Life with the Conleys

Eli had preschool three days a week, so on his days off we would sometimes go on adventures together. One such adventure was a short hike up to Suntop Lookout. It was a gorgeous day, there was a bit of snow up there (which Eli enjoyed) and the view from the top was stunning. It was a great day with my little adventure buddy.  View from the top. Mt Rainier is in the distance. Us Grandma and Grandpa came to visit and Grandpa gave Eli a brief boxing lesson with oven mitts as boxing gloves. Halloween pumpkin carving. Spooky Ghost costume Playing in the leave pile When my parents came to visit we went target shooting and Eli got to try shooting a .22 rifle. We made a trip out to Emmett in early November. Josh took Eli bird hunting with him.  I love this picture. Post-hunting trip. They were both tuckered out. 

Eli started preschool in September of 2017.  He loved it and learned so much. Here are some of his adventures from throughout the year. First Day of Preschool First Day Field trip to the pumpkin patch Riding behind the tractor with his best friend from preschool.  Field trip to the zoo. His ninja pose got a little wild and he *may* be flipping off the camera. Oops.  Zoo trip. Mother's Day lunch Graduation! Eli with his teacher, Miss Ashlee. It was a wonderful year and such a great experience for him. 

In August, 2017 we went camping with some friends at Kalaloch Beach on the Washington Coast. There are several interesting beaches close to the campground at Kalaloch so we spent time exploring some of them. Ruby Beach was probably our favorite. Going to the beach here is often cold, windy, and rainy but the weather wasn't too bad this time. It was still fairly cold and windy but the rain held off, which was pleasant. It was a great trip with good friends in a beautiful area. Awesome tree at Kalaloch Beach Driftwood fort we found at Ruby Beach I found out I was pregnant shortly before this trip. Josh and I knew but hadn't told anyone else yet. I found that my mind was very preoccupied during the trip with thoughts of the future and of the little one that would be joining our family.  My boy and I. Tidal zone fauna.

My attempt to bring the blog up to date was not successful. However, I do feel compelled to chronicle at least one event from 2018. On March 26th we welcomed Nathan James Conley into the world. The following is a brief accounting of the labor and delivery of that sweet baby. Nathan was due on March 24th but that day came and went without any sign of impending labor. I got a pedicure, went to a fundraising auction, and hoped for the baby come. I started having contractions the next morning, Sunday, but they were intermittent and fairly mild. Josh's mom was in town and we had plans to eat dinner with his sister and her family at their home. The thought being that, if I was in labor, Josh's mom could take Eli to dinner and if I wasn't in labor, then we could all go together. The contractions were still not particularly strong (read: painful) or frequent so we all went to dinner.  After we got home things started to pick up a bit more and Josh and I left for the hospital just

Probably the single best day of 2017 took place in early July. It was preceded by a series of unfortunate events, which I feel compelled to outline. In November of 2015  we had a failed pregnancy. For the next year and a half we were again trying to add a little one to our family. For me, that meant doctor visits with fertility specialists, procedures, pills, injections, ultrasounds, blood tests, peeing on so many sticks (ovulation tests and pregnancy tests) etc. Most of the time it was physically and emotionally unpleasant and at sometimes it went well beyond unpleasant. I understand that other couples go through far more when dealing with infertility and sadly, some end up with far less. So I suppose that all in all, it wasn't too bad. But it was bad enough. Then in June 2017, Josh switched jobs, which meant that we had a month without insurance. We got to take a break from the fertility stuff but would have to make some difficult decisions when we went back to it. Here is where

August began in Island Park, Idaho for a family reunion. We spent a few days in Yellowstone, went on a hike, floated a portion of the Henry's Fork of the Snake River, played volleyball, ate yummy food, and made memories. Eli still regularly mentions the cabin in Idaho and asks when we will be going back. The whole Mendenhall crew All of the cousins. Eli and Susan on an old train bridge over Henry's Fork.  Checking out Big Spring, which is the source of Henry's Fork. There were tons of huge trout swimming right below us.  Our first day at Yellowstone was a bust. We left the house late, had to stop at a pharmacy in West Yellowstone for some Benadryl, and got stuck in the wrong line of cars entering the park. By the time we actually go in the park it was time for lunch. After a picnic lunch we tried to go see a few things but there were cars and people everywhere. It was crowded, hot, and quite unpleasant. We did go to Firehole Canyon, which is one of onl