Ward Campout

We are usually always up for camping fun, so we were excited to not miss out on this years ward camp out at Cape Lookout State Park. I have many fond memories of camping at this park as a kid. We would go there every year for most of the years that I can remember. I hadn't been back since I was a teenager, so it was extra fun for me to reminisce.

We had a really exciting dinner of hot dogs over the fire, followed by the requisite marshmallows. We played hard on the beach and in the water. The kids had a blast playing with so many friends. The girls even got to try out body boarding. We built a big fire on the beach for smores and let the kids all run around. It was lots of fun! The weather was pretty much perfect, and the next day left us plenty of time to play more in the surf. There were these great tidal pool areas where the kids could play without dealing with waves. It was really great. Of course we hit up the cheese factory on our way home. It's kinda funny how Neil knows the routine at that place now. He gets mad if we try changing it up on him.  (We have to go upstairs first to see the cheese, and then get in the sample line, etc...)

Happy Birthday Neil

My baby turned 3 in mid July, and to celebrate we had all the family over for a delicious taco bar. This time I bought all the meat from Ochoas, and fresh tortillas from a local store. I just have to say, totally worth it! Made my prep so easy, and it tasted amazing!

We had a great time eating, chatting, and opening presents. Neil made out like a bandit with really great stuff including a new train set from mom and dad, multiple matchbox cars, a semi truck to haul the cars, a new blanket, lincoln logs, fun clothes, and many other great toys.

It was really fun to see how excited he got when it was time for birthday cupcakes! He sang to himself and he had the biggest grin on his face. It made all the work worth it.

At three years old, Neil is a big boy. He measured in at 39.6inches tall and 41 pounds. He is talking more and more everyday, and other people are starting to understand him. He still isn't potty trained, but he is so ready to be. Hopefully, it will happen this year at least. This fall he gets to go to preschool two days a week, which will be really great for him and me. :)  He is just growing up so fast, and I am so glad to have him. I love him to pieces.

July 6, 2013

On July 6th, Claire was baptized as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It was a beautiful sunny summer day, and we had most of our family there to share it with. It was a simple program with a talk on baptism by Grandpa Phillips, and then later a talk on the Holy Ghost by Grandpa Moyle. It sure was special for Claire to have both of her Grandpas involved.
After her baptism and confirmation we went outside to take a few pictures, and then went out to dinner with everyone.

It's hard to believe that my first baby girl is old enough to take this step of faith. Eight years has gone by so fast! I'm so proud of her and how she tries to always do what is right. I am lucky to be her mom.

Happy Independence Day!

I just have to say, I love the 4th of July! It is by far my very favorite holiday of the year. What can be better than summer weather, BBQ, family, fireworks, late nights, and sleeping in?

This year did not disappoint. We woke up at the wonderful time of 9am and casually got everyone ready for what is becoming a tradition for us, a bike ride. Thankfully, Grace recently learned to ride without training wheels, so what better way to really give her some practice?

We decided to drive up to Stub Stewart State Park and ride the Banks-Vernonia Trail all the way down to Banks. We packed a picnic lunch and set off. It was a down hill ride for the majority of the way. The kids were champs and tried their best to ride fast. Grace got tired out pretty quickly, but she did really good overall. Especially considering that we went 10 miles, and she did just barely learn to ride. We ate our lunch at a nice picnic table area in Manning, and then finished up our ride. It was really fun! Afterwards we had time to head home for a nap and some relaxation before the evening festivities.

We headed over to Chris's brother's house for a family BBQ. All the food was delicious! We had a great time just chatting and enjoying the sunshine in the yard. Eventually, we set off a few of our fireworks including the sparklers. It's always a little scary being the parent around those darn sparklers. Neil especially, just isn't afraid enough of fire. He just loves it so much. At least this year he would listen to us when we told him to back up. He wanted to be the one to light everything. I'm going to have to watch out for this kid. 

It was pretty windy that night, so we opted to forego most of our small stuff, and head downtown Portland to watch the big firework show. We were able to get access to the roof of one of the buildings on the east side. It was fun to be up so high and to see fireworks going off all over the city. It ended up being a really late night since the show didn't end up starting until 10:40, and traffic to get home was horrendous. The girls and I really enjoyed it though. It was the perfect end to our day! 

8 is Great!

This year for Claire's birthday we kept things pretty simple. We invited some friends to a small party of bowling, arcades and cake. We had strawberries on angel food cake; which was a nice change from typical birthday cake.

After our small party, Chris and I dropped off the other kids with Grandma and we took Claire out for a special date with just us. We went out for chinese and then shopped til we dropped. She got to pick out several new outfits and even some fun accessories. We ended our shopping spree at sonic for shakes. This was our first time doing this, and I think it will have to be a tradition for all the kids. It was really great being able to spend some quality time with just Claire. She is such a special girl and I am so glad that she is ours!
On her actual birthday we met up with the family at Rood Bridge Park for some homemade rootbeer floats. It was one of the hottest days of the year, but that didn't stop our fun. Claire got some really great gifts that she had really wanted like a stuffed cat, crayons galore, paper by the ream, clothes, shoes, piggy bank, chalk, and much more. We all chatted in the shade and enjoyed our floats. It was a nice and relaxing evening. Happy birthday little Claire! 

Goodbye Second Grade

The last week of school around here was one giant party. Claire was super happy to go each day. There were all kind of fun activities that included a magic show, field day, assemblies, and class parties. On the very last day, I did manage to sneak in a picture of her with her teacher. She had a great year, and is now very much enjoying her summer break!

...and then the Wedding

After the half-marathon Chris came home to shower and take a short nap. We had just a couple of hours of downtime before all the festivities started for Katie and Mark's big day. The girls had a great time primping with the wedding party. They had their hair and nails done, each got some new jewelry, and were sporting their new dresses and shoes. They were definitely in heaven! I think we are in for it now, because they both have plans for their own weddings some day.

I wish I had a few more pictures, but the ceremony itself was nice and simple. The girls were flower girls and got to walk down the aisle. My little man kept himself amused with my phone until the last possible minute. He sure was handsome in his purple bow tie. I will have to track down some more pictures of them.

We all had a great time at the reception following. There was an ice cream stand, and plenty of other tasty foods to nibble on. Of course it was fun to hang out with all the extended family who had made the trip up.

Congrats Katie and Mark! It was a beautiful day.