sports) when Pepper comes along". Jo and I just smile and nod and ignore them.  We know that outdoor adventures can continue, and we also know that it is a vital part of raising our child. The reason that we know this, is because I had the privilege of experiencing it throughout my childhood.

At 34 weeks Peppers lung are mature.

Having my parents in Walla Walla with us is going to be such a blast! We feel blessed that Pepper will know both sets of grandparents as well as she knows her parents. We also know that our parenting will be better to have grandparents around to give us breaks sometimes. I am so excited about this next phase of our adventure. Canwells in Walla Walla? Why not!!!

Auntie Jamie

Yes, clothes usually do cover my huge belly.