Miscellaneous Summer Pics

Girls were nothing but smiles, going to the salon to get haircuts the day before school...the bangs are finally grown out!

Ally had a blast at Activty Day Camp and was thrilled her friend Kylie from school was there. They had their first 3-legged race...they stuck it out even though they were one of the last teams racing to the finish.

Cowboy Kaitlyn....at last years Rodeo. SO FUNNY! Great posture, don't ya think?

First lemonaid stand, lots of support from neighbors, a bikerider and of course Grandma and Grandpa who happended to see the advertisement on Facebook.

My little Divas were practicing their school fashion....scarves, hats and backpacks.

Ally LOVED checking dad's mole traps. There was always such a big smile when "they" caught one. Each time she would text daddy and tell him so.

Mia...we all loved the sad and happy faces!

Helpers....stacking wood. So happy to have children who like helping mom and dad (most the time).


Grandma/Granddaughter dates....a end of summer tradition they LOVE!

Mia's standing and found Ally. I love the look on Ally's face! She and Kaitlyn love Mia like a little sister. There's usually nothing but smiles when Mia around.

Ally surprised us one afternoon. I went outside to check on her; I found her kneeled down beside Tawney and Zack and doing something. When I went to check on her I had found that she picked ALOT of greenbeans and was snapping them for dinner, so that I wouldn't have to. She transported them in her shirt ;-) SO DANG CUTE!!!!

Went camping with the Berry's at Rod's place. The guys had a blast shooting things. The girls had fun relaxing and playing by the creek and on the slide. Note to self: bring inner-tubes next time and throw Jeremy in the water.

SWIM LESSONS...a big success! See those HAPPY faces???? Ally's a little tad pole and does nothing but wade in the deep end of the pool....this pool was 12 feet deep!


Kaitlyn 3 days before her session was over, finally had a light-bulb go off and realized that she COULD hold her breath and swim under water. She can now swim in the deep end without a floating device, not confidently though.

Rachael turned 7! The girls LOVED attending the party and going bowling with cousins to celebrate.

WEDDING RECEPTIONS! One of the girls favorite things is to see BRIDES! Amanda and Amy got married on the same day. They both are beautiful and such fine examples for our family. Congrats Mr. and Mrs. Wilson!

Congrats Mr. and Mrs. Leifson!


Ally hanging out with Hannah...neighbors granddaughter.

Mid-THIRTIES

I love these pics of my husband. I look at his eyes, his smile and am reminded of the things which captured my eye 15 years ago. Another reason I love these pictures is because he was ACTUALLY HAPPY on his birthday....he usually dislikes reaching another year of age....hitting 30 was like a bomb went off and I had better not throw any big party. My husband likes simplicity, so this year....a home cooked dinner at home with his parents and Chip (best friend of approx 23 years). After dinner and dessert (by the way...best german chocolate cake yet, made with 3 layers YUM), Jeremy's parents were very sweet and allowed us "kids" to get out and see a movie....they stayed with the grandkids. The girls and I had a busy day preparing with a sick baby, but every ounce of work was worth it for the man in our lives....that's officially in his mid-thirties ;-)

COUNTY FAIR TIME!

We LOVE this tradition, its been 14 years and counting ;-D


This year was so much different. The girls are older and know what they want to do, most of it consists of seeing the HORSES, of course. We missed having Grandpa with us, but he was definately remembered.


We were able to stay later and enjoy a couple rides AFTER the bull riding. We all agreed that we would wait until it got completely dark (notice the girls killing time, heading to another horse barn and finding ANY horses they can pet and admire.) We saw the biggest bull...2500 lbs, that was a record for me. We splurged and got some great treats and in the meantime was entertained by a couple clowns who kept Ally busy and Kaitlyn a little bit skidish. Kaitlyn was excited to find herself a rodeo princess contestant for 2012. Did you know Kaitlyn now considers herself a cowgirl, now that she has a horse of her own ;-)


The four of us had a wonderful time and are ready to celebrate Jeremy's big day tomorrow....he turns 35!

HORSE LESSONS and.......WE GOT A PONY!!!!

My visiting teacher had a great reference for us....an ametuer horse riding instructor, at a very reasonable price. We found out about a year ago and finally signed the girls up. They loved every minute of the lesson and can't wait for the weekly lessons to ride Tuffy again and again.

Shawney...changed the name to Tawney, is the new addition. She is a beautiful miniture horse, given to us by our friend Rod. He had some friends who needed to limit the amount of animals on their property....so he had our family in mind and gave Jeremy a call. I couldn't believe that the phone call came the day after the girls' 1st horse lesson. Jeremy could see the joy in the girls eyes and could tell that their love for horses is more than just a fasination. Rod had Jeremy completely convinced that this little pony is perfect for our girls and our property. We are hoping he is right. Tawney is 3 years old and is used to kids. She comes from a family with 7 children who gave her lots of attention. Tawney is super friendly and such a fun addition. We have the intent to keep her, but the girls also are prepped that they need to enjoy every moment with her. If her health and happiness are at stake and if we or they are unable to care for her, Rod takes her back and finds her a better home. We shall see how it goes.....wish us luck! This will be a new experience for all of us ;-)

Family Vacation 2011

Our family was thrilled to get-a-way, be together and spend time with Jeremy's family. This time was much needed...get our minds away from the regular routine and create some additional fun memories. Get ready for lots of pictures :) The above was taken right out our back door as soon as we got there, before the rest of the family arrived.


Steve and Becky arrived next with Reese and Tori. I was so happy that Reese came right to me, after awaking from a nap. She snuggled with me for quiet a while....was so nice! Tori eventually warmed up and was happy to sit on my lap after I told her I'd play "piggies" with her. Katie and Aaron showed up soon after, dinner the first night was at their place. The little boys immediately swarmed to a corner to play cars...so cute! The cousins attacked each other with hugs, thrilled to be together for the week!

Day 2: Beach and Crabbing


Best day to be at the beach! Pictures speak louder than words. Need I say more?




Two years ago Jeremy got crabbing nets and supplies for his birthday. This was the first time using them....so fun! We decided to head down to a new area (referred by a local fisherman). Turns out there was no railing, this made everyone a tad bit nervous (understatment). That didn't last long, so we headed to the pier.


I love being at the pier. Everyone we've ran into has been so pleasant and willing to let us take a peek at their catch. The community shows excitement for one another as we pull in nets, we also share in the disappointment (catching females or too small to take home). When star fish are brought up the kids show all kinds of amazment, crabbers allow them to hold the starfish and throw them back into the waters.


Day 3: Tidepools in Lincoln City, pool, seals and some girly fun

Jeremy, Wes, Steve and their boys (Westin and Steven) went crabbing this afternoon so Becky and the rest of us headed to the tidepools. We weren't at this location more than 20 minutes. The breeze and cool air was too much for the babies and Kaitlyn so we made it short. Instead, the babies went back for naps and Becky and I took the girls swimming.


Tom liked his walks and found many seals beyond the fencing, behind the condos. It was fun to walk down several times each day to see if they were there and stare at them for a while. The kids enjoyed watching the sunset and viewing the ocean's tide come-in with Grandma and Grandpa. Eventually the tide washed many of the seals back out to sea.

The nail polish game was a big hit with this side of the family as well....neices are so much fun! Although, I have to say Westin was pretty curious and wondered why a nail polish game would be fun. Wed had to try and convince Westin that nail polish is fun, so we painted one nail on each of their hands....don't you love Westin's reaction. I think he knows boys shouldn't have polish on their hands ;-)
Jeannie was thrilled to have Jeremy paint one of her hands so beautifully....she's such a trooper.


Sydney spent the night at our place and got to witness Ally's snoring...right in her ear. They slept in the same twin bed across from Kaitlyn. They enjoyed watching a movie in bed and hearing a few stories from Papa while Jeremy and I went to get a quick bite to eat with Wes.

Day 4: Depoe Bay, Swimming, Fogerty Beach and Steven's Birthday

No whales this trip, but the seals made up for it. Swimming was the girls highlight of the week....Ally became quiet the little tadpole. We got word that the girls got into the last session of the water awareness program for the summer....this will be SO good for them and hopefully help them with their skills that much more.

Fogerty Beach was a highlight for our family. It's such a different type of beach. It has very course sand....or should I say rocks with many tidepools and larger rocks to climb on.....see Aaron??? King of the mountain top? He must have had a great view. We enjoyed digging for rocks/agates and adding to the girls rock and seashell collections.


Jeremy took these pictures on his phone and found an option to create a sketch.

We finally got a taste of some of Becky's cupcake creations. The PB and Choc variety was our favorite....delicous! These were made to celebrate little Steven's 6th birthday celebration. The gift he's holding brought back so many memories. My brothers used to have the same toy guns...hopefully Steven's will last a while.

These bottom pics are obviously random. They show our awesome dog-sitter, Conner (Ally's friend Jillian's brother). Our dog Ruby adores him! Kaitlyn LOVES grandma's neck pillow, she borrow's it for every road trip. Jeremy is stylin in his new glasses...an early bday present from little miss Kaitlyn....she was so proud of her comical gift idea ;-)

Tom and Jeannie....thank you for the opportunities you provide for the family to be together. We enjoyed every minute....THANKS!!!!

Pioneer Days

We had a great week getting a taste of of olden days. It started with making starwberry jam, 2 batches since the 1st didn't set. We'll use that as pancake syrup.
Day 2, pioneer day celebration with Tom and Jeannie. The girls were thrilled to receive a little coin purse to hold their pennies they earned to get some candies at the end of the festivities. They liked sawing wood, panning for gold and playing some old simple games....like throwing a ball at old milk bottles.
Day 3, I realized the need for more bonnets for the youth trek. This was a Relief Society service we had been wanting to undertake all year, but was hard to anticipate the need (how many and such). I knew I needed to learn how and help with the efforts....many sisters got involved and were willing. I was thankful to receive a lesson from a sister I visit teach. This allowed me to make a couple bonnets for the Youth Trek and a couple for my own daughters dress-up and play.
Day 4, bake a cake from stratch. Again, 2 attempts were made. 2nd turned out good, but realized I still forgot an ingredient....no one could tell but me. I can't imagine having NO mixer, NO electric oven, or convenient utensils like we have today.
Day 5, bake bread; sew bonnets and aprons. Take Ally to activity days; she dressed up and learned how to make a fabric doll, zoomer, raspberry jam and homemade butter.
Day 6, weed the garden, stack wood in the shed.
Day 7, attend pioneer day celebration and dress the part (kindof).

Below you will find the girls in the bonnet and aprons I made for them. The dresses were made by Jeremy's mom years ago. Ally and Kaitlyn happen to be about the same age as Lairen and Kierstin (Jeremy's sisters) were when they wore the dresses. The girls loved playing dress up. They were little pioneers most of the week. I'm hoping they will plan on wearing these outfits for halloween....hmmmm, we shall see.


I've gained more appreciation for the things they endured and the way they had to live. It seems as if we have it so easy these days with technology and our simplfied ways. I found some frustration, but appreciate the little things so much more today than I did yesterday.

Kierstin, Wes, Westin and Jade came into town and decided to join us for the Stake Fair (pioneer day celebration). We're glad they came.


Mia joined us the last couple minutes. We had planned her outfit and knew she would fit in it perfectly. She was a happy girl, even if we did dress her up like she was a doll.....so much fun...the girls had a blast! Looks like Mia did too ;-)

Fourth of July and other Summer Sweetness

This fourth of July was one of the best celebrations yet. We went to the rodeo with my parents, brother and his kids (see post below), came home and napped, then headed to a friends place for a spectactular display of fireworks and fun. It was great to be with many of our ward members (church friends) and celebrate the blessed holiday. Thank you Deb, Rob, Jaime and Jana for a great evening! It was definately memorable, Jeremy has the scars to prove it ;-)


Story on the hand....yes, the night was eventful and fun. The down side was the stupidity of my husband having a teenager light a 2 inch round of sparklers in his hand with a blow torch. It let out a huge flash and burned Jeremy's hand pretty good (understatement). We were up until 3pm dealing with Jeremy's pain and wondering if we should take him to the doctor or not....his brother, "Dr Leif" would be proud (NOT). The on-call doctor I spoke to that night was not helpful one bit....he even fell asleep on me! Luckily, Jeremy got through it. He was thankful for medication on hand from a previous surgery which got him through.

Miscellaneous Summer Sweetness: (top right to left)


Sunday drive up in the hills with Mom, Dad and Molly (pup).
Ally and Kaitlyn trading massages.
Summer weeding....no complaints!!!....each had 1-2 rows they were responsible for.
Riding Grandma and Grandpa's bikes....smiles all the way, especially at the park.
Kaitlyn and her animals that were returned to her after a harsh day of disipline.
Ally and Dad's mole....dad showed her how to tell when one is caught in the trap.
Sisters....most days they are like this....getting along during the car ride.

Nathan and Christine's Visit

The long anticipated visit from Nathan's family (my 2nd oldest brother) came and went too quickily. I've been wanting to post these pictures for so long, but fear the tears that are already begining to form.....we miss them dearly and cherish their visit every couple years. Nathan's girls are at such a fun age. We connected so well with them and tried to get as much time as possible. My girls were so sad knowing their cousins were still in town for 3 days before leaving us for the last time....we all understood that there were other family members to see. So here are a few of our memories to share. We hope that as my brother Jason's family read this they will know how much we longed to have them with us on the trip. We thought of you often and look forward to future times we get to spend with you.

Day 1: Alpine Slides at Ski Bowl Adventure Park

We went on opening day, the kids were the perfect age to enjoy this adventure. It was a new experience for all of us and everyone found enjoyment! Ally and Ksenya went down the slides first....they were CRAZY into it. Ally NEVER read the signs and could care less about slowing down or getting on someone's tail. She and Skenya stuck like glue, going on the ski lifts and slides by themselves. We did not catch up to them until the 5th or 6th time...Christine and I finally waited at the top to catch them and explain to Ally that the signs for direction, caution and safety. It was pretty comical seeing her reaction....she shruged her shoulders and realized she had seen no signs what-so-ever. She also could care less about ever going down the slides with mom or dad. It was bitter-sweet realized our little girl is growing up.

Kaitlyn had a great time taking turns with each of the adults. She was a couple inches too short to ride the slide by herself. She had the most fun with aunt Christine, who let her be in charge of the breaks and aceleration. Christine said she had no fear....wish I would have saw it.

Kylie and Crystal enjoyed riding by themselves, but also enjoyed a few rides with the adults. It was so fun too have them warm up so quickily and want to go down the slides with me multiple times. I LOVED (understatment) every moment with the girls and miss them so much!

The adventure park had a lot of other fun thongs to do too; pony rides, rock climbing wall, kids play area (not that fantastic), go carts, kiddy canoe rides and other things that were not yet open since it was opening day.

Between adventures, we all went up to Government Camp to the top of the mountain. The girls loved playing around in the snow on a warm day.

Day 2: Fourth of July Rodeo

We've always heard such great reviews on the local rodeo here in town....it happens to be very close to mom and dads, so this year we were thrilled for the opportunity to go...another 1st for everyone.

Day 3: Family Dinner

This was the only night all of us could be together, since Heather and Jeremy had to on the week days, which is when we scheduled the day trips to avoid crowds. I can't believe we forgot to get a group photo! This was the night Nathan's family surprised mom and dad with a beautiful handmade quilt to commemorate mom and dad's 40th wedding anniversary. It included pictures of the each child's family and mom and dad's wedding pictures...wonderful work from both Nathan and Chrstine.


Day 4: Cannon Beach

The beach of choice was Cannon Beach. It is the beach that holds the most memories for our family. Walking through all the shops and enjoying the scenery of Haystack Rock was wonderful...the only regret was the wind, which of course we had no control over. The kids didn't seem to be bothered too much by it and had a good time no matter what...OF COURSE!


Day 5: GIRLS SLEEPOVER!!!

It was so much fun to have the girls all to myself ;-) They played outside for a while, then came in to play our nail polish game (idea from Ally's last birthday party). We painted rocks, watched movies and had lots of giggles. The morning brought a good breakfast, fun hairstyles and a movie with Papa (Cars 2). It was GREAT girl time!

The sad part to this is I knew that this was probably going to be the last time we saw them for a while. I didn't let the girls know it....for fear of breakdowns, which came later.

I'm thankful for Ksenya. She shared her wonderful talent of dance with us; DVD from some of her performances. She is so talented and is certainly exelled for her age. I'm thankful she is more than a cousin to my girls, she is a real friend. Ally looks up to her so much. Ksenya you are a beautiful young lady, we love you!

I'm thankful for Chrystal. Her smile lights up a room. She is very quiet in her ways, but is so sweet. Crystal sits back and watches, you can tell she wants to be involved in what's going on, but is reserved. Cystal you are radiant, let your light shine and know you are loved very much! Thank you for all your hugs and sweet gestures!

I'm thankful for Kylie. Those brown eyes will melt your heart! She is another quiet and sweet one, but will let you know what she wants in her own quiet ways. She is full of snuggles and wants to be loved. Kylie you are such a joy to be around. I loved seeing your thoughtfulness and creativity. Thank you for making me feel so special. You are loved very much!


I'm thankful for family, for my family. I thankful for loving parents who have strived to do whatever they can for our family. I'm thankful for three brothers who are unique in their own ways, I love each of them and appreciate the wonderful fathers they have become. They have married good women who I look up to in different ways. I cherish my time with children dearly, these moments with neices and nephews won't last long. I love spending time with them and have so much fun with them.

I'm so glad for every moment we got to spend with most of the my side of the family. The memories we create and the love that resides is cherished dearly.

Activity Day Recognition

Ally's first Activity Day recognition was last month. She was very happy to receive her 1st year certificate and flowers for her efforts (picture was taken morning after). The duck derby took place right after. She did an awesome job competing against the boys. She and 'One Eyed Duck' were a great team'. I love that she's found so much joy from going to Activity Days and working on her Faith in God requirements.

Family Fun Day

Last year we heard about a Rock Ranch in Oregon....some friends of our had gone "Rock Hounding" and dug for thunder eggs. We decided to pack the kids up and go...the girls LOVE rocks and have their own collections so we knew it would be a big hit if they were able to add to the collections.

Ally called Dad her "Digging Partner". She had a couple of other funny things she said on the trip. Here are a couple:

"OH WOW, LOOK, wild cows!" Jeremy gave her a lesson on free grazing cattle.
"Okay, I think I've turned into a lazy cow....with all this driving"
"I'm as HOT as a roasted piece of toast! It's SO HOT out here"

We praised Ally for her way with words...she loves using detail in the stories she writes AND has been really good with her analogies.
On the way home from the rock ranch, we stopped by our friend Rod's home and ranch. He's always so pleasant to visit and treats us so well, entertaining the kids and allowing us to roam on his beautiful property. In the girls journals they wrote about Rod's new horses "Star and Katy". They told about their experience with grooming Star and how Ally got to ride Star bare-back. This was a BIG DEAL for both of them. Ally couldn't believe how high she was and she didn't have a saddle. Kaitlyn was concerned for Ally's safety, especially after witnessing Star's nervousness, after being separated from her sister Katy.
A couple years ago Ally rode a different horse, that since has passed away. Actually two of Rod's horses have passed away, since our last visit. Ally was so sad for Rod. As soon as she returned home, she wrote a letter to Rod explaining that; if and when she ever gets a horse...she'll give it to him because she knows that he must REALLY miss the horses that died.
Both our girls have such kind hearts and are so sensitive. We love that you both are often thinking of others.

Dad's Day

Jeremy is an amazing man. Ally, Kaitlyn and I are so lucky to have him!
Kaitlyn caught the fun grin on Jeremy's face below....she did a fantastic job catching the face we see daily.
The outside picture (below) shows Jeremy and his dedication to our yard and home. He works so hard to keep everything looking nice and function properly. This particular picture shows him using a stump grinder, getting the 4 stumps that have been pestering us over the last few years. As you can see from Jeremy's stance....he doesn't mind ANY work that includes equipment.
Jeremy is a great BBQer! I love it when he takes over the cooking...he even cooked up our lunch and dinner on Fathers Day.....SO AWESOME!
I had to throw a picture of the dogs in this college....they are certainly a part of the family. We catch this view EVERY time we walk out our back door or return home...they can't wait to see if it's dad coming to let them out.
The picture of Jeremy and I marks the fact that we've been married 13 years....he's put up with alot and I'm ever grateful!
This barely covers all the many things we love about you babe! We loved celebrating a day about YOU....we don't know what we would do with out you.

The pictures below were taken for Jeremy's fathers day surprises. His desk at work had extremly outdated pictures. He requested new ones quite sometime ago. Our dear friend Paige took these in our back yard. I think she did better than a studio....we are so thankful for the time, money and energy she saved us. Thanks Paige!!!

Jeremy we hope you know how great you are! You mean the world to us!

Jeremy and I got to see our Dad's on Saturday and Sunday evenings. We love you guys very much! Glad we were able to get these takes of both of you. You are such GREAT Granddads....all of us are so lucky to have you :-)

PS....not sure what Kaitlyn's bug eyes are all about....they look kinda creepy. Too bad a little bit of her bug-eyes couldn't have been passed along to Dad's sleepy eyes...he had a long day, but was still up for a visit.

Brooklyn is 4

My friend Sara, from High School, invited us to her daughter Brooklyn's 4th birthday party. She is such a sweet little girl, just like her mom ;-) Sara and I had a great time catching up, the girls played like crazy at PDX Playdate and I got to meet her sweet little guy Zachery (foster child)...SO cute!. Thanks for inviting us....we had a GREAT afternoon!

Happy Fathers Day!

Happy Fathers Day to the amazing men in our life! You are great examples of courage, work, love, kindness, support and the ability to endure. Thank you for being the Father, Grandfathers and Great Grandfather you are!
WE LOVE YOU SOOO MUCH!

Last Days of School

The last days of school are always bitter-sweet.
I'm SO sad I will not have my afternoon buddy to hang out with, but am happy I won't have to make an extra trip to the bus stop each day.
I'm a little sad to not have my morning routine...and getting a few extra things taken care of, but SO happy I get to hang out with BOTH my girls all summer!
I'm sad we have to move onto new teachers, but am excited what the new school year will bring...what the girls will learn and what we'll get to work on together.

This is Ally with two of her closest friends (Nyssa and Lauren) in class. The last day of school was field day, where the kids got to spend a few hours playing games and having nothing but fun. Ally has done a great job getting through the school year. She had fantastic teachers (includes student teacher) who were great with helping her overcome some great challenges. We are so proud of you Ally!!! You are such a sweet girl who is turning into such a lovely and smart young lady. Keep up the goodwork Ally-Gator!


This is Kaitlyn with her teacher (receiving her Kindergarten Diploma) and her friends Talitha and Corbin. Story on Corbin....Kaitlyn ran into her classmate at the school roller-skating night several months ago. His mom stated how she had heard about Kaitlyn and how Corbin has admired her "pretty red hair"...this made Kaitlyn blush and made her head over heals for him ever since.
Kaitlyn's book deserves several posts!!! She's been working on it for months. It was exhausting to come up with ideas and the time to accomplish this GREAT idea she had...to make a book of 100 pages! We tried to encourage her to shorten the book, but anyone who knows Kaitlyn, knows that SHE KNOWS what she WANTS and is DETERMINED! The goal was to finish the book by the end of the school year so she could make a copy for her teacher. We had one month to go and I didn't know how it would be possible. We finally resorted to using the computer for the last 50 pages. It was awesome to get her on the computer; to choose some new pictues and learn to use the key board. We are so proud of Kaitlyn...she wanted to be done SO badly, but was NOT willing to give up. Way to go Kaitlyn! We are SO proud of you!!!
Here's a sneak-peak at some of her favorite pages (these are the ones she chose to give her teacher on the last day of school, along with a letter of appreciation), Kaitlyn had to try really hard to save the 'hearts' for last (she wanted to see what 100 hearts would look like on a piece of paper.....

Sprinkler FUN in the SUN!!!

Our last two Saturday's have been beautiful! Last Saturday was almost 90 degrees. All I have to say is...it's about time we dry out!
The girls finished up their chores SO FAST. They were outside by 8:45 making their river under the bridge....this was them digging in the rocks and pouring water under our decorative bridge in the front yard. We were on a bikeride with Ava and Mia by 10:00. The girls were playing in the sprinklers and laying in the sun right after our picnic in the yard....then out came the 4-wheeler for some rides with dad. It was a GREAT day....sure hope Mr. Sunshine shines for a while...we're hoping for a nice'n sunny summer.